Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure housing associations provide clear and consistent communication during tenancy transitions; and what steps she is taking to support tenants facing (a) rent increases and (b) upfront payment requirements.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Under the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard set by the independent Regulator of Social Housing, registered providers must ensure that communication with and information for tenants is clear, accessible, relevant, timely and appropriate to the diverse needs of tenants.
Under the new consumer regulation regime, the Regulator proactively seeks evidence that providers are delivering the outcomes set by the standards.
In terms of support with rent increases: if eligible, tenants of housing associations can receive Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit to help pay their rent. Support is also available through Discretionary Housing Payments, which are delivered via local authorities.
The government recently consulted on a future long-term rent settlement, inviting views on a range of issues relating to social housing rent policy.
The Renters’ Rights Bill will prohibit private registered providers, as well as private landlords, from requiring or accepting any payment of rent before an assured tenancy has been entered into.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the readiness of the supply chain to implement a deposit return scheme; and if he will engage with the wine and spirits industry on steps to implement such a scheme.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK Government is fully committed to a Deposit Return Scheme and will continue to work closely with the Scottish Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland to launch the scheme across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland in October 2027.
The Department has been working closely with industry, including the wines and spirits sector, during the development of DRS policy and legislation. Officials have engaged with the Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) and the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) who have been acting as Industry Champions of the DRS Small Producers sub-group, working alongside the UK and devolved governments.
In England and Northern Ireland, glass will not be in scope of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers. Scottish Government have also agreed to exclude glass from the DRS to progress the delivery of the schemes. This means most wine and spirit drinks containers will not be included in the scheme, only those supplied in PET plastic, aluminium and steel containers will be in scope of the scheme.
We aim to appoint the industry-led scheme administrator, the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO), in April 2025. The DMO will work with industry and support them to implement DRS in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding he has allocated to flood resilience in South Cotswolds constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
£2.4 billion will be invested in 2024/25 and 2025/26 to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. The list of projects to receive government funding in 2025/26 will be agreed in the usual way through Regional Flood and Coastal Committees with local representation.
The Environment Agency is continuing to work across the South Cotswolds constituency to support communities at flood risk, particularly those who have recently flooded. This includes communities such as Dauntsey where the Environment Agency is continuing to provide flood resilience advice to better prepare people for the risk of flooding.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help the wine and spirits industry manage the implementation of a UK-wide Deposit Return Scheme.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK Government is fully committed to a Deposit Return Scheme and will continue to work closely with the Scottish Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland to launch the scheme across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland in October 2027.
The Department has been working closely with industry, including the wines and spirits sector, during the development of DRS policy and legislation. Officials have engaged with the Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) and the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) who have been acting as Industry Champions of the DRS Small Producers sub-group, working alongside the UK and devolved governments.
In England and Northern Ireland, glass will not be in scope of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers. Scottish Government have also agreed to exclude glass from the DRS to progress the delivery of the schemes. This means most wine and spirit drinks containers will not be included in the scheme, only those supplied in PET plastic, aluminium and steel containers will be in scope of the scheme.
We aim to appoint the industry-led scheme administrator, the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO), in April 2025. The DMO will work with industry and support them to implement DRS in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
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 support survivors of domestic violence in South Cotswolds constituency.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This government is committed to tackling violence against women and girls and supporting victims of domestic abuse, with a number of steps being taken across government.
On 28 November, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced a £30 million increase to the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Grant, raising total funding for 2025/26 to £160 million. This will help local authorities in England to invest in essential services for victims of domestic abuse. On 18 December, MHCLG published funding allocations for local authorities, available here Core Spending Power table: provisional local government finance settlement 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK. Funding is all located at a local authority level. For 2024/25, Gloucestershire County Council, received £1,152,238 through the Safe Accommodation Grant, and in 2025/26, they have been allocated £1,435,985. It is for Gloucestershire County Council to allocate this funding based on local need, including in South Cotswolds. Future funding beyond April 2026 will be decided as part of Spending Review.
On 24 September 2024, my department announced that domestic abuse survivors are to be exempt from local connection requirements for social housing.
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is also providing funding to the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) to assist survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, including those in the South Cotswolds constituency. In 2024/25, the Gloucestershire PCC received £1,343,073 to support victims.
The MOJ, through Sections 13-14 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, will require local commissioners in England to collaborate when commissioning support services for domestic abuse victims. They must assess the needs of victims in their area and determine if those needs are being met by existing services. These assessments will inform a joint commissioning strategy. This duty aims to remove barriers to accessing support and ensure a more strategic approach to local commissioning.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the mental health of farmers.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.
The department regularly meets with stakeholders as part of ongoing work to understand the causes behind poor mental health in farmers and what actions can be taken to assist those experiencing mental health challenges.
Before Christmas, I hosted a roundtable for national farmer welfare organisations to discuss this important issue. The department is in contact with officials from the Department for Health and Social Care and will shortly be discussing the issues raised during the roundtable.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the (a) affordability and (b) transparency of train fares; and whether she plans to regulate dynamic pricing models for commuter routes.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Whilst it is our ambition through public ownership to deliver a more affordable railway, any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.
We are committed to reforming the overcomplicated fares and ticketing system to deliver simpler, easier and more flexible ways to travel and will expand ticketing innovations such as Pay As You Go in urban areas across the country.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential local ecological impact of the proposed Lime Down Solar Farm in South Cotswolds constituency.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Lime Down Solar Farm is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project which is expected to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for examination in the third quarter of 2025. As part of the examination process the Examining Authority appointed by the Planning Inspectorate will consider the potential local ecological impact of the proposal as one of its potential impacts. At the end of the examination process, the Examining Authority will submit its Report to the Secretary of State, who will make his decision based on a careful consideration of all the material planning considerations.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children are living in (a) absolute and (b) relative poverty in South Cotswolds constituency.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The latest statistics show that in 2022/23, there were 1,557 children living in absolute poverty and 2,215 children living in relative poverty in South Cotswolds constituency. Figures are provided for all children (including 16- to 19-year-olds) and on a before housing costs basis, available on Stat-Xplore. Figures on an after housing costs basis are not available below region level.
Source: Stat-Xplore (Children in Low Income Families Statistics)
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support hotel owners in South Cotswolds constituency.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is supporting hotel owners in the South Cotswolds and across the UK through measures such as business rates relief, and funding opportunities like the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. These initiatives aim to alleviate operational costs, promote regional tourism, and drive economic growth. The Government also works closely with VisitBritain and Cotswold Plus (the Local Visitor Economy Partnership for the wider Cotswolds region) to boost marketing efforts, attract visitors, and support the hospitality sector's recovery and growth.