What are North East leader's responses to the King's Speech?
Northumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner has responded
For the first time in 14 years, Labour’s set out its priorities for government in the King's Speech.
His Majesty's attended the State Opening of Parliament and outlined 40 new bills.
There are to be laws to move the rail industry into public ownership, to rebuild neighbourhood policing, to strengthen the legislation around drink spiking and to tackle water pollution.
Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Susan Dungworth, said:
“Many aspects of His Majesty’s speech align perfectly with the ambitions I have set out for Northumbia around delivering safer streets and stronger communities. As Police and Crime Commissioner, I welcome commitments around strengthening police powers, tackling ASB and empowering victims as well as reducing delays through the court system. From speaking to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper last week, it’s clear this Government is ready to think outside the box so we can improve the criminal justice system as a whole and bring about real change.
“I am pleased to hear targets to half serious violence over the course of the next decade and hope to see plans bolster our local efforts around long term prevention to drive down the likes of knife crime and violence against women and girls. There are some great starting points towards achieving this particularly around early intervention such as how any young person caught in possession of a knife will have to have a compulsory assessment by the Youth Justice Service going forward. The more intervening we do at the earliest opportunity the more we reduce risk. Also, we need to make it harder for criminals to exploit our most vulnerable and I see the new offence of child exploitation to tackle county lines gangs as a welcome step towards this.
“I feel fortunate to have been elected to this role as a new chapter dawns for our country, and from this speech we see a clear Government drive to reinvigorate policing and improve feelings of safety in our homes, streets, shops, workplaces and on public transport. There remains plenty to flesh out but the speech offers welcome assurance that policing and the criminal justice system will be a top priority for this Government and that’s exactly what residents want to hear.”
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said:
“This is an ambitious King's Speech that speaks to the needs of the North East and sets out a plan for handing us more control of our own future - the biggest change we have seen in generations.
“That work to take power out of London and back to the North East starts now, and I'll always push Government to go even further and be even more ambitious. But with measures such as the English Devolution Bill and the Council of Regions and Nations we see a Government dedicated to the reforms we need to grow our North East and create the real opportunity we want to see.
“With buses and railways coming back under public control we'll see a real change in how transport works in this country, with new house building powers we can usher in a new era of social and affordable green housing, and with Great British Energy we can turbocharge our offshore energy sector and create thousands of jobs for people in this region.
“When I was elected mayor I set out to end child poverty. With measures such as breakfast clubs and the investment in new teachers here we see the path to a better life for thousands of children, particularly when coupled with the solid commitment to taking direct action in our region.“