Alex McIntyre

Local councils are usually best placed to respond to littering and fly-tipping problems, in a way tailored to the community in which they occur. They have a range of enforcement tools at their disposal including fixed penalty notices and prosecution. We are reviewing how we can further support local authorities to tackle these issues.

We are also considering how to most effectively deliver our manifesto commitment to force fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess that they have created. We will provide further details in due course.

In the meantime, Defra will continue to chair the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders such as local authorities, the Environment Agency and National Police Chiefs Council, to promote and disseminate good practice with regards to preventing fly-tipping.

The Government is continuing to progress plans to designate nine new National River Walks across England and is considering delivery options to ensure the new river walks will have the most benefits for local communities. Further details will be provided in due course.

The Government is committed to the establishment of three new forests. Good progress is being made towards establishing the first of these forests as part of our wider work to fulfil this commitment.

The Government will introduce the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation and will bring forward plans in due course. Ministers will be considering available evidence around the use of hand-controlled e-collars and their effects on the welfare of animals.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

Local authorities are responsible for transport to education and training for 16-19 year olds. Post-16 transport guidance requires local authorities to make the necessary transport arrangements or provide financial support to ensure young people can participate in education or training. The needs of young people with SEND should be specifically considered and the arrangements put in place for each group must be documented in local authority transport policy statements.

In addition to their statutory responsibilities, many local authorities do offer some form of subsidised transport which, combined with the 16-19 bursary, has been intended to provide financial support to students from low-income households. These decisions are best made locally, in consideration of local needs, the resources available and other local circumstances.

With regard to public transport options more widely, the government wants everyone who needs it, including children and young people with SEND, to have access to public transport and is committed to improving services, so they are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity.

The government’s reforms to bus services typify this. On 17^th December, the government introduced a new Bus Services Bill that will give local leaders the freedom to take decisions to deliver their local transport priorities and ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them, including for disabled people. The Bill includes measures which will make bus travel more accessible and inclusive.

The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle (EV). As of January 2025, the Government and industry have supported the installation of 73,334 publicly available charging devices, up 37% on this time last year.

Gloucestershire County Council was allocated almost £3.7m capital and resource funding through the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund to increase the number of local public chargepoints. The South West region has been allocated over £45.5m capital and resource funding to increase the installation of local charging infrastructure across the region.

The Secretary of State has not met with Great Western Railway representatives since 29 November 2024, however on 12 December the Rail Minister met with representatives of both Great Western Railway and Network Rail to ensure they are progressing their plans to improve services for passengers.

This Government takes road safety very seriously and reducing those killed and injured on our roads is a key priority.  The Highway Code was updated in 2022 to improve road safety for cyclists and pedestrians. The Hierarchy of Road Users was introduced, which places those road users most at risk in the event of a collision at the top of the hierarchy.

Since 2020-21, Gloucestershire County Council has been awarded over £23 million through the Active Travel Fund. This funding can be used by the authority for new segregated cycling facilities, improved junctions and upgrades to existing routes to improve safety. Over £1 million has been awarded to upgrade the National Cycle Network in Gloucestershire.

Earlier this year, Gloucestershire was allocated £462,000 to build capability and enable more people to walk and cycle safely under the Capability Fund. Additionally, 4,977 cycle training places were funded in 2023-24 as part of £224,000 of Bikeability funding.

The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. It publishes data annually on the condition of local roads which is available on gov.uk.

At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, an increase of nearly 50% compared to the current financial year - exceeding this Government’s manifesto commitment on repairing local roads. The Government will confirm 2025/26 funding allocations to English local highway authorities, including Gloucestershire County Council, in due course.

The local Jobcentre team in Gloucestershire are committed to ensuring that all customers, including those claiming Universal Credit, have ample support in accessing employment opportunities and training. They take a multifaceted approach that draws on locally gathered information and data to deliver a bespoke service to meet the needs of customers and employers.

Through employer networking events and visits to local businesses the team communicate how they can support employers with their recruitment needs, including advice on streamlining hiring practices and application processes to take account of diverse capabilities and health challenges, as well as offering space in the Jobcentre for job interviews, support with redundancy and retention, and disability awareness.

