David Wright
Main Page: David Wright (Labour - Telford)
Grant Shapps
The hon. Gentleman is right to draw attention to a serious problem involving both long-term care and a reduction in people’s ability to buy homes. That has happened because house prices tripled over the 10 years following 1997. Eight out of 10 first-time buyers are buying their homes through the bank of mum and dad, but today those without that ability will be pleased to hear about our Firstbuy scheme, which will help more than 10,000 people in England to get a foot on the housing ladder for the first time.
David Wright (Telford) (Lab)
8. What recent discussions he has had with representatives of fire and rescue services on the effects of reductions in their budgets; and if he will make a statement.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Robert Neill)
I regularly meet representatives of fire and rescue authorities. My door is always open to their members if they wish to discuss their concerns. I have specified seven areas in which fire and rescue authorities might make efficiency savings, but the setting of fire authority budgets and service delivery are a local matter which is determined by individual fire and rescue authorities and not by central Government.
David Wright
Shropshire fire and rescue service
“has been hit by unprecedented cuts to its grant from Central Government, with a 12.6% reduction for years 2011-12 and 2012-13”.
Those are not my words, but the words of the chief fire officer in a letter sent to me the other day. Services and engine cover in Telford are to be reorganised. If response times fall away, will the Minister look again at the grant allocation for the Shropshire fire service?
Robert Neill
The local government grant accounts for only about 38% of the Shropshire fire and rescue authority’s total budget. Its spending power has therefore been reduced by only 2.1%, while its capital grant has been increased by 32%. The disposition of appliances and staff is, of course, a matter for the authority.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Andrew Stunell)
The current consultation on the planning guidelines is open for a few more days, and we will be interested to hear my hon. Friend’s views if he has not already submitted them. We are determined to tackle this problem, and the Localism Bill and the changes to the guidelines are designed to achieve just that.
David Wright (Telford) (Lab)
The 1% increase in mortgage activity over the past 12 months is largely focused on remortgages. Why is that?
Grant Shapps
Because there was an enormous bank crash due to the fact that the debt in the British economy got out of all possible control, with Labour spending money that this country simply did not have. We are in the process of unravelling that mess. I am pleased to report to the hon. Gentleman that for the first time for a very long time average lending to first-time buyers has dropped below 6%.