Oral Answers to Questions

Faisal Rashid Excerpts

Monday 17th June 2019 Commons Chamber

[James Brokenshire]

I appreciate that the hon. Lady is making her own point in her own way. Obviously, local government is devolved in Scotland, and she also makes her own point in relation to no deal. Preparations have been put in place and funding has been provided to a number of local councils in England, and we are ensuring that the money designed for EU preparations actually gets to where it needs to go, whereas that has not always been the case with the Scottish Government.

[Faisal Rashid (Warrington South) (Lab)]

3. What recent assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the level of Government funding for local authorities on the adequacy of the services that they provide.

[Vicky Foxcroft (Lewisham, Deptford) (Lab)]

21. What recent assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the level of Government funding for local authorities on the adequacy of the services that they provide.

[The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (James Brokenshire)]

Our recent settlement confirmed an increase of £1.3 billion in resources for local government this year. This real-terms increase recognises the critical services that local government delivers. Core funding is nearly all un-ring-fenced, giving local government control over its local income and the freedom and flexibility to spend according to local needs.

[Faisal Rashid]

We know only too well by now that central Government underfunding of local authorities has devastated many of our constituents through cuts to many essential services. Perhaps the most dismal funding failure of all from this Government has been on housing, with the building of social housing at its lowest level since world war two. When will the Government wake up and realise that our housing is in crisis and at breaking point?

[James Brokenshire]

I say gently to the hon. Gentleman that he has not recognised one of our biggest reforms in social housing, which has been to lift the housing revenue account borrowing cap. This will enable councils to borrow in order to build a new generation of council homes, and I want to see councils utilising and harnessing that so that we can build homes for people and ensure that councils play their part in that.