Live webchat with Grant Shapps, local government and housing minister, Tues 7 Dec, 2.30pm - 3.30pm

[GeraldineMumsnet]

We're very pleased that our webchat guest on Tues 7 Dec is local government and housing minister Grant Shapps. He has recently been in the news over homeowners' rights and the government's social housing policy.

On Mon 6 Dec, he's setting out how the government intends to put more power into the hands of local councillors. Part of this is that the govt wants to encourage women, particularly mothers of school-age children, to consider becoming councillors. Grant would like to know what you think about becoming a local councillor? Are there any obstacles to you doing so? If you're already a councillor, what are your experiences, and what do you think are the opportunities for women in local government?

Grant is the MP for Welwyn Hatfield, he's married with three children - a boy aged nine and six-year-old twins.

Hope you can join him on Tues, 1.30pm-2.30pm. But if you can't and you have a question or comment, please post it here.

[GeraldineMumsnet]

Some reduced fat Rich Teas and Danish Butter cookies, but webchat is happening at Westminster, so not sure what the others be scoffing there. Commons Cookies, and the like.

[GeraldineMumsnet]

'will be scoffing there' even

[BecauseImWorthIt]

So, Geraldine - the $64,000 question. Has Mr Shapps read the comments so far?

Is he ready for us?

[stretch]

Ah, shame it's been moved back. have to go on the school run at 2.30.

[NicholasHomerton]

Hi Grant,

in our last house (a rental in Tower Hamlets), our bills went through the roof each winter - heat just seemed to pour out the windows. Before we moved into our new place (which is quite good for heating), we saw quite a few other places that we just couldn't live in - they were in a dreadful condition (cold, damp, old fittings, etc). Our new place is quite good - so all i can say is thank God my wife and I didn't have our child in our old house. My question is, are we going to get a minimum (legal!) standard of energy efficiency for rented homes?


Thanks
Nick Beuret

[GeraldineMumsnet]

BIWI, I'm assured that he has. But is anyone ever 'ready' for MN? (rhetorical question!)

[BecauseImWorthIt]

[madamimadam]

I'm sadly not as articulate as grannie on a bike, planning committee or the other posters. But I do know, Mr Shapps, that my (Tory) council is currently in the process of a 'consultation' exercise, here:

www.surreyhaveyoursay.info/survey/respond?survey_id=2470522

We've been asked to prioritise services according to family priorities and then what we think our community needs. And then which ones we'd be prepared to pay for.

I was under the impression that our councillors were elected to make these decisions on an informed basis for us, as part of the democratic process. And that we already pay for these services from our taxes. And that we reward our councillors for making these decisions for us.

When you - or your gifted aide - wrote about 'that playground at the end of the street that needs new equipment, that bus service that should run or bin collections', do you in fact plan that local councillors in fact become fundraisers for the community? Where do you think people will find the money for this as I'm not sure how many people have the odd grand stuffed down the back of their sofa that could pay for this sort of thing. Not when jobs are being cut, prices and bills are rising and some families face the prospect of being made homeless.

I'm glad to see that finally your government has appointed some one to 'look into' tax avoidance schemes but have little hope that you actually intend Philip Green, Vodaphone and their ilk to pay their way. But ooh, £6bn or so really would make a World of Difference to local services, wouldn't it?

[madamimadam]

We've also been asked to identify services that we'd like to volunteer for in the same survey.

Is this also planned as part of the Localisation Bill? That we step in and run services that you cut? If you do expect people to volunteer as carers in homes, run education services etc, who will pay for the CRB checks? And, as I am unqualified for such a role, who will pay for my training?

Or will you take anyone who's keen and has the time, no questions asked?

And what then of the people who have the skills to do these jobs but inconveniently also need to be paid for them?

Aren't you actually asking the public to cover the jobs of public service workers for free?

That's not a BIg Society to me, it's a Sub-Third World one.

[Cheddacheese]

TEST !

I'm ready, with baby in lap, waiting to see how this goes but will like most, have to go on that darn school run half way through....

[madamimadam]

I know, Chedda.

And we'll never know if we've won a Blankety-Blank style cheque book at the end for our local community.

[stretch]

ROFL at Blankety-Blank!!

[Jcee]

ROFL at blankety-blank, but isn't it more likely to be the pen than the cheque book

[VoidofDiscovery]

Or one of those rubber ones

[madamimadam]

Ah, stretch and Jcee. It's going to be neither. We're on the Weakest Link...

[JustineMumsnet]

Hi all,
Grant has just arrived after legging it from his cabinet sub-committee meeting early, so he ready to rock and roll any minute now.

[GrantShapps]

Hello Grant Shapps here.

