theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has provided guidance to local authorities on (a) legacy shared space schemes and (b) how streets covered by those schemes can be altered to be made more accessible for blind and partially sighted people. \p Simon Lightwood: Local authorities are bound by the Public Sector Equality Duty and it is for them to ensure any schemes they take forward are delivered in a way that allows them to comply with this duty. The Department provides guidance in Inclusive Mobility on designing accessible public realm, and the need for streets to be accessible to all is highlighted in other guidance documents as a matter of course.

In 2018 local authorities were asked to pause any new shared space schemes that incorporated a level surface and were at the design stage. Existing schemes or ones that were contractually committed or under construction were not in scope to avoid incurring financial penalties. This is still the position, and it is for local authorities to determine what changes may be required to existing schemes, taking into account their obligations under equalities legislation.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Transport of 8 July 2025 on Road and Rail Projects, Official Report, columns 822-3, what her Department's timetable is for providing more information on its plans for the midlands rail hub. \p Simon Lightwood: The first phase of Midlands Rail Hub enables additional rail services between Birmingham and South Wales, and the South West, and on Birmingham’s Cross City Line. Subsequent phases are at an earlier stage of development but include the potential for additional rail services from Birmingham to the East Midlands and between Worcester and Hereford.

The Government’s commitment to deliver detailed designs of the first phase of MRH will produce a more accurate delivery schedule in due course. This phase is due to enter service in the early 2030s. The delivery timescales for later phases are subject to further development work and subsequent investment decisions.
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Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve (a) rail connections to Sheffield and (b) the tram network in that city in the next five years. \p Simon Lightwood: Improvements being considered are:

Subject to the industry approval process, in 2026, as part of the East Coast Mainline timetable, Northern will look to implement an hourly Leeds to Sheffield semi-fast service. Similarly, CrossCountry is working to add services on their Newcastle to Reading route in future timetables.

Responsibility for Sheffield Supertram sits with South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA). SYMCA were allocated £570 million from 2022/23 to 2026/27 of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements funding for investment in local transport improvements. SYMCA have prioritised part of this funding towards Sheffield Supertram renewals.

The recent Spending Review confirmed a Transport for City Regions (TCR) settlement of £1.5 billion for South Yorkshire from 2027/28 to 2031/32. SYMCA have indicated that they would allocate a significant amount of this funding to continue renewals to the tram network, providing a fleet of new, replacement vehicles, modernising tram stops, and maintenance to improve reliability.

Decisions on how both CRSTS and TCR funding is spent are made locally, reflecting the principle that Mayors are best placed to understand the needs of their areas.

My officials will continue to support SYMCA on any plans that they bring forward, including those involving light rail.
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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the 19.05 train from Waterloo to Christchurch not arrive until 22.30 on Monday 14 July; what estimate she has made of the number of passengers affected; and what compensation is available. \p Simon Lightwood: A signal cable failure at Woking delayed the 19.05 from London Waterloo to Christchurch on the 14 July. Passengers are entitled to compensation under the national Delay Repay scheme. As the 19.05 was delayed for 120 minutes or more, passengers can claim compensation for 100 percent of the cost of their journey. Industry data doesn’t enable a reliable estimate on the number of impacted passengers to be made.
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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains between Waterloo and Christchurch have been (a) cancelled and (b) delayed for more than 15 minutes since South Western Railway was brought into public ownership. \p Simon Lightwood: South Western Railway (SWR) were brought into public ownership on 25 May 2025. Since this date, 9.5 per cent of trains have been cancelled and 12.9 per cent of trains have been delayed by more than 15 minutes between London Waterloo and Christchurch. These cancellations and delays were not a result of the move to public ownership and could have equally occurred under private ownership. The new Managing Director for SWR, Lawrence Bowman, has been tasked with developing a detailed plan to improve SWR performance.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support the roll-out of demand responsive transport in Shropshire. \p Simon Lightwood: The government believes demand responsive transport (DRT) has an important role to play in ensuring communities can access transport services in areas where more traditional, regular stopping services may not be viable.

Shropshire Council has been allocated over £9.2 million of funding since 2023 to improve their bus services. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. Shropshire have used some of this funding to support an expansion of their Connect On-Demand DRT service in July 2024 and January 2025.

