Local Government: Electoral Quotas

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Baroness Scott of Bybrook

Tuesday 11th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I have heard this view from the Liberal Democrats for many years in local government. The first past the post system means that the electorate decide who is in charge of our local councils. That is up to them. It is a straightforward system which is widely appreciated by the people who engage with it. That is not to say that we cannot do more to encourage involvement in local elections. We will continue to do so.

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

My Lords, if His Majesty’s Government do not have any plans to restructure London councils or any other metropolitan areas such as Manchester or Birmingham, can the Minister explain why the Government believe that those living in more rural parts of our country deserve less representation than those living in our cities?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

We believe that everybody should have proper representation. While we are undergoing the devolution programme in the rest of England, we will not be looking at those metropolitan areas, but that is not to say that it will never happen.

Council Tax

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Baroness Scott of Bybrook

Monday 3rd February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

My noble friend makes a good point about the link between universal credit and council tax, but there is significant support. All local authorities are required to run local council tax support schemes, which provide council tax reductions for those on low incomes. Some 3.7 million households currently receive this support. There is also a range of discounts and exemptions that reflect personal circumstances. I urge anyone struggling to pay their council tax to contact their local council, because they might be missing out on some of the benefits that are available.

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

My Lords, last year, Labour-run Birmingham City Council imposed a 21% council tax hike on residents over a two-year period after it mismanaged its finances. This year, Labour-run Bradford Council is proposing a 15% hike. Can the Minister explain why it is Labour-run councils that are imposing some of the worst council tax increases on local people this year?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

It is not only Labour-run councils that apply for exceptional financial support. My honourable friend the Minister will be making a Statement later today about which councils have been successful in gaining that exceptional financial support. There are any number of reasons why councils need to apply for that. It is not necessarily poor financial management: it can be the circumstances they find themselves in, particularly those areas that have low funding because the fair funding was not looked after.

Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Baroness Scott of Bybrook

2nd reading
Wednesday 29th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

My Lords, with the leave of the House, I rise to close the debate. I thank all noble Lords who have taken part in the debate. The great strength of your Lordships’ House is the hugely knowledgeable and informed debates we have, and this has been a great example, with experience from across sectors such as business, education and many other areas—even veterinary practices—so I am very grateful to noble Lords for their contributions. They have demonstrated their enthusiasm and interest for our high streets, the important role they play in our local communities and the small businesses that are their lifeblood, and for ensuring that all children are able to receive a high-quality education. There is certainly consensus on that, if perhaps not on the means of achieving it, but there is a consensus that every child deserves to have all the opportunities that should be available to them.

I will make a few general comments on remarks made by noble Lords, and then I will attempt to answer most of the questions, but I expect I will run out of time long before I get there. I assure noble Lords that anything I do not get to, I will reply to in writing.

Both the noble Baronesses, Lady Scott and Lady Barran, referred to the overall policy, in relation to some of the really tough decisions we have had to take. I understand that these are tough decisions and why people think they are. However, yet again in this House we have had a bit of a swerve around the reason why those decisions were necessary; it is the inheritance we picked up when we came into government. We have to balance the books and get the fiscal picture straight so that we can deliver the reform to public services that we want to see, and tackle some of the cost of living issues that everybody faces.

I have another general comment on a point raised by a number of noble Lords. The Bill is not intended to achieve the comprehensive reform of business rates that we have set out as our intention. We are working on it and there is a consultation paper out at the moment, and I hope all noble Lords who have contributed this afternoon—and anyone else who has an interest in the business rates system—will make a contribution to the ongoing work on business rates. Having been a councillor for many years and listened to many complaints from both the public and private sectors about how business rates operate, I am in no doubt that we need comprehensive reform.

I hope that has picked up some of the general points and I will turn now to the specific points that noble Lords made.

There were, rightly, a number of questions regarding the impact of the proposed new multipliers. The noble Baronesses, Lady Scott, Lady Pinnock and Lady Barran, and the noble Lords, Lord Fox and Lord de Clifford, all mentioned this issue. As I explained in my opening speech, the actual tax rates to the new multipliers will be set at the 2025 Budget, taking into account the effects of the 2026 business rates revaluation, which we have to do, as well as the broader economic and fiscal context at that time. It is for my right honourable friend the Chancellor to make those decisions at the right time. Tax policy and legislation are not subject to the same requirement for an impact assessment that accompany other non-fiscal policy decisions. Nevertheless, the Treasury is committed to publishing an analysis of the effects of the new multipliers at Budget 2025, taking into account the broader factors that I just mentioned. I hope I set out clearly in my opening speech why we need to take these steps.

