City Deal Funding (Aberdeen) — House of Commons, 2015-06-30
Topic: Macroeconomics
James Wharton (Conservative, Centre-right): I congratulate the hon. Members for Aberdeen North (Kirsty Blackman) and for Aberdeen South (Callum McCaig) on their speeches. I noted the tone of their contributions with great interest. The hon. Member for Aberdeen North said that she sometimes felt that her area had been forgotten by Westminster, and I understand what she means. As a Teesside Member of Parliament, I sometimes felt the same in years gone by, although, thankfully, not under the present Administration I am aware of Aberdeen’s valuable role. Durham Tees Valley airport, half of which is in my constituency, has been partly sustained by regular flights to Aberdeen because of the economic links between the hon. Lady’s constituency, that of her hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeen South, and my own. The hon. Lady has sent a message to someone who is receptive to it, if I may put it that way, and I commend her for the tone in which she has done so I have always found that, while there are matters on which we disagree across the House—no doubt more will surface as time progresses—there are also areas of commonality. It is in all our interests to enable every part of our economy to achieve its potential. My experience may be limited in comparison with the experience of others—I look at the right hon. Member for Gordon (Alex Salmond) as I make that comment—but so far I have found that a positive approach which, while recognising the challenges faced by our constituencies, trumpets the opportunities that they present, the great things that they do, and the fact that they are wonderful places that we are fortunate to represent in the House, produces the best reaction from those whom we want to persuade that our own particular constituencies deserve investment and support The Government’s economic ambition is to create a fairer and more balanced economy by supporting policies that enable it to grow. We recognise the challenges and opportunities that exist within local economies right across the United Kingdom, and we have been clear that a one-size-fits-all solution from Whitehall will not work: every part of our economy needs to fulfil its potential. That is why we are devolving powers to cities, towns and counties, and allowing local people to take control of the economic levers in their areas. That work started in the previous Parliament, in no small part with the city deals The Government recognised that, to improve the performance of our cities, new solutions were needed. Through bespoke city deals, we have seen the right of initiation pass from Whitehall to town hall. It is a fundamental shift in the way in which Whitehall works. City deals were originally negotiated back in 2012 with the eight core cities in England, and that has been followed by a further wave of city deals across the UK In August 2014, the Government, alongside the Scottish Government and the Glasgow and Clyde valley local authorities, extended that model up to Glasgow and the Clyde valley. That deal is one of the largest ever agreed, and local partners anticipate that it will create 29,000 jobs and lever in more than £3 billion of private sector investment. That is an example of what can be achieved when all levels of Government, business, universities and the voluntary and community sectors work together to promote economic growth. City deals are an important part of the Government’s approach to improving economic growth locally, but we should also remember that they are only one part of the entire package. The Scotland Bill, which is being discussed at some length in this place, will make the Scottish Parliament one of the most powerful devolved Parliaments in the world. It will increase the financial accountability of the Scottish Parliament through devolution of the rates and bands of income tax, air passenger duty and the assignment of VAT revenues; increase responsibility for welfare policy and delivery in Scotland; increase the scope for scrutiny by the Scottish Government of a whole range of public bodies; and give significant new responsibility for areas such as roads, speed limits, onshore oil and gas extraction and consumer advocacy and advice. The Bill honours the commitment made to Scottish people before the independence referendum to transfer significant new powers to the Scottish Parliament.