Local Government Reorganisation

Debate between Angela Rayner and Gagan Mohindra

Monday 7th September 2026 Commons Chamber

[Angela Rayner]

Again, I say to my hon. Friend that I recognise the work that has gone in. That work is not wasted. The pause will be about working with local areas at pace to get this right, but it does not mean that we cannot take advantage of unlocking growth in every postcode. The Ministers here will be happy to work with my hon. Friend and other hon. Members from his area to ensure that we get the right devolution, and a package that works for them.

[Mr Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire) (Con)]

I am going to try a different tack, rather than commenting on the hokey-cokey of this process. The more serious point is that local government reorganisation was always a significant risk to the voluntary and community sector. Many funders are reluctant to fund organisations with annual incomes exceeding £1 million, leaving those organisations reliant on commissioned contracts from local government, NHS bodies and other public sector departments. The proposed transition to unitary authorities was already disrupting funding streams; today’s announcement creates further disruption. Can the Secretary of State reassure those important community organisations that they will have the funding, and give them certainty about the direction of travel, so that they have the confidence to start and continue providing services for my community?

[Angela Rayner]

Again, I want to reassure the hon. Member that this is about getting the process right. I want him and those local organisations to get in contact with my officials, so that we can be sure that we are doing everything possible to support the process. I have said that unitary local government can help with the smooth functioning of strategic authorities. I also recognise that the Government are committed to providing transition funding, so please go ahead and get in touch with my Department.

Building Homes and Renewing Communities

Debate between Angela Rayner and Gagan Mohindra

Thursday 3rd September 2026 Commons Chamber

[Angela Rayner]

My hon. Friend is right to highlight the role of local government. I came from a local government background, and then represented local government workers across the board for many years as a Unison rep, so I am slightly biased about what local government does. We should think about what has happened to local government—the pressures that are on our local councils at the moment, and have been on them since 2010, and how they have had to evolve with those pressures and challenges. I absolutely commend local councils and their representatives for the work they are doing. That is why this Government have given more funding to councils and have freed up some of the itty-bitty pots, to try to make it easier for councils to do the work they want to do.

Turning to auctions, we have also been making sure that we can support councils in implementing the plan that we want to put in place for our high streets, so that more powers are in place and we can safeguard community assets. The high-street rental auction powers will also bring closed-down pubs and properties back into use.

[Mr Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire) (Con)]

I welcome the Secretary of State back to the Front Bench; the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee looks forward to scrutinising her in due course. As she will be aware, South West Hertfordshire has beautiful green-belt land, and she will have seen press reports about unauthorised clearance of sites over the last bank holiday weekend. While some of these clearances may be legal and lawful, my constituents consistently have concerns about the lack of information, and worry that when bulldozers and tree-clearing equipment turns up on a Saturday morning, council officers are not available until the following Tuesday, after the bank holiday weekend. What more can the Secretary of State and her Department do to make sure that my residents do not have that fear?

[Angela Rayner]

I thank the hon. Member for raising this issue, which Ministers and myself were discussing only yesterday. I will make sure that he gets an update on that. It is deeply concerning that over the bank holiday weekend, some try to do things that they know are not okay and are completely unacceptable. We are cracking down on illegal Traveller sites, and it is important that we do. Our new planning rules explicitly tackle any potential environmental damage and transport impacts, making it harder for people to get retrospective permission. However, I will contact the hon. Member about that specific case, because I know it has caused great concern to people in his area.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Angela Rayner and Gagan Mohindra

Monday 3rd March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire) (Con)]

On 8 February, the Court—a grade II listed landmark in Chorleywood in my constituency—burned down in mysterious circumstances. I met the three local councillors—Councillors Cooper, Hearn and Reed—on Friday to discuss the matter. I am not asking the Secretary of State to comment on this specific case, but will she confirm that where listed buildings are destroyed without permission, there should be a presumption that they are rebuilt brick by brick to how they were before the destruction?

[Angela Rayner]

I am sorry to hear about that particular case, and I am happy to meet the hon. Member to get the details; absolutely, listed buildings are an important part of our landscape.