Max Wilkinson
Main Page: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)Department Debates - View all Max Wilkinson's debates with the Leader of the House
(1 day, 18 hours ago)
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Lucy Powell
My hon. Friend raises a very good point about those who were excluded and those who were left in great difficulty as a result of the pandemic, which was a huge shock to the economy at the time. Treasury questions are coming up in a couple of weeks; my hon. Friend might want to raise that issue then.
Max Wilkinson (Cheltenham) (LD)
The hon. Member for West Worcestershire (Dame Harriett Baldwin) mentioned the subject of devolution. In Gloucestershire, we stand on the cusp of a democratic outrage: the county council leadership has suggested that districts are backing it in cancelling this year’s elections, and backing a single unitary authority for the whole of Gloucestershire. Having spoken to other districts, that is not the case, and I know that Labour Members from Gloucestershire share my concerns. I add my weight to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire’s call: that, if county councils persist in this kind of democratic outrage, we must have time to debate that in this House. I hope the Leader of the House agrees.
Lucy Powell
I hear what the hon. Member says. To reiterate what I said earlier, the Minister for Local Government has set out some very clear criteria that must be met in relation to any requests for postponing elections, and one of the things he will be looking for is support across the area for that decision. However, I will certainly listen to requests for a broader debate on this issue.