Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will provide a response to the application submitted by Bedford Borough Council for exceptional funding support to cover costs incurred as a result of the Cleat Hill explosion on 19 October 2024.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The impact of the explosion and fire and the tragic loss of life would have been traumatic and I have great sympathy for all those affected.
The Department continues to engage directly with Bedford on its overall financial position, including communicating a response to the Council's request to activate the Bellwin scheme in relation to the Cleat Hill explosion.
The Local Government Finance Policy Statement published on 20 November confirmed that there will continue to be a framework in place to support councils in the most difficult financial positions. This reflects the ongoing challenges for councils dealing with the legacy of the previous system, while the Government is delivering much needed reforms to the funding framework. Following the Policy Statement the Department issued technical guidance to councils which set out that they should confirm any request for support by 12 December, and that any decisions under this framework are usually taken shortly after the final Local Government Finance Settlement.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government intends to provide exceptional funding support to Bedford Borough Council to cover costs incurred as a result of the Cleat Hill explosion on 19 October 2024.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The impact of the explosion and fire and the tragic loss of life would have been traumatic and I have great sympathy for all those affected.
The Department continues to engage directly with Bedford on its overall financial position, including communicating a response to the Council's request to activate the Bellwin scheme in relation to the Cleat Hill explosion.
The Local Government Finance Policy Statement published on 20 November confirmed that there will continue to be a framework in place to support councils in the most difficult financial positions. This reflects the ongoing challenges for councils dealing with the legacy of the previous system, while the Government is delivering much needed reforms to the funding framework. Following the Policy Statement the Department issued technical guidance to councils which set out that they should confirm any request for support by 12 December, and that any decisions under this framework are usually taken shortly after the final Local Government Finance Settlement.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what consideration she has given to providing financial support to Bedford Borough Council for extraordinary expenses arising from the Cleat Hill gas explosion.
Answered by Jim McMahon
Bedford Borough Council submitted a formal request on 27th March 2025 for Bellwin Scheme financial support for their immediate response costs arising from the Cleat Hill gas explosion that occurred in October 2024. We will now review the information provided by the Council and then decide what if any financial assistance may be provided through the Bellwin Scheme for the Council’s eligible costs in respect of this tragic incident.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of making water companies statutory consultees in planning permission applications for new housing developments.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Government committed during the passage of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 to consult on whether water companies should become statutory consultees on certain planning applications, and if so, how best to do this. The Secretary of State has since commissioned Sam Richards to undertake an independent review of statutory consultees within the planning system and the recommendations from this will be published in due course.
In the meantime, it is important that water companies engage local planning authorities on their applications at the right time so they can input effectively and not slow down the application process.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance his Department issues on the publication by local authorities of public notices; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to allow the publication of such notices online.
Answered by Simon Hoare
Statutory notices are an important means for ensuring that the public is kept informed of decisions by their council which may affect their quality of life, local services or amenities, or their property. The Government has no current plans to legislate on changing provisions on statutory notices.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring the refusal of applications for planning permission for solar farms in excess of 50 MW where financing has not been secured.
Answered by Lee Rowley
In deciding whether or not to grant an application for development consent for above 50MW electricity generation stations such as solar farms, the Energy Secretary of State must have regard under section 104 of the Planning Act 2008 to any relevant National Policy Statement where one has effect.
In addition to this, and also where decisions are taken where no National Policy Statement has effect, the Secretary of State must also have regard to any other matters which are both important and relevant to the decision which may, where compulsory acquisition powers are requested, include details of how the project in question is proposed to be funded.
Revised Energy National Policy Statements were designated on 24 January 2024.
Whilst I appreciate the point my Honourable Friend is making, the planning system upholds a long-standing principle of planning considerations being the lawful basis in making a determination.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) performance of and (b) time taken to commence appeals by the Planning Inspectorate.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Inspectorate has been performing well across a number of key areas such as local plan examinations, nationally significant infrastructure project applications, s62a applications and planning appeals proceeding by hearings and inquiries. The Inspectorate is implementing actions to maintain performance in these areas and to improve end-to-end times for other casework. In the short term those actions are focused around increasing capacity by:
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress his Department has made on reviewing the responses to the call for evidence on local authority remote meetings, published on 25 March 2021; when he plans to publish the Government's response; and what factors have contributed to the Department being unable to do so to date.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I have nothing to add to the answer given to Question UIN 95817 on 2 December 2022.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on the average cost of parish council by-elections; and if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of information provided to parish councils about the cost of such by-elections.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The department does not hold this information. Parishes are their own sovereign entity and responsible to their local electors.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress his Department has made on reviewing the responses to the call for evidence on local authority remote meetings, published on 25 March 2021; and when he plans to publish the Government's response.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Government issued a call for evidence on remote meetings last year. We are considering the responses and will be issuing a response in due course.