English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill

Lindsay Hoyle Excerpts

Tuesday 21st April 2026 Commons Chamber

Consideration of Lords amendments

[Mr Speaker]

I can inform the House that Lords amendment 39 engages Commons financial privilege. If the Lords amendment is agreed to, I will ensure that the customary entry waiving Commons financial privilege is entered into the Journal.

Clause 2

Areas of competence

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Miatta Fahnbulleh)]

I beg to move, That this House disagrees with Lords amendment 2.

[Mr Speaker]

With this it will be convenient to discuss:

Lords amendments 4, 13 and 26, and Government motions to disagree.

Lords amendments 36 and 37, Government motion to disagree, and Government amendment (a) in lieu of Lords amendment 37.

Lords amendments 41, 85 to 87, 89 to 91, 94, 97 to 116, 120, 121 and 123, and Government motions to disagree.

Lords amendment 155, Government motion to disagree, and Government amendments (a) to (f) to the words so restored to the Bill.

Lords amendments 1, 3, 5 to 12, 14 to 25, 27 to 35 and 38 to 40.

Lords amendment 42, motion to disagree, and amendment (a) to Lords amendment 42.

Lords amendments 43 to 55.

Lords amendment 56, and amendment (a) to Lords amendment 56.

Lords amendments 57 to 84, 88, 92, 93, 95, 96, 117 to 119, 122, 124 to 154 and 156 to 170.

[Miatta Fahnbulleh]

This Government were elected with a clear mandate to deliver change, but to deliver change that people can see and feel, we must empower our communities. We are therefore determined to build a different type of state where local leaders and communities with skin in the game are given power and control to shape the things that matter in their place and in their lives. Our English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill is a critical, bold step in delivering that. It will drive the biggest transfer of power out of Whitehall to our regions and our communities in a generation. It sets a floor for devolution, and we intend to build on the foundation set out in the Bill to give communities the power and control they are demanding to drive the change they want to see in their place.