We are also developing DRT Best Practice Guidance, which will share learnings from existing DRT schemes to support local authorities to set up similar schemes.
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Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria her Department used to determine which lines would be covered by the programme to lay trackside cabling to improve mobile phone connectivity; and what assessment her Department made of potential merits of including the midland mainline in this programme. \p Simon Lightwood: The first lines selected were those routes that have high numbers of rail passengers and were commercially attractive for the concession partner. It is in the partner and Network Rail's interest for the concession to be cash generative as soon as possible given the agreed commercial structure where excess returns in the early years are recycled into investing in new routes. While Network Rail's partner identified the Midland Mainline to be of some commercial interest, it was not sufficiently attractive to be included in the first tranche of investment.

The new fibre is part of a wider asset renewal of existing NR telecoms infrastructure that is required for rail operational use, that will also support connectivity improvements.
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Dame Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to help tackle pavement parking in Newcastle upon Tyne. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department held a consultation on pavement parking in 2020 and has been considering all the views expressed in response to the consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible. In the meantime, Newcastle City Council can make use of existing powers to restrict and enforce pavement parking.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 65283 on Railways: Electrification, how many miles of electrification will be delivered from that funding in each of those three years. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department does not hold estimates for how much electrification will be delivered on a yearly basis, as the rate of delivery can vary as projects progress and proposals are finalised in the development stage.

Network Rail publishes yearly statistics for electrification delivered annually in Great Britain as part of their annual return. These returns can be found here: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/who-we-are/publications-and-resources/regulatory-and-licensing/annual-return/

Electrification delivery over the course of the coming three years will be published here in the normal way.
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Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to impose (a) quotas and (b) no-flying times at night at (a) Bournemouth International Airport and (b) other regional airports. \p Mike Kane: The Government only sets noise-related restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports. At all other airports, including Bournemouth, flight restrictions are set through the planning system and not by the Government. It is the responsibility of the relevant local planning authority to conduct any necessary noise assessments and to enforce any restrictions.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much their Department has spent on translating documents into languages other than (a) English and (b) other native UK languages in each year since 2023; and what these languages were. \p Mike Kane: The Department has spent £212,027.69 on translation services since 2023 (this covers the period from 1st January 2023 to 18 July 2025). The table below outlines the split of costs by calendar year.

It should be noted that information is not held at the level requested.

Translation Services

Amount

Calendar Year 2023

£73,719.18

Calendar Year 2024

£79,893.56

Calendar Year 2025

£58,414.95

Total

£212,027.69
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to simplify the renewal process for Blue Badge holders. \p Lilian Greenwood: Local authorities are responsible for the day-to-day administration and enforcement of the Blue Badge scheme. They are responsible for determining and implementing the administrative, assessment, and enforcement procedures which they believe are in accordance with the governing legislation.

Whilst it remains a matter for each individual local authority to decide on and to produce application form(s) for their area, to assist local authorities in deciding whether an applicant meets the eligibility criteria, the DfT has produced a model application form with accompanying guidance notes for applicants on how to complete the form.

The Department also recommends that authorities provide the guidance notes as a separate document to the application form so that they can be retained by the applicant for future reference after their application has been submitted.

In addition, the Department works closely with its Blue Badge Digital Service supplier to identify possible improvements to the online application and renewal process as part of its continuous improvement programme.
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Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she is taking steps to ban pavement parking. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department held a consultation on pavement parking in 2020 and has been considering all the views expressed in response to the consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible. In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to restrict and enforce pavement parking.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years. \p Lilian Greenwood: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency staff were previously entitled to claim up to £100 to help purchase the equipment necessary to work from home due to the impact of the pandemic. This arrangement ended towards the end of the 2023-2024 financial year.

