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Written Question
Recreation Spaces
Tuesday 19th September 2023

Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to help to ensure that green space design is included in (a) local and (b) national planning policy guidelines.

Answered by Rachel Maclean

The National Planning Policy Framework states that strategic policies in local plans should set out an overall strategy for the pattern, scale, and design quality of places. This includes making sufficient provision for green infrastructure.

The Framework is clear that local planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space and opportunities for new provision. Information gained from these assessments should be used to determine what open space is needed and local planning authorities, through their local plans, should then seek to accommodate this. Communities can designate land as Local Green Space through local and neighbourhood plans, ensuring green areas of particular importance to them are identified and protected.

Building on what the Framework sets out, the supporting National Design Guide demonstrates how well-designed new development can provide a network of high quality, green open spaces, taking into account how they are to be managed and maintained. In addition, the National Model Design Code provides guidance to local councils on preparing local design codes, which can consider the provision of new and enhanced green space as part of new development, building on existing open space strategies and standards in their local plans.


Written Question
Local Government: Reorganisation
Friday 10th September 2021

Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the number of people who voted for (a) Stronger Somerset and (b) One Somerset in the consultation on proposals for locally-led reorganisation of local government in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset; and if he will publish a breakdown of the number of people who voted in that consultation for proposals for reorganisation in (i) Cumbria and (ii) Yorkshire.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

The summary document that we published on 22 July 2021, available here , sets out the number of people who responded to the consultation, broken down into categories of respondent, and how each category responded to the different questions, specifying the percentage that responded in each way.


Written Question
Unitary Councils: Somerset
Monday 12th July 2021

Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many of the 5000 respondents to the recent consultation on the Somerset local unitary bid supported (a) one Somerset and (b) stronger Somerset.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

On 5 July I said in response to the Hon. Member’s parliamentary questions of 28 June, 29 June and 30 June (UIN 23083, 23084, 24394, 24907) that over 5,000 responses have been received for the consultation on local government reorganisation in Somerset; that the Secretary of State expects to announce his decisions on the Somerset unitary proposals before the summer; and this will be accompanied with a summary of responses to the consultation on local government reorganisation in Somerset. This remains the case.


Written Question
Unitary Councils: Somerset
Monday 5th July 2021

Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the split was and number of votes were for the two options in the Government consultation on the unitary proposals for Somerset; and how many responses there were in total.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

On 27 April I said in response to the Hon Member’s questions of 20 April (UIN 184363, 184364, 184365, 184366, 184367, 184368) that thousands of responses had been received to the consultation on local government reorganisation in Somerset, and that these responses were being analysed. I can now confirm that over 5,000 responses have been received from this consultation on the two proposals for unitary local government in Somerset.

The Secretary of State is now carefully considering the reorganisation proposals for Somerset to decide which, if any, should