Local Government Finance (England)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 5:58 pm on 9 February 2022.

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Photo of Gareth Thomas Gareth Thomas Shadow Minister (International Trade) 5:58, 9 February 2022

My right hon. Friend makes an important point. I do not know whether Chris Loder has been challenging the Government in that regard—I think I heard a bit of gentle criticism, but perhaps he needs to make some more pointed remarks to the Secretary of State in private.

We are in the midst of a cost of living crisis, and Government Ministers are demanding further council tax rises to fund local councils, the police and transport for the elderly and the young in Harrow. That is yet another financial blow to hard-hit families. If, as my hon. Friend Lisa Nandy on the Front Bench rightly said at the outset, the Conservative party had not allowed so much money to be wasted on fraud, corruption and personal protective equipment that could not be used, there would be money to invest in more policing in local councils such as Dorset and, crucially, Harrow, and to invest in better services for local people in my borough and beyond.