Speeches by Perteghella.

“It is pointless to establish a strategic authority without appropriate financial support. Without support to build structurally, hire staff, co-ordinate partners and begin delivering on their devolved powers, new combined and strategic authorities risk becoming bodies with responsibilities but no real capacity to act. …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. Amendments 4, 28 and 29 would make English devolution genuinely local by ensuring that local consent and public consultation come first. Amendment 4 would change clause 3 so that local authorities must apply to the Secretary of State themselves to become a si…”

“EU nationals in the UK were guinea pigs for a digital-only status. Serious concerns are still being raised, including about access issues that resulted in people being wrongly denied work, housing, education and welfare. Extending digital IDs to the British people will result in another layer of mandatory surveillance …”

“Thousands of my constituents in Stratford-on-Avon now live in so-called fleecehold developments, often with a lack of transparency in how service charges are set and a lack of maintenance of public open spaces, including drainage infrastructure. Will the Minister reassure my constituents that any leasehold reform will …”

“I declare that I used to be a parish councillor and, until March, a district councillor for Stratford-on-Avon.”

“Q My question is for Mr Griggs. With the creation of new strategic authorities, there is a real risk that the voice of rural parishes will be subsumed by the priorities of large urban centres. What changes would you like to see to the Bill to make sure that parish and town councils in rural areas have a guaranteed voic…”

“Q I have a quick follow-up. I see that many parish and town councils are capable and eager to take on more responsibilities and deliver services, but I also see that some struggle to recruit enough councillors, especially in rural areas. How should the Bill recognise the different challenges that parish and town counci…”

“Q At the moment, we have a lot of expertise at district council level as the local planning authority. My own district council, Stratford-on-Avon district council, is now shaping the South Warwickshire local plan, so it has experience in plan making, planning policy and so on. With the demise of district councils, how …”

“Q What examples can the panel provide of effective relationships between retailers, hospitality businesses and local government? Can you also let us know whether those relationships work better at a local level, or can they be managed and led regionally? Andrew Goodacre: I am really lucky in the role that I do. I get t…”

“Q What consideration should be given to local nature recovery strategies when making planning decisions at a strategic level? How might that work in practice? Catriona Riddell: If we get spatial development strategies right, they should be the ringmasters of sustainable development, as I call them. Their job is to prov…”

“Q My question is for Mr Whittaker. I have many grassroots sports clubs in my constituency, which provide youth teams, women’s teams and walking football sessions, so they are fundamental to community wellbeing and inspiring the next generation of sports people. That is especially true in rural areas. The new provisions…”

“Q Do you anticipate any issues in the working relationships between the new Local Audit Office and the local authorities it will audit? Mark Stocks: The Local Audit Office cannot look like the Audit Commission. The Audit Commission took a particular tack in terms of what it did and the level of scrutiny that it put on …”

“Will the hon. Member give way?”

“SEND families in Stratford-on-Avon want to work in partnership with schools and councils, but too often they are left without the support they need. They are battling an adversarial system. Does my hon. Friend agree that any reforms should strengthen, not weaken, co-operation between families, schools, health services …”

“I want to talk a little bit about the process of developing a child poverty strategy or, in the case of Northern Ireland, an anti-poverty strategy. You already talked about aspects of this process. Rocio, you talked about the importance of lived experience and getting those voices into the strategy. Nicola, you talked …”

“How useful have child poverty strategies been in helping to reduce child poverty in each nation? To you, Steffan, first.”

“Thank you. You have already touched on my next question: what role should targets and measures play in child poverty strategies? Steffan, you talk about being more strategic and rather than having a list of things, but what role should they play and what should we measure as well?”

“I want to talk a little bit about the process of developing a child poverty strategy or, in the case of Northern Ireland, an anti-poverty strategy. You already talked about aspects of this process. Rocio, you talked about the importance of lived experience and getting those voices into the strategy. Nicola, you talked …”

“How can the taskforce ensure that children’s voices are meaningfully represented in the strategy?”

“How useful have child poverty strategies been in helping to reduce child poverty in each nation? To you, Steffan, first.”