Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the effect is of the change to planning policy guidance on the provision of permanent pitches for Gypsy and Traveller communities announced by his Department on 31 August 2015 on the obligation on local authorities to make such provision.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The effect of our up-dated policy is that local planning authorities now need to make traveller site provision in their Local Plans only for those travellers who meet the new definition. Anyone from the travelling community who no longer travels will have their planning application considered in the same way as any other member of the settled population. In addition, in exceptional cases, where a local planning authority is burdened by a large-scale unauthorised site that has significantly increased their need, and their area is subject to strict and special planning constraints, then there is no assumption that the local planning authority is required to plan to meet their traveller site needs in full.
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that the planning system applies equally to (a) Gypsies and Travellers and (b) the settled community.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Yes. I will be setting out the Government's response to the consultation shortly.
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to provide that solar panels may not be sited on agricultural land.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
In March, my Department published new planning guidance, which made clear to local planning authorities and planning inspectors the particular factors they should consider in relation to large scale ground mounted solar photovoltaic farms. These include making effective use of brownfield land and steering proposals away from good quality agricultural land. It also underlined the importance of protecting landscape and heritage assets, and the need to address issues such as glint and glare. It can be found online at:
To help focus these developments on brownfield sites, we have been consulting on increasing the amount of solar that can be installed on non-domestic buildings, including commercial roof space without the need for a planning application.
As my rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State (Eric Pickles) stated on 8 September 2014, Official Report, Column 648, we are considering what further steps can be taken.
Although not a planning matter, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has recently announced ending Common Agricultural Policy subsidy payments from land on which solar arrays are hosted, to ensure that farm subsidies support farmers whose primary use of the land is for agriculture and food production.
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much financial support his Department provided to Hope not Hate in each of the last three years; and what steps he takes to prevent the use of such monies for party political campaigning.
Answered by Stephen Williams
‘Hope Not Hate' has not received any financial support from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
This Department provided Searchlight Educational Trust, a registered charity, with a grant of £66,000 in the financial year 2012-13 to establish community partnerships to foster integration in four neighbourhoods.
Following completion of the project, Searchlight Educational Trust changed their name to Hope Not Hate Educational Ltd. We monitored progress with the project closely and are satisfied that the funding for Searchlight Educational Trust was used for purposes outlined in the funding agreement and that no funding was used for party political campaigning. Conditions in the funding agreement prevent funds being spent on political campaigning. Furthermore, an organisation that exists for political purposes would not meet the criteria for charitable status - so we would be unable to award them grant under the Charities Act 2006.
I am aware that it has been claimed that the Department has funded campaigning by Hope not Hate against a certain political party. This is completely untrue.
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much financial support his Department provided to Show Racism the Red Card in each of the last three years; and what controls are in place to prevent the use of such monies for party political campaigning.
Answered by Stephen Williams
The Department for Communities and Local Government provided the following funding to Show Racism the Red Card:
Calendar Year
2012 £52,460
2013 £105,077
2014 £47,427
Total £204,964
We are satisfied that the funding for Show Racism the Red Card was used for purposes outlined in the funding agreement – the provision of education workshops to equip young people with skills to reject the divisive messages of groups like the English Defence League – and that no funding was used for purposes of a political nature. Conditions in the funding agreement prevent funds being spent on anything other than educational work (including a prohibition on any political campaigning) and their status as a charity further preludes them from engaging in political activities.