On the VOA and its property rateable values, which were mentioned by the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, the noble Lord, Lord Fox, and the noble Earl, Lord Lytton, on 5 February the VOA will publish an ad hoc release relating to properties with a rateable value of over £500,000. That will provide a breakdown by category of property type by local authority for all those properties with a rateable value above and below £500,000, so we will be able to see clearly which properties are impacted by which parts of this reform.

On the issues around the multipliers policy approach, I have heard the message that noble Lords may think this is a blunt tool for dealing with this matter—the noble Baronesses, Lady Scott and Lady Pinnock, the noble Earl, Lord Lytton, and the noble Lord, Lord Jamieson, mentioned this. The permanent tax cut for retail, hospitality and leisure properties, including those on the high street, from 2026-27, will ensure that much-needed certainty and support. That tax cut has to be funded, so we intend to introduce that higher rate on the most valuable properties. The Government’s view is that it is the fairest approach to ask all properties with a rateable value of £500,000 and above to pay a higher tax rate to support the viability of our high streets. It is the fairest way and, as I said in my opening speech, the higher rate will apply to less than 1% of all properties, and we will know which those properties are once the VOA has published its assessment.

The noble Baronesses, Lady Scott and Lady Pinnock, raised the approach being detrimental to anchor stores. I understand the concern around this. Unfortunately, we lost our Marks & Spencer store in Stevenage town centre; luckily, we managed to attract it back, and it is operating there very successfully, and it is much appreciated by our residents.

The Government intend to introduce two permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties, which will give certainty. I understand concerns that the higher multiplier may catch some of the largest and most valuable retail businesses. However, we think that the fairest approach is to ask all properties above £500,000 to pay that. This is a property tax, so whether large stores are based on the high street or in retail parks, it will still have the same impact. I remind noble Lords that the upper rate will impact on only 1% of businesses.

Retail, hospitality and leisure relief was extended year by year by previous Governments, but it has been a stopgap measure. The noble Baroness, Lady Scott, and the noble Lords, Lord Fox and Lord Jamieson, raised the issue of our process being a temporary measure. This is a permanent measure which will give certainty to those businesses. Before the intervention we are taking now, retail, hospitality and leisure relief would have ended entirely in April 2025, creating a cliff edge for those businesses. We have decided to offer that 40% discount to retail, hospitality and leisure properties up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business in 2025-26. By extending that retail, hospitality and leisure relief instead of ending it entirely, the Government have, for example, saved the average pub with a rateable value of £16,800 more than £3,300. We are doing our best to support the sector, in spite of the difficult fiscal picture that we see.

On wider business rates reform, raised by the noble Lord, Lord Fox, the noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, and many other noble Lords, the discussion paper has been published. It builds on our plans announced at the Autumn Budget to support high streets by further highlighting areas for reform, incentivising investment and modernising the system so that it is fit for the 21st century. A number of noble Lords mentioned business rates avoidance. We will shortly publish a consultation on adopting a general anti-avoidance rule for business rates in England.

The noble Lord, Lord Fox, raised the issue of the small business rates relief which is in place to support all of our small businesses. I want to highlight that that provides 100% relief to small businesses which occupy only one property with a rateable value of £12,000. A taper of relief down from 100% is available to such ratepayers with rateable values up to £15,000. That scheme ensures that over a third of all properties, or about 700,000 ratepayers, are not paying any business rates at all. The Government have no plan to remove small business rates relief, which is permanent and set down in legislation.

The noble Earl, Lord Lytton, raised the issue of business rates being too high overall and I understand those concerns. We all know only too well that economic and fiscal stability is critical to business confidence. At the Budget, the small business multiplier for properties with a rateable value under £51,000 was frozen at 49.9p, meaning that, together with the small business rates relief, over 1 million properties will be protected from a 1.6% inflationary increase.

The Budget honours the manifesto commitment not to raise corporation tax. The UK has the lowest corporation tax in the G7, the joint most generous plant and machinery capital allowances in the OECD, and the joint highest uncapped headline rate of R&D tax relief in the G7 for large companies. I will come on to the noble Earl’s other points later, but I thank him, as usual, for his expertise, which we experienced during the levelling-up Bill and have once again had the benefit of this afternoon.

