From: Greg Hands MP [email protected]: News Bulletin
from Greg Hands MP #447
Date: 12 October 2015 at 11:34To: [email protected]
In this edition:
Greg Hands MPs Diary Website of the Week:Hammersmith &
FulhamForum Greg Hands welcomesConservative Conferencemessage of
security,stability and opportunity Photo news:Conservative
PartyConference 2015 Greg Hands discusses"winning the case
forcapitalism; how to maintainsupport for the free market"with
Reform and theLondon Stock ExchangeGroup Photo news:HMRC Edinburgh
Greg Hands addressesPwC roundtable inManchester on
tax,productivity, andinfrastructure Chancellor GeorgeOsborne
unveils 'DevolutionRevolution' at ConservativeParty Conference Have
Your Say on NoisyBuilding Works in K&C 7 ways to contact Greg
Hands
Issue 447 - Monday 12th October 2015
Since the last edition, Greg:
Attended and addressed Conservative Parry Conference
inManchester. For more details of Gregs various speeches
andengagements, see below.Was interviewed live by Iain Dale on LBC
about theConservative conference, and the positive impact of
variousannouncements on London.Addressed a business leaders round
table in Manchester,organised by Price Waterhouse Coopers.Visited
HMRC offices in Edinburgh to see at first hand howofficials are
making preparations for the Scottish Rate ofIncome Tax from April
2016.Met Scottish Finance Minister, John Swinney MSP, inEdinburgh,
to discuss the forthcoming Fiscal Frameworkbetween the UK and
Scottish Governments.
Website of the Week:www.hammersmithfulhamforum.com The website
of the Hammersmith & Fulham Forum local newsand views in
Hammersmith & Fulham Borough.
Greg Hands welcomes ConservativeConference message of security,
stabilityand opportunity Speaking at the end of Conservative Party
Conference in Manchester,Chief Secretary and MP for Chelsea &
Fulham said: We arecompassionate Conservatives who are truly on the
side of workingpeople whatever stage of life they are at. While
other political partiesare in chaos and losing their heads, we are
squarely on the commonground. We have shown how we have the drive
and the ideas todeliver security, stability and opportunity for the
people of Britain. Greg, who addressed various fringe and other
meetings atConference, added: This Conference has gone very well
for the Party.We have made a number of important announcements on
buildingmore homes, on reforming GP services, on local
governmentdevolution, on selling Lloyds Bank shares to the public
and in boostingour infrastructure. At the election, we made clear
commitments to the British public, andwe havent wasted a minute in
delivering them. The Queens Speechcontained Bills to deliver 30
hours of free childcare; 3 million newapprenticeships; the
extension of Right to Buy; and an EUreferendum. The Summer Budget
cut taxes for millions of hardworkingpeople and introduced the
National Living Wage. But there is stillmuch more to do.
Photo news:Conservative Party Conference 2015
Greg Hands MP visiting the British Heart Foundation stand
atConservative Party Conference last week.
Greg Hands MP visiting the Anthony Nolan Trust stand
atConservative Party Conference last week.
Greg Hands MP visiting the Cancer Research stand atConservative
Party Conference last week.
Greg Hands MP visiting the Care & Support Alliance stand
atConservative Party Conference last week.
Greg Hands MP visiting the Aldermore Banking stand
atConservative Party Conference last week.
Greg Hands MP arriving at the Hammersmith Conservativeslunch at
Conservative Party Conference in Manchester last week.
Greg with Kensington, Chelsea & Fulham Conservative
membersat the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester last
week.
Greg Hands discusses winning the casefor capitalism; how to
maintain support forthe free market with Reform and theLondon Stock
Exchange Group
Greg Hands MP addressing the Reform Think Tank fringe
atConservative Party Conference last week.
On Tuesday, 6 October, during the Conservative Party
Conference,Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Member of Parliament
forChelsea & Fulham, Greg Hands, contributed to a panel
discussion ata fringe event organised by Reform, an independent and
non-partisanthink tank whose mission is to devise a better way to
deliver publicservices and economic prosperity. Also speaking on
the panel were Andrew Haldenby, co-founder andDirector of Reform,
Xavier Rolet, Chief Executive of the London StockExchange Group
(LSEG), and Tim Hames, Director General of theBritish Private
Equity and Venture Capital Association. Greg Handss contribution
came in the wake of Reforms publication ofhis article titled When
making the case for the Free Market, we needto do more than just
win elections. The panels discussion covered arange of topics, from
the respective vote-shares for the ConservativeParty and the
combined anti-capitalist parties in the recent GeneralElection, to
the dramatically larger population of London whencompared with the
UKs second largest city, Birmingham. Speaking after the event, Greg
Hands said: It was a great honour toattend this years Conservative
Party Conference, our first in eighteenyears as a majority
Government. However, we must not rest on ourlaurels; we need to do
more than win the next General Election; weneed to re-win the case
for capitalism. These days, it can be hard to find a proper
anti-capitalist opponent,and one would have to travel to Caracas or
Pyongyang, for example,to do so. It is therefore more difficult to
make the case for capitalismwithout such an immediate threat,
although the new Labour leadershipis a cause for concern.