The table below shows the information requested. Please note that while some equipment has been provided in the 2024/25 financial year, this has been provided as business as usual and not specifically to facilitate working from home:

2022 – 2023

£5,811.06

2023 – 2024

£3,028.23

2024 – 2025

£0
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Vehicle Certification Agency has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Vehicle Certification Agency’s (VCA’s) spend is shown below:-

Financial Year

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

Total Spend (£)

3,675.00

3,750.00

2,700.00
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has had recent discussions with Network Rail on the potential merits of (a) reducing and (b) eliminating the use of glyphosate herbicides on railway property. \p Simon Lightwood: Network Rail uses glyphosate to control the growth of vegetation in places where it may cause problems for trains or colleagues working alongside the track. This helps to maintain the safe operation of the railway and avoid key parts of the railway being covered by vegetation. Network Rail has been reducing the amount of chemicals it uses on the network over the last couple of decades. Applications are targeted at the plants to ensure that the volume used is as low as possible. There is not currently a chemical alternative to glyphosate that gives Network Rail the same control of vegetation. Non-chemical approaches are available and used by Network Rail in other locations, but they are not viable for use on the operational railway.
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Sarah Owen:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2025 to Question 65380 on Leagrave Station: Lifts, whether the completed 2023 Network Rail feasibility study for lifts at Leagrave station will expedite the progress of upgrades at the station. \p Simon Lightwood: This government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

In May 2024, the previous government selected 50 stations for initial feasibility work for potential upgrades as part of our Access for All programme. This included Leagrave railway station. We expect to provide an update to stakeholders during the summer.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making it a mandatory requirement to fit defibrillators in every newly manufactured car. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government has no current plans to legislate to make it a mandatory requirement to fit defibrillators in every newly manufactured car.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will take steps to raise awareness of road safety for drivers when overtaking cyclists. \p Lilian Greenwood: Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022 introducing a hierarchy of road users, the department ran a THINK! campaign to raise awareness of the changes as they came into effect. This was followed by broader behaviour change campaigns in the summer of 2022 and 2023, to help embed the changes and encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance.

We also promote cycle safety advice for cyclists and motorists via THINK!

social channels, education resources and run radio filler advertising encouraging motorists to maintain safe driving distances from cyclists and horse riders, and to use the Dutch Reach when opening car doors to help keep cyclists safe.
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had any discussions with National Highways on banning HGV through traffic from Newbury town centre when the A34 is closed. \p Lilian Greenwood: Diversion routes which include those through Newbury town centre are not part of the Strategic Road Network therefore are managed by the Local Authority.

National Highways diversion routes are longstanding and agreed with the local authorities. Annual reviews are conducted to ensure that they remain fit for purpose and able to accommodate the type and volume of traffic using a given route, for example Heavy Goods Vehicles.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2025 to Question 62375 on Buses: Safety Belts, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of 3-point seat belts on passenger safety. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Road Safety Observatory, supported by the Department for Transport, summarises and reviews research on road safety, including seat belts. It identified research indicating that 3-point seat belts in vehicles can reduce the serious injury rate by 60% compared to being unrestrained. There is no specific assessment for buses.

The Road Safety Observatory synthesis on seat belts is available from the RoSPA website and can be found at the following link:-

https://www.rospa.com/siteassets/images/road-safety/road-safety-projects/road-safety-observatory/vehicles-seatbelts.pdf.
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Natalie Fleet:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to upgrade Junction 28 of the M1. \p Lilian Greenwood: Improvements to Junction 28 of the M1 form part of the pipeline of projects being developed for possible delivery in a future Road Investment Strategy (RIS) period. Schemes in this pipeline are at this stage uncommitted, and the Department will need to decide which are the most viable for delivery. The Department expects to confirm which schemes remain in the pipeline, and will therefore continue to be developed during the next period, when RIS3 is published early next year.
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Natalie Fleet:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of upgrading Junction 28 of the M1 on the implementation of the Government's missions. \p Lilian Greenwood: National Highways is currently working on a business case for these proposals. As part of this, they will consider a wide range of potential impacts including how upgrading the junction would align with Government Missions, such as improving regional economic growth from reduced delays.
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Llinos Medi:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason Hydrogen fuel cells used by Nonroad Mobile Machinery are to be excluded from the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation subsidy. \p Mike Kane: The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) supports the use of low carbon fuels in surface transport, including specific non-road mobile machinery (NRMM). While hydrogen fuel cell generators are not currently covered by the definition of non-road mobile machinery, renewable electrolytic hydrogen used in fuel cells is supported under the RTFO when used in a range of transport modes, including road vehicles, trains, maritime and inland waterway vessels.

