On Tuesday 8th and Wednesday 9th of October two events took place as “Opposition Day:” debates. “VAT on independent schools” and “Farming and food security”.
Nusrat Ghani, Conservative, Sussex Weald MP, described the time keeping rules; “Back-Bench speeches will be limited to four minutes, and maiden speeches to six minutes. We all love a debate, but every intervention eats into the contribution of another Back Bencher, so I ask Members please to be mindful of that.”
Mims Davis, Conservative East Grinstead and Uckfield MP spoke to the first debate; “My youngsters have had a mix of excellent learning, including in nursery and in state education, as have youngsters in many families so I agree with my right hon. Friend. The economic and employment impact of this new tax will be devastating. It will impact on so many livelihoods and communities.”
Jessica Brown-Fuller, Liberal Democrat Chichester MP, contributed; “In my constituency there are three independent schools, one of which is a choir school. In one of those independent schools there are 29 children with diagnosed SEND, and only one with an EHCP with that as the named school. Does my hon. Friend agree that given the crisis in attaining EHCPs, especially in West Sussex County Council, which is ranked fifth worst in the country and where only 3.6% of EHCPs are given within the statutory framework of 20 weeks, there needs to be more support in dealing with this policy”
Josh Babarinde, Liberal Democrat Eastbourne MP, said “the breakneck implementation is completely wrong and will throw families, children and communities into chaos… if this Government are to insist on this policy going ahead, they should at the very least delay it”
John Milne, Liberal Democrat for Horsham, spoke about his constituency “Most of Horsham is open farmland, with patches of ancient woodland and villages that retain a strong sense of community… We have high-achieving schools, both state and private, and we want to keep it that way. Many of them have approached me with concern over the VAT imposition… As a constituency that is now half town, half rural… We have large areas of productive farmland, making a valuable contribution to food security, but the same land is under pressure to provide housing and renewable energy installations. All of these are positive things, but the same land cannot do them all at once… In Horsham, the average price of a new house is higher than that of the existing stock, so the more we build, the higher our target goes—the exact reverse of what is supposed to happen. Horsham already has 13,500 unbuilt permissions. We will be forced to continue building houses that people cannot afford to satisfy a local need that does not exist, while heaping further stress on to already overloaded local services— and then we are surprised when people say they do not like it”
On Wednesday the vote for the “Renters’ Rights Bill: Reasoned Amendment to Second Reading” The only Sussex Conservative for it was Alison Griffiths from Bognor Regis and Littlehampton. The amendment was prevented by Labour, Liberal Democrats, Green members and also one of the DUP. Sussex MPs did make many comments before the vote
Andrew Griffith, Conservative for Arundel and South Downs, added to the debate “The challenges faced by tenants in the private sector are very real, but is the right hon. Lady familiar with the law of unintended consequences? What have she and her officials learned from the study of the application of similar rules in Scotland, which have made the plight of renters worse, not better?” “My right hon. Friend is making a powerful speech on an important subject. Is she familiar with this week’s report from Scotland’s Housing Network revealing that 16% of landlords are reducing their supply, and fully 12% are considering leaving the sector over precisely this sort of attempt to over-regulate what would otherwise be a free market?”
Sian Berry: “I endorse all my hon. Friend’s comments, particularly on the need for rent controls. In my constituency of Brighton, I have a very high population of renters, including myself. I have only ever been a private renter since leaving home over 30 years ago. My constituency has many young people and students renting, and my local Acorn branch and the National Union of Students have also raised the problems caused by well-off guarantors being required to secure a rented home. I have spoken with the NUS president about this. It fuels discrimination against working-class, estranged and international students, and fuels homelessness among students -“
Nusrat invited Chris Ward for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven to make his speech. “I grew up in Brighton, and my parents grew up in Peacehaven, so it is a huge honour and responsibility to represent the great constituency of Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven. It is also a privilege to speak in this debate, because of all the Bills in the King’s Speech, this one will have the most immediate and far-ranging impact on my constituency… In Brighton, there is also a persistent problem of homelessness and temporary accommodation, especially in the western part of my constituency. There are at least 7,500 on the council house waiting list, while 1,600 households, 50% of which have children, are living in temporary accommodation.”
Such challenging statistics for the area I live in. I am interested to see which MPs will further engage these important issues!
ianchisnall 