Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Williams and Philip Hollobone

Monday 15th December 2014 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Williams]

I am always delighted to meet my hon. Friend. If he wants to bring someone along to meet me I would be happy to accommodate him. However, I am advised that Essex county council is about to embark on a £1 million pilot scheme to introduce energy-saving LED streetlights in six areas of the council. I am sure my hon. Friend will be pleased to hear that, as a result, I am sure, of his campaigning, that includes Colchester.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

The point about LED lights is that not only do they use a very small amount of electricity while generating a lot of light, they last so long and require little maintenance so that they require very few people to tend to them during the life of the light bulb. Has the Minister factored those cost-savings into his calculations?

[Stephen Williams]

The hon. Gentleman makes a very good point. In April, the Campaign to Protect Rural England estimated that councils spend more than £600 million on street lighting, accounting for 30% of their carbon emissions. Tackling the remaining street lights not using LED will reduce carbon emissions and cut the maintenance costs he mentions.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Williams and Philip Hollobone

Monday 25th November 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

3. Whether parish councils are able to draw up a neighbourhood plan if they take a different view from their local planning authority on local planning issues.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Stephen Williams)]

Neighbourhood plans are not simply a re-statement of a local authority’s local plan. Neighbourhood planning gives parish councils, town councils and other community groups a real say over development they want to see in their area. Many communities across England are already developing planning policies on issues that are important to them.

[Mr Hollobone]

I thank the Minister’s colleague the Planning Minister for his recent visit to Broughton in my constituency. The village of Cranford finds itself next to the site on which 5,500 houses are to be built in an area called Kettering East. How might the parish council best protect its village by adopting a neighbourhood plan?

[Stephen Williams]

Obviously, we cannot comment on particular planning developments, but while a neighbourhood plan may deal with the housing issues, it cannot countermand the aspirations of the authority’s local plan. It can differ, however, on how those housing policies can be met.