Local Elections
Debate between Martin Vickers and Miatta Fahnbulleh(2 weeks, 6 days ago)
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Miatta Fahnbulleh
I thank the hon. Lady for making that powerful point. Yes, we absolutely will do so.
Martin Vickers (Brigg and Immingham) (Con)
Last Friday, along with the hon. Member for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes (Melanie Onn), I attended a meeting with the leader and the chief executive of North East Lincolnshire council. The chief executive produced a very thick report on why they do not want any further reorganisation in the council area. Up and down the country, councils are spending millions of pounds on producing reports about why they do or do not want to be a mayoral authority, and why they do or do not want reorganisation. Surely the Minister agrees that those millions would be better spent providing better services for their local communities.
Miatta Fahnbulleh
We want investment to be spent on local communities—on that there is agreement—but I come back to the point that I have made time and again: the status quo is neither sustainable nor desirable, so something has to give and something has to change. The way that we are approaching it is to say to local areas, “Come up with your plan, and here is the set of criteria against which those plans will be judged”, but we cannot stand still and do nothing; we have to do something, and we are trying to go through a process in partnership with places.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Martin Vickers and Miatta Fahnbulleh(5 months, 1 week ago)
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Miatta Fahnbulleh
My hon. Friend is completely right to stress the challenges faced by businesses. The Government are committed to backing businesses. We are working with the regulator to make sure that the system is fair for everyone and, as is set out in our industrial strategy, from 2027 the new British industrial competitiveness scheme will reduce electricity costs by up to £40 per megawatt-hour, which will benefit thousands of electricity-intensive industries, including the ones in his constituency. We are very clear that we are backing businesses, and we will do everything we can to support them in driving down bills.
Martin Vickers (Brigg and Immingham) (Con)
Energy costs are an issue that the Prax oil refinery has brought to my attention over the years as a problem it has been facing. I appreciate the calls I have had with the Minister for Energy about this. I was able to visit the plant on Friday, and there was clearly growing concern, with hundreds of jobs at risk. What assurance can the Minister offer my constituents who are affected by this situation?