Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answers of 14 December 2020 to Questions 127499, 127500 and 127501, what steps his Department is taking to support the implementation of the Government's guidance on Celebrating the historic counties of England dated 16 July 2019.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Department for Transport has permitted the use of historic county boundary signs through the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016. Guidance is provided to local authorities in DfT Circular 01/2016 and in Chapter 7 of the Traffic Signs Manual. Decisions on whether to place such signs are for local authorities.
DfT Circular 01/2016 is available at
The Traffic Signs Manual is available at
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-signs-manual
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with (a) Ministers in the Department for Transport and (b) local authority leaders on road signs marking historic county boundaries in line with the Government's guidance on Celebrating the historic counties of England dated 16 July 2019.
Answered by Luke Hall
The historic counties are an important element of our traditions which support the identity and cultures of many of our local communities. The non-statutory guidance of 16 July 2019 is designed to encourage a greater level of activity to celebrate the historic counties by setting out what local authorities can currently do in relation to these activities and referencing the relevant guidance and regulations, . The decision on whether to mark historic county boundaries on road signs is for each local highway authority, or, in the case of the Strategic Road Network, for Highways England, to consider.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the traditional boundary of the County Palatine of Lancaster is extant; and what effect the Local Government Acts (a) 1888, (b) 1929 and (c) 1972 have on that County Palatine in relation to (i) Audenshaw, (ii) Denton, (ii) Reddish, (iv) Heaton Chapel and (v) Heaton Norris.
Answered by Luke Hall
The County Palatine of Lancaster is often seen as the historic county of Lancashire. The historic counties are an important element of our traditions which support the identity and cultures of many of our local communities. The government has been active in promoting the historic counties of our nation as a key element of our heritage and will continue to do so.
No legislation has specifically abolished historic counties, but they do not exist for the purposes of the administration of local government or ceremonial purposes, though historic, administrative and ceremonial boundaries may in some cases be coterminous. All of the areas mentioned in the question are historically within the County Palatine of Lancaster, and are now in the ceremonial county of Greater Manchester and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Stockport and Tameside, and within the area of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, for the delivery of their modern local services.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local authorities on flying and promoting county flags on Historic County Flags day on 23 July 2020.
Answered by Simon Clarke
I am a huge supporter of our historic counties which are an integral part of local identity and belonging. Over the last year or more, we have been active in promoting the role of our historic counties in celebrating the history and traditions of our nation. We will use the opportunity presented by Historic County Flags Day on 23 July to raise their profile once more, but given the wider pressures resulting from the COVID-19 emergency, we envisage any celebrations this year at national and local level will be done virtually or via social media.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he is taking steps to ensure that historic county flags are flown in Parliament square on Historic County Flags day 23 July 2020.
Answered by Simon Clarke
I am a huge supporter of our historic counties which are an integral part of local identity and belonging. Over the last year or more, we have been active in promoting the role of our historic counties in celebrating the history and traditions of our nation. We will use the opportunity presented by Historic County Flags Day on 23 July to raise their profile once more, but given the wider pressures resulting from the COVID-19 emergency, we envisage any celebrations this year at national and local level will be done virtually or via social media.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer or 20 May 2019 to Question 254756 on Historic County Flags Day, whether borough council leaders are also encouraged to engage in local activities to celebrate their historic counties.
Answered by Jake Berry
I would like all councils to celebrate their historic counties, and local events to mark Historic County Flags Day on 23 July would be an excellent way to do that. We will shortly be publishing guidance, a copy of which I sent earlier this year to the leaders of county councils and unitary counties, to help local authorities celebrate their counties’ proud histories and identities, including by celebrating Historic County Flags Day and the flying of Historic County Flags. I am also considering other ways in which we can raise the profile of Historic County Flags Day.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local authorities on flying and promoting county flags on Historic County Flags Day on 23 July.
Answered by Jake Berry
I regularly have discussions with local authorities covering a wide range of issues which can include the celebration of historic counties. To help county council leaders develop local activities to celebrate their historic counties, I issued on 10 April guidance which included a section referring to the County Flags Day on 23 July and provided advice about the flying of Historic County Flags.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from the British Counties Campaign; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jake Berry
During the course of this Parliamentary session we have received four representations about the British Counties Campaign’s proposal for legislation to promote and give special status to the historic counties.
Whilst traditional counties are rightly no longer part of today’s administrative arrangements, which need to reflect where people live and work today, they are an important element of our heritage which supports the identity and cultures of so many of our local communities.
That is why I recently asked my officials to draft new guidance for English local authorities on promoting their traditional county links.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has displayed county flags to commemorate annual county days at its Marsham Street building in 2018.
Answered by James Brokenshire
Commemorating county days forms an important part of our nation’s rich and historic heritage and it is only right that county days should be celebrated by communities across our great nation.
The Department does not routinely display county flags and has not displayed any this year. I am, however, happy to consider individual requests from Hon Members to display county flags for their respective counties, on county days.
The hon Member will be pleased to know my Department amended planning regulations to allow local and county flags to be flown by individuals without planning permission, and published a plain English guide to flying flags.
A copy of the guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flying-flags-a-plain-english-guide.
Asked by: Greg Mulholland (Liberal Democrat - Leeds North West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will undertake a feasibility study of reverting the boundaries of Yorkshire to those prior to the splitting of the region after the Local Government Act 1972.
Answered by Marcus Jones
Whilst the Government recognises the part historic counties can play in our traditions and local heritage across the country, we have no plans to undertake top down studies or reviews of local boundaries. We are ready to have conversations with any area about their proposals for the future governance of that area and the powers and budgets they would like to see devolved to it.