That this House is concerned at the every increasing number of areas of the country where even the price of a modest terraced property is now beyond the reach of newly qualified key public service workers such as police officers, nurses, teachers, and firefighters; notes the recent independent reports by the IPPR and Labour Research which demonstrate real problems in the recruitment and retention of key workers in counties as far apart as Kent, Devon, Sussex, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Herefordshire, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Dorset, Surrey, Monmouthshire, Buckinghamshire and Somerset; welcomes the Government's recent Starter Homes Initiative which offers interest free loans to key workers looking to become first time buyers but recognises that a more radical approach will be needed to maintain appropriate staffing levels in essential public services; and calls upon Ministers to give urgent consideration to either increasing the availability of affordable housing in these high cost areas or to introduce a realistic cost of living allowance for key workers.

That this House is concerned at the every increasing number of areas of the country where even the price of a modest terraced property is now beyond the reach of newly qualified key public service workers such as police officers, nurses, teachers, and firefighters; notes the recent independent reports by...

That this House notes the urgent need to deliver improvements in the public services provided by local authorities to create a level playing field between different procurement options and significantly to increase the overall level of capital investment in public services such as schools, homes, transport, libraries, parks, sports facilities, and information and communications technology; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to find the legislative time necessary to replace the system of capital controls on local authorities with the prudential framework that was proposed in the local government finance green paper and that was so widely supported by the consultation responses.

That this House notes the urgent need to deliver improvements in the public services provided by local authorities to create a level playing field between different procurement options and significantly to increase the overall level of capital investment in public services such as schools, homes, transport, libraries, parks, sports facilities,...

That this House believes that a publicly-owned universal mail service, fully integrated with the national network of post offices and sub-post offices, offers the most efficient and socially beneficial form of postal service for both urban and rural communities; and that every means possible should be explored to maintain and develop such a service.

That this House believes that a publicly-owned universal mail service, fully integrated with the national network of post offices and sub-post offices, offers the most efficient and socially beneficial form of postal service for both urban and rural communities; and that every means possible should be explored to maintain and...