Levelling Up Fund Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Lord Sahota
Main Page: Lord Sahota (Labour - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Lord Sahota's debates with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
(1 year, 10 months ago)
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Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)
My Lords, it is not a begging bowl culture; it is that we have a finite amount of money to spend on capital projects across this country. The only fair and transparent way of finding the best bids to deliver the most for the United Kingdom has to be through a bidding process.
Lord Sahota (Lab)
My Lords, some councils have spent millions on consultancy fees to make a bid for levelling-up funding. Some of those councils were unsuccessful and the consultancy firms were the winners. Does the Minister believe it is wise to get our communities to fight each other, where someone must lose?
Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)
My Lords, no, I do not, and I do not think it is necessary to employ expensive consultants to do the bidding. Local authorities know what is important in their areas and they have officers who can put forward bids. The Government will support them. It is a very clear and transparent process.