Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Shabana Mahmood and Greg Clark

Thursday 15th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[The Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Greg Clark)]

We are getting rid of the Soviet-style planning system—repealing Gosplan—precisely so that local communities such as my hon. Friend’s can get together in the right way. For example, there is no sense in linking his area with Hertford because that is not a natural economic area and it is difficult to plan employment in such a way. His community is now free to liaise with neighbouring authorities, as it always should have been.

[Shabana Mahmood (Birmingham, Ladywood) (Lab)]

The Government are already hitting hard new deal programmes that were designed to help some of our most deprived communities in areas such as Aston, which is in my constituency. Is it true that the plan is now to cut off funding from the middle of the financial year—from this October—thereby sacking staff and damaging some of our most deprived communities?