Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to determine necessary criteria to assess whether strategic authorities are suitably established by the end of 2027 and able to be operational by 2028.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Cabinet Statement, “Rewiring the State”, set out the Government’s ambition is to ensure every area in England has, or is in the process of establishing, a strategic authority by the end of 2027, with strategic authorities in place everywhere by the end of 2028. The criteria for knowing whether this has been achieved are simple.
An area will ‘have’ a strategic authority if an authority has been legally established through the necessary statutory instrument. And an area ‘in the process of establishing’ a strategic authority will have started on the pathway to establishment, for example they may be in advanced discussions with government about plans for a strategic authority, launched a local consultation, or given local consent for government to proceed with the legislation.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of setting up a process allowing the revocation of exemption certificates on owners who no longer believe that their dog is an XL Bully type.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is continuing to develop a withdrawal process so that owners who no longer believe that their dog meets the legal definition of an XL Bully type can apply to have their certificate of exemption withdrawn. Further details will be shared once the process has been finalised.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate has she made of the cost of the process to allow the revocation of exemption certificates for owners who no longer believe that their dog is an XL Bully type.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is continuing to develop a withdrawal process so that owners who no longer believe that their dog meets the legal definition of an XL Bully type can apply to have their certificate of exemption withdrawn. Further details will be shared once the process has been finalised.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with animal welfare charities about the revocation of exemption certificates for owners who no longer believe that their dog is an XL Bully type.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is continuing to develop a withdrawal process so that owners who no longer believe that their dog meets the legal definition of an XL Bully type can apply to have their certificate of exemption withdrawn. Further details will be shared once the process has been finalised.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate has she made of the number of dog owners who may seek withdrawal of their certificate of exemption because they do not believe that their dog is an XL Bully type.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is continuing to develop a withdrawal process so that owners who no longer believe that their dog meets the legal definition of an XL Bully type can apply to have their certificate of exemption withdrawn. Further details will be shared once the process has been finalised.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
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 adequacy of the level of opportunities for communities to hold accountable the new local government frameworks for Leicester and Leicestershire.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In deciding which proposal, if any, to implement in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, the previous Secretary of State considered the expected costs and benefits of each proposal, the ability of each new council to be financially resilient, statutory consultation responses, representations received and all other relevant information against the published criteria for local government reorganisation. The two-unitary proposal was judged as the best outcome for the area overall and to be deliverable on a sustainable financial basis.
Reorganisation will provide clearer accountability by making one council responsible for local services in each area. New unitary councils will also be required to establish effective neighbourhood governance arrangements, so that communities continue to have a meaningful voice in local decision-making.
The Government has published the decision letter and summary of the consultation analysis on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
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 long-term adequacy of the preferred local government economic models for [a] Leicester and [b] Leicestershire and Rutland.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In deciding which proposal, if any, to implement in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, the previous Secretary of State considered the expected costs and benefits of each proposal, the ability of each new council to be financially resilient, statutory consultation responses, representations received and all other relevant information against the published criteria for local government reorganisation. The two-unitary proposal was judged as the best outcome for the area overall and to be deliverable on a sustainable financial basis.
Reorganisation will provide clearer accountability by making one council responsible for local services in each area. New unitary councils will also be required to establish effective neighbourhood governance arrangements, so that communities continue to have a meaningful voice in local decision-making.
The Government has published the decision letter and summary of the consultation analysis on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish a summary report of the consultation responses about the Government's plans for local government reorganisation in Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In deciding which proposal, if any, to implement in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, the previous Secretary of State considered the expected costs and benefits of each proposal, the ability of each new council to be financially resilient, statutory consultation responses, representations received and all other relevant information against the published criteria for local government reorganisation. The two-unitary proposal was judged as the best outcome for the area overall and to be deliverable on a sustainable financial basis.
Reorganisation will provide clearer accountability by making one council responsible for local services in each area. New unitary councils will also be required to establish effective neighbourhood governance arrangements, so that communities continue to have a meaningful voice in local decision-making.
The Government has published the decision letter and summary of the consultation analysis on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the Economic Impact Assessment for Leicestershire as a result of the Government's reorganisation of Local Government in Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In deciding which proposal, if any, to implement in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, the previous Secretary of State considered the expected costs and benefits of each proposal, the ability of each new council to be financially resilient, statutory consultation responses, representations received and all other relevant information against the published criteria for local government reorganisation. The two-unitary proposal was judged as the best outcome for the area overall and to be deliverable on a sustainable financial basis.
Reorganisation will provide clearer accountability by making one council responsible for local services in each area. New unitary councils will also be required to establish effective neighbourhood governance arrangements, so that communities continue to have a meaningful voice in local decision-making.
The Government has published the decision letter and summary of the consultation analysis on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the business case supporting the Government's plans for Local Government reorganisation in Leicestershire.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In deciding which proposal, if any, to implement in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, the previous Secretary of State considered the expected costs and benefits of each proposal, the ability of each new council to be financially resilient, statutory consultation responses, representations received and all other relevant information against the published criteria for local government reorganisation. The two-unitary proposal was judged as the best outcome for the area overall and to be deliverable on a sustainable financial basis.
Reorganisation will provide clearer accountability by making one council responsible for local services in each area. New unitary councils will also be required to establish effective neighbourhood governance arrangements, so that communities continue to have a meaningful voice in local decision-making.
The Government has published the decision letter and summary of the consultation analysis on GOV.UK.