Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoners in England and Wales were eligible to vote in the general election on 4 July 2024.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Prisoners convicted of a crime and serving a sentence in custody are not allowed to vote in UK Parliamentary elections.
Those imprisoned for default in paying fines or contempt of court, individuals held on remand who are not convicted, and those released on temporary licence or home detention curfew are not legally barred from voting, but they must meet the other eligibility criteria and be registered to vote. The Government does not hold data on how many such individuals there were, nor how many voted in the general election on 4 July 2024.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoners in England and Wales voted in the general election on 4 July 2024.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Prisoners convicted of a crime and serving a sentence in custody are not allowed to vote in UK Parliamentary elections.
Those imprisoned for default in paying fines or contempt of court, individuals held on remand who are not convicted, and those released on temporary licence or home detention curfew are not legally barred from voting, but they must meet the other eligibility criteria and be registered to vote. The Government does not hold data on how many such individuals there were, nor how many voted in the general election on 4 July 2024.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that local nature recovery strategies have sufficient weight in planning given their plans to tackle "blockers".
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) are intended to support local planning authorities in preparing local plans that conserve and enhance biodiversity and the natural environment. Local planning authorities have a legal duty to have regard to the relevant strategy for their area.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their timescale for the next local elections in the devolution areas on the Devolution Primary Programme where the May 2025 local elections have been postponed.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has been clear that our intention is that elections for mayors for the Devolution Priority Areas will be held in May 2026. The election to the county councils of East Sussex, Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and West Sussex and the unitary councils of Isle of Wight and Thurrock will be postponed to take place alongside the Mayoral election in May 2026. Elections to other councils in the Devolution Priority Programme areas are also scheduled to take place in May 2026.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that County Council elections cannot be cancelled for purely partisan political purposes.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government’s starting point is for all elections to go ahead unless there is strong justification for postponement. On 16 December, my colleague, the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, wrote to leaders of all councils in two-tier areas and neighbouring small unitary authorities to set out further detail on our plans for a joint programme of devolution and local government reorganisation. In that letter, he explained that he would only consider requests to postpone elections where it was clear this will help the area to deliver both reorganisation and devolution to the most ambitious timeframe. The Minister is now considering the requests he has received and a decision will be made in due course.
The Minister’s letter of 16 December has been published and can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-government-reorganisation-letter-to-two-tier-areas
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have considered alternative proposals to local government unitarisation put forward by district councils.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Local Government Minister wrote to all councils on the 16 December in two tier areas to set out the arrangements for local government reorganisation, including inviting council leaders to develop unitary proposals that are in the best interests of the whole area, rather than developing competing proposals.
Unitary councils can lead to better outcomes for residents, save significant money which can be reinvested in public services, and improve accountability with fewer politicians who are more able to focus on delivering for residents. The Government’s policy is to facilitate a programme of local government reorganisation.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria they will apply to "small unitary authorities" when assessing whether they will be expected to merge with other authorities.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Minister for Local Government wrote to all councils in two-tier areas and neighbouring small unitaries on publication of the English Devolution White Paper on 16th December to set out his ambitions and expectations in greater detail. In this letter the Minster set out his intention to formally invite unitary proposals in January 2025, and this invitation will set out further detail on the criteria that will be considered when taking decisions on proposals that are submitted to Government.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage local authorities to consult directors of public health when (1) creating local plans, and (2) taking planning decisions.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As part of the ongoing government consultation ‘Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and other changes to the planning system’ which was launched on Tuesday 30 July, we are seeking views on proposed changes to the NPPF intended to support the provision of public infrastructure and to create sustainable, healthy communities.
Contributions from developers play an important role in delivering the infrastructure that local communities expect to see alongside new development. The Government will focus on improving the system of developer contributions.
The NPPF makes clear that plans should set out the contributions expected from development. This should include setting out the levels and types of affordable housing provision required, along with other infrastructure (such as that needed for health, open space, and transport). Plan-makers should work in collaboration with the local community, developers, and other stakeholders to create realistic, deliverable policies.
It is important that local planning authorities prepare, and keep up to date, a local plan as the primary basis for identifying what development is needed in an area. This helps ensure that local strategies to improve health and wellbeing and the provision of the required health infrastructure are supported and considered in plans (including in the preparation of strategic policies for community facilities) and in planning decisions.
Working with the advice and support of the Director of Public Health, plan-makers may also need to involve key groups in the local health and wellbeing system, including Health and Wellbeing Boards.
The Government is committed to promoting active travel and ensuring that routes identified in Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) are considered in planning decisions. Active Travel England (ATE), established as an executive agency within the Department for Transport, acts as a statutory consultee in the planning system, reviewing active travel provisions in major planning applications to ensure they align with the standards and principles set out in national design standards. This ensures that new developments support and enhance active travel routes identified in LCWIPs.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that routes identified in Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans are considered by local planning authorities when (1) creating local plans, and (2) taking planning decisions.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As part of the ongoing government consultation ‘Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and other changes to the planning system’ which was launched on Tuesday 30 July, we are seeking views on proposed changes to the NPPF intended to support the provision of public infrastructure and to create sustainable, healthy communities.
Contributions from developers play an important role in delivering the infrastructure that local communities expect to see alongside new development. The Government will focus on improving the system of developer contributions.
The NPPF makes clear that plans should set out the contributions expected from development. This should include setting out the levels and types of affordable housing provision required, along with other infrastructure (such as that needed for health, open space, and transport). Plan-makers should work in collaboration with the local community, developers, and other stakeholders to create realistic, deliverable policies.
It is important that local planning authorities prepare, and keep up to date, a local plan as the primary basis for identifying what development is needed in an area. This helps ensure that local strategies to improve health and wellbeing and the provision of the required health infrastructure are supported and considered in plans (including in the preparation of strategic policies for community facilities) and in planning decisions.
Working with the advice and support of the Director of Public Health, plan-makers may also need to involve key groups in the local health and wellbeing system, including Health and Wellbeing Boards.
The Government is committed to promoting active travel and ensuring that routes identified in Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) are considered in planning decisions. Active Travel England (ATE), established as an executive agency within the Department for Transport, acts as a statutory consultee in the planning system, reviewing active travel provisions in major planning applications to ensure they align with the standards and principles set out in national design standards. This ensures that new developments support and enhance active travel routes identified in LCWIPs.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what distance they consider to be a "short walk", as referred to in paragraph 155(c) of the National Planning Policy Framework draft text, published on 30 July.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In our consultation on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, we have set out that land released in the Green Belt should deliver clear benefits for nature and public access to green space where Green Belt release occurs. Q36 seeks views on our proposed approach. We will confirm our approach in our formal response to the consultation.