Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 16 June 2025 to Question 58289 on Planning: Bank Services and Postal Services, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local planning authorities consistently apply National Planning Policy Framework guidance relating to access to (a) banking and (b) postal services.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Policies set out in the National Planning Policy Framework must be taken into account in preparing local development plans and are a material consideration in planning decisions.
Local planning authorities are responsible for implementing these policies, so my Department does not hold detailed information on how they have been considered in respect of specific decisions made at a local level.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 16 June 2025 to Question 58289 on Planning: Bank Services and Postal Services, how her Department monitors whether planning decisions have adequately protected access to (a) banking and (b) post offices in rural communities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Policies set out in the National Planning Policy Framework must be taken into account in preparing local development plans and are a material consideration in planning decisions.
Local planning authorities are responsible for implementing these policies, so my Department does not hold detailed information on how they have been considered in respect of specific decisions made at a local level.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Answer of 16 June 2025 to Question 58289 on Planning: Bank Services and Postal Services, what data her Department holds on the accessibility to banking and postal services in planning applications approved in each of the last five years.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Policies set out in the National Planning Policy Framework must be taken into account in preparing local development plans and are a material consideration in planning decisions.
Local planning authorities are responsible for implementing these policies, so my Department does not hold detailed information on how they have been considered in respect of specific decisions made at a local level.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will publish a breakdown of the sources of the funding increase for social care in 2028-29.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to transforming social care and making tangible improvements in the short term. The Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion available for adult social care in 2028–29 compared to 2025–26.
This includes additional grant funding, growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care, and an increase to the NHS’s contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund, in line with DHSC’s Spending Review settlement.
We will set out further details at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year. The provisional Settlement will be subject to consultation, as in previous years
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much and what proportion of the increased funding for social care in 2028-29 will come from council tax increases.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to transforming social care and making tangible improvements in the short term. The Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion available for adult social care in 2028–29 compared to 2025–26. This includes additional grant funding, growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care such as council tax, and an increase to the NHS’s contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund, in line with DHSC’s Spending Review settlement. We will set out further details at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement.
Council tax levels and the resulting income for services are decided by local authorities each year. The government maintains a referendum threshold so that voters can have the final say over excessive increases. The Spending Review confirmed the government intends to maintain a 3% referendum threshold, with an additional 2% for the adult social care precept, continuing the policy of the previous government. This will be subject to the annual approval of the House of Commons.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that adequate access to (a) banking and (b) postal services is considered during the planning process.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should plan positively for the provision and use of community facilities and other local services to enhance the sustainability of communities and residential environments.
Polices and decisions should also guard against the unnecessary loss of valued facilities and services, particularly where this would reduce the community’s ability to meet its day-to-day needs.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support town and parish councils with the costs of developing Neighbourhood Development Plans.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 55389 on 5 June 2025.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment the potential merits of implementing recommendation 11 of the report by Policy Connect entitled Bricks and Water: Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Policy for a New Government, published on 22 January 2025.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to building the homes the country needs while ensuring they are safe from flooding. The Building Regulations set minimum standards for all new dwellings. Statutory guidance to the Building Regulations in Approved Document C promotes the use of flood resilient and resistant construction in flood prone areas, without placing undue costs onto any properties that do not require further flood resilience measures.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support she is providing to local authorities which own buildings in need of repair due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The issues with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) are longstanding and well known.
All building owners are responsible for managing building safety and performance risks of all kinds in their buildings, including RAAC, in a proportionate, risk-based, and evidence-based manner, and acting where they deem necessary. To do so, they should continue to follow guidance published by the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) to identify, assess, and manage RAAC.
Local authorities are responsible for managing their own budgets and delivering on their responsibilities, including their duty as building owners.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will provide capital funding to support the regeneration of Whitchurch Civic Centre.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I understand the difficulties constituents are facing due to the closure of the building. The building is owned by Shropshire Council. The Council is responsible for managing their own budgets and delivering on their responsibilities. This includes their duty as building owners to assess their buildings and keep them safe. Councils are independent, democratic bodies who are best placed to understand what is needed to deliver local priorities and are accountable to local people.