Oral Answers to Questions

Julian Smith Excerpts

Thursday 25th November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Nadhim Zahawi (Stratford-on-Avon) (Con)]

12. When he plans to publish the localism Bill.

[Julian Smith (Skipton and Ripon) (Con)]

14. When he plans to publish the localism Bill.

[Zac Goldsmith (Richmond Park) (Con)]

17. When he plans to publish the localism Bill.

--- Later in debate ---

[Greg Clark]

The Leader of the Opposition has said that the previous Government looked down their noses at local government. Nowhere was that more true than in the case of parish councils. The charge of parochialism needs to be turned round and we need to regard an interest in locality through parishes as a positive measure. The localism Bill will allow parishes, as neighbourhoods, to set their own plans, to have them adopted and to give effect to them in the planning system.

[Julian Smith]

May I ask my right hon. Friend to go a bit further on the role of parish councils? Skipton and Ripon is packed with hundreds of excellent parish councils and they are asking me what specific role they have in relation to district councils. Will he go into a bit more detail on that?

[Greg Clark]

The planning provisions in the localism Bill will allow every neighbourhood in the country, including parishes, to set its own local neighbourhood plan. That will mean that they can design the look and feel of their neighbourhoods going forward into the future and in so doing take away the bureaucracy that is involved in taking planning applications through the development control process. If we capture it in the plan, we will not have that bureaucracy and uncertainty.