Peter Aldous welcomes moves to reduce the funding gap for County authorities such as Suffolk, but calls on the Government to press ahead with the fair funding review and ensure a fairer distribution of resources for the long term.
Speaking in a debate on the Police Grant Report, Peter Aldous welcomes the increased settlement for Suffolk constabulary, but calls for a review of the formula for calculating the annual settlement which fails to recognise a number of specific pressures facing the area.
Peter Aldous outlines measures needed in the Fisheries Bill to revitalise the East Anglian fishing industry, boost economic regeneration of coastal towns and ensure we fish sustainably, in particlar we need to tighten loopholes so that unacceptable practices, such as electro-pulse fishing, are not permitted. In the forthcoming EU negotiations, Peter highlights the need to change the way fishing opportunities are allocated between countries by moving to a geographical-area means of allocation.
Peter Aldous welcomes Government efforts to address homelessness and rough sleeping but calls for speedier action and longer-term certainty in funding provision. He specifically calls on the Government to ensure local authorities are adequately funded to support the Homelessness Reduction Act, reduce the five-week wait time for first payment of universal credit and restore the local housing allowance rates to at least the 30th percentile of the local market.
Speaking in a debate on the NHS Funding Bill which will enshrine in law an extra £33.9 billion a year by 2024 for the NHS, Peter Aldous welcomes the seedcorn funding for the James Paget Hospital and urges that the redevelopment should provide high-quality facilities for local people.