Supporting the high street and the broader government approach was mentioned by a number of noble Lords, including the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, and the noble Lord, Lord Fox. We are committed to rejuvenating our high streets and town centres. The measures in this Bill to introduce permanently lower tax rates for RHL properties will help, but they are only part of our work. In December, we introduced the high street rental auctions, a new power which allows local authorities to auction off the lease of persistently vacant commercial units. The new regulations will make town centre tenancies more accessible and affordable for businesses and community groups, while helping to tackle the vacancy rates on our high streets.

In addition, through the English devolution Bill we will introduce a new strong right to buy for valued community assets, such as shops, pubs and community spaces. That community right to buy will give local people the power to purchase community assets that go up for sale, helping to keep assets in the hands of the community. I have seen the great benefit of this in the Station Pub, in Knebworth, which the community has taken over and made a great success of. Like the pub mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Waldegrave, it is a great place, and if noble Lords are ever in that area, they should visit. The Government continue to invest in a number of initiatives to boost town and city centres, including our high street accelerators. As part of our plan for change, we are working hard to support our high streets, and the measures in the Bill are part of that.

I thank all noble Lords for their comments on private schools, and in particular on special educational needs. The noble Baroness, Lady Scott, and other noble Lords mentioned pupils who do not have an ECHP. I used to be the education spokesperson at Hertfordshire, so I am very familiar with the sometimes lengthy delays in obtaining EHCPs. The approach adopted in the Bill has sought to ensure that the impact on pupils with the most acute special educational needs is minimised.

The Government are aware that some parents may make a choice for their child to attend private school, but this is a choice, like that made by any parent using the private sector. For most pupils with a special educational need, support is provided within a mainstream state school, and all children of compulsory school age are entitled to a state-funded school place if they need one. We support local authorities to ensure that every local area has sufficient school places for children who need them, and that appropriate SEND support is available, if needed. I recognise the issues around obtaining an EHCP. I am concerned by what the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, said about stigma around obtaining an EHCP, and I will discuss that with my noble friend the Education Minister.

The noble Lord, Lord de Clifford, spoke about what will happen to pupils with an ECHP when a school loses its charitable relief. Business rates are a tax on property; it is not possible to differentiate at the individual pupil level. Where a private school has only a few pupils with EHCPs, it will lose its eligibility for charitable rates relief. However, where a private school has been named on a pupil’s EHCP, the local authority funds the pupil’s place. Therefore, in the event that a private school loses eligibility and chooses to pass through some of that additional cost to fees, these pupils and their families will remain unaffected. In private schools, including private special schools, just 5.7% of pupils have an EHCP, predominantly in private special schools, and 97% of such pupils have their place at a private school funded by their local authority. I hope that helps clarify that point.

The Government are committed to reforming our SEND provision overall to improve outcomes and return the system to financial sustainability. We have provided a £1 billion uplift in high-needs funding for the next financial year. We know that that will not solve all the problems, but it will make a start. As part of our plan for change, we want to make sure that we are doing our very best to provide those opportunities that SEND children need, as with all children. This Bill is part of the process of driving that forward.

The noble Lord, Lord Jamieson, spoke about SEND and the state sector, and said that this approach will increase costs. We are absolutely committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream state schools, restoring parents’ trust so that their children will get the support they need to flourish. If an EHCP assessment concludes that a child can be supported only in a private school, the local authority will fund that place.

The noble Lord, Lord Lexden, whose great knowledge on this subject I respect, spoke about the Government not caring about pupils in private schools. The Government believe in parental choice, but we are determined to fulfil the aspiration of every parent to get the best education for their child. To eliminate barriers to opportunity, we need to concentrate on the broader picture and the state sector, where most of our children—93%—are educated.

Ending the tax breaks on business rates—and VAT—for private schools is a tough but necessary decision. We need to secure vital additional funding to help deliver those commitments to education and young people. As I said, there is a consensus on what we need to do, but perhaps not on the means of getting there.

The noble Lord, Lord Lexden, also mentioned the impact on faith schools. Again, the Government value parental choice but all children of compulsory school age are entitled to a state-funded school place if they need one, and schools are required to follow the Equality Act and requirements relating to British values. We expect them to foster and promote an environment that encourages respect and tolerance of children and families of all faiths. The Government have listened carefully to arguments on this matter and have decided that a carve-out for faith schools cannot be justified. However, children can attend faith schools and have their faith respected in the state sector.

