David Amess

Conservative Party | Southend West

Local Government Finance

Mr. David Amess (Southend, West) (Con): We live in an unjust country. The Government are unjust and I blame local government's powerless state on the Labour leader. Since he took power in 1997, he has shown little or no interest in local government.

What is the point of anyone becoming a councillor nowadays? The centralising Government tell local authorities everything that they should to do. They tell them how much to spend and what they can raise. Central Government direct every facet of local government. What on earth is the purpose of anyone standing for local government?
 
A deputation from Southend council met the Under-Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the hon. Member for Poplar and Canning Town (Jim Fitzpatrick) last month to explain to the Government Southend's serious financial predicament and to try to get more help from him. As the Minister knows, when the national census was conducted, 20,000 people in Southend were left off it. That means funding for 20,000 fewer people. The Minister is always courteous when he meets us and has been sympathetic, but my colleagues and I are not going to shut up and wait until 2011 for something to be done.

Mr. Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con): In Northamptonshire, we have the reverse problem. The population will increase massively as a result of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's growth area agenda, but the population assumptions in the local government finance settlement are based on historic census data and do not include the projections provided in the growth area assessments.

Mr. Amess: There we are; I was exactly right when I said we live in a very unjust country.

We have a serious situation in Southend, with 20,000 people left off the census. We cannot wait until 2011 for that to be addressed. The Minister also knows that Southend pier has been burnt for the third time, that we are suffering cliff slippage and that Southend, West—the constituency I am proud to represent—has the most people in the country aged between 100 and 112.

Mr. Nicholas Soames (Mid-Sussex) (Con): All good Tories.

Mr. Amess: They certainly are good Conservatives.

All that brings huge financial difficulties. At the meeting with the Minister's colleague, we brought to his attention the fact that Southend had received a 2 per cent. increase while the average across the country was 3 per cent. We also brought to his attention the fact that if the local authority increased local council tax by more than 5 per cent., capping would take place. If we follow the Minister's instructions, Southend will have to make cuts of £11 million—on top of £25 million of cuts over the past five years.

I end with a gentle warning to my hon. Friends. It is normal when one takes a deputation to a Minister asking for more money not to expect any change. But this settlement takes the mickey. Following our delegation—my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend, East (James Duddridge), members of Southend council and me—the grant was not left alone; it was actually cut further. As a result of our delegation—

Mr. Woolasindicated dissent.

Mr. Amess: The Minister shakes his head, but as a result of our deputation—my hon. Friends must bear this in mind, until we enter office—we have actually had our grant cut by £34,000. That really is taking the mickey. I am desperately disappointed with what the Government have done.