Accordingly, I would like to thank my fellowmembers of the panel,
as well as the audience, for a thought-provoking discussion as we
seek to maintain support for the freemarket. A copy of Greg Handss
article follows below: Rt Hon. Greg Hands MP: When making the case
forthe Free Market, we need to do more than just winelections At
the time of writing, Corbynmania is in full swing in the
LabourParty, the SNP is vying to be the flag-waver for
anti-austerity and anew LibDem leader is vowing to move his Party
to the Left as well.Tube strikes are continuing and the political
influence of militant tradesunions seems to be stronger than at any
time since 1990. Britainssecond, third and fourth parties all seem
to be moving to the Left, andthere is a danger that the centre left
in Britain may disappear entirely,at least for a parliament. A
common theme of all of these trends is to question the workings
andefficacy of the free market nationalisation, good and
badcompanies, punitive taxation, etc. To some of us, there really
are similarities here with the 1980s, at leastin some aspects. The
main difference to the 1980s is that those of usdefending the free
market had a real, existing example of the oppositephenomenon
Soviet-led socialism. In 1989, one could travelapproximately three
hours from where I am sitting now to find oneselfright in the
middle of it, in, say, East Berlin. Indeed, I did, I went 48times
to the old East Germany between 1985 and 1989, and saw formyself
the grim experience of so many in what was the Eastern Blocsmost
advanced state, and how conformity, the lack of privateownership,
the lack of privacy, the destruction of individuality andeconomic
stagnation did to both people and prosperity. In 2015, it takes a
long time (and some expense) to see Pyongyang,Havana or Caracas in
person. The BBC dont seem so keen onreporting from those countries
either. So our challenge in this decadeis to make the case for the
free market without an easy illustration ofthe opposite phenomenon.
We should not take it for granted thatelectoral success for
supporters of the free market that we saw in May2015, or indeed
across most Western countries in recent years,necessarily means we
have won the argument for the free marketmore generally. It is
worth remembering the words of MargaretThatcher, who told us that
Blair and New Labour were one of hergreatest achievements, We
forced our opponents to change theirminds. Labour is even
considering reviving Clause IV of their constitution. It isworth
stating its precise words: that the Labour Party should securefor
the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry
andthe most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible
upon thebasis of the common ownership of the means of
production,distribution and exchange, and the best obtainable
system of popularadministration and control of each industry or
service. Common ownership. Distribution. Control. Such phrases are
wholly atodds with the spontaneous order of the free-market
economy, whichmost of us on the centre right assume is a proven
success story. Thehard left may be ridiculous, counter-factual and
ahistorical, but theyare also dangerous, and supporters of the
free-market economyshould be concerned. Fortunately, we have some
solid foundations on which to build. I wasimpressed during the
election how well David Cameron and GeorgeOsborne framed the
central argument about public services, namelythat one needed a
strong economy to fund strong public services. Thiswasnt always an
argument we made well in the 1980s. Even for partsof the public who
arent natural enthusiasts for the free market, thisargument can be
very powerful. Namely, that we need strongbusinesses to create
jobs, to pay the taxes which we need to fund thepublic services
which so many people depend on. Distilled into itssimplest form was
the slogan You cant have a strong NHS without astrong economy. I
would like to see all of us on the centre right take time out of
ourbusy schedules to make the case more strongly for the free
market. Ifsocialism returns to government in this country, our
children may notforgive us if we hadnt. This article appeared in
the September 2015 magazine of the Reform
think tank
Photo news:HMRC Edinburgh
Chief Secretary, Greg Hands MP, at his visit to the HMRC
officesin Elgin House, Edinburgh, this week to hear at first hand
about
the implementation of the Scottish Rate of Income Tax from
April2016.
Greg Hands addresses PwC roundtable inManchester on tax,
productivity, andinfrastructure Investing in infrastructure,
improving productivity, and engaging thepublic in discussing tax
were top of the agenda at a recent roundtablehosted by PwC and
attended by Chief Secretary to the Treasury andMember of Parliament
for Chelsea & Fulham, Greg Hands. Greg Hands, who is in charge
of Government spending at HerMajestys Treasury, had the opportunity
to address a number of localbusiness leaders as well as
representatives of industry andprofessional organisations at
PricewaterhouseCoopers offices inManchester during the Conservative
Party Conference. Productivity was a focus for many of the
businesses in the room, andthe discussion included how improved
connectivity between regionsand cities might enable a greater
spread of skills across the UK.Accordingly, the roundtable drew
attention to the Government paperFixing the Foundations: Creating a
more prosperous nation, whichwas published in July 2015 and can be
found
atwww.gov.uk/government/publications/fixing-the-foundations-creating-a-more-prosperous-nation,
and which also discussesproductivity in the UK. The group discussed
devolution and the need for clearercommunication on the objectives
and purpose of tax policies, andPwC emphasised the need for
long-term road maps setting out theend goal in order to engage the
public more closely in the tax agenda.According to PwC, this was a
view that they have heard consistentlywhen speaking to businesses,
the public including students andtheir own employees as part of
their Paying for Tomorrow campaignon the future of tax. PwC
expressed the opinion that ultimately peopleare more likely to
support a system that they understand. Speaking after the event,
Greg Hands said: I would like to thank PwCfor inviting me to
address the panel on possible directions for the UKeconomy. While
tax is not directly part of my remit as Chief Secretaryto the
Treasury, I was grateful for the chance to engagerepresentatives of
local business and professional bodies, and I trustthat the
discussion was fruitful for all present. More information on PwCs
Paying for Tomorrow project can befound at
www.pwc.co.uk/issues/futuretax.html.
