John Denham

Welcome to the website of John Denham

John Denham has been representing Southampton Itchen in Parliament since 1992. 

He is currently Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. 

On this website you'll find news about what John's been up to in both Southampton and Westminster. 

You can get in touch with John on constituency issues by following the link below.

 

Dividing lines

In tough times, the public deserve honesty from politicians about the choices they face in the next General Election.  With the close of conference season, and the gearing up of the General Election campaign, dividing lines have begun to emerge:

Labour believes that public spending keeps people in work.  With people in work there is less strain on the benefit system and more money kept in the economy, making recovery much more likely. Only once the economic recovery is securely underway can we afford to reduce borrowing.  This is the approach to recovery adopted not only by Labour, but by the whole international community.

In contrast Cameron’s Conservatives want to cut public spending on housing, on Sure Start, on care for the elderly and on many other vital front-line services.  The fact that they’re the only political party in the Western World to believe this is a sensible way out of a recession proves that the recession is just a convenient excuse for them to make the savages cuts they’ve wanted to make all along.

That's the choice voters face.

But local Conservatives are not prepared to be straight with the public.

A Tory councillor recently wrote a whole 'In my view' saying the City Council should get more money for Southampton; they want more money from the Regional Development Agency despite the fact their party wants to see the agency, and all the money it invests, abolished!

The Echo recently reported city plans for a new housing company to build new homes.  Although, as a Minister, I do not and should not take funding decisions regarding my own constituency I believe this is a good idea and hope it receives support from the Government funded Homes and Community Agency.  Characteristically, the local Tories tried to take credit for this new development, despite the fact that if Cameron was in power nationally the scheme would be scrapped and thousands of homes would disappear.  The city’s plans for a housing company are only possible because of Labour’s investment in social housing.

On January 5th last year, David Cameron called for the Communities and Local Government budget to be cut by £1000 million, with £800 million cut from housing. Since I took over the Department housing investment has been increased by £1500 million. In practical terms this means that over 400 more Southampton families will get somewhere to live in the next few years:  This is only possible because we have Labour investment rather than Tory cuts

It’s good to have a clear choice between parties isn’t it?