The noble Lord, Lord Lexden, referred to private school closures. We expect those numbers to remain relatively low and they will be influenced by various factors, not just the removal of VAT and business rate tax breaks. Parents can seek places in other private schools or find a state school place through their local authority. There has been a traditional number of around 50 private schools closing each year, including independent special schools, but we must also note that private schools have continued to open, even after the Government announced that they would end tax breaks for private schools. The register of independent schools shows that 77 independent schools have opened between January and October 2024.

The noble Lord, Lord Lexden, felt that the timing of this was poor. Ending tax breaks on VAT and business rates for private schools is—I will say again—a tough but necessary decision, and we have had to take some measures to fill the gap in the budgets. Delaying implementation of the business rates policy would forgo around £140 million a year that is intended to fund the Government’s investment in state education and young people.

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

But if I remember rightly, the decision about the taxation of independent schools was made well before the Chancellor got into place and saw anything in the books.

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

Knowing the Chancellor as I do, I am sure she was extremely well prepared for taking on the commitment and had some idea of what was going on well before she came into office. I am sure that that was her being well prepared.

The noble Baroness, Lady Scott, and the noble Lords, Lord Waldegrave and Lord Maude, raised the impact on charitable activity if schools stopped or reduced their activity. They will continue to operate as charities and there will be no other tax changes specific to their charitable status.

I see I am running out of time, so I will close. I have a number of other points, including on several points of detail made by the noble Earl, Lord Lytton.

Future Homes Standard

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Baroness Scott of Bybrook

Wednesday 29th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

The noble Lord makes some very important points. I have a lot of sympathy with what he says about how we take this forward. I think I was very clear in what I said: the intention of our Government is to make sure that there will be no further retrofitting needed when new homes are built. They will be built to the standard we set as soon as that standard comes into being. The discussions I have had with the construction industry lead me to believe that it is waiting for that standard and will be ready for it as soon as we are able to set it. I hope that will be the case. I will take the other ideas the noble Lord put forward back to my department.

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

My Lords, it was my understanding that this Government had said that rented properties must achieve at least an EPC rating of C by 2030, but I thank the Minister for correcting me on this. However, many listed properties cannot achieve this without substantial investment, which many private landlords simply cannot afford. This will only push more landlords to sell up, further restricting an already strained rental market. What assessment have His Majesty’s Government made on the impact of these new requirements and the impact they will have on the number of rental properties available?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

Just to clarify, we are in consultation at the moment on the new EPC framework, which will require all properties to have an EPC registration of C. I will report to the House later on that issue. In relation to historic buildings, I have met the Historic Houses association and visited at least one historic property to try to discover for myself what the real issues are. There is further work to be done on that, but I am aware of all the issues related to the retrofitting of historic properties.

Local Government Reorganisation

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Baroness Scott of Bybrook

Thursday 16th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

My Lords, what local residents want from their local council are good quality services at a reasonable cost, however it is organised. When the Conservatives took control of Harlow Council in 2021, they cut council tax, and have kept it frozen ever since. Under this Government’s new local government funding formula, Harlow will lose approximately 30% of its grant funding next year. Why is the Government’s new formula punishing councils that are keeping taxes down and providing better value for money for taxpayers in their area?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (Baroness Taylor of Stevenage) (Lab)]

I find it astonishing to hear the party opposite challenging us on funding issues in local government, when it has punished the whole of local government for 14 years in this respect. I agree with the noble Baroness about what the public want from their local government services. They are not worried about the overheads of additional councils; they want to see good public services at local level and good value for money. That is what the devolution and local government reorganisation programme is all about.

The review of the funding formula will happen as we go into the spending review in the spring, and is there to make sure that funding is directed where the need is greatest. That will be what we set out to do. It is what we said we would do in our manifesto, and we will continue to do so. Let us not take any lessons in that from the party that has starved local government and brought it to its knees over 14 years.

Political Parties: Funding

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Baroness Scott of Bybrook

Wednesday 15th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I take it that that was a question about a cap on donations. That is not a current priority for the Government, but strengthening the rules around donations really is. Political parties play a vital role in our democracy, and it is important that they are able to fundraise effectively and communicate with the electorate as a very important part of our process. By law, it is the responsibility of political parties to take all reasonable steps to verify their donors and whether they are permissible. We will take necessary steps to ensure that those requirements are tightened and stuck to.

