Oral Answers to Questions

Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford Excerpts

Monday 31st October 2011 Commons Chamber

[Jane Ellison (Battersea) (Con)]

8. What steps his Department is taking to promote local enterprise.

[Nicola Blackwood (Oxford West and Abingdon) (Con)]

19. What steps his Department is taking to promote local enterprise.

[The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr Eric Pickles)]

My Department has been championing a series of measures to promote local economic growth. For example, our proposals for the local retention of business rates will reward councils for working with business, and will provide new incentives to drive growth. The 22 enterprise zones will generate new businesses and jobs in a targeted way across the country, from Newcastle to Newquay.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Pickles]

My hon. Friend’s council has long had a reputation as a can-do council, and it is one of the best for keeping down the council tax and keeping satisfaction high among its residents. Given that quite a lot of the important developments in west London lie within her patch, we are looking to her and to the council to expedite badly needed growth.

[Nicola Blackwood]

Businesses in Oxford West and Abingdon tell me how important it is that they access local government procurement contracts, and about the difficulties they have in navigating some of the complicated procurement processes. The Government have taken some steps to support local businesses to access central Government procurement processes, but how can the Secretary of State’s Department help to open up local government procurement processes in the same way?

[Mr Pickles]

My hon. Friend makes a very important point. Indeed, we have been working very closely with the Local Government Association to try to free up procurement. Part of that, of course, has been ensuring that there is transparency so that we can see how councils are spending their money. I am particularly grateful to the LGA, with which we are trying to demystify the complexities of European procurement regulations to allow local businesses to bid.