There's no place for 'thuggery and vandalism' says Chancellor as she visits Liverpool

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the delivery of "swift justice" following violent disorder in Merseyside sent a clear message as she condemned the "thugs" who rioted on the region's streets. More than 20 people have been sentenced following rioting in Southport, Liverpool city centre and Walton at the end of July and the start of August.

Ms Reeves visited Liverpool on Thursday, August 22 in what was her first trip to the North West as Chancellor. She met with Liverpool-based Princes Foods and then visited Hartley Locks housing development on Lightbody Street in Kirkdale with Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, as the new Labour government makes building houses on brownfield land one of its early priorities.

Ms Reeves, who is the UK's first female Chancellor, also met local business representatives in the city as it recovers from the recent scenes of violent disorder. Speaking to the media at Fozia's Kashmiri restaurant on High Street, Wavertree, Ms Reeves praised the community response to the riots, which has seen more than £250,000 raised to support the fire-damaged Spellow Library.

She said: "First of all, like everyone in the country, my thoughts and prayers remain with the families affected by the killings in Southport just weeks ago. The mindless actions of a very small minority - with the thuggery and the vandalism that we saw in the aftermath of that - have got no place in a democracy like Britain.

"I had the opportunity to meet today with Fozia, the owner of this restaurant, and some local businesses and community leaders to talk about the impact of rioting after the Southport attacks. Also to hear about the amazing work of the community coming together to raise funds to repair the damage at the library. The best and the worst of local communities (have been seen)."

"The most important thing and this was shared by the people I met with today, is that justice is delivered and seen to be delivered. The fact that, immediately, people were arrested, sentenced and already people are starting prison sentences for the damage they caused in the aftermath of those killings, is important in terms of sending a clear message and bringing an end to violence. I have no doubt that swift justice, seen to be delivered, deterred future incidents."

Asked how the government will financially support Merseyside and businesses affected by rioting, Ms Reeves said: "I also met today with some of the voluntary community here in Liverpool that have been working together, including in things like community cohesion schemes. Obviously the government will make sure that those schemes are supported. But the most important thing is that justice is delivered, it is seen to be delivered, to bring an end to the violence."

'We need to get Britain building again if we're going to grow our economy'

On July 8, in her first speech as Chancellor, Ms Reeves said that completing stalled housing developments in Liverpool will be a priority of the new Labour government. Liverpool Central Docks is one of four "stalled sites" nationwide that the government wishes to unblock as it aims to move large housing schemes forward.

Liverpool Central Docks is part of Peel Waters' Liverpool Waters regeneration scheme, which aims to transform the city's northern docklands over the next 30 years. Central Docks is the largest neighbourhood within Liverpool Waters and the city's largest brownfield site.

Plans for Central Docks include the establishment of a public park and the implementation of infrastructure to accommodate approximately 2,350 new homes. Homes England has invested £55m in the Central Docks scheme since Ms Reeves' announcement.

About this Ms Reeves said: "In our first week in office, we accelerated four stalled housing sites, including in Liverpool Docks. Between them, they could unlock 2,000 new homes.

"We're determined to do more of that because we need to get Britain building again if we're going to grow our economy, ensure that more families and young people have access to affordable homes - and also if we're going to bring investment in to create jobs in Britain."

Asked how Labour would ensure the delivery of enough social and affordable homes to meet demand - waiting lists for social homes have increased significantly in recent years and last year saw a drop in the construction of such properties, Ms Reeves said her government would make sure it builds "the right mixture of housing."

She explained: "I met Torus earlier, who specialises in social and affordable homes. The development that I saw today (Lightbody Street) was 185 apartments and 10 houses. That is affordable rather than social - 80% of market rents in what is called a rent-to-buy scheme so that you save the 20% that you're not paying in rent so that you can build up a deposit to buy a home.

"That's really an exciting, innovative model to help more families onto the housing ladder. We know, at the moment, that too often, people are renting and they're not able to build up a deposit to buy a home of their own. These below-market rent schemes are really important - as is social housing.

"We will make sure that we use the Affordable Homes Programme with the Homes Department, to make sure they're building the right mixture of housing so that families can live close to where they work, so we can start building communities. What was really great about what I saw today with Steve Rotheram in Liverpool.

"Not just building more properties but proper communities, in this case alongside the Leeds Liverpool canal, with heating from the water, keeping down bills, so people can keep more money in their pockets - schemes like that are what this government is really keen to support."