Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoners in England and Wales were eligible to vote in the general election on 4 July 2024.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Prisoners convicted of a crime and serving a sentence in custody are not allowed to vote in UK Parliamentary elections.
Those imprisoned for default in paying fines or contempt of court, individuals held on remand who are not convicted, and those released on temporary licence or home detention curfew are not legally barred from voting, but they must meet the other eligibility criteria and be registered to vote. The Government does not hold data on how many such individuals there were, nor how many voted in the general election on 4 July 2024.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoners in England and Wales voted in the general election on 4 July 2024.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Prisoners convicted of a crime and serving a sentence in custody are not allowed to vote in UK Parliamentary elections.
Those imprisoned for default in paying fines or contempt of court, individuals held on remand who are not convicted, and those released on temporary licence or home detention curfew are not legally barred from voting, but they must meet the other eligibility criteria and be registered to vote. The Government does not hold data on how many such individuals there were, nor how many voted in the general election on 4 July 2024.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that local nature recovery strategies have sufficient weight in planning given their plans to tackle "blockers".
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) are intended to support local planning authorities in preparing local plans that conserve and enhance biodiversity and the natural environment. Local planning authorities have a legal duty to have regard to the relevant strategy for their area.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their timescale for the next local elections in the devolution areas on the Devolution Primary Programme where the May 2025 local elections have been postponed.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has been clear that our intention is that elections for mayors for the Devolution Priority Areas will be held in May 2026. The election to the county councils of East Sussex, Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and West Sussex and the unitary councils of Isle of Wight and Thurrock will be postponed to take place alongside the Mayoral election in May 2026. Elections to other councils in the Devolution Priority Programme areas are also scheduled to take place in May 2026.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that County Council elections cannot be cancelled for purely partisan political purposes.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government’s starting point is for all elections to go ahead unless there is strong justification for postponement. On 16 December, my colleague, the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, wrote to leaders of all councils in two-tier areas and neighbouring small unitary authorities to set out further detail on our plans for a joint programme of devolution and local government reorganisation. In that letter, he explained that he would only consider requests to postpone elections where it was clear this will help the area to deliver both reorganisation and devolution to the most ambitious timeframe. The Minister is now considering the requests he has received and a decision will be made in due course.
The Minister’s letter of 16 December has been published and can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-government-reorganisation-letter-to-two-tier-areas
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have considered alternative proposals to local government unitarisation put forward by district councils.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Local Government Minister wrote to all councils on the 16 December in two tier areas to set out the arrangements for local government reorganisation, including inviting council leaders to develop unitary proposals that are in the best interests of the whole area, rather than developing competing proposals.
Unitary councils can lead to better outcomes for residents, save significant money which can be reinvested in public services, and improve accountability with fewer politicians who are more able to focus on delivering for residents. The Government’s policy is to facilitate a programme of local government reorganisation.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria they will apply to "small unitary authorities" when assessing whether they will be expected to merge with other authorities.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Minister for Local Government wrote to all councils in two-tier areas and neighbouring small unitaries on publication of the English Devolution White Paper on 16th December to set out his ambitions and expectations in greater detail. In this letter the Minster set out his intention to formally invite unitary proposals in January 2025, and this invitation will set out further detail on the criteria that will be considered when taking decisions on proposals that are submitted to Government.