Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the RAC Report on Motoring 2025, published in October 2025, what assessment he has made of that report's recommendations on the official Private parking code of practice.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This government is determined to drive up standards in the private parking sector and welcomes the support and views of the RAC, along with other motoring groups and parking industry representatives.
In accordance with the Private Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, the government is preparing a code of practice that provides guidance on the operation and management of private parking facilities.
The government has recently consulted on its proposals for the code and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of real-terms reductions in core funding on the delivery of statutory services by Buckinghamshire Council.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has been listening closely to the views expressed by the public, local authorities and other bodies on the proposals set out in the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation. No final decisions on the outcome of the review have yet been taken.
The vast majority of councils with social care responsibilities will see their Core Spending Power increase in real terms over the multi-year Settlement. We will publish further information in the government’s consultation response in Autumn, followed by the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations to evict anti-social tenants more easily.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 45072 on 23 April 2025.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
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 impact of changes to the planning system within the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on irreplaceable habitats.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that development resulting in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats should be refused, unless there are wholly exceptional reasons and a suitable compensation strategy exists.
The Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) provides an alternative mechanism for development to discharge environmental obligations relating specifically to the Habitats and Species Regulations, the Wildlife and Countryside Act, and the Protection of Badgers Act.
It does not apply to irreplaceable habitats generally, for which the strong protections in the National Planning Policy Framework will continue to apply.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent estimate he has made of the acreage of farm land used for (a) housing development, (b) commercial development, (c) solar panels and (d) battery storage in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Figures for 2019 onwards are derived using a revised methodology and are expressed as three-year totals. They are not directly comparable with figures for earlier years. Accordingly, the available information for the last three years for which figures are available for (a) and (b) is set out in the table below. Separate figures for (c) and (d) are not available.
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| Amount of land changing use (acres) (a) | |
Period (b) | Change of use: | ||
| Agriculture to residential | Agriculture to Industry and commerce | |
2019 to 2022 (c) | 9,854 | 3,168 | |
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Source: DLUHC Land use change - hectarage statistics, (part of) Live Table P361 at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/land-use-change-hectarage-2019-to-2022 | |||
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Notes: |
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(a) Figures are published in hectares and have been converted into acres for this table. | |||
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether it is the policy of the Planning Inspectorate Service to seek to discourage challenges by planning authorities against planning appeal decisions by the threat of incurring costs; and on how many occasions this occurred in the last ten years.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Guidance on the award of costs in planning appeals is published here.
The Planning Inspectorate uses that guidance to support its decisions on costs awards, which can apply to any main party in the appeal if they behave unreasonably.
Parties in planning appeals and other planning proceedings normally meet their own expenses, but the costs regime exists in legislation to discourage unreasonable behaviour during the appeals process.
The Planning Inspectorate approaches all its decisions and recommendations openly, fairly and impartially, as expected of Tribunals.
In judicial review proceedings and court challenges it is common practice for the winning party to seek to recover their costs from the losing party - whether they are successful in doing so is a matter for the Judge. The Inspectorate does not systematically collect store data on the number of times costs are incurred.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what proportion of planning authority judicial review challenges to appeal decisions incur the award of costs against them.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Guidance on the award of costs in planning appeals is published here.
The Planning Inspectorate uses that guidance to support its decisions on costs awards, which can apply to any main party in the appeal if they behave unreasonably.
Parties in planning appeals and other planning proceedings normally meet their own expenses, but the costs regime exists in legislation to discourage unreasonable behaviour during the appeals process.
The Planning Inspectorate approaches all its decisions and recommendations openly, fairly and impartially, as expected of Tribunals.
In judicial review proceedings and court challenges it is common practice for the winning party to seek to recover their costs from the losing party - whether they are successful in doing so is a matter for the Judge. The Inspectorate does not systematically collect store data on the number of times costs are incurred.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of Buckinghamshire Council's bid for a county deal.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
Officials met with all areas that expressed an interest in a County Deal over the summer to discuss their proposals.
We will set out further information on County Deals in the Levelling Up White Paper and officials will be in touch with Buckinghamshire Council – and all other areas that expressed interest – to outline the next steps after it is published.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the construction of (a) HS2, (b) East West Rail and (c) other national infrastructure projects on the resources of parish and town councils who cover areas affect by those projects.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Nationally significant infrastructure projects are defined by thresholds in the Planning Act 2008. Decisions on nationally significant infrastructure projects are for the relevant Secretary of State following examination of those proposals by the Planning Inspectorate, in which all relevant issues, which can include effects of construction, are considered. Decisions on transport nationally significant infrastructure projects are for the Secretary of State for Transport.
For nationally significant infrastructure projects, relevant parish councils are statutory consultees and can raise their views, including on implications of construction, before the proposed project is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration and during its subsequent examination.
Construction of phase 1 and phase 2a of HS2 was authorised through Hybrid Bills where Royal Assent was granted on 23 February 2017 and 11 February 2021 respectively. A Transport and Works Act Order for the Bicester to Bletchley section of East-West Rail was made by the Secretary of State for Transport on 29 January 2020 and came into force on 25 February 2020.