Monthly recruitment events are held in Gloucester, in collaboration with trusted partners, showcasing a range of vacancies and pre-employment opportunities with local and national employers, with an event at GL1 Leisure Centre on 13 February. The team also hold monthly drop-in sessions on employment support in venues across the community, including Noah’s Ark in Tewkesbury and Bespoke Mentoring in Lydney. Furthermore, the 100 Futures program provides 6-week work placements for young individuals, offering valuable workplace insights and development across several employment sectors. We are working with NHS Integrated Care Boards to collaborate on the Volunteer to Career Scheme, with the first cohort starting this month.

In terms of training and provision, Gloucester Jobcentre actively collaborate with partners to offer support, including Sector Based Work Academy Programmes and Movement to Work, meeting regularly with Employment and Training leads at Gloucester County Council, to share information and discuss priorities and plans. The National Careers Service deliver career advice and training support in every Jobcentre. The Restart program offers intensive employment support and in addition to Work Coach support, customers aged 50 and over can benefit from a 12-week employability support program, run in collaboration with Forest Green Rovers and the Employment and Skills Hub. We also deliver outreach services in locations across Gloucestershire, including Cinderford, Coleford and Stroud.

These initiatives ensure that customers in Gloucester receive the necessary support to access employment opportunities and training, fostering a pathway to sustainable employment, and you would be welcome to visit Gloucester Jobcentre to see this work at first hand.

No assessment has been made on the potential impact of the extension of the Household Support Fund in 2025-26 on low-income households in Gloucester.

We are currently conducting an evaluation of the Household Support Scheme that ran from April 2023 to March 2024, to understand the benefits of the awards made across England during this period. This will be published in due course.

Management information on the Household Support Fund from April 2023 to March 2024, including details of how funding was spent in Gloucestershire, of which Gloucester is a part, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/household-support-fund-4-management-information-for-1-april-2023-to-31-march-2024.

The Government has committed to uprating the basic and new State Pensions by the Triple Lock for the length of this parliament.

Based on OBR Autumn 2024 forecasts, over the course of this parliament, the full yearly rate of the new State Pension will go up by around £1,900. At the same time, the full yearly rate of basic State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,500.

Table A.3 of the Economic Fiscal outlook sets out the OBR’s economic and fiscal forecasts in each year, including the Triple Lock uprating forecast which is the rate at which basic and new State Pension is increased by for the following financial year. For example, the 2024-25 rate will determine the rate of increase for basic and new State Pension for the year 2025-26.

* Note: After the forecast was finalised, inflation and earnings outturn data and revisions were released which have changed state pension triple lock rate for 2024-25 (to be used in uprating for 2025-26) to 4.1 per cent.

Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in Spring 2025.

Our publication on 23 October ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’ sets out how we will develop the Strategy, harnessing all available levers to deliver a reduction in child poverty this Parliament.

The Strategy will look at policies across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience, and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments.

The Taskforce will hear directly from experts on each of the Strategy’s themes including children and families living in poverty and work with leading organisations, charities, and campaigners.

The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to triple our investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million, extend the Household Support Fund for an additional year until 31 March 2026, introduce a Fair Repayment Rate for deductions from Universal Credit, and increase the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour from April 2025 to boost the pay of 3 million workers.

We are committed to improving urgent and emergency care performance and getting ambulance response times, including in Gloucester, back to the NHS Constitution’s standards. We are clear, however, that there are no quick fixes and to turn things around will take investment and reform.

Recent action includes the Autumn Budget, which announced £25.6 billion of additional healthcare funding over the next two years; and the publication of the ‘Road to recovery: the government's 2025 mandate to NHS England’ on the 30^th January, which set prioritised delivery instructions for the NHS including for urgent and emergency care. This is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/road-to-recovery-the-governments-2025-mandate-to-nhs-england/road-to-recovery-the-governments-2025-mandate-to-nhs-england

In Spring, we will publish a 10-Year Health Plan which will set out the reforms needed to build a health service that is fit for the future.

The Government is committed to ensuring fewer lives are lost to the biggest killers, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). That is why, building on the 2019 NHS Long Term Plan commitment to prevent 150,000 heart attacks, strokes and dementia cases by 2029, this Government has set a CVD-specific mission ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and strokes by 25% within a decade.

