Asked by: Simon Lightwood (Labour (Co-op) - Wakefield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which local transport authorities (a) applied for and (b) were successful in applying for funding from the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
We are committed to supporting the introduction of 4,000 zero emission buses and achieving an all zero-emission bus fleet across the entire UK. Across the UK, an estimated 3,400 zero emission buses have been funded since February 2020. The ZEBRA scheme will support an estimated 1,342 zero emission buses.
The following local transport authorities have received funding through the ZEBRA scheme:
In October 2021 the Government announced that Milton Keynes Council had been awarded funding from the ZEBRA scheme to introduce 56 electric buses and charging infrastructure. The buses were due to be operated by bus operator Arriva. In November 2022 Arriva informed Milton Keynes Council that they could no longer support the existing ZEBRA proposal. Arriva and Milton Keynes Council then worked to develop revised proposals for the Department to consider. After the reviewing the revised proposals ministers decided not to provide funding to Milton Keynes Council for the project.
The following local transport authorities applied to the ZEBRA scheme but did not receive funding:
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) roads are adequately maintained and (b) potholes are fixed promptly in Weaver Vale constituency.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Weaver Vale constituency straddles two local authority areas, namely Cheshire West and Chester and Halton Borough Council.
Over the three-year period between 2022/23 - 2024/25, the Government is providing over £31.5 million to Cheshire West and Chester Council towards the maintenance of the local highway network in their area through the highways maintenance block (HMB) and the Potholes Fund.
It is up to Cheshire West and Chester how best to spend this funding to fulfil their statutory duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980. The Department encourages good practice in highway maintenance through channels such as the Well Managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice produced by the UK Roads Leadership Group (UKRLG).
Halton Borough Council are a constituent member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA). During the five-year period between 2022/23 - 2026/27, the Government is providing LCRCA with £710 million through their City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS). The funding settlement is for investment in the local transport networks in the Liverpool City Region, as outlined in LCRCA’s business case and delivery plan.
LCRCA received an additional £3.75 million as part of the share of the £200 million announced at Budget 2023.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of solicitors in the Liverpool City Region advising social housing tenants to pursue legal action against landlords rather than escalating issues through the usual channels.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
Ensuring that social housing residents are able to fix their problems is a priority for the Government. Residents should make use of their landlord's complaints process to resolve issues but where that is not sufficient to resolve the problem residents should contact the Housing Ombudsman, which provides free, impartial and independent advice and support. Whilst the Ombudsman can be an alternative to the use of the legal system, in some instances residents may choose to make use of the courts or tribunal to resolve issues.
In response to the tragic case of Awaab Ishak, the Secretary of State wrote to law firms in December last year asking legal bodies to promote the use of the Housing Ombudsman to social housing residents who had concerns about their housing. A copy of that letter is available on gov.uk
If the Hon. Member has some information he would like the Department to examine, I would be grateful if he could send it to my private office.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the £2 bus fare cap beyond June 2023.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government is providing up to £135 million to help bus operators cap single fares at £2 on services in England outside London from 1 January until 30 June. The fare cap is designed to be a short-term intervention and will conclude at the end of June.
We are monitoring its impacts and outcomes of the cap so that we will be in position to understand the changes it has brought on passenger savings, satisfaction, any effect on patronage and bus use. We will be using these results to inform future approaches, policies and interventions to support the bus sector.
