Oral Answers to Questions

Rob Butler Excerpts

Monday 21st November 2022 Commons Chamber

[James Morris (Halesowen and Rowley Regis) (Con)]

3. What steps his Department is taking to provide (a) tools and (b) funding to help local leaders deliver services.

[Rob Butler (Aylesbury) (Con)]

5. What steps his Department is taking to provide (a) tools and (b) funding to help local leaders deliver services.

[Simon Baynes (Clwyd South) (Con)]

11. What steps his Department is taking to provide (a) tools and (b) funding to help local leaders deliver services.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lee Rowley]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right that levelling up is hugely important not just for communities in the west midlands but for those all across the country, both in areas traditionally labelled as levelling-up areas and in those with high needs and high deprivation throughout the country as a whole. He is a huge advocate for the work that is being done across the west midlands and in his constituency. I know that it will be successful both there and wherever else we can do something across the country.

[Rob Butler]

Buckinghamshire Council successfully secured £170 million from the housing infrastructure fund in 2020, to enable the delivery of Aylesbury’s long-awaited and much needed link roads programme. It was met by much celebration locally, as the town has suffered traffic gridlock during rush hour for many years. With the costs of construction materials spiralling, it is essential that these roads are built as soon as possible. Will my hon. Friend work with me and the council to help us get a little bit of necessary flexibility on the precise way that the funding is deployed, to ensure that this vital new infrastructure is completed?

[Lee Rowley]

The Government are absolutely committed to ensuring that infrastructure is in place at the right time. My hon. Friend has worked incredibly hard in in this place in the period he has been here to make clear that the traffic challenges in Aylesbury are because of pressure from new housing, hence this grant. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for North West Durham (Mr Holden), who is responsible for this area, and I are happy discuss this issue further with him to help his constituency.