Henry Smith MP has hailed the 2015 Queen’s Speech, and has welcomed the Government’s commitment to the localism agenda.
Henry said;
“I am pleased to see that the Government are, through the Cities & Local Government Devolution Bill, and the Housing Bill, showing how local authorities will have access to funding, and the powers they need to drive economic growth, build new infrastructure and deliver new housing.
“I was recently named Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government, Rt Hon Greg Clark MP. As part of this role I will liaise with both the Department’s ministerial team and MPs helping to guide legislation through – I am looking forward to playing my part in ensuring more powers are devolved, from Westminster to local people.”
On the EU Referendum Bill;
“After years of campaigning, I am pleased that a Conservative majority government will be able to legislate for an in/out EU referendum.
“It is right that this decision will be taken by everyone in our country – the Prime Minister’s vote will count for as much as yours or mine.
“The franchise for the referendum will be based on the General Election franchise.”
On the Childcare Bill;
“I welcome the increased entitlement to 30 hours a week of free childcare, available to eligible working parents of three- and four-year-olds.
“This Bill will also require local authorities to publish information about the provision of childcare in the local authority area, and other services which might be of benefit to parents or prospective parents in their area.
“Since 2010, the Government has increased funding for the childcare market by £1 billion, to almost £3 billion per year. This includes the extension to provide 15 hours a week of childcare to all three- and four-year-olds, and all disadvantaged two-year-olds – saving families over £2,500 a year per child.
“The Coalition Government also introduced shared parental leave. This gives parents more choice in how they share the care of their new born child and give women more choice over when they return to work, if they choose to do so.”
On the Housing Bill;
“People in Crawley have benefited from the Government’s Help to Buy scheme, and I am pleased that this will be extended to tenants of housing associations.
“To fund this policy, the Housing Bill will also require councils to sell their most expensive housing when it falls vacant – with the receipts used to provide new affordable homes in the same area, and the surplus used to fund the Right to Buy for housing association tenants.
“The Bill will also ensure help to build 200,000 new Starter Homes for first-time buyers.
“These homes will be sold to first-time buyers only under the age of 40 at a 20 per cent discount on the market price. Further changes to the planning system will be made to ensure that these homes can be built.
“Additionally, local authorities will have to maintain a register of available brownfield land in their area which will give more certainty to developers and increase investment in housing.”
Henry concluded;
“The ambition behind this Queen’s Speech is simple - to build a country where, whoever you are and wherever you live, you can have the chance of a good education, a decent job, a home of your own, and the peace of mind that comes from being able to raise a family and enjoy a secure retirement.”