The Department and NHS England are working together at pace to understand the scale of the CVD challenge and the greatest opportunities for progress.

This includes through building on action already taken as part of the NHS Long Term Plan to improve the timely identification and treatment of CVD risk factors, such as high blood pressure, raised cholesterol and atrial fibrillation, and drawing on what we have we have heard from the public, patients and staff through the 10-Year Health Plan engagement exercise.

The 10-Year Health Plan, once published, will set out the Government's overarching vision for delivering on its health mission, including how we deliver the critical shift from a focus on treating illness to preventing conditions such as CVD.

To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025-26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.

The additional funding available to Gloucestershire in 2025-26 means that they will see an increase to their Core Spending Power of up to 6.6% in cash terms.

Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, they are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to Integrated Care Boards across England. For Gloucester constituency, this is NHS Gloucestershire ICB.

The majority of services for people with neurological conditions, including functional neurological disorder (FND), are commissioned locally. Integrated care board commissioners are best placed to configure services for their populations, and will be supported by clinical guidance.

At a national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with neurological conditions, including FND, such as the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the Neurology Transformation Programme.

In 2023, the National Neurosciences Advisory Group developed a clinical pathway for FND, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nnag.org.uk/optimal-clinical-pathway-adults-fnd-functional-neurological-disorder

NHS England is in the process of updating the Specialised Neurology service specification. This will include FND, which is not included in the current published version. Service specifications are important in clearly defining the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also has guidance in place to support clinicians in the diagnosis of suspected neurological conditions, including FND. The NICE guidance, Suspected neurological conditions: recognition and referral, updated in October 2023, includes guidance on FND, and outlines symptoms that are often common in FND, such as recurrent dizziness, limb or facial weakness, numbness and tingling, and difficulties with memory and concentration. The guidance also outlines that the severity of the symptoms of FND often fluctuate and increase during times of stress.

The NICE is also currently developing a guideline on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders and acquired brain injury, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10181

FND will be included in the final guideline, which the NICE expects to publish in September 2025.

In the last year of the previous government shoplifting soared to a twenty-year high, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. We will not stand for this.

Everybody has a right to feel safe on the job and the Government is committed to tackling retail crime.

We will end the effective immunity, introduced by the previous Government, granted to shop theft of goods of and under £200. This will remove any perception that offenders will escape punishment.

We will also introduce a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.

As set out in the Autumn budget 2024, we will also provide law enforcement with over £7 million over the next three financial years to help support police in tackling retail crime.

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, committed to a zero-tolerance approach to ASB. This will include a dedicated lead officer in every force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan. We will also put 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.

This Government will strengthen the powers available to the police to tackle ASB. We recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and take action quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

This Government has set out an unprecedented ambition to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) within a decade. Achieving this mission will require a transformation in the way we work together on this issue across Government, public services, charities and the private sector.

We have already taken significant steps to improve the policing and criminal justice response to these heinous crimes, including the introduction of domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms and the belated roll-out of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders. The Home Office is also working with the NPCC and the College of Policing on the use of data-led tools to pursue the most prolific perpetrators.

To drive progress on the mission, we have established a violence against women and girls ministerial group, which will drive activity across Government departments, ranging from prevention work in schools to sustained support for victims and survivors.

This Government is absolutely committed to tackling all forms of hate crime across England and Wales, and I will continue to work with ministerial colleagues across relevant Government departments on how to strengthen the effectiveness of hate crime legislation.

The Government is committed to rolling out a new Youth Futures programme, including a network of Young Futures Hubs which will bring together services to help improve the way young people can access the support they need.

Officials from across a range of departments are already working together, using evidence of what works to start to shape how the prevention partnerships and hubs will work in practice. As part of this we are engaging with local communities, the police, charities, and other key partners to support the design of the programme and explore options for it’s delivery, ensuring we are making use of the vast knowledge and experience that already exists. This includes considerations of the most suitable locations as well as how best to engage with those young people who would benefit most from their support.

We will provide further detail on the future timelines for delivery as the work develops.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces (Luke Pollard) on 29 October 2024 to Question 10078 to the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Chris Evans).

The Government is committed to rejuvenating high streets, supporting businesses and communities that drive town centre success. High Street Rental Auctions, effective December 2024, give local authorities in England powers to auction rental rights for vacant commercial properties, addressing long-term vacancies.

