Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to increase energy security.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is strengthening energy security by reducing dependency on volatile global fossil fuel markets and delivering a diverse, secure and clean energy system based on renewables and nuclear, backed up by unabated gas supply to be used only when essential.
Delivering the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan will require £40 billion of investment into generation and network projects per year. This includes major upgrades to the electricity grid, expanding the renewable auction process, and speeding up planning decisions to prioritise critical infrastructure.
The Government has also launched Great British Energy, which aims to invest in offshore wind, and provide long term support for carbon capture and hydrogen, while ensuring reliable fossil fuel supply.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support is available for community transport schemes in rural areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the vital role community transport operators play in connecting people with their communities, enabling access to employment, education and other essential services such as healthcare, including in rural areas.
The Department makes up to £3.8 million available each year through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) to community transport operators. An uplift of 60% has been added to BSOG claims for community transport operators until 31 March 2026. This means community transport operators will receive £1.60 for every £1 claimed, reflecting the increased costs faced by the sector.
The Government is also providing over £3 billion for bus services from 2026/27 over the remainder of the spending review period. This includes nearly £700 million per year for local authorities through the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG). The formula used to calculate LABG allocations for 2026/27 onwards includes consideration of the rurality of local areas for the first time, in addition to population size, levels of deprivation, and the extent of existing bus services.
Shropshire Council will be allocated £13.1 million under the LABG from 2026/27 to 2028/29, in addition to the £4.5 million they are already receiving this year. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services can be used in whichever way they wish to deliver better services for passengers, including expanding services and improving reliability. This could include supporting some community transport services.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support older people in rural areas.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to supporting pensioners and ensuring they have financial security and dignity in retirement. The State Pension remains the foundation of our support for pensioners. In April this year, both the basic and new State Pensions will increase by 4.8%, benefitting over 12 million pensioners by up to £575. Our commitment to maintain the Triple Lock throughout this Parliament – helping to raise the value of the State Pension over time – will see pensioners’ yearly incomes rising by up to £2,100.
Pension Credit continues to provide vital financial support for pensioners who, for whatever reason, find themselves on a low income. It does this by guaranteeing a minimum level of income – called the Standard Minimum Guarantee – which will also increase in April by 4.8%, protecting the most vulnerable pensioners.
Crucially, receipt of Pension Credit opens the door to additional support, including Housing Benefit, Council Tax support, help with NHS costs, help with fuel bills, and a free TV licence for those aged over 75. Maximising Pension Credit take-up remains a key departmental priority, which is why we have run the biggest campaign to date across Great Britain encouraging pensioners and their families to check their eligibility and to apply.
Around nine million pensioners in England and Wales with an income of £35,000 or less also receive additional support through the Winter Fuel Payment. Housing Benefit continues to support pensioners who rent, and pensioner homeowners on income-related benefits, including Pension Credit, may receive Support for Mortgage Interest to help with interest on eligible secured loans.
The Household Support Fund remains available for those facing financial hardship, with funding running until March 2026. From April 2026, the new Crisis and Resilience Fund will provide a long-term mechanism for local authorities to support vulnerable households with essential costs such as food and energy.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what action is being taken to support heritage within historic market towns.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Market towns are an important part of our national story. In March of last year, Minister Peacock responded to the Westminster Hall Debate on the Cultural Heritage of Market Towns outlining this importance.
Heritage funding can be accessed for projects in market towns and is administered through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Arms-Length Bodies. The National Lottery Heritage Fund provides grants of £10,000 to £10 million for heritage projects. Similarly, Historic England can provide grants, funding and advice.
In January 2026, the Secretary of State announced nearly £200 million of new heritage funding will be made available over the next 4 years. This includes £60 million for for at risk heritage which provides grants towards repairs and conservation of historic buildings, £41 million for the Heritage Revival Fund which helps communities to take control of and look after local heritage and bring buildings back into public use and £92 million for the Places of Worship Renewal Fund, a new capital scheme to support places of worship.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support affordable housing delivery in rural areas.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework, that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making.
The consultation includes proposals to strengthen support for rural exception sites, which deliver affordable housing to meet local needs in rural areas, and to make it easier for authorities to require affordable housing on smaller sites in rural areas.
The consultation will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.
I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 101017 on 6 January 2026 and to the Written Ministerial Statements made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771) and 28 January (HCWS1283).
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support communities impacted by flooding in South Shropshire constituency.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Government support for communities affected by flooding is assessed on a case-by-case basis depending on the scale and nature of the impact on the affected area.
In the first instance, local authorities are expected to have well-established contingency arrangements in place and therefore be able to support their local communities from within their existing budgets.
The Flood Recovery Framework (the Framework) is typically deployed following severe weather incidents with significant flood impacts across multiple local authority areas.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on the delivery of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee in South Shropshire constituency.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee set out commitments for police forces to implement, by July 2025, and by the end of Parliament. Forces are now delivering on the Guarantee across England and Wales to ensure consistent and high-quality neighbourhood policing, including in South Shropshire.
West Mercia Police now have named, contactable neighbourhood officers, dedicated to addressing local issues. The force guarantees a 72-hour response to neighbourhood queries, provides regular engagement opportunities including beat meetings, maintains up to date online information on neighbourhood policing teams, and has a designated anti-social behaviour lead. These measures ensure a consistent, visible and responsive neighbourhood policing across the area.
Based on their £3,108,283 allocation from the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, West Mercia Police are projected to grow by 51 FTE NHP officers in 2025-26. As at 30 September 2025, West Mercia Police have grown by 36 (FTE) Neighbourhood Policing officers.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to promote police visibility in rural areas.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee has named, contactable officers dedicated to addressing local issues in every neighbourhood, including rural areas.
Forces are ensuring neighbourhood policing teams spend the majority of their time within the areas they serve, delivering visible patrols across communities and engaging directly with residents and businesses.
In addition, forces are increasing targeted patrols in local hotspots, based on demand and intelligence, to provide enhanced visibility and reassurance. This is supported by the commitment to deliver 13,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel by the end of this Parliament, strengthening visible policing across England and Wales, including rural areas.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to support British SMEs in public procurement.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This Government is determined to ensure the £400 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually delivers economic growth and supports British businesses, especially SMEs.
Since coming into office, this Government has published a new, more ambitious, National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) setting out our vision for public procurement. The NPPS requires contracting authorities to consider ways to increase procurement spend with SMEs and Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprises (VCSEs).
We have also introduced changes allowing local councils to reserve over one billion pounds worth of lower value contracts to suppliers based locally or within the UK which has recently become law, a step strongly supported by SMEs.
We will set out further reforms, including the response to the recent public procurement consultation, in due course.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many family hubs there are in a) urban and b) rural areas.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
At present, there are 675 Family Hubs in 88 local authorities funded by the department. Of these, based on the Office of National Statistics classification of Rural and Urban, 627 are based in urban areas and 48 are based in rural areas.
The department has set a clear ambition for 70% of hubs to be in the 30% most disadvantaged areas. From April we will be rolling out hubs nationally, meaning they will be in every local authority.