Asked by: Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Northern Powerhouse rail proposals, whether the proposed new route alignment between Bradford and Huddersfield involves tunnelling; and, if so, what proportion of the route will be tunnelled.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government is working closely with Network Rail to develop and programme the delivery of specific schemes announced by Network North. Further development work will confirm the preferred route between Bradford, Huddersfield and Manchester. Options that have been considered to date do not involve tunnelling between Bradford and Huddersfield. Information will be shared once this work is more mature.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Northern Powerhouse rail proposals, what proportion of the proposed new route alignment between Huddersfield and Manchester will involve tunnelling.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government is working closely with Network Rail to develop and programme the delivery of specific schemes announced by Network North. Further development work will confirm the preferred route between Bradford, Huddersfield and Manchester. Options that have been considered to date do not involve tunnelling between Bradford and Huddersfield. Information will be shared once this work is more mature.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Northern Powerhouse rail proposals, whether the new Bradford railway station will replace Bradford Interchange and Bradford Forster Square, or just Bradford Interchange.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is the government’s current intention that the new station at Bradford, would likely replace Bradford Interchange to provide improved transport links to Bradford City Centre. This investment will support Bradford to unlock further economic potential, supporting wider regeneration in the city.
The government is working closely with Network Rail and Bradford City Council to assess potential station options and locations. Further information will be shared when this work is more mature.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in deciding to reinstate a deadline for recording historic rights of way, what engagement took place between Ministers and organisations representing landowners and land managers.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers had no engagement with the Country Land and Business Association and the National Farmers Union regarding the decision to reinstate the deadline for the recording of historic rights of way.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce the reforms to parish polls, as proposed in 2017 following public consultation, (1) to extend the hours during which the poll takes place, and (2) to ensure that (a) the request was supported by the majority of electors present at the relevant meeting, (b) that the subject matter of the poll was discussed at the relevant meeting and directly affects those who live and/or work in the community served by the parish, (c) that the parish council is capable of making a decision on the subject matter of the poll, and (d) that no further poll on the subject matter be held within 12 months.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government acknowledge that town and parish councils have a significant role in improving the quality of life and wellbeing of their communities and creating places where people are proud to live.
The Government will provide an update on its plans to modernise parish polls in due course. The Department does not hold information about the overall cost of parish polls as these are local matters.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the overall costs of parish polls which were held in (1) 2018–19, (2) 2019–20, (3) 2020–21, (4) 2021–22, and (5) 2022–23.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government acknowledge that town and parish councils have a significant role in improving the quality of life and wellbeing of their communities and creating places where people are proud to live.
The Government will provide an update on its plans to modernise parish polls in due course. The Department does not hold information about the overall cost of parish polls as these are local matters.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the steps taken to deliver the commitment contained in the National Disability Strategy, published on 28 July 2021, to see "more disabled people becoming elected representatives".
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
In January 2022, the High Court declared that the National Disability Strategy was unlawful because the UK Disability Survey, which informed it, was held to be a voluntary consultation that failed to comply with the legal requirements on public consultations.
We are disappointed by, and strongly disagree with, the High Court’s finding, and the Secretary of State has been granted permission to appeal the Court's declaration. In order to ensure compliance with the Court’s declaration, we are obliged to pause a limited number of policies which are referred to in the Strategy or are directly connected with it.
The policy ‘Cabinet Office will consider how we can best support those standing for public office and those who hold public office’ was one of the policies we were obliged to pause.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the commitment contained in the National Disability Strategy, published on 28 July 2021, to "support a new scheme from April 2022 to support those seeking to become candidates and once they have been elected to public office", (1) what support was provided, (2) how that new scheme was promoted, and (3) what was the total number of candidates who received support, to become (a) a parish or town councillor, and (b) a county, district, London Borough, Metropolitan Borough or unitary councillor; and what was the total number of candidates who received support once they were elected as (i) a parish or town councillor, and (ii) a county, district, London Borough, Metropolitan Borough or unitary councillor.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
In 2022/23, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) funded the Local Government Association (LGA) to run:
The LGA promoted the disability support work via media articles, social media, the LGA website, bulletins, newsletters, case studies, their own network of regional team networks, and disability charities.
35 disabled councillors received support – all were county, district, London Borough, Metropolitan Borough or unitary councillors. 13 people accessed the bespoke leadership development programme. 22 people accessed the coaching offer.
The campaign to attract more people to stand for election offered advice and support to encourage disabled members of the public to stand rather than working with specific candidates.
This work was one element of a wider sector support programme DLUHC funded the LGA to run: https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/sector-support-offer-2022-23. As the programme is aimed at principal authorities, NALC, who represent the interests of town and parish councils, were not directly involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of the disability support work.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the commitment contained in the National Disability Strategy, published on 28 July 2021, to "support a new scheme from April 2022 to support those seeking to become candidates and once they have been elected to public office", what discussions they have had with the National Association of Local Councils on the (1) design, (2) delivery, and (3) evaluation, of the scheme.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
In 2022/23, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) funded the Local Government Association (LGA) to run:
The LGA promoted the disability support work via media articles, social media, the LGA website, bulletins, newsletters, case studies, their own network of regional team networks, and disability charities.
35 disabled councillors received support – all were county, district, London Borough, Metropolitan Borough or unitary councillors. 13 people accessed the bespoke leadership development programme. 22 people accessed the coaching offer.
The campaign to attract more people to stand for election offered advice and support to encourage disabled members of the public to stand rather than working with specific candidates.
This work was one element of a wider sector support programme DLUHC funded the LGA to run: https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/sector-support-offer-2022-23. As the programme is aimed at principal authorities, NALC, who represent the interests of town and parish councils, were not directly involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of the disability support work.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 29 March (HL6810), what steps they are taking to ensure that the backlog of 4,000 applications for historic rights of way are assessed in a timely manner; and what discussions the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has had with the Department for Levelling-up, Housing and Communities about the funding required by local authorities to consider those applications.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2023/24 makes available up to £59.7 billion for local government in England, the majority of which is un-ringfenced in recognition of local authorities being best placed to understand local priorities and allocate funding accordingly.
The Government is committed to implementing the rights of way reforms package which will reduce bureaucracy and speed up the process for new rights of way to be added to the legal record for everyone to enjoy. The reforms will streamline processes for recording rights of way with landowners, local authorities and users benefitting from a faster, less expensive, less confrontational and less bureaucratic process.
Local authorities will have powers to reject weakly evidenced applications, ignore irrelevant objections and agree appropriate modifications directly with landowners. Local authorities will have powers to correct obvious administrative errors on the definitive map via a significantly shortened process.