Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - 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 high-quality agricultural land is protected from other development proposals to ensure food security.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government places great importance upon our agricultural land and food production. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out how the best and most versatile agricultural land should be reflected in planning policies and decisions. The Framework is also clear that where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist on 9 March (HL1921), whether a housing development is allowed to proceed before additional wastewater infrastructure has been provided.
Answered by Earl of Courtown - Opposition Deputy Chief Whip (Lords)
The developer is responsible for providing effective drainage to serve their development and agreeing this with the local planning authority. There is also statutory provision for developers to fund additional sewerage infrastructure required to accommodate flows from a proposed development. If there are concerns arising from a planning application about the capacity of wastewater infrastructure, applicants can be asked to provide information about how the proposed development will be drained and wastewater dealt with; and if they build their development in breach of the permission, they may face enforcement action by the local planning authority.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 18 February (HL1314), whether local councils in their capacity as local planning authorities making decisions can refuse a planning application on the basis that the water and sewage company has not provided a system of waste water that satisfies the Environment Agency; and whether the Planning Inspectorate would be bound to uphold any such refusal.
Answered by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist - Opposition Whip (Lords)
A local planning authority, as the decision maker in the first instance, may refuse an application, having weighed up all the material planning considerations in accordance with the development plan for the area, unless other material considerations indicate otherwise. This decision may be appealed and allows the judgement of the local council to be tested independently by the Planning Inspectorate. Inspectors may come to a different view from the local planning authority and uphold an appeal, this does not mean that they have disregarded the views of the local authority or local residents – rather that they have attributed different weight to the issues in reaching their decision.
In coming to a decision, the local planning authority and an inspector will take into account the views of all parties submitted within the relevant timescales, along with local and national planning policy and guidance. Our planning practice guidance is clear that if there are concerns arising from a planning application about the capacity of wastewater infrastructure, applicants can be asked to provide information about how the proposed development will be drained and wastewater dealt with. There is also statutory provision for developers to fund additional sewerage infrastructure required to accommodate flows from a proposed development.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 9 September (HL17590), whether the 2019–20 local government finance settlement was higher than the 2018–19 settlement.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
I can confirm that the 2019-20 local government finance settlement was higher than the 2018-19 settlement. Core Spending Power increased from £45.1 billion in 2018-19 to £46.2 billion in 2019-20, a cash-increase of 2.5% and a real-terms increase in resources available to local authorities.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what local authorities are permitted to spend profits from parking enforcement after covering enforcement costs; and what assessment they have made of how much such profit local authorities make from such enforcement.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
Unfair parking fines push up the cost of living and undermine the high street. Local authorities should be making it easier to park to support local shops, local jobs and tourism by increasing footfall. Making parking more difficult stifles local trade, driving motorists into the arms of internet retailers and out of town superstores.
Existing legislation clearly restricts the purposes for which monies generated from parking may be spent by local authorities to off-street parking, transport and environmental improvements.
The Local Government Transparency Code 2015 requires local authorities to publish a breakdown of income and expenditure on the authority’s parking account. This includes details of revenue collected from on-street parking, off-street parking and Penalty Charge Notices and a breakdown of how the authority has spent a surplus on its parking account.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that any changes in parking regulations do not affect bus routes.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
As noted in the answer to the noble Lord of 29 July 2014, Official Report, Column WA279, the Government will be banning the use of CCTV for municipal parking enforcement, subject to a very small number of exceptions that emerged following the public consultation; this includes parking in bus lanes.