PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
FUTURE OF THE URBAN PROGRAMME (13 January 1993)

That this House notes the Government's claims to be prioritising public spending initiatives that create jobs; notes that the Department of the Environment's own figures show that the Urban Programme currently supports 33,973 jobs, and 74,097 training places, in the Urban Programme authorities of Newcastle, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Langbaurgh, Middlesbrough, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Stockton-on-Tees, Sunderland, Manchester, Salford, Blackburn, Bolton, Burnley, Oldham, Preston, Rochdale, Wigan, Liverpool, Halton, Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton, The Wrekin, Derby, Leicester, Nottingham, Barnsley, Bradford, Doncaster, Hull, Kirklees, Leeds, Rotherham, Sheffield, Hackney, Islington, Lambeth, Brent, Greenwich, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Kensington and Chelsea, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, Bristol and Plymouth; further notes the Secretary of State for the Environment's decision to cancel consideration for all new bids for Urban Programme aid, all renewals of current schemes, and cut the Urban Programme by 62 per cent. by 1994-95, before abolishing it altogether; deplores the Secretary of State's failure to come to the House to explain the abolition; notes that these authorities, voluntary organisations and the poorest and most deprived of Britain's communities spent millions of pounds, and put immeasurable amounts of effort and hope into preparing bids for 1993-94 funding, solicited and encouraged by the Department of the Environment, before being kicked in the teeth by the Secretary of State at the last minute; deplores this attack on those least able to cope; and calls on the Government to withdraw these cuts and save the 34,000 jobs at stake.

Sponsored by:
Keith Vaz (Labour)