Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the Elections Bill on the (a) conduct and (b) administration of devolved elections in Wales.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
The measures in the Elections Bill will considerably strengthen the delivery of UK Parliament General Elections and other reserved polls. Devolution means that there are already different arrangements for devolved and reserved elections.
We have been and will continue working closely with the Devolved Administrations, the Electoral Commission and the wider electoral sector across the UK on our plans for implementing the measures in the Bill to provide clarity for voters, administrators and those regulated by electoral law.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department has made on developing (a) a single independent appeals service for motorists in receipt of a private parking charge and (b) an Appeals Charter to protect motorists from charges that are unfair or issued in error.
Answered by Luke Hall
In its response to the parking Code Enforcement Framework consultation in March 2021, the Government announced its intention to implement a series of fairer parking measures which will benefit motorists. These include the creation of a single independent appeals service for motorists to turn to if they receive a private parking charge and an Appeals Charter which will protect motorists from charges that are unfair or issued in error.
On 26 May, the Government announced that it will conduct a further technical consultation on its proposed changes to parking charges, seeking views from motorists, parking operators and landowners on the level of private parking charges, including the Appeals Charter. This will help deliver a fair, proportionate and consistent system across the country. Further details of the consultation, including delivery timescales for the single appeals service, will be announced shortly.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Community Ownership Fund will be opened to applications.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The bidding prospectus, guidance notes and application form for the community ownership fund were published on 15 July and the first bidding round is now open. Applicants will be able to complete the online application form from 30 July and the first bidding round will close on 13 August. There will be future bidding rounds in December 2021 and May 2022.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 of 17 March 2021 to Question 167292 on Levelling Up Fund: Wales, how the Government plans to measure the visible impact of the Levelling Up Fund.
Answered by Luke Hall
The Levelling Up Fund will reflect this Government’s greater emphasis on high-quality evaluation, which is critical to understanding what types of interventions work well in addressing levelling up challenges, through individual projects and across varying spatial scales. The development of a local growth and transport evaluation culture, which promotes sharing learning across the UK, will be an important strand of this work.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 of 17 March 2021 to Question 167292 on Levelling Up Fund: Wales, when his Department last had discussions with representatives of (a) Ceredigion County Council and( b) other local authorities in Wales as part of the Government's ongoing work to support local economic growth in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Luke Hall
The Levelling Up Fund is a competitive fund, with funding distributed to places across the UK on the basis of successful project selection.
The Levelling Up Fund will invest in local infrastructure that will have a visible impact on people and their communities. The Government regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders as part of ongoing work to support local economic growth as we recover from Covid-19.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 had with Welsh local authorities on the design of the Community Renewal Fund.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government has been engaging with key stakeholders on the design and priorities of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund since 2016, including holding a series of engagement events. Our engagement events have taken place across the UK. Over 500 stakeholders attended these events across a variety of sectors, including Welsh local authorities.
We will continue to engage stakeholders as we consolidate policy development for UK Share Prosperity Fund.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 Welsh local authorities on the design of the Levelling Up Fund.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Levelling Up Fund will invest in local infrastructure that will have a visible impact on people and their communities. The Government regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders as part of ongoing work to support local economic growth as we recover from Covid-19.