Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with Birmingham City Council on the devolution of the management of Sutton Park to the Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Ministers meet regularly with external stakeholders. Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly on GOV.UK.
MHCLG is working closely with Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council on the Pride in Place Programme. Through this process, it has been made clear that Sutton Park is a vital and valued local asset. We will continue to work closely with both the Town Council and Birmingham City Council to support the delivery of the programme over the coming years.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with small business owners on the closure of the online filing service to support small, unrepresented businesses with simple tax affairs.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I understand the impact the closure of this service for filing company accounts and tax returns may have on small, unrepresented businesses.
The service is closing because Companies House is modernising its accounts filing requirements under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, passed by the previous government. The current service does not meet these new standards.
The Act forms part of wider reforms designed to strengthen corporate transparency and give Companies House greater powers to tackle economic crime and support economic growth.
Government officials meet regularly with business groups and representatives to discuss issues affecting small businesses. HMRC has engaged directly with users of the service and with representative bodies. They continue to work with Companies House and software providers to support a smooth transition.
HMRC announced the closure of the service in February 2025, giving more than a year for those affected to make other arrangements. At the same time HMRC wrote to those impacted with support on how to transition. HMRC and Companies House will continue to ensure appropriate support is in place for small businesses during the transition.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the closure of the online filing service to support small businesses with simple tax affairs.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I understand the impact the closure of this service for filing company accounts and tax returns may have on small, unrepresented businesses.
The service is closing because Companies House is modernising its accounts filing requirements under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, passed by the previous government. The current service does not meet these new standards.
The Act forms part of wider reforms designed to strengthen corporate transparency and give Companies House greater powers to tackle economic crime and support economic growth.
The closure of the service, which is outdated and incompatible with modern requirements, will also allow HMRC to introduce measures to prevent abuse of the tax system and help close the small business tax gap, which was estimated to be £14.7 billion in the 2023/24 tax year.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with Birmingham City Council on (a) pollution and (b) decreasing biodiversity in Sutton Park.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Sutton Park is both a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a National Nature Reserve.
Natural England (NE) has an ongoing constructive dialogue with Birmingham City Council (BCC), which manages the park, about its management of the park’s important biodiversity. This follows a decline in the condition of the park’s woodland and heathland habitats detected as part of NE’s SSSI monitoring programme.
NE and the Forestry Commission (FC) are advising BCC on improving the management of those habitats. NE is also exploring with BCC opportunities for managing the increased recreational pressure on the park, while also supporting growth of housing in the vicinity of the park.
NE is also engaged with Severn Trent Water on how sewage infrastructure failures can be avoided and any impacts addressed on the wetland and open water areas in Sutton Park. This work forms part of the water company’s five-year Asset Management Programmes agreed with Ofwat.
Actions to improve the site are set out in the West Midlands Combined Authority Local Nature Recovery Strategy. NE will be working with the responsible authority, FC and the Environment Agency to support delivery of those actions.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the number of houses in Sutton Coldfield constituency which will incur council tax surcharges from 2028.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer the member to the answer given to UIN 94638 on 26 November 2025.
The Government has not estimated the number of homes in Sutton Coldfield that will be liable for the new HVCTS.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of neonatal nurses in University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care.
We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve public transport connections in the West Midlands.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The West Midlands Combined Authority will receive almost £2.4bn in Transport for City Region (TCR) funding up to 31/32.
Enabling Mayors in recipient areas to deliver schemes that align with local priorities, the TCR programme provides unprecedented, multi-year, consolidated funding settlements to enhance the local transport networks of some of England’s largest city regions, including investment in public and sustainable transport infrastructure, to help to drive growth and productivity. It is for the Combined Authority to determine how this funding is allocated across the city region in line with local priorities.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much the Boiler Upgrade Scheme paid out for heat pumps in the West Midlands over the past year.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In the financial year 2024/25 the Boiler Upgrade Scheme paid out £14.44 million for heat pumps installed in the West Midlands.
Further details on the number of applications by status, region and technology type, broken down by financial year, are provided in table A1.1A here.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will estimate the number of households with a non-working smart meter in the West Midlands.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department collects data on smart meters not operating in smart mode at a national level. The latest statistics on smart meters in operation across GB are available here:
Energy suppliers are obligated to take all reasonable steps to ensure their customers’ smart meters are operating in smart mode. The Department is continuing to work closely with industry and Ofgem to reduce the proportion of smart meters not operating in smart mode, which has been steadily decreasing. Smart meters not operating in smart mode continue to record energy usage accurately but do not send automatic readings to energy suppliers.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the minimum wage increase on the number of entry level positions that could be replaced by artificial intelligence and automation systems.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out how we will address key labour market challenges and spread opportunity in order to fix the foundations of our economy so we can make the most of the opportunities AI presents. The Government is supporting workforce readiness for AI through a range of initiatives.
When recommending National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates, the Low Pay Commission considers a range of factors influencing the labour market. These include the cost of living, inflation forecasts for April 2026 to April 2027, and the broader economic impact on employment, business competitiveness, and overall market conditions-including developments in technology and artificial intelligence. We are confident that the minimum wage rates will not have a significant impact on employment levels.