Communities and Local Government

Chris Williamson Excerpts

Tuesday 26th April 2011 Ministerial Corrections

The following is the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Andrew Stunell) relating to a question from the hon. Member for Derby North (Chris Williamson) during Communities and Local Government Question Time on 4 April 2011.

[Chris Williamson (Derby North) (Lab)]

The wheels are well and truly coming off the Government’s explanation for their swingeing cuts to local government—that is pretty clear. Contrary to his assertion that he would protect the most vulnerable by making his cuts “fair and progressive”, the Secretary of State is actually imposing the biggest cuts on the country’s poorest communities and leaving more affluent areas relatively unscathed. Even his own housing Minister confessed last week that the poorest areas will shoulder the harshest cuts. Will the Minister replying do the decent thing and admit that the Secretary of State’s declaration about fairness and the Chancellor’s assertion that we are all in it together are completely and utterly preposterous?

[Andrew Stunell]

The hon. Gentleman has of course used a selective quotation, and that is entirely his prerogative, but it does rather undermine his case. The reality is that no local authority in this country faces a reduction in its real expenditure of more than 7.7%, and offset against that is the new homes bonus that we have announced today, through which Lambeth, for instance, gets £1.9 million.

[Official Report, 4 April 2011, Vol. 526, c. 728-29]

Letter of correction from Mr Andrew Stunell:

An error has been identified in the oral answer given on 4 April 2011.

The correct answer should have been: