news bulletin from greg hands mp #447

From: Greg Hands MP news@greghands.comSubject: News Bulletin from Greg Hands MP #447

Date: 12 October 2015 at 11:34To: news@greghands.com

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: mail@greghands.comBy post: Greg Hands MP

House of CommonsLondon SW1A 0AA

In person: Click here for details of howto book an appointment atGreg Handss weeklysurgery

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