Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on what dates his Department had discussions with Norfolk County Council on the cancellation of 2026 elections; and and if he will publish the minutes from those meetings.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I met all leaders of Devolution Priority Programme Areas on 11 December, where many areas raised concerns about their capacity to deliver local government reorganisation alongside local elections. I also met Norfolk County Council on 16 December where the same concerns were raised.
A summary of the decision was provided through the Written Ministerial Statement of 22 January and the letter sent to council leaders, both of which are publicly available.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
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 publish documents relating to his decision to postpone Norfolk county council elections.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I met all leaders of Devolution Priority Programme Areas on 11 December, where many areas raised concerns about their capacity to deliver local government reorganisation alongside local elections. I also met Norfolk County Council on 16 December where the same concerns were raised.
A summary of the decision was provided through the Written Ministerial Statement of 22 January and the letter sent to council leaders, both of which are publicly available.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of inflation and supply chain pressures on capital costs for local authorities delivering domestic food waste collection services; and whether she plans to review funding allocations.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The cost modelling for the new burdens funding formula, which took place in 2023, took inflation into account by conducting market research on the most recent industry prices on all aspects being funded. WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) provided us with unit price assumptions, regularly review those and use their network to inform projections on how inflationary pressure may impact further prices.
We are aware of concerns about pressure on supply chains for vehicles and containers and are engaging with key stakeholders across the sector and welcome input to help us understand the challenges and ensure successful delivery. Additionally, we are working with WRAP to scope interventions to address bottlenecks in supply chains.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of capital funding provided to local authorities for the implementation of domestic food waste collections to meet the costs of depot expansion and redevelopment required to accommodate the service including vehicle parking, washing facilities, storage and staff welfare provision.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have run an appeals process for the funding for weekly food waste collections, which has allowed local authorities to seek financial support in circumstances where their depot space needs to be modified. These are currently being considered, and the outcome will be communicated to local authorities in due course.