Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of removing the role of elected councillors from certain planning processes under the new National Planning Policy Framework on trust in local democratic services.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the government’s planning policies for England and how these should be applied. It makes no reference whatsoever to the role of elected councillors.
In the King’s Speech, we set out our intention to use the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill to improve local planning decision making by modernising planning committees.
The government believes that planning committees have an integral role in providing local democratic oversight of planning decisions. However, in exercising that democratic oversight, it is vital that planning committees operate as
effectively as possible, focusing on those applications which require member input and not revisiting the same decisions.
Our recently published planning reform working paper on planning committees, which can be found on gov.uk here, invites views on models for a national scheme of delegation, the creation of smaller targeted planning committees specifically for strategic development, and the introduction of a mandatory requirement for training for planning committee members.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government will take with respect to councils who do not meet the targets set out in the National Policy Planning Framework, announced on 12 December 2024.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government expects local planning authorities to explore and exhaust all options to deliver the homes their communities need.
An authority’s ability to meet their housing need through plan-making will be tested at a public examination, which will assess whether there are any justified reasons for not being able to meet a target in full.
There are two tests of whether authorities are meeting housing need: the Housing Delivery Test, which measures authorities’ delivery record over the previous three years, and the ‘five-year housing land supply’ policy, which tests whether authorities have allocated sufficient land to provide a housing pipeline.
Where authorities fail against these tests, ‘the presumption’ in favour of sustainable development kicks in. The government are clear that ‘the presumption’ cannot be a gateway to poor quality housing, and through the revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December we have added new safeguards to ensure this is the case.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure the reforms set out in the National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, safeguard the beauty and character of (a) Fylde constituency and (b) other rural areas.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December retains strong safeguards in relation to the beauty and character of all parts of the countryside.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his oral Answer to the Question from the hon. Member for Fylde of 8 October 2024, Official Report, column 140, whether his Department has made an assessment of the viability of (a) Stanah in Blackpool North and Fleetwood constituency and (b) other alternative routes for connecting the Morgan and Morecambe windfarm to the national grid.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Electricity System Operator (then ESO, now NESO) assessed connection to the Stanah substation for Irish Sea windfarms alongside other substations in the Northwest and North Wales as part of the Holistic Network Design.[1]
ESO identified that Stanah substation would require extension to accommodate the Morgan and Morecambe offshore windfarms. Due to limited space, a new substation would be needed, with associated time and cost. Access was challenging due to residential and recreational surroundings, and there were environmental constraints around Morecambe Bay.
In contrast, Penwortham had a more accessible footprint, fewer constraints, and better electrical connectivity to the wider network.
[1] https://www.neso.energy/publications/beyond-2030/holistic-network-design-offshore-wind
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 15346 on Driving under Influence: Drugs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending section 5A of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to include an option for an evidential roadside saliva sample.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since the general election, the Department has begun work on a new Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade. The Department will share more details in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the UK Shared Prosperity Funding allocation will be for Lancashire County Council for the 2024/25 tax year.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is allocated to lead local authorities (LLAs). Details of full funding allocations for LLAs for 2022-25, including allocations for Fylde Borough Council and Wyre Borough Council, can be found here.
Lancashire County Council did not directly receive a UKSPF allocation for 2022-25. However, Lancashire has benefitted from UKSPF allocations made at a district level in the area.
An annual breakdown of 2022-25 allocations for LLAs, including 2024-25, can be found in the allocation model spreadsheet here.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the UK Shared Prosperity Funding allocation will be for Wyre Borough Council for the 2024/25 tax year.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is allocated to lead local authorities (LLAs). Details of full funding allocations for LLAs for 2022-25, including allocations for Fylde Borough Council and Wyre Borough Council, can be found here.
Lancashire County Council did not directly receive a UKSPF allocation for 2022-25. However, Lancashire has benefitted from UKSPF allocations made at a district level in the area.
An annual breakdown of 2022-25 allocations for LLAs, including 2024-25, can be found in the allocation model spreadsheet here.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the UK Shared Prosperity Funding allocation will be for Fylde Borough Council for the 2024/25 tax year.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is allocated to lead local authorities (LLAs). Details of full funding allocations for LLAs for 2022-25, including allocations for Fylde Borough Council and Wyre Borough Council, can be found here.
Lancashire County Council did not directly receive a UKSPF allocation for 2022-25. However, Lancashire has benefitted from UKSPF allocations made at a district level in the area.
An annual breakdown of 2022-25 allocations for LLAs, including 2024-25, can be found in the allocation model spreadsheet here.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16313 on Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal, what support is available to borough councils to meet their obligation to provide food waste disposal.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In February of this year, we provided £258m of capital funding to waste collection authorities to help with the purchasing of bins and vehicles. It is our intention to provide transitional resource funding for the 2024/25 early in the new year and funding for 2025/26 early in the financial year. Subject to agreement, we plan to fund LAs for reasonable costs of procurement, project management, communications and container delivery. Funding for ongoing resource funding from 1 April 2026 is subject to agreement through a spending review.
We are aware that some local authorities may find the introduction of the reforms more challenging than others. We want to work with local authorities to support them in overcoming any difficulties they might face in relation to compliance within the legislative timeframes.
We are also working with sector specialists WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) to provide guidance on best practice and scope additional areas of support.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16313 on Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal, what steps he is taking to raise public awareness of the role of householders in forthcoming food waste disposal requirements.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
It is our intention to provide transitional resource funding for the 2024/25 financial year as soon as possible. Subject to agreement, Defra plans to fund communications to support participation by householders in new food waste collections.