Business of the House

Debate between Penny Mordaunt and Margaret Greenwood

Thursday 11th January 2024 Commons Chamber

[Margaret Greenwood (Wirral West) (Lab)]

In November the Carrbridge Centre, which does important work with children and other residents in Woodchurch in my constituency, had its Barclays bank account closed without warning, despite the fact that there was a very large amount of money in the account. It is one of many charities across the country that have experienced the same thing. The closure placed the centre in an extremely difficult situation, as it could not pay in or out of the account. It had an impact on the running of the centre and the payment of staff wages and was especially problematic during the run-up to Christmas with the special activities that the centre had planned. I am pleased to say that those events eventually did go ahead thanks to the determination and commitment of the staff and trustees, but none the less it is wrong that they have had to go through this. May we have a debate in Government time on the impact of such arbitrary decisions by banks such as Barclays on charities and on possible action that can be taken against banks acting in that way?

[Penny Mordaunt]

I am very sorry to hear about what has happened in the hon. Lady’s constituency, and I applaud the staff and trustees who continued undeterred to provide those services and support to their local communities. In such cases, I always hope that the public affairs departments of businesses—in this case Barclays—are listening in to business questions. If Barclays has not already made redress for this situation, I hope that it will get in touch with her office. I will ensure that the Minister has heard what has been said. The difficulty in these situations is not just that something happens and an account is frozen or closed, but that people are incapable of finding out why that has happened or trying to get it resolved. It is a shoddy situation and I hope Barclays will phone her this afternoon.

Business of the House

Debate between Penny Mordaunt and Margaret Greenwood

Thursday 11th May 2023 Commons Chamber

[Penny Mordaunt]

I will certainly make sure that the Chief Secretary has heard what the hon. Gentleman has said. He will know that, on the spending and delivery for that site, the Tees Valley Combined Authority has judged that that is on track and the transfer presented value for money. These matters are independently audited and those who are doing that have not raised any concerns about the judgment that South Tees Development Corporation has made or the management of the organisation. These are important matters. They are a concern to the hon. Gentleman and I shall act on his request, but it is also important that those facts are out there. I am sure he would not want to stifle investment in the area; I know that that is not his intention. We must be careful of that.

[Margaret Greenwood (Wirral West) (Lab)]

People in Wirral West are extremely anxious about a series of planning appeals by Leverhulme Estate relating to building on the green belt that will be heard at a public inquiry that starts next week. The outcomes will particularly impact on people in Barnston, Irby and Pensby, and also have implications for those in Greasby. Leverhulme Estate’s plans are not wanted by local people and are contrary to what Wirral Council has set out in the local plan, which is that the borough’s housing needs can be met on brownfield sites and land in urban areas. So may we have a debate in Government time on how a resolution can be found in such cases where there are clear conflicts between what local people and the local council wants, and what developers want? Will such a debate cover considerations of ways in which we can give the green belt the stronger protections it clearly needs?

[Penny Mordaunt]

I thank and congratulate the hon. Lady on raising this matter and advertising it to her constituents and other interested parties, who will want to participate in that process. That subject is often raised in this House by many Members and I am sure that if she were to apply for a debate, it would be well supported.

Business of the House

Debate between Penny Mordaunt and Margaret Greenwood

Thursday 15th December 2022 Commons Chamber

[Penny Mordaunt]

I am sorry to hear about that case. Every year, about 5,000 such cases are processed successfully, with those people being reunited with their families. As I said, the Home Office is now offering a one-to-one service. If the hon. Gentleman has had difficulty in accessing it, my office would be happy to facilitate that.

[Margaret Greenwood (Wirral West) (Lab)]

Last week, along with other Wirral MPs, I met headteachers representing primary schools right across Wirral. They told us of the severe financial challenges that they face. Despite the announcement in the autumn statement, they are extremely concerned about how they will be able to pay the staffing costs and heating bills, and in some instances, they simply cannot. They are facing very difficult choices. One school has even invested in a set of fleeces for the children to wear in class because there is insufficient heating in the school, as the school cannot afford it. I am extremely concerned about the evidence that I have heard. This is an incredibly serious situation. When parents drop their children off at school, they have the right to expect that children will be in schools that are warm, fully resourced and properly staffed. Can we have a debate on funding in primary schools as a matter of urgency?

[Penny Mordaunt]

I am sorry to hear about that particular case. In addition to the £5 billion in education recovery funding, we announced a further £500 million in the past few days to help schools with energy efficiency. No school should have to have the heating off, and I am very concerned to hear about the hon. Lady’s case. As a consequence, I will contact the Department for Education today and ask it to look into that.