Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that (a) developers in Greater Manchester adhere to their obligations under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and (b) section 106 funding is used for women’s sports amenities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that access to high-quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity is important for the health and well-being of communities. The Framework sets out that planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities and opportunities for new provision, which plans should then seek to accommodate.
Local planning authorities can use planning obligations, entered into under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended), to help mitigate the impact of a specific development to make it acceptable in planning terms. This could include, for example, requiring a developer to contribute towards the provision of public infrastructure such as sports facilities where this is necessary to make an otherwise unacceptable development acceptable. This will depend on the specifics of the development and is a matter for local decision makers.
The government is clear that developers must deliver on their planning obligations. Section 106 planning obligations are legal agreements, and a local planning authority may take enforcement action in respect of any breach of the obligations contained within them. Enforcement is at the discretion of the local planning authority, and therefore it is for the local planning authority to decide whether enforcement action is appropriate in each case.
The government is committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure section 106 funding is being used by councils in Greater Manchester to increase revenue for sports facilities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that access to high-quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity is important for the health and well-being of communities. The Framework sets out that planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities and opportunities for new provision, which plans should then seek to accommodate.
Local planning authorities can use planning obligations, entered into under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended), to help mitigate the impact of a specific development to make it acceptable in planning terms. This could include, for example, requiring a developer to contribute towards the provision of public infrastructure such as sports facilities where this is necessary to make an otherwise unacceptable development acceptable. This will depend on the specifics of the development and is a matter for local decision makers.
The government is clear that developers must deliver on their planning obligations. Section 106 planning obligations are legal agreements, and a local planning authority may take enforcement action in respect of any breach of the obligations contained within them. Enforcement is at the discretion of the local planning authority, and therefore it is for the local planning authority to decide whether enforcement action is appropriate in each case.
The government is committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support veterans into suitable employment in Greater Manchester.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Employment support from the Ministry of Defence is available to veterans in Greater Manchester, including the Career Transition Partnership, which can be accessed two years before and two years after leaving Service. In the last year, 88% using this service secured employment within six months. Op ASCEND, available two years after leaving, has helped support over 5,000 veterans and family members into sustainable careers.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
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 ensure the Modern Service Framework for cardiovascular disease will (a) reduce disability caused by stroke and (b) improve the lives of stroke survivors living with poor health or a disability post-stroke.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
To accelerate the Government’s ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease modern service framework (CVD MSF) in 2026. The CVD MSF will consider approaches to reducing poor health and disability caused by heart disease and stroke.
The Department and NHS England are working together to deliver the CVD MSF and are engaging widely throughout its development to ensure that we prioritise ambitious, evidence-led and clinically informed approaches to prevention, treatment, and care. At the heart of this is engagement with people and communities, so that the modern service framework is shaped by and meets their needs. We will say more on these plans in due course.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a stroke team within his Department.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving the outcomes for patients who suffer from a stroke. The teams responsible for the policy and delivery of services related to strokes within the Department and NHS England work closely together.
Subject to Parliament passing the primary legislation that will transfer most of NHS England’s functions to the Department, there will be further opportunities to consider how the future Department can best support patients suffering from a stroke.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of parking facilities for HGV drivers in the North West.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The National Survey of Lorry Parking, which was published on 29 September 2022, is the Department for Transport’s primary evidence base on the availability of HGV parking facilities. The survey showed an average shortage across England of around 4,500 HGV parking spaces for the month of March 2022 and identified driver concerns with the quality of welfare facilities and security of lorry parks.
The Survey recorded 37 on site lorry parking facilities in the North West with a utilisation rate of 80%.
The HGV Parking Matched Funding Grant Scheme (MFGS) was launched in 2022 to fund investment in: HGV driver welfare facilities, lorry parking provision, site security, and decarbonisation. The scheme is supporting operators across 30 counties in England, including the North West.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will consider mandating the allocation of sites for HGV parking as part of the conditions for consent for larger infrastructure projects.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government takes the view that it is for the relevant Secretary of State to decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether conditions relating to HGV traffic movement or the provision of HGV parking should be attached when granting development consent for nationally significant infrastructure projects.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to increase access to EV charging points.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable and accessible charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle (EV). As of 1 October 2025, the Government and industry have supported the installation of 86,021 publicly available charging devices (including 17,354 rapid charging devices), an increase of 23% year on year.
The £381 million Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund will support the installation of over 100,000 further local chargers, ensuring the rollout continues at pace to support drivers across the country.
The Department is also working with local authorities to encourage the use of cross-pavement solutions and on the 13 July, announced the £25 million Electric Vehicle Pavement Channel grant.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the (a) accessibility and (b) effectiveness of grants for people who (i) have purchased used electric vehicles and (ii) cannot afford new electric vehicles.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is fully committed to supporting the uptake of zero emission vehicles (ZEVs), including used vehicles. We’re investing over £4.5 billion to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to electric vehicles (EVs). This includes several grants for ZEVs and charging infrastructure.
In July the Government announced a £63 million package to support the rollout of EV charging infrastructure. This included a £25 million scheme to help local authorities install cross-pavement charging technology. This will provide access to cheaper household energy rates, allowing EV drivers to save up to £1,500 a year compared to running a petrol or diesel car.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on increasing EV charging infrastructure initiatives in under-served (a) urban and (b) rural areas.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Government’s £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund allocated capital and resource funding across all higher tier local authorities (LAs) in England, to ensure chargepoint rollout across the country including in under-served urban and rural areas. LAs with a higher proportion of residents in rural areas received a higher proportional allocation. This builds on rollout to date, with the number of publicly available charging devices in rural areas of England increasing by 45% in 2024.
To further address gaps in infrastructure and make it easier for those without a driveway to charge at home, Government also announced a new £25 million grant for local authorities in England to install electric vehicle pavement channels in July. Funding can be used in both urban and rural areas.