Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the land use framework will support sustainable food production on farms.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Land Use Consultation launched this year was underpinned by analysis of land use change for nature restoration and other objectives. This included analysis of potential spatial distributions of change to 2050, taking account of land’s suitability for food production.
Alongside the formal consultation, Defra ran and participated in several different engagement events across England to ensure that farmers’ and food producers’ views were heard. The Department led six regional workshops and regional focus groups, supported five regional workshops run by external organisations, and attended several wider meetings, conferences and discussions.
When published, the Land Use Framework will set out the evidence, data and tools needed to help safeguard our most productive agricultural land.
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 his Department is taking to help support households that are off the (a) gas and (b) electricity grid to improve their energy efficiency.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We expect transitioning to clean heat will involve installing a heat pump for most off-gas-grid properties as these are cost-effective, proven technologies. The government has announced measures to support consumers with heat pump installations.
The government recognises heat pumps may not be a feasible option for all properties and we are committed to ensuring that there is the right solution for every household. Other low carbon heating technologies are available and the governments offers grants of £5,000 for biomass boilers under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Research is underway to collect data on the costs of different approaches to decarbonising the most complex housing archetypes.
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 support his Department plans to provide through the Plan for Neighbourhoods to (a) towns and (b) villages in South Shropshire constituency.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 25 September the government announced the Pride in Place Programme, supporting 244 of Great Britain’s most in need neighbourhoods with up to £20 million each over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this government’s support for communities, incorporating the existing 25 trailblazer areas announced at Spending Review and the 75 Plan for Neighbourhoods programme areas that were announced in March.
New areas across England were selected using a robust, metrics-based methodology based on deprivation (the Index of Multiple Deprivation) and community need (the Community Needs Index) to identify areas with the poorest social and economic outcomes. The Pride in Place strategy sets out how this government will support all places throughout the UK, with communities given new tools and powers to shape their neighbourhoods in a way that is truly reflective of local need. We want to make it as easy as possible for communities in places such as South Shropshire to make the changes they want to see, acknowledging that local people are best placed to understand local priorities.
The full list of areas and place selection methodology was published and is set out on gov.uk here.
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 funding is available for community ownership projects.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to supporting community ownership and empowering local people to take control of valued community assets.
As part of the forthcoming English Devolution Bill, this government will legislate to introduce a new Community Right to Buy. This will enable communities to acquire assets such as empty shops, pubs, and community spaces when they come up for sale, helping to bring them back into community use and tackle the issue of vacant premises on high streets.
In addition, the government has launched the Pride in Place programme, which will invest up to £5 billion over ten years, supporting 244 places across the United Kingdom. Community ownership projects such as youth clubs, libraries, community grocers, cultural venues, and health and wellbeing services will be eligible for support where they align with the needs and ambitions of local communities.
We have also launched the Pride in Place Impact Fund, with £150 million to invest in up to 95 communities, helping to rebuild community pride in local areas. One of the objectives is to support community spaces; creating, extending, improving or refurbishing existing community facilities and enabling community organisations to take control or ownership of underused but valued local assets.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help support (a) high streets and (b) town centres in South Shropshire constituency.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This Department is committed to support constituencies like South Shropshire grow their high streets and town centres. Our Plan for Small Businesses sets out how government will work across departments to tackle high street decline.
This year 500 towns including Ludlow and Bridgenorth developed local plans, as part of the Safer Streets Summer, to develop bespoke local action plans with police, businesses and local councils to crackdown on crime on the high street.
SMEs on the high street will also benefit from the new tools to unlock access to finance, action to address late payments and regulatory costs, improve digital adoption and create easier pathways to business support through the Business Growth Service.
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 assessment he has made of the adequacy of support for community land projects.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognises that the community-led housing sector delivers a wide range of benefits including strengthening community participation in local decision-making, engendering community cohesion, achieving high quality design and strengthening the co-operative economy.
In March, we announced a £20m 10-year social finance investment to provide capital finance for community-led housing, which is expected to directly support the construction of more than 2,500 new homes over the next decade. These housebuilding projects will be led by communities to specifically address local needs in their area.
The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December strengthened support for community-led housing, including through changes to the size limit on community-led exception sites and a broadening of the definition of organisations able to deliver community-led housing.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the number of police forces.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is committed to addressing the strategic challenges policing faces. We specifically recognise the problems around fragmentation and resultant inefficiencies across the 43 police forces, which many police system leaders have highlighted.
The policing system must be equipped to serve the public effectively and to make efficient use of its funding and resources. This is why the Home Office will publish a White Paper on police reform later this year. It will include a comprehensive package of reforms to policing in England and Wales that will drive quality, consistency and efficiency.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) financial and (b) legal support has been made available for local nature recovery strategies.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) were established by the Environment Act 2021. Responsible authorities must follow the LNRS regulations and have regard to LNRS statutory guidance when preparing the LNRS for their area.
Over FY23/24 and FY24/25, Defra provided a total of £14 million to responsible authorities to prepare LNRSs.
Further funding has been made available to responsible authorities in the current financial year to support their transition to leading and coordinating delivery of the LNRS for their area.
Defra and Arm’s Length Bodies have provided advice to responsible authorities to help them prepare their LNRS but have not provided direct legal support to individual responsible authorities.
Responsible authorities are able to use the funding they have been provided to obtain legal support if they choose to do so.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of extending permitted development rights on farm productivity.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Government’s commitment to farming and food security remains steadfast, which is why the government is investing £2.7 billion a year into sustainable food production and nature’s recovery, with funding for our Environmental Land Management schemes increasing by 150%. Our recent food strategy publication committed to a joined-up approach across the food system to supporting healthy resilient and sustainable food production.
Planning reforms are one of several levers the government is using to support farmers. As part of this, Defra hosted a series of planning reform roundtables in June, led by Minister Zeichner, to discuss planning issues affecting farmers and is now considering the feedback.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking as part of the Valour programme to support veterans in South Shropshire constituency.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
This Government remains committed to delivering on our manifesto promise to ensure that veterans in South Shropshire and across the country achieve the recognition, support and opportunities they deserve.
That is why we recently launched VALOUR, our commitment to establish the first-ever UK-wide approach to veteran support. This will be an institutionally resilient system that will reform the system at the local, the regional, and the national level, ensuring that support is available across the country, and that it is tailored to the needs of veterans in the communities where they live.
The VALOUR pilot was launched on 26 June 2025, in partnership with Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire, and will help to develop a blueprint to roll out VALOUR across the country next year.
Details regarding the VALOUR development funding will be released in the coming months. Existing organisations throughout South Shropshire will be able to apply for this funding and, if successful, will be recognised as a VALOUR support centre. This process will recognise existing best practice in local communities, while maintaining agility and flexibility across the sector.
I would ask the hon. Member to encourage organisations and veterans in your constituency to sign up for updates and to register their interest in taking part in future surveys or focus groups on VALOUR. This collaborative approach will ensure that this service works for those who need it. More information is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/valour-information-and-next-steps