Cost of Living

Debate between Catherine McKinnell and Guy Opperman

Wednesday 27th November 2013 Commons Chamber

[Guy Opperman]

I have no doubt that building on contaminated brownfield sites can be difficult, but in my constituency, for example, the police authority has sold the site of a former police station that could be built on perfectly properly. For 20 years, taxpayers—that includes the hon. Gentleman and me—paid more than £1 million to keep the former Stannington hospital site secure, yet nothing was built on it. We now have former government sites being built on and providing homes, but of course that is not green belt. He was keen to make his point about brownfield sites, but he also spoke about greenfield sites. We have huge difficulties in the north-east with investment in and building on greenbelt sites by local authorities.

I have gone on too long and been distracted—

[Catherine McKinnell (Newcastle upon Tyne North) (Lab)]

indicated assent.

[Guy Opperman]

The Opposition spokesperson chunters from a sedentary position. On jobs figures and the economy, she will doubtless be addressing the fact that in her constituency unemployment has fallen by 12.5% in the last year, that youth unemployment has fallen by 16.5% and that the number of apprenticeship has risen from 620 in 2009-10 to 1,170 according to the most recent statistics. That is real action to help people in the north-east.