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

My Lords, during the Lords stages of the National Security Bill, the last Conservative Government and Conservative Ministers pledged to enhance data-sharing powers to allow public bodies to share data with political parties. That is what we need; it is not about the honest ones who come through but knowing who is coming through a tenuous route, so that political parties are assisted in their due diligence. Can the Minister tell me the status of those plans to provide more information to political parties?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

As I explained in my earlier Answer, we are reviewing all matters related to electoral donations. Those will be taken into account as we go through the process of developing any new legislation, including the issue raised by the noble Baroness.

Combined Authorities (Borrowing) and East Midlands Combined County Authority (Borrowing and Functions) (Amendment) Regulations 2025

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Baroness Scott of Bybrook

Monday 13th January 2025 Grand Committee

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

My Lords, this SI is a key step in advancing the devolution agenda, continuing the work set out in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 under the previous Conservative Government. As we have heard, it extends the borrowing power to the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, the North East Mayoral Combined Authority and the East Midlands Combined County Authority, empowering them to invest in critical areas, such as housing, regeneration, transport, education and health. This is part of a broader effort to decentralise power from Westminster and empower local authorities to shape their own futures, which His Majesty’s Official Opposition support.

In terms of economic development and regeneration, the regulations grant the EMCCA the general power of competence to support local businesses, tourism and other sectors. This is a notable shift, allowing the EMCCA and its constituent councils to carry out more comprehensive projects, including potentially accessing grants from central government, but we must ensure that, while these powers enable growth and development, there is robust accountability in place to ensure that resources are used effectively and in the best interests of those local communities.

A public consultation was conducted regarding the proposed changes, particularly focusing on the economic development and regeneration powers of the EMCCA. While the feedback was largely positive, with no significant objections, it is important to note that support for these new powers was not overwhelming. The absence of major concerns from stakeholders, including the House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee and the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments, suggests broad acceptance, although this should not be construed as unanimous approval.

I have a number of questions for the Minister. While the regulations aim to empower local authorities, several questions need to be answered to ensure these powers are used effectively and responsibly. On effective devolution, the work of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act promoted decentralisation, but how much autonomy will local authorities truly have under these regulations and at what point will central government oversight become excessive? On oversight, without a statutory review clause noted, how will the Government ensure accountability for these new borrowing powers? Are there safeguards in place to ensure that borrowing is managed prudently? Finally, on regional equity, could the new powers create disparities in regional development, potentially leaving smaller regions behind? How will the Government ensure that these powers, to be granted to certain areas, do not exclude or disproportionately benefit specific regions at the expense of others?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank both noble Baronesses for their participation and broad support for this SI. I will address some of the questions raised. The noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, asked about the powers of mayors; I simply point to the success of existing mayoralties, delivering real things for their communities that have made a huge difference—in transport, skills and, in some places, health economies—in the areas where people live. Of course, you can only really do that if you are part of the community that you are representing, and the Government’s push for devolution is to help those local areas with skin in the game to have the powers and funding they need to drive their areas forward, particularly for growth but also for the conditions for the people in their areas.

We now have the Council of the Nations and Regions, which is a very important body for driving forward growth in our regions and nations. It is very important that every part of the UK has a seat around that table. That was the thinking behind the English devolution White Paper—it is still out for consultation, so we will see what comes back from that.

On capital borrowing, it will be the responsibility of mayors to drive growth in their areas, but I realise that borrowing will have to be paid back. Debt caps have been agreed with the Treasury. There has been an extensive process to agree them, and it has been done on the basis of what is affordable for those areas within their current envelopes.

The noble Baroness spoke about powers in relation to housing and planning. The English devolution White Paper set out strategic and investment powers, and possibly development corporations that mayors will have powers over. Planning powers on a day-to-day basis will stay with the constituent local authorities, which is right and proper because they are the people on the ground.

The noble Baroness also spoke about local government funding. The last person in the world who would underestimate issues in local government funding is me. I lived with them on a daily basis for many years. There have been substantial steps forward in funding for local government. In spite of a very difficult financial settlement this year, our Secretary of State has achieved significant additional funding for local government. Off the top of my head, I think the figure is £3.7 billion altogether for local government, and I am sure that officials will wave at me if I am wrong. We know that will not solve all the problems. We have to increase growth in the country to improve that situation more substantially. I have just been given a great big written note which I am supposed to read, while I talk at the same time, but that is not possible, so I will answer off the top of my head and, if I do not answer all noble Lords’ questions, I will respond later in writing.

