Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Grant Shapps and Julie Hilling
Grant Shapps
The new homes bonus is entirely flexible to allow local authorities to decide how the cash that comes in is spent—those hundreds of millions of pounds being distributed today—so that they can take it and use it for their own objectives. There is a conversation to be held locally rather than nationally about how that money is used in Rugby.
Julie Hilling (Bolton West) (Lab)
4. What assessment he has made of the likely effect on the community and voluntary sectors of reductions in the level of Government funding for local authorities.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Grant Shapps and Julie Hilling
Julie Hilling (Bolton West) (Lab)
Does the Minister agree that changes to housing benefit, secure tenancies and the raising of rents will take us back to the “Cathy Come Home” era?
Grant Shapps
No, I do not agree with the hon. Lady and I will tell her this. The last Government used to claim there were just 440 people sleeping on our streets. That is not true. When we came into office we conducted a proper count, and the right figure is 1,247. Hiding the problem is not solving it; this Government are protecting the most vulnerable in society, and that includes the homeless.