Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the £20 million funding provided to the National Cyber Innovation Centre in Cheltenham under the Levelling Up Fund Round 3, whether his Department plans to provide (a) further funding and (b) support for (i) the National Cyber Innovation Centre and (ii) wider development in the Golden Valley in Cheltenham constituency.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local places will rightly be seeking clarity on existing funding commitments. The Government is giving full consideration to this matter, including the hard work undertaken on projects to date, and will continue dialogue with local leaders.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the provisional levelling-up cultural funding awarded to Dunfermline will be delivered; and whether there will be changes to the (a) process and (b) criteria for spending.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local places will rightly be seeking clarity on existing funding commitments. The Government is giving full consideration to this matter, including the hard work undertaken on projects to date, and will continue dialogue with local leaders.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she expects the consultation on the York Local Plan to be concluded.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The York Local Plan remains at examination, consultation on main modifications to a policy H5 (Gypsies and Travellers) will end on 30 August. The full timetable for the York Local Plan examination can be viewed publicly on the examination website.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the number of electors registered for a postal vote who were unable to vote in the General Election because of postal delays.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Returning Officers are required at elections to record the number of postal ballot packs received before and after the close of poll and this information is available for public inspection after the election. No separate record is kept by Returning Officers in Great Britain in respect of overseas electors.
The Electoral Commission will publish a report on the administration of the General Election held on 4 July later this year, and the Government will give careful consideration to any findings or recommendations made in the report in relation to the current arrangements for postal voting.
Asked by: Helen Grant (Conservative - Maidstone and Malling)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure that infrastructure is improved before housing developments are proposed in the South East.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out in the National Planning Policy Framework, the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner.
Local planning authorities are required to plan for infrastructure delivery as part of plan-making and report on their use of developer contributions in Infrastructure Funding Statements.
The Government will keep the provision of local infrastructure under review, including when considering revisions to national planning policy.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the status is of applications submitted to the Community Ownership Fund Round 4 Window 1.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This government is committed to the communities sector and community ownership through empowering communities to own and run those local assets which mean the most to them. The English Devolution Bill will empower communities with a strong new ‘right to buy’ beloved community assets, such as empty shops, pubs and community spaces.
We will make further announcements in due course.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to review the effectiveness of the administration of postal votes during the General Election on 4 July 2024.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Electoral Commission will publish a report on the administration of the General Election held on 4 July later this year, and the Government will give careful consideration to any findings or recommendations made in the report in relation to the current arrangements for postal voting.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to make a decision about the application to the Community Ownership Fund from Marhamchurch Parish Council in relation to the Hele Valley Trail (application reference COF-EOI-R1-ZBEYTK).
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We will confirm plans on the Community Ownership Fund in due course.
Asked by: Kemi Badenoch (Conservative - North West Essex)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her Department's policy is on (a) Strategic Environmental Assessments and (b) Environmental Impact Assessments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The powers secured through the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 would allow Strategic Environmental Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment to be replaced with a new framework of Environmental Outcomes Reports.
The government is committed to securing better environmental outcomes alongside securing the development we need, and will consider how best to reform environmental assessment with this objective in mind. In the meantime, the current legislation on environmental assessment and its supporting guidance continues to apply.
Asked by: Kemi Badenoch (Conservative - North West Essex)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to (a) remove or (b) curtail permitted development rights that were introduced since May 2010; and what her policy is on Article 4 directions.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government has not announced plans to remove or curtail permitted development rights.
We intend to set out proposed changes to national planning policy in the forthcoming National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) update.