On the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act and non-constituent members, the noble Baroness is quite right that we had substantial debates about them during the passage of the Bill. For one type of authority, there are not voting rights, but for the other type of authority, there are voting rights. As we move into the full picture of devolution, there will be further consideration of that. It is right that in mayoral combined authorities the upper tiers will take the decisions. How they decide to involve their constituent members will be broadly up to them. I have heard some really creative ideas, such as having key committees chaired by the constituent councils. As we move into a picture where we have all unitary authorities, I think we will continue to look at that and review it.

I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Scott. The three of us are part of the LURB club who sat through many hours debating the Bill. I agree with her about what a key step this is and that the East Midlands Combined County Authority will need to undertake the more comprehensive projects that were set out in its devolution agreement, and it needs these powers to do that. Of course we need robust accountability for all of them.

There was some consideration of consultation, but extensive consultation had already taken place on this so, having looked extensively at what had been done before, it was felt that there was no need for further consultation. I take the noble Baroness’s point that support was not overwhelming, but there was enough support for us to feel comfortable that we could go ahead.

The question about autonomy is important. The way that we have set out the picture in the English devolution White Paper is that, the more established an authority becomes, the more autonomy it will have. It is perhaps the opposite way from what the noble Baroness suggested. Central government oversight will not overwhelm those authorities once they are established. Look at some of our more established mayoral authorities: Greater Manchester is always the standard example and it has extensive powers and funding to lead the way for growth, transport, skills and so on. We want to see that with the more established authorities. The more established they are, the more they prove themselves in terms of accountability of all kinds, especially financial, and the more powers they will get.

On accountability and safeguards for borrowing, that is why debt caps have been set with the Treasury. They have been looked at very carefully. The White Paper also sets out a wider process of accountability which may, depending on what comes back from the consultation, include something like local public accounts committees to have oversight at local level of what is going on within mayoral combined authorities.

I hope that answers all the questions but, if not, I will go through Hansard and make sure that we respond.

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

I asked how we would ensure regional equity.

National Insurance: Employer Contributions

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Baroness Scott of Bybrook

Thursday 9th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I have heard a great deal from that side of the House about NICs. If we had not had to fill a £22 billion black hole, we would not have had to do it in the first place. None of us on this side of the House would have made that choice unless we had to. We recognise the need to protect small businesses and charities, which is why we have more than doubled the employment allowance to £10,500 and expanded it to all eligible employers. The OBR expects 250,000 employers to gain from the changes to the employment allowance and 840,000 to see no change at all. That is more than half of all businesses, including charities.

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

Is the Minister aware that the OBR has said recently that it assumes that most of the Government’s increases in national insurance costs will be passed directly on to workers and consumers? Do this Government still claim to serve the working people of this country, or will they now come clean and admit that they are raising taxes on ordinary working people?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

The denial of responsibility from that side of the House is quite astonishing. Public services were broken by neglect from the party opposite for 14 years. I am surprised that they do not see the irony in complaining about the measures we are having to take to sort out that mess, including our commitment to an additional £680 million for social care, further funding for local government and a real-terms boost for local government funding. I would rather hear some other ideas from that side of the House than complaints about what we are doing.

National Policy Planning Framework: Housing

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Baroness Scott of Bybrook

Monday 6th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

The right reverend Prelate raises a very interesting point about space standards. Coming from a new town, I remember the standards that were introduced when my town was built. On the issues around the National Planning Policy Framework and the social aspects of it, as the Planning Inspectorate goes through the process of assessing local plans—it is important to remember that fewer local authorities do not have them than those that do—it takes account of the social aspects of the plans as well as of the straightforward housing numbers. That is part of the work of my department, and we will be looking at that closely. The social aspects of the planning framework are equally as important as the technical aspects.

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

My Lords, first, I offer our condolences from these Benches to the friends and family of Baroness Randerson. She will be very much missed in this House.

Affordable homes should be built where they are most needed, meaning near jobs and existing infrastructure such as public transport networks, schools and doctors. With that in mind, can the Minister tell us why London’s mandatory housing target has decreased while some rural constituencies have seen increases in hundreds of per cent? Will the Government reconsider their targets to build more affordable homes in London, where there is the highest need for them?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

The new methodology has been carefully considered. It strikes a balance between meeting the scale of need right across the country and focusing additional growth on places facing the biggest affordability pressures by more than doubling the affordability multiplier, which is in the method. It produces a figure for London of nearly 88,000—more than double recent delivery—and London has the biggest proposed percentage increase against existing delivery of any region in the country by a significant margin.