Small but growing volumes of hydrogen have been supplied under the scheme in recent years.

As part of a statutory review of the RTFO, the Department for Transport recently ran a Call for Evidence covering both the past performance and future of the scheme. Government is currently considering the responses submitted, including on hydrogen fuel cell generators, before publishing a summary of responses and setting out next steps.
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Natalie Fleet:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made a recent assessment of the safety of vehicles queuing on the carriageway as they exit the motorway at junction 28 of the M1. \p Lilian Greenwood: National Highways is currently working on proposals to improve the junction to address congestion and safety issues as well as to support local growth. One of the main reasons for the proposed improvements to Junction 28 of the M1 is to improve safety risks and hazards related to traffic and congestion at the junction, particularly the queuing on the main carriageway which can occur during peak periods.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what is the cost to the public purse of the higher-rate mobility component of the Personal Independence Payment for the (a) London Congestion Charge, (b) Ultra Low Emission Zone charge, (c) Dart Charge, (d) Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnel charge, (e) Tyne Tunnel toll, (f) M6 Toll, (g) Humber Bridge toll and (h) Mersey Gateway Bridge toll. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department does not hold this information. The only undertaking cited that is operated by National Highways on behalf of the Department is Dart Charge, and while National Highways records the number of crossings made by vehicles exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty, it does not know the reason why a vehicle is exempt.

The other undertakings cited are the responsibility of the relevant local authority or group of authorities, except the M6 Toll, which is a privately owned asset without any recourse to public funds.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of Tree Preservation Orders in protecting trees of (a) ecological and (b) historical significance. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Tree Preservation Order framework enables the protection of specific trees or woodlands where their removal would have a significant negative impact on the local environment and its enjoyment by the public.

Local planning authorities can make a Tree Preservation Order if it appears to them to be “expedient in the interests of amenity to make provision for the preservation of trees or woodlands in their area”, and in doing this are advised to consider a range of factors including historic value and importance for nature conservation.

An Order makes it an offence to cut down, prune, uproot, wilfully damage, or wilfully destroy a tree covered by that Order without the local planning authority’s written permission. Anyone who contravenes an Order is guilty of an offence and may be fined.
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the contribution by the hon. Member for St Albans on 9 July 2025, Official Report, column 325WH, whether she plans to make alternative funding available to London Colney Parish Council for the completion of their neighbourhood plan. \p Matthew Pennycook: Following the Spending Review, my Department announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards.

Technical support which has already been awarded will continue to be provided but must be completed before the end of March 2026.

London Colney Parish is not in receipt of such support.

The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests.

Parish and Town Councils have access to their own resources which they can choose to use for neighbourhood planning if they wish.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure adequate (a) welfare and (b) safeguarding protections for (i) elderly, (ii) vulnerable and (iii) other residents of mobile home sites. \p Matthew Pennycook: Park homes are predominantly for those who can live independently. They are not specifically designated for particular groups or those with specific needs, though the evidence suggests that most park home residents are older adults. Any welfare or safeguarding concerns should be reported to the local authority’s social services department or, where there is an immediate risk, to the police.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of applying the Decent Homes Standard to affordable housing. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Decent Homes Standard already applies to affordable housing managed by registered providers of social housing.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of empty homes owned by (a) local authorities, (b) the Government Property Agency and (c) other parts of central government. \p Matthew Pennycook: The number of local authority owned homes that are empty in each local authority in England can be found in Live Table 615 here on vacant dwellings in England at local authority district level. Figures in this table show vacant dwellings owned by local authorities within each local authority area in England.

The latest published statistics refer to vacant dwellings owned by local authorities in England on 31 March 2024, including homes earmarked for sale or demolition, or awaiting or undergoing major repairs.

