Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will require planning officers who determine planning applications through their national scheme of delegation to declare any interests; and whether the bill will require local authorities to create a register of interests for planning officers along the lines of those for local councillors.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Our live tables on planning statistics show that in 2024 for district planning decisions 96% of applications were delegated to officers, and for county planning decisions 81% of applications were delegated to officers.
Proposals in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill in relation to planning committees and a national scheme of delegation do not include changes to requirements to declare interests for either officers or councillors.
Clause 46 of the Bill gives the Secretary of State the power to, through regulations, require planning decisions to be made by committees or officers. We will consult on the details of this in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of planning applications that were considered by local authorities in 2024 were determined by (1) planning applications committees, and (2) planning officers.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Our live tables on planning statistics show that in 2024 for district planning decisions 96% of applications were delegated to officers, and for county planning decisions 81% of applications were delegated to officers.
Proposals in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill in relation to planning committees and a national scheme of delegation do not include changes to requirements to declare interests for either officers or councillors.
Clause 46 of the Bill gives the Secretary of State the power to, through regulations, require planning decisions to be made by committees or officers. We will consult on the details of this in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the English Devolution White Paper published on 16 December 2024 (CP1218), what steps they are taking to ensure that the boundaries of fire and rescue authorities are coterminous with the boundaries of newly created strategic authorities.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As set out in the English Devolution White Paper, where mayoral geographies align with police force and fire and rescue geographies, Mayors will be, by default, responsible for exercising Police and Crime Commissioner and Fire and Rescue Authority functions. This is the case in three of the six places being considered under the Devolution Priority Programme.
We will explore, in time for the English Devolution Bill, the possibility of a single Mayor taking on Police and Crime Commissioner and Fire and Rescue Authority responsibilities across two or more Police Force and Fire and Rescue Authorities, where boundaries align.
Where Strategic Authorities do not currently align with these boundaries, or where alignment is not appropriate for new devolution areas, we will take steps to achieve alignment over the longer term. Future new Strategic Authorities will be considered with existing Police and Crime Commissioner and Fire and Rescue Authority boundaries in mind.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication on 7 March of the Plan for Neighbourhoods, what definition they use for workplace representative, and whether neighbourhood boards will be required to give seats to workplace representatives.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Plan for Neighbourhoods’ prospectus was published on 4 March. As outlined in the Plan for Neighbourhoods’ governance and boundary guidance, published on 12 March, Neighbourhood Boards should comprise representatives from a cross-section of the local community to promote community leadership.
Boards may want to consider but are not obligated to include workplace representatives, such as a trades union representative.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the publication on 16 December 2024 of the English Devolution White Paper, whether they intend to retain ceremonial counties for the purposes of appointing Lord Lieutenants and High Sheriffs.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
There is no intention that the priorities set out in the English Devolution White Paper will impact on the ceremonial counties or the important roles that Lord Lieutenants and High Sheriffs play as the Monarch’s representatives in those counties, and ceremonial counties will be retained. The government recognises and values the work they do in relation to civic, business, social and community life in the ceremonial counties, and will ensure that the ceremonial rights and privileges of an area will be maintained after any reorganisation of local government.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the English Devolution White Paper on 16 December 2024, what plans they have to ensure that integrated care systems operate in areas that are coterminous with Mayoral Combined Authorities.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As set out in the English Devolution White Paper, the government recognises the benefits that aligned geographical boundaries can have for improving coordination between public services. The English Devolution White Paper therefore set out government's long-term ambition to align public service boundaries, including job centres, police, probation, fire, health services and Strategic and Local Authorities.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to give guidance to local authorities on signing new commercial contracts where those local authorities are undergoing local government re-organisation and are soon to be abolished.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
It is essential that councils developing proposals for reorganisation continue to deliver their business-as-usual services and duties, which remain unchanged up until such time as the reorganisation process is complete. This duty may include signing or renewing commercial contracts that deliver or support the delivery of statutory services. Until a decision about any new councils is made and legislation is in place councils are encouraged to consider voluntary arrangements to help balance the decisions needed now to maintain service delivery and ensure value for money for council taxpayers, with those key decisions that will affect the future success of any new councils in the area. Once legislation is in place establishing new unitary councils, then the Secretary of State may put in place a direction requiring that those councils to be dissolved must seek consent of the new council as specified in the direction before entering into certain contracts or land disposals. It would however make sense for contracts which are being agreed in this period to recognise and accommodate for the changes to local government coming through.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what definition they use for green belt land, and grey belt land.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Land is Green Belt if designated as such in the Local Plan. The purposes of Green Belt and the definition of grey belt are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (12 December 2024).
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations in the Electoral Commission report on the 2024 UK parliamentary general election and the May 2024 local elections, published on 7 October 2024.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government has, on 12 February 2025, published its response to the Electoral Commission’s report on the May polls and the UK Parliamentary general election last July.
We are grateful to the Commission for its reports and have and will continue to carefully consider its findings and recommendations.
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the Local Government Finance Report (England) 2025–26 (HC 623), why the London Boroughs of Croydon, Harrow, Bexley and Bromley are not to receive the Recovery Grant for the 2025–26 financial year.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Recovery Grant, worth £600 million, is only one part of the 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement, which makes available over £69 billion in 2025-26 and ensures that no council will see a decrease in Core Spending Power.
To start correcting the system, the government needs to make difficult decisions. As a result, some councils will not receive an allocation through the Recovery Grant.
The Recovery Grant is targeted towards areas with greater need and demand for services (we have used deprivation as a proxy for this) and less ability to raise income locally.
Bexley, Bromley, Croydon and Harrow will all see a real-terms increase in their core spending power for 2025-26.