[madamimadam]

drums fingers on table

[NotAnotherNewNappy]

Hi Grant ,

How do you justify the fact that before the election your manifesto and white paper on housing promised to increase social mobility by giving social housing tenants more of a stake in their homes (i.e. by rewarding good tenants with a 10% share and creating more opportunities to buy the home they currently live in) - however, since you came to power all the proposals you've made have been about decreasing tenant's rights, (i.e. by creating short term contracts and removing the right to an assured tenancy), thereby making sure social housing tenants have far less of a ?stake? and making estates more transient and less socially mixed places to live?

Is this a good example of the coalition government?s commitment to the see new verb 'to clegg' entered into the OED?

Many thanks,
NANN

[GrantShapps]

Hi all,

I know that quite a few of you have joined the chat but based on questions in advance I know the first question is where on earth would I think you'd get the time to become a councillor.

As a Dad of three I know that life can be really busy, but what people don't realise is that councillors can do their work on quite a flexible basis.

And even if that's not always the case now, it's the situation we'd like to see in the future.

[GrantShapps]

@Lankyalto

I'm not a local councillor and have no wish to become one. My family has provided a number of councillors, mayors etc and I have seen first hand how much work is required. Much of this is in the evenings, at least in my experience. Tht won't suit everyone, but I don't think there is an ideal solution.

What kind of power are we talking about? Because local people can get a bit power crazy and hung up on issues. There are usually only a few people who might be given responsibility for things they don't really understand and aren't really qualified for.

I would like there to be a lot less emphasis on party politics and more on getting the best out of people, regardless of the party they support. Local government would be a good place to start, then hopefully we could work up to national level and get rid of all that pitifully childish baying that goes on in the House of Commons.

Hi Lankyalto, There are expectations of a councillor; you may need to meet council staff and you'll need to be able to communicate effectively with your local residents. But dont forget you've got an entire council there to support you; that is what council officers do.

As for party politics, they are part of how democracy works in Britain. There are plenty of independent councillors, but as in politics, just as in real life, people tend to get more done in a group. But there's nothing to say that members of different political natures canít work together to make things better at a local level. We have a coalition Government - that proves it is possible to achieve this at a national level.

[GrantShapps]

@NotAnotherNewNappy

Hi Grant ,

How do you justify the fact that before the election your manifesto and white paper on housing promised to increase social mobility by giving social housing tenants more of a stake in their homes (i.e. by rewarding good tenants with a 10% share and creating more opportunities to buy the home they currently live in) - however, since you came to power all the proposals you've made have been about decreasing tenant's rights, (i.e. by creating short term contracts and removing the right to an assured tenancy), thereby making sure social housing tenants have far less of a ?stake? and making estates more transient and less socially mixed places to live?

Is this a good example of the coalition government?s commitment to the see new verb 'to clegg' entered into the OED?

Many thanks,
NANN

Hi Nann,

Thanks for your question. Perhaps what you've read about our proposals doesn't give the full picure.

For example, when it comes to tenants rights we are providing huge new powers to tenants by scrapping the Tenants Services Authority and instead putting tenants in charge of calling their landlord to account. These are real powers, not operated by some distant quango, but used by local tenants through their tenants panels and councillors.

Will get back to you on some of your other thoughts throughout the chat.

[swanker]

The largest authority in the country is cutting its workforce by 11,000- that is almost 40% of non-schools based staff... there won't be any council officers left to support councillors Grant.

[GrantShapps]

@Jcee

I think encouraging people to get more involved in local government and having a say in where they live is great in principle, however in practice it throws up all sorts of issues.

I'm not a councillor but I am a voluntary trustee of a local charity and whilst it is certainly one of the best things I've ever got invovled in, it's hard work, it can be unrewarding and tends to involve a lot of evening meetings and that can be extremely hard to manage with family and work commitments.

How are you going to encourage people to take that step to get involved and overcome these barriers?

The changes to the planning system for instance will allow local residents to block developments, which might be great to stop another supermarket but what about the youth centre, affordable housing development or drug and alcohol treatment centre?

How will you ensure that those getting involved have the necessary experience to do the job and are not power mad meddling nimbyist nutters truely represent the communities they will be serving?

Hi Jcee,
Being a councillor is about more than attending meetings. Indeed the legislation only requires that a councillor attend one meeting every six months, recognising that a councillor can sort out problems over the telephone, through an e mail or through surgery with their local residents. A councillor should not be locked up in the town hall, they can be public-facing members of the community, but with a mandate to be an advocate for their community.

Councillors can arrange surgeries, deal with local residents or speak to council officers at times to fit in with their family or work commitments

You don't need any formal qualifications to be a councillor, but the skills and experiences you have picked up in your everyday life or your career will help. Many people already have the skills required to be a councillor, like being a good communicator, working with others, analysing a problem and suggesting solutions, organisational skills and working with their community.

[LadyBlaBlah]

"As a dad of three I understand how busy life can be......"



I do believe you are a man Grant, and a very rich one. So that doesn't really address the issues that most mothers would have in being a councillor.