My Department does not hold figures specifically for homes owned by the Government Property Agency or other parts of central government.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to assess the potential merits of extending UK Shared Prosperity Fund support since the spending review. \p Alex Norris: The government is introducing a new, targeted approach to support regional growth, tackle deprivation, and restore pride to communities. Following March 2026, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will end and will be replaced by the local growth fund for specific city regions in England, and communities funding, including the Plan for Neighbourhoods.
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Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many (a) wards and (b) super output areas are within the top (i) 1%, (ii) 5% and (iii) 10% for deprivation in Telford constituency. \p Jim McMahon: The government uses the English Indices of Deprivation, most recently published in 2019, to assess relative levels of deprivation across small areas in England. These indices are based on Lower-layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs), which are statistical geographies designed to improve the reporting of small area statistics typically containing between 400 and 1,200 households.

According to the latest available data:

In the Telford constituency, there are:

The government continues to work with local partners to address deprivation and support communities through targeted investment and regeneration programmes.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce legislation to establish local versions of the Public Accounts Committee. \p Jim McMahon: The government remains committed to enhancing accountability and scrutiny of local public spending in Strategic Authorities.

The English Devolution White Paper outlines the government’s ambition to go further in this area, including exploring a Local Public Accounts Committee model. It remains our ambition to do this. We are developing policy options on this, working with Mayoral Combined Authorities to test our thinking. The Government will confirm its policy approach and any supporting legislation that may be required to advance these in due course.
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Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the required infrastructure has to be provided before or in parallel with the development when releasing greenbelt land for development. \p Matthew Pennycook: The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on 12 December 2024 makes clear that ‘Golden Rules’ should apply to major development including the provision of housing on land released from the Green Belt through plan preparation or review, or on sites in the Green Belt subject to a planning application. These ‘Golden Rules’ include necessary improvements to local or national infrastructure.

The point at which infrastructure is delivered is a matter for local planning authorities and will depend on the nature of the site. Requirements can be set out as planning conditions or agreed through section 106 planning obligations.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of planning applications that have been granted by each local authority in each of the last 12 months. \p Matthew Pennycook: The number of planning applications granted per quarter is published in the Department’s quarterly planning applications statistical release which can be found on gov.uk here.

The number of planning applications granted by each local planning authority in the 12 months to 31 March 2025 for district matters is available in live table P134.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has had discussions with local authorities on twinning with locations in the Occupied Territories. \p Jim McMahon: Local authority twinning arrangements are matters for those authorities. The department does not routinely discuss such arrangements with local authorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-21 conversation_273

Ms Stella Creasy:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the consultation on planning guidance including the provision of swift bricks will (a) commence and (b) complete. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department has already published updated Planning Practice Guidance setting out how swift bricks are expected to be used in new development. This outlines that developments should include swift bricks where possible, with the general aim across a development of a minimum of one nest box per unit.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-21 conversation_274

Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what is the role of the (a) planning inspector and (b) local planning authority in determining priority be given to brown field development when a local plan includes (a) brownfield and (b) greenfield sites. \p Matthew Pennycook: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that planning policies and decisions should give substantial weight to the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements for homes and other identified needs.

It is for the decision maker, the local planning authority and/or an Inspector acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, to make planning decisions in accordance with the relevant local development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

The NPPF is a material consideration, and it is for the relevant decision maker to decide the weight to give to relevant policies in light of the specific facts and circumstances of any given case.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-21 conversation_275

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of current measures to protect public green spaces from (a) unauthorised encampments and (b) environmental damage. \p Matthew Pennycook: The designation of land as Local Green Space through local and neighbourhood plans allows communities to identify and protect green areas of particular importance to them.

Local plans are expected to identify, map and safeguard locally designated sites of importance for biodiversity, including Local Wildlife Sites.

Local planning authorities already have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance, which they can use to tackle all types of unauthorised development. We will keep the use of these powers under review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-21 conversation_276

Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to provide support to councils with high levels of financial distress. \p Jim McMahon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 60682 on 24 June 2025 and to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 20 June 2025 entitled Fair Funding Review 2.0 and Modernising and Improving the Administration of Council Tax (HCWS724).

Any council that has concerns about its ability to set or maintain a balanced budget should approach MHCLG in the first instance where we will treat all discussions in confidence, with respect and determination to find a solution together.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-21 conversation_277

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure that developers take account of adopted neighbourhood plans. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system.