Landlords: Long-term Rentals

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Baroness Scott of Bybrook

Wednesday 27th November 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I could not agree more with the noble Lord that for some people in the housing market, the only affordable housing is social rented. The Chancellor set out in the Budget that we will make an immediate one-year cash injection of £500 million into the current affordable homes programme. I can confirm that that can be used to purchase property on the private market. That will support the delivery of up to 5,000 new social and affordable homes. In addition, at the multiyear spending review next year, we will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021 to 2026 affordable homes programme. That will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and home ownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent. I hope our Deputy Prime Minister’s promise to deliver a revolution in the delivery of social homes will come to fruition.

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

My Lords, there will always be a market for rental accommodation and, under the Conservative Governments, the number of households in the private rented sector rose from 3.1 million to 4.4 million between 2009 and 2021. How does the Minister intend to ensure that the Government’s legislative agenda does not reduce the number of properties available for private renters and risk rent increases?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

First of all, I would say that the number of people who were able to own their own properties actually fell under the last Government. I am surprised, with the record that we have heard many times in this House of the number of people who are currently on housing waiting lists and 150,000 people in temporary and emergency accommodation, that the previous Government want to stand up and question this issue in the House. The PRS has doubled in size since 2002. We will continue to do what we can to support both landlords and tenants in that sector. We are about to introduce the Renters’ Rights Bill to this House. I am grateful to all noble Lords who have already engaged on that. If there is anybody who has not yet, do get in touch with me, but I look forward to working with the House to deliver a very effective piece of renters’ rights legislation.

Cladding Remediation

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Baroness Scott of Bybrook

Monday 25th November 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for the action she has taken already in this respect. The Government are committed to improving building safety, and to accelerating the remediation of unsafe social housing just as much as we are for those in private rented and private owned property. Investment in remediation will rise to record levels of over £1.5 billion across 2024-25 and 2025-26, and that includes new investment to speed up the remediation of social housing. The Government will set out further steps to accelerate remediation in the remediation acceleration plan. Social landlords have access to existing government grants, and the Government are committed to providing £400 million of grant funding to the social housing sector for the removal of unsafe cladding. With social housing, as with other types of housing, there is no excuse now for not getting on with this as quickly as possible.

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

My Lords, following on from the Question of my noble friend Lord Young of Cookham, this Labour Government have allocated only £1 billion of funding for the removal of the cladding, in contrast to the £5.1 billion allocated by the previous Government to fix the most dangerous cladding through the cladding safety scheme. Can the Minister explain how the Government came to the figure of £1 billion, and will she commit to comparable levels of support to those seen under the last Government?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

My Lords, we have waited seven years for action to be taken on this. The remediation acceleration plan will set out the full details of how we intend to take this forward, and the funding that has been set aside. Of course, we would have wanted to put more into this, but with a £22 billion black hole, it has not been possible to do so.

Council Tax

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Baroness Scott of Bybrook

Tuesday 19th November 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

My Lords, when it comes to local government, the Chancellor is giving with one hand and taking away with another. The increase of employer national insurance contribution will hit local government hard, particularly through its contracted services. Can the Minister explain how the Government expect councils to cover their increased costs without raising council tax, or are His Majesty’s Government happy to see yet another tax increase on working people as a result of their Budget?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

My Lords, the Government have committed to provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional employer national insurance costs. This applies to those directly employed by the public sector, including local government. We will set out further details of how this support will be delivered in due course.

Barnsley and Sheffield (Boundary Change) Order 2024

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Baroness Scott of Bybrook

Monday 11th November 2024 Grand Committee

[Baroness Pinnock (LD)]

My Lords, I thank the Minister for her introduction to this statutory instrument and for highlighting the changes made. I know she has the misfortune of being from the south of England but, in Yorkshire, we call it “Orterbridge”, rather than “Outerbridge” as the Minister pronounced it. I know we have a lot of strange pronunciations in Yorkshire, but I think people there would appreciate it being pronounced as they do.