To further revitalise high streets, the Government is tackling anti-social behaviour, late payments, and crime, empowering communities to utilise vacant properties. Initiatives include, expanding banking hubs, strengthening the Post Office network, and reforming business rates. A Small Business Strategy Paper will be introduced this year to support small businesses.

Gloucester City Council received £1.468 million from UKSPF over three years to enhance community spaces, and support local businesses, including on the high street. Gloucester was awarded £11 million to transform the Greyfriars Quarter around Eastgate Shopping Centre. These aim to create vibrant, sustainable high streets for residents and visitors. Gloucestershire has received an additional £2.308 million from UKSPF which could also be invested in high streets.

My thoughts remain with householders and business owners impacted by flooding after the recent heavy rainfall, flooding is a devastating experience for all those affected.

Government support in the aftermath of flooding is only provided in exceptional circumstances. At present, overall, the scale of impacts is not sufficiently significant for the Flood Recovery Framework to be activated in any area. However, officials continue to review impacts data and stand ready to support as appropriate.

The Disabled Facilities Grant allocation to Gloucester and Gloucestershire for the last five years has been as follows:

This information is also available through the website of Foundations, the National Body for Disabled Facilities Grants and Home Improvement Agencies here: Disabled Facilities Grant Annual Allocations.

It is for local authorities to decide how to spend their allocation and deliver adaptations to eligible disabled and older people. Government does not hold data on how many people have received Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding.

Government recognises how important home adaptations are in enabling older and disabled people to live as independently as possible in a safe and suitable environment. This is why on 3 January 2025 government announced an immediate £86 million in-year uplift to the DFG, taking the funding total to £711 million for 2024-25. This will allow 7,800 more eligible people to make vital improvements to their home allowing them to live more independent lives and reducing hospitalisations.

Furthermore, government announced an £86 million additional investment in the DFG for the 2025-26 financial year at the Autumn Budget (bringing total funding for 2025-26 to £711 million).

I refer my Hon Friend to my answer to Question UIN 11383 on 31 October 2024. 

This Government recognises the importance that Gloucester plays as part of the UK’s economy, alongside the significant contribution that the South West makes on the national and international stage. HMT is committed to supporting the national agenda for growth, working with regional stakeholders to deliver investment and programmes which will drive forwards solutions that positively impact businesses and residents across the South West.

Through the recent Budget announcement, HMT reaffirmed its commitment to Levelling Up Round 3, with £11,000,000 dedicated to the Greyfriars regeneration project in the City Centre. In addition to this, in October 2024 Gloucester City Council was awarded £688,484 under the Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 (BLRF2) to use the money to turn surplus land into new homes. Gloucester City Council has also benefited from £1,486,352 Shared Prosperity Fund, with local autonomy to direct funding to projects which best support economic growth in the area. Allocations to areas for the period 25/26 are expected to be released in December 2024.

The Government is currently undertaking a consultation with stakeholders to help shape the national Industrial Strategy and in parallel with this, officers from Cities and Local Growth Unit will be engaging with partners and businesses across the South West to understand how HMG investment can be best shaped to support economic growth in the region. The upcoming Spending Review in 2025 will further develop potential future funding streams for Gloucester and the wider South West.

The Ministry of Justice has significantly increased funding for victim and witness support over recent years. As part of this, the Department provides Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) with annual grant funding to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types.

For the financial year 24/25, we are providing £41 million of ringfenced funding for Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) roles, and £21 million of ringfenced funding for community-based domestic abuse and sexual violence services. This is in addition to the core funding the Ministry of Justice provides to PCCs to allocate at their discretion, based on their assessment of local need. Gloucestershire PCC received £1,343,073 in financial year 24/25 to support victims.

Additionally, the MOJ-commissioned 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales, provides victims and survivors access to vital help and information whenever they need it. Free and confidential emotional and listening support is available to all victims and survivors of rape and sexual abuse aged 16 and over. Where appropriate, the service will signpost victims to longer-term support services, including therapeutic support.

Since May 2024, the Ministry of Justice has also been running a pilot providing free sentencing remarks to victims of rape and serious sexual offences. We will be evaluating the pilot to understand cost, uptake and impact on victims when it ends in May 2025.