Once passed at referendum, neighbourhood plans form part of the statutory development plan for the local area which is the basis for making decisions on planning applications.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that where a planning application conflicts with an up-to-date development plan (including any neighbourhood plans), permission should not usually be granted.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-21 conversation_278

Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of (a) emergency and (b) long-term accommodation has been allocated to (i) asylum seekers and (ii) foreign nationals in the last 12 months. \p Rushanara Ali: The Home Office publishes data on individuals placed in accommodation in the gov.uk ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum seekers in receipt of support, individuals under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, and those resettled via the Afghan Resettlement Programme, is published in table Reg_02 of the gov.uk ‘Regional and local authority data’, including breakdowns by accommodation type.

The department does not hold data on how many foreign nationals are accommodated in emergency or long-term accommodation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-21 conversation_279

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of neighbourhood planning policies in involving local communities in the planning process. \p Matthew Pennycook: As set out in Paragraph 30 of the National Planning Policy Framework, neighbourhood planning gives communities the power to develop a shared vision for their area. Neighbourhood plans can shape, direct, and help to deliver sustainable development, by influencing local planning decisions as part of the statutory development plan.

The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the value of financial contributions secured through agreements under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in each of the last five years in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) Fylde constituency. \p Matthew Pennycook: Local Planning Authorities are required to publish an annual Infrastructure Funding Statement detailing developer contributions received through section 106 planning obligations or the Community Infrastructure Levy.

Infrastructure Funding Statements for Fylde can be found here.

There is no statutory requirement for a consolidated Infrastructure Funding Statement for England to be published, and one has not been published to date.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure new developments are safe and accessible for pedestrians. \p Matthew Pennycook: Housing within Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Government.

In England, the National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that when assessing sites that may be allocated in local development plans, or specific applications for development, it should be ensured that safe and suitable access to the site can be achieved for all users.

The Framework also sets out that applications for development should give priority first to pedestrian and cycle movements, both within the scheme and with neighbouring areas, and should create places that are safe, secure, and attractive and which minimise scope for conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the estimated cash increase in business rate revenue in England is in 2025-26 as a consequence of the reduction in retail, hospitality and leisure rate relief. \p Jim McMahon: Local authority forecasts of the cost of Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief are published on gov.uk here.

The change in the value of relief is an indicator of the increased revenue from the reduction of the relief rate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-21 conversation_283

Mr Toby Perkins:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing flood-related resources for fire and rescue services; and whether she plans to increase guaranteed resources. \p Alex Norris: Protecting communities from flooding is a key priority for this government. Fire and Rescue Authorities already have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to prepare for emergencies, including major flooding. However, we recognise the interest in creating a statutory duty for flood rescue and officials are working with DEFRA, as lead government department for flooding, to consider the wider implications of this.

MHCLG supports Fire and Rescue Authorities in responding to flood incidents by providing national resilience High Volume Pump (HVP) capabilities. These are available to be used by Fire & Rescue Services across the country during major flood incidents. Additionally, DEFRA hold the Flood Rescue National Asset Register, a list of teams or assets that voluntarily join the register and maintain availability for national deployment in England.

The 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement set out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs). Standalone FRAs will see an increase in core spending power of up to £69.1m in 2025/26.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-21 conversation_284

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 60843 on Civil Service: Equality, if she will place in the Library a copy of the (a) training and (b) support materials provided to civil servants for the training events held by (i) Inclusive Employers and (ii) Diversify World. \p Alex Norris: Materials associated with the Inclusive Employers training are the intellectual property of the provider and cannot be published by the Department for contractual reasons.

The Diversify World Black History Month event was a presentation without support materials.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-21 conversation_285

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the publication MHCLG: spending over £25,000, May 2025, published on 30 June 2025, what the purpose was of the ZenCity Polling; and which policy areas it related to. \p Alex Norris: MHCLG is utilising ZenCity’s tools to conduct pulse surveys across the 75 communities that are part of the Plan for Neighbourhoods programme.

Polling data will be used to help Plan for Neighbourhood Boards understand local priorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-21 conversation_286

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the (a) Local Government Association and (b) Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London statutory joint committee is subject to the (a) Freedom of Information Act 2000 and (b) Environmental Information Regulations. \p Alex Norris: My understanding is that both the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London statutory joint committee (PATROL) are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.