Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has issued guidance to local highways authorities on the placement of not formally authorised (a) flags, (b) banners and (c) advertisements from (i) lampposts and (ii) other local authority street furniture since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government supports the flying of flags across the country. Flags should be an embodiment of bringing our country and our communities together. Guidance exists, such as ‘Flying flags: a plain English guide” - as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 2007 (as amended in 2012 and 2021) – which outlines the regulations related to the flying of flags in England.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to support the development of local industrial strategies for financial and related professional services in Essex.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Greater Essex is part of the Devolution Priority Programme, which aims to see a new Mayoral Strategic Authority established by spring 2026. If a Mayoral Strategic Authority is established, it will need to develop a Local Growth Plan to provide a long-term strategic framework for growth in the region. Foundation Strategic Authorities and Local Authorities in non-devolution are also encouraged to set out a vision for growth in their area that builds on existing local economic strategies where possible. The Industrial Strategy Sector Plans for Financial Services and Professional and Business Services include measures to grow these sectors across the UK.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to bring forward pilot zoning schemes to provide easier planning for commercial development in financial and professional service hubs in the East of England.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government recognises a local zonal approach where upfront planning permission is granted for certain types of commercial development can be a useful tool to attract new investment to specific places.
Local planning authorities already have the power to make Local Development Orders to do this, and the National Planning Policy Framework encourages them to use this tool.
Through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, we are also now giving mayors a similar power to make Mayoral Development Orders, enabling them to bring forward proactively new strategic sites for commercial development in their area.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 ensure that local government is accountable for its decisions.
Answered by Jim McMahon
Councils are democratic institutions accountable to the communities they serve. We are strengthening that accountability through clearer expectations, stronger local scrutiny, and a renewed focus on outcomes.
Together, these measures are building a more trusting and equal partnership-based relationship between central and local government.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many grey belt planning applications have been submitted since 12 December 2024.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government annually publish statistics showing the extent of England’s Green Belt, including changes resulting from land being released from, or added to, the Green Belt. These statistics can be found on gov.uk here. The next statistical release will be published in autumn 2025.
In addition, the department publishes statistics on land use change, including estimates of new residential addresses created in Green Belt and other categories of land. The department also publishes statistics every three months on the number of planning applications made, decided, and granted in England, down to local authority level.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether it is her policy to introduce increased roles for parish and town councils.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Local authorities act independently of central government. Town and parish councils can work with other tiers of local government to determine how they can best serve their communities in their area. The English Devolution White Paper was clear that we know people value the role of governance at the community scale, and that this can be a concern when local government is reorganised. We will therefore want to see stronger community arrangements when reorganisation happens in the way councils engage at a neighbourhood or area level.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the increase in the number of veterans able to vote due to the introduction of the Veterans ID card as voter ID.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
All veterans eligible to vote already have the opportunity to do so. If they do not have one of the accepted forms of identification, they are able to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, free of charge, or they can choose to vote by post or by proxy.
The Veteran Card has been issued to approximately 250,000 former service personnel, and they will be able to use these as ID at the polling station from May 2025 onwards. We have no data on the number of those veterans who do not possess another form of accepted voter ID.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people with citizenship of other countries can vote in UK elections; of which countries such people hold citizenship; which elections they are eligible to vote in; and whether these arrangements are reciprocal.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
Electoral statistics are not available broken down by citizenship.
The franchise for UK Parliamentary elections, Northern Ireland Assembly elections, local government elections in England and Northern Ireland and Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales are reserved. This answer relates to reserved elections only.
Irish citizens resident in the UK can vote in all elections. These rights are reciprocal. Commonwealth citizens lawfully resident in the UK can vote in all elections. These rights are not generally reciprocal.
EU citizens resident in the UK before EU exit can in the main continue to vote in local elections. Post-Brexit migrants from some EU Member States (Poland, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal and Denmark), with whom the Government has agreed reciprocal arrangements, can vote in local elections.
The franchise for devolved elections in Scotland and Wales is a matter for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2024 to Question 17300 on Muslim Council of Britain, what her policy is on engagement with (a) Cage, (b) MEND and (c) the Muslim Association of Britain.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 20228 on 24 December 2024.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 Prime Minister’s oral contribution in response to the question from the hon. Member for Birmingham Hall Green and Mosely, of 27 November 2024, Official Report, column 768, what steps the Government is taking to help tackle the desecration of (a) all religious texts and (b) the prophets of the Abrahamic religions.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Desecration of religious texts and abusing or targeting people for their faith or belief is awful and should be condemned. The Government is working with partners to tackle all forms of prejudice, division and hatred experienced by religious and other communities.
To champion freedom of religion or belief abroad, my Hon Friend the Member for North Northumberland has been appointed Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, promoting tolerance and mutual respect through and alongside the UK’s diplomatic network.