This is a sensible proposal. Populations move and expand; in response, political and administrative boundaries should move to make them fit local perceptions of place. While local government can and do respond informally to boundaries that do not make practical sense, such as by making arrangements about bin collections, local government boundary changes per se are less frequent. I wonder whether this is because the process is quite long. In this case, as the Minister said, the relevant local authorities made a formal request in April 2022, and despite broad agreement—the two local authorities in fact proposing the change—it has taken over two years to reach this final stage. Does the Local Government Boundary Commission encourage proposals for boundary changes that are supported by the relevant local authorities, especially where there is a clear anomaly?

One situation that is not raised in the Explanatory Memorandum is what happens if a councillor of either the existing parish or the existing council lives in the area to be moved to another council. If the councillor qualifies only by residency, I presume that that would result in their being unable to continue once their term of office ends. It would be helpful if the Minister could confirm that that is the case. I assume that, in this instance, that will not arise, because otherwise—I hope—it would be within the explanation. It would be useful to understand what will happen if somebody wants to continue serving their population but is then moved. From Barnsley to Sheffield, that is a big move. I jest not.

I have spoken to colleagues in Barnsley who agree that residents in Oughtibridge will feel that they belong to Stocksbridge in Sheffield, which is where they are moving, so they support the proposal in this statutory instrument.

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

My Lords, as the Minister said, this order provides for the boundary between Barnsley and Sheffield to be revised so that the whole of the area of Oughtibridge Mill housing development will be in the City of Sheffield, as well as providing for consequential changes to corresponding wards and parish boundaries. I am pleased that the councils concerned both support boundary change, as do the affected parish councils. I also note that the LGBCE published a draft of this and asked for responses locally. There were 19 responses, I understand, including six from residents, five of whom were in favour and only one opposed. Therefore, one can say that the proposal is accepted locally.

His Majesty’s loyal Opposition do not oppose these sensible boundary changes, as they suit not only local residents but the relevant public authorities and bodies. I also accept the late minor changes in the draft SI.

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I am grateful to the two noble Baronesses who have made excellent and important contributions to this debate. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, for her correction to my southern pronunciation of Oughtibridge. I am very grateful. I will not get that wrong again, will I? Thank you very much for that.

A number of points were made, which I will respond to. First, the noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, raised the issue of the process for review. I have to say that the measure probably was slightly held up by the election, but it has still taken quite a long time. I will take that back, because all of us who have been councillors—I think that everybody taking part in this debate has been—will know that such anomalies often occur. If the process needs to be made more straightforward, we should look at that, because all the reasons given for this SI would apply similarly to other areas where there are revisions to boundaries.

As for councillor qualification, I understand that that is set out in Article 7 of the order, which allows for a change of councillor. I am not aware that there is an issue there in this case, but I understand the residency qualification issue. Of course, councillors can qualify if they have a business or for other reasons but, if it is a residency qualification, that would need to be taken into account. However, as both participants were supportive of this proposal, it is probably the case that there was no issue, but we will bear that in mind if any future SIs like this come forward. We have to be very clear about what is happening in relation to councillor representation, because if a residency qualification is at issue, there may be implications, but that is all set out in Article 7.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England recommendation meets the statutory obligation to secure effective and convenient local government while reflecting the interests and identities of local communities. That sits right at the heart of this SI. In short, the order makes a small boundary change, supported by both local councils and recommended by the Local Government Boundary Commission, and I beg to move.

Spending Commitments to Local Councils

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Baroness Scott of Bybrook

Monday 22nd July 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for his question. Council tax increases, of course, are ultimately decided by local authorities, but the Government are committed to keeping taxes on working people and households as low as possible. We will carefully consider the impact on councils and taxpayers before making any decisions on taxes. Decisions on referendum principles will be part of the next spending review process and of course we will seek the views of local government before we take any decisions on those.

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

My Lords, since the noble Baroness, Lady Thornhill, tabled her Question, I understand that a number of local councils have had spending commitments suspended, including Harlow in Essex, which is now set to lose out on £20 million towards the rebuilding of its town centre. Can the Minister tell me how many councils have had these disappointing letters, and what the Government plan to do to support councils such as Harlow which were relying on these commitments to deliver growth and regeneration that I am sure His Majesty’s Government would want to support?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

My Lords, there has to be a short pause while we seek clarity on existing funding commitments, as I said earlier. The Government are fully considering those funding arrangements and I know that a great deal of work has been put in. Many of those projects are aligned with the growth that we want, and we hope to be able to give all local authorities the answers in very short order.