King’s Speech

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering Excerpts

Thursday 18th July 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Con)]

It is a pleasure to contribute to the humble Address, and I take the opportunity to congratulate the incoming Government and to welcome the Ministers to their new positions. I also add my congratulations to my noble friend on his maiden speech.

I declare my interests as honorary president of National Energy Action, honorary vice-president of Association of Drainage Authorities, and honorary associate of the British Veterinary Association. I co-authored a number of reports on bricks and water with the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum, and on rural housing from the Rural Economy Research Group. I would like to share these with the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, for her greater enjoyment and education in her new role.

In exploring the impact of housebuilding and energy proposals for more onshore wind farms, I urge a degree of caution. I pay tribute to the late Professor Mike O’Carroll, who set up REVOLT—Rural England Versus Overhead Line Transmission—opposing the erection of pylons in the north of England.

As a newly elected MP for the Vale of York in 1997 —I was elected on the same day as the newly installed noble Baroness, Lady Smith of Malvern—I was faced with Labour’s plan to build a second line of pylons down the spine of the constituency, transporting electricity all the way from Middlesbrough, across North Yorkshire to the south, through the national grid to serve the south of England. This attracted public outrage.

At the very least, these power lines should be placed underground. Alternatively, electricity generated from renewables should serve those closest to the source of the power generated. That includes energy from waste, on which this Government have so far remained silent. Will the Government commit to new energy from waste plants, again to serve the local community with a sustainable source of energy, but also disposing of household waste that might otherwise go to landfill? We should aim to use energy where it is created to the benefit of the local community.

In addition, between 3% and 7% of energy is lost in overhead line transmission. It is vulnerable to extreme weather. During Storm Arwen, for example, power was lost in the north-east of England and North Yorkshire for up to nine days. Will the Government be minded to revise the National Planning Policy Framework and planning practice guidance to ensure joined-up planning applications so that planning for offshore and onshore wind farms include the siting of substations as part of the original planning application?

Labour has rightly prioritised cleaning up the rivers and waterways of sewage, but the problem of sewage in rivers and sea starts with the mass building of four and five-bedroom houses in inappropriate places, pushing four or five times the amount of sewage into inadequate water pipes. Will the Government make an early pledge to end the automatic right to connect, promised since Sir Michael Pitt’s review after the 2007 floods? Will the Government commit today to implementing Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010? Equally, will they introduce mandatory sustainable drainage systems for all new housing developments? That is a single measure that would help to prevent sewage overflow into the combined sewers and, from there, into our rives and seas.

Defra must make water companies statutory consultees in the planning application process, particularly where it is impossible to connect safely to existing pipes, which are often antiquated and from the Victorian era. Planning applications must take into account that they cannot simply fit and must ensure that the developers pay for the connections.

What is the position of the Government on building on functional flood plains? Labour, in opposition, supported the amendment in my name and that of the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman of Ullock, to the then Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill to prevent building on functional flood plains. Will the Government now honour that commitment? In particular, will they provide resources to local authorities to undertake the essential mapping exercise to establish which zones fall under zone 3b so as to exclude them from major developments, which is so essential to prevent future flooding?

There are specific needs for housing in rural areas, as specified by the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Albans. In particular, there is a crying need for one or two-bedroom homes that are affordable. We have identified initiatives such as rural exception and making a planning passport for all exception sites, which would help to remedy this.

The Government have pledged to grow the economy through reforming the planning system, but they must never lose sight of the fact that an Englishman’s home is his castle, nor that it is local planning authorities that are best placed to take planning decisions. The British public will not take kindly to housing developments built on areas prone to flooding, nor to having unsightly overhead power lines and pylons built alongside their houses. If the energy generated was used close to the source of supply, the need for overhead line transmission would be removed.

Now, we have to eat. I applaud all our farmers do to put food on our table. I pay tribute to the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services, of which I am a patron, RABI and FCN. These charities support farmers in the difficult times we face currently. I make a plea to the new Government to give farmers certainty to ensure that food security and self-sufficiency in production at home ensure a safe and affordable supply of food. Large rafts of land should not be lost to rewilding, solar energy production and tree planting. The role of farming in bringing environmental benefits, such as the sequestration and storage of carbon, should be recognised, celebrated and encouraged. Giving those farms currently in higher-level stewardship agreements the right to exit the old schemes early, to move to a Countryside Stewardship agreement in the next few months, would greatly assist them in this period of transition, with the rapid reduction in basic farm payments.

I urge the new Government to support our farmers in exporting their goods by creating export opportunities in Europe and further afield. I applaud the introduction by the last Government of agricultural attachés, who worked effectively to promote our food and farming exports. I would welcome the negotiation by the Government of a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement with our European neighbours, which I believe is more appropriate than the negotiation of a veterinary agreement. The incoming Government must strive to ensure that any food imported into the UK meets the same high standard of animal health, animal welfare and environment as food produced here.

Farm tenancy agreements are in urgent need of reform, and I urge the Government to tackle this as a priority. Fifty per cent of farms in the North Yorkshire and County Durham are tenanted, and these tenant farmers deserve certainty and access to funds through LMS.

Finally, will the Government take the opportunity of the debate today to ensure a vibrant future for our rural communities across Britain, with a strong and sustainable farming sector and housing which is fit and affordable for those starting out on their career, as well as for those nearer their retirement?