Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between George Hollingbery and Lord Pickles

Monday 16th March 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Pickles]

The hon. Lady should not confuse the amount of money that goes to troubled families with the amount that goes to local authorities in general. The troubled families delivery programme is based on payment by results, and she should urge Hull city council to take some of the advantages that its neighbours have taken—it is payment by results.

[George Hollingbery (Meon Valley) (Con)]

In August 2011 Denmead neighbourhood forum in my constituency received £20,000 from the Front Runners scheme to complete its neighbourhood plan, and it was passed on the Thursday before last with a resounding majority. Will the Minister congratulate Denmead neighbourhood forum on that fantastic achievement by local people for local people?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between George Hollingbery and Lord Pickles

Monday 3rd March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Pickles]

We have made a number of changes. First, we have given local authorities the freedom to be able to do that. Under the previous regime they did not have that freedom. Secondly, rather than pretending that food banks do not exist, we have allowed local authorities and various Government agencies to signpost them.

[George Hollingbery (Meon Valley) (Con)]

T4. We heard how much success there has been in neighbourhood planning across the country, but a great many communities that are a lot smaller than average would love to indulge in some sort of neighbourhood planning. Will the Minister consider introducing neighbourhood planning-lite for such communities?

Winter Floods

Debate between George Hollingbery and Lord Pickles

Thursday 6th February 2014 Commons Chamber

[George Hollingbery (Meon Valley) (Con)]

Many of the villages in my constituency are currently flooded, but none more so than Hambledon where 1 foot of water has been running up and down the high street for four weeks, and probably will for another four. Spending £3.5 million will sort that out for ever. Please will the Secretary of State intervene?

[Mr Pickles]

That is a good illustration of the effect of ground water, and we should be particularly proud of the way that community organisations have worked together, especially in looking after the vulnerable.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between George Hollingbery and Lord Pickles

Monday 28th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[George Hollingbery (Meon Valley) (Con)]

7. What expressions of interest he has received from local authorities outside the areas of the family support pilots in the creation of community budget schemes.

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

Authorities in many of the 16 first-phase areas, and in a number of other places, are interested in developing community budgets in relation to a variety of local priorities, and we are discussing the possibilities with a range of Departments. The number of areas involved is constantly evolving.

[George Hollingbery]

May I press the Secretary of State a little further? Given the demonstrable advantages of community budgeting—value for money, local delivery, and bringing people closer to the political process—what further action is the Department taking to increase the number of projects?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between George Hollingbery and Lord Pickles

Thursday 21st October 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Pickles]

We have been in discussions with the Local Government Association and we will have a code of conduct, which seems to me to be a sensible way of doing that—[Interruption.] The right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr Raynsford) seems to think that the boards have achieved something, but their only achievement has been to be petty, silly and pointless.

The latest example of that concerns a Green party councillor, Jason Kitcat, who placed unofficial video footage of a council meeting on his website. He has been referred to the board for not showing his council respect. With the joyous news of the Lady Thatcher’s improving health, perhaps I could say to Councillor Kitcat: “YouTube if you want to.”

[George Hollingbery (Meon Valley) (Con)]

8. What guidance his Department provides to local authorities planning large housing developments in their area on consultation with residents of neighbouring local authority areas likely to be affected.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between George Hollingbery and Lord Pickles

Thursday 15th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Pickles]

I readily understand that the hon. Lady has the disadvantage of being a Labour MP and is therefore incapable of understanding that this Government will give away power, or of understanding that localism will involve a constitutional shift in this country. We aim to give the people in towns and villages in the north-west more power. We will not repeat the mistakes of the Labour party by taking more power into Westminster.

[George Hollingbery (Meon Valley) (Con)]

T6. In my conversations with planners and others over the past week, there seemed to be some question as to whether the recently announced changes to the definitions of brownfield land and densities in planning policy statement 3 prevent so-called garden-grabbing. Will the Minister please confirm that local councillors in Meon Valley and elsewhere are now free to amend their planning policies on garden-grabbing in any way that they want, in whatever time frame they choose?