Chancellor George Osborne unveilsDevolution Revolution at
ConservativeParty Conference The Chancellor has set out major plans
to devolve new powers fromWhitehall to local areas to promote
growth and prosperity. By the end of the Parliament, local
government will be able to retain100 per cent of local taxes
including all 26 billion of revenue frombusiness rates to spend on
local government services. Fixing thecurrent broken system of
financing local government will be a hugeboost to local growth,
help attract business and create jobs. The government will also
abolish the Uniform Business Rate and givelocal authorities the
power to cut business rates to boost enterpriseand economic
activity in their areas. Local areas which successfullypromote
growth and attract businesses will keep all of the benefit
fromincreased business rate revenues. At the same time, the core
grantfrom Whitehall will be phased out, and local government will
take onnew responsibilities. Those areas which choose to have
city-wide elected mayors will geteven greater flexibilities, also
being given the power to increase ratesfor spending on local
infrastructure projects, as long as they win thesupport of local
business. The reform will mean local government retaining all
revenue frombusiness rates for the first time since 1990. These new
powers mustcome with new responsibilities, as well as phasing out
the main grantfrom Whitehall, to ensure the reforms are fiscally
neutral. Localgovernment will of course also need to contribute to
fiscalconsolidation over this Parliament, and the government will
set outfurther details in the Spending Review. Since 1990, local
business rates have been set by central governmentat a uniform
national rate. Rates are collected locally, but thentransferred to
central government to be distributed back to local areasin the form
of grant. Since 2013, local councils have been enabled to retain 50
per cent ofthe proceeds of rates, to ensure that when local areas
take steps toboost business growth in their area, they should see
the benefit. The latest reforms go much further, moving to 100 per
cent retentionof the full stock of business rates by 2020. It will
mean that all incomefrom local taxes will go on funding local
services. Local authorities will be able to cut business rates as
much as theylike. Directly elected mayors once they have support of
localbusiness leaders through a majority vote of the business
members ofthe Local Enterprise Partnership will be able to add a
premium tobusiness rates to pay for new infrastructure. This power
will be limitedby a cap, likely to be set at 2p on the rate.
Have Your Say on Noisy Building Works inK&C Residents and
businesses have until Wednesday 21 October to givetheir views on
Council proposals to limit the number of hours noisyconstruction
work can take place in Kensington and Chelsea duringthe week. The
Council is also proposing to prohibit noisy building work
onSaturdays which will mean contractors would no longer be able
tocarry out activities such as demolition work, piling or drilling,
which canbe heard at the site boundary, on the weekend. These are
just two of the proposals contained in a draft Code ofConstruction
Practice produced by the Royal Borough of Kensingtonand Chelsea,
which also urges construction companies to improve theway they
communicate with neighbours who will be disturbed by noisyand dusty
works. If the Code is adopted the permitted hours for noisy
construction work,defined as work audible at the site boundary,
would be reduced by 30-minutes on weekdays with work expected to
finish at 6pm. At present construction work is allowed on a
Saturday between 8amand 1pm in Kensington and Chelsea. If the Code
is adopted afterconsultation any work that can be heard at a site
boundary would beprohibited on Saturdays. Councillor Tim Ahern, the
Royal Borough of Kensington and ChelseasCabinet Member for
Environmental Health, said: Construction work ispart and parcel of
everyday life, but in such a densely populatedborough as Kensington
and Chelsea it is very important that we dowhatever we can to make
sure disruption to residents lives isminimised. We think the
proposals contained in our draft Code of ConstructionPractice are
sensible and recognise the needs to undertake noisy anddusty work
but focus the minds of developers and builders to the needto
communicate clearly and mitigate, wherever possible, the
impacttheir works are having. Comments on the draft Code of
Construction Practice can be madeuntil Wednesday 21 October 2015.
At the end of the consultationperiod, all responses will be
considered and the Code amended asappropriate prior to its formal
adoption later this year. For more information about the draft Code
of Construction Practiceand to comment go to
www.rbkc.gov.uk/draftcode.
7 ways to contact Greg Hands MP:
By Phone: 020 7219 5448By email: [email protected] post: Greg
Hands MP
House of CommonsLondon SW1A 0AA
In person: Click here for details of howto book an appointment
atGreg Handss weeklysurgery
www.greghands.com
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