Speeches by Cocking.

“I am sorry. What do you mean by “gatekeeping”?”

“I am a councillor on an upper-tier authority, Hertfordshire county council. We do not have responsibility for homelessness. Adam, you just said that you want to build more homes. What do you think about the Secretary of State’s view that the housing target in London is going to be reduced by 20%? We are going to build …”

“The Budget has made it even harder for small businesses in my Broxbourne constituency to create jobs. What can the Minister do to make sure that jobcentres connect with local businesses to help those who are looking for work to find sustainable employment?”

“8. What steps her Department is taking to increase the support available in jobcentres in Broxbourne constituency.”

“May I clarify something? You said that 75% of your budget is spent on temporary accommodation. Is that 75% of the whole council budget? That cannot be true.”

“Do you?”

“Lastly, when councils get capital money, how agile are they? I have been a councillor. Councils are given money to deliver capital projects. We have loads of meetings about stuff and spades go in the ground a couple of years later. If councils became more agile when they get that capital money, particularly around home…”

“This is an open question to you all. We have had the Budget. The Government have said that the local housing rates will not increase. How will that impact on local government budgets? How many councils are getting to the point, a bit like Hastings, where it is beginning to place too much pressure on their budgets and t…”

“Grace, lots of London councils decide to move people in temporary accommodation outside of London, which puts pressure on the home counties. Why do London boroughs choose to do that?”

“What is your annual budget, just to give us a flavour?”

“Thank you. I have been previously a board member on the DCN and I am a Hertfordshire county councillor but I do not have responsibility for homelessness and housing. I will come to you first, Chris. In Hastings, you spend 50% of your budget on temporary accommodation. How sustainable is that and what are you doing as a…”

“What about adult and children’s social care—”

“I am pleased you have mentioned prevention because we are 40 minutes in and no one has spoken about prevention in response to any of our questions yet, which is the biggest part. If we prevent people being homeless, that is the best thing we can do. No one has touched on that.”

“Do all local authorities have a choice about out-of-area placements? If the centre of London chooses to move out to the outskirts of London, that pushes up the prices there, which then prices the outer London boroughs out. They then move out to the shires and so the people in the shires do not have a choice because the…”

“What representations have you made to the council that does not separate families and singles to ask it to do it? If you have, why has a council said it cannot do that?”

“You have to encourage people not to work to be able to get a property?”

“I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. Hertfordshire currently receives the third lowest SEND funding in the country, but since 2015 the number of children in the county with educational, health and care plans has grown by a staggering 223%. Does the Minister agree that funding sho…”

“I completely agree with my right hon. Friend. There is a problem with a highway authority issuing permits. There is also a problem when utility companies use emergency legislation, where they do not even have to notify the highway authority of the works taking place. Residents can wake up, get in their car to go to wor…”

“I thank the Minister for her reply and thank all the hon. Members who have taken part in the debate. I also thank the hundreds of my constituents who replied to my survey online to tell me about their experiences. I will make a few final points. We really need to tackle the emergency works. As I said, they turn up unan…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered the impact of roadworks on journey times. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Roger. I declare an interest as a Hertfordshire county councillor. I am pleased to have secured this debate on a very important topic for my constituents. When I describe the co…”