The Government is also providing over £1 billion to support the delivery of local Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP), which will include measures to introduce lower bus fares, including local £2 fare caps in places including Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what role they expect to play in the Liverpool Strategic Futures Panel now that it is meeting.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Liverpool Strategic Futures Panel will provide reports to the Secretary of State, which will be published. The Panel is supported by officials from DLUHC and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. A wide range of stakeholders across the Liverpool City Region, including the Commissioners to Liverpool City Council, will be consulted as the Panel develops plans. Further to the answer of Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 23 March 2023, the Panel will meet monthly in private.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the papers and minutes of the meetings of the Liverpool Strategic Futures Panel will be published.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Liverpool Strategic Futures Panel will provide reports to the Secretary of State, which will be published. The Panel is supported by officials from DLUHC and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. A wide range of stakeholders across the Liverpool City Region, including the Commissioners to Liverpool City Council, will be consulted as the Panel develops plans. Further to the answer of Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 23 March 2023, the Panel will meet monthly in private.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the Liverpool Strategic Futures Panel is supported by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has appointed the Mayor of Liverpool Combined Authority, Steve Rotheram, to Chair the Liverpool Strategic Futures Advisory Panel, which is supported by Baroness Judith Blake and Sir Howard Bernstein. It will work with place leaders and stakeholders from across the city region. Officials at DLUHC are providing coordination and analytical support to the Panel during its evidence collection and diagnostic phase.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to require the Governance Boards of (1) Plymouth and South Devon Freeport, (2) Freeport East, and (3) Liverpool City Region freeports, to publish the agendas and minutes of their meetings on their websites on a regular basis.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
English Freeports are required to have robust and effective governance structures in place to manage their operations and deliver on the policy objectives. These requirements are set out in the Full Business Case guidance on Gov.uk and following the submission of a full business case were subject to a thorough appraisal process by government. As part of full government approval, Freeports are required commit to these structures through the agreement of an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and provide evidence of their implementation and good functioning.
Freeports governing bodies must adhere to the Seven Principles of Public Life (the Nolan principles) and commit to appropriate levels of transparency, propriety, and inclusivity with respect to governance. This includes but is not limited to the publication of board papers, minutes, and register of members' interests to ensure any actual or perceived conflicts of interest are recorded and managed appropriately.
Government will monitor this through its performance management and assurance processes, formally set out in a document known as the Freeports Framework. This document sets out what is expected of local authorities and Freeport governing bodies in receipt of government funding and other support to provide UK government, stakeholders, and the public, with assurance that Freeports will be subject to vigorous stewardship and their benefits will be fully realised. More detail on this can be found in the Freeports Annual Report.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussion he has had with local authorities on unclaimed energy rebate vouchers for consumers on prepayment meters.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government published data on Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) prepayment meter voucher redemption at local authority and constituency level on 14 February 2023 .
I called the Mayors of Tees Valley, West Midlands, Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester to ask them to use their local networks to encourage people to locate and redeem their EBSS vouchers and the Government has cascaded information via DLUHC to local authorities. The Mayor of London was unavailable to take a call.
I have also organised drop-in meetings with Hon. Members, and I am writing to them to ask them to take action via their constituency networks.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what funding has been allocated to the six boroughs in the Liverpool City Region since 2010.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Local authorities receive a wide range of grants from multiple government departments to reflect their broad responsibilities. Information on specific grants, including where relevant the amount returned, is held by the department that is responsible for administering the grant.
Core funding for local authorities is available through the local government finance settlement. We measure core funding through ‘Core Spending Power’ which consists of grant funding, redistributed business rates and council tax. It reflects regular, annual funding government makes available to deliver local authorities to deliver key services, both incorporating central grants and locally raised taxation, and allows comparisons across years which ensures a transparent measure of available funding. Due to changes in the function and financing of local government, comparable data on Core Spending Power is not available prior to 2015/16. Allocations back to 2015/16, including provisional allocations for 2023/24 are available here.
| Core Spending Power | ||||||||
Local Authority | 2015 - 16 | 2016 - 17 | 2017 - 18 | 2018 - 19 | 2019 - 20 | 2020 - 21 | 2021 - 22 | 2022 - 23 | 2023 - 24 |
Halton | 104.0 | 100.7 | 102.9 | 105.0 | 106.7 | 113.1 | 116.8 | 125.7 | 137.9 |
Knowsley | 152.5 | 146.3 | 149.3 | 152.3 | 154.5 | 165.0 | 172.3 | 186.8 | 206.7 |
Liverpool | 445.0 | 436.2 | 445.9 | 454.2 | 460.7 | 492.6 | 505.8 | 547.2 | 606.3 |
Sefton | 221.8 | 216.5 | 221.2 | 227.3 | 231.0 | 245.7 | 252.4 | 273.7 | 301.1 |
St Helens | 141.8 | 137.7 | 141.6 | 144.8 | 146.8 | 156.8 | 162.2 | 176.7 | 194.4 |
Wirral | 261.9 | 252.2 | 257.8 | 264.4 | 268.3 | 285.0 | 297.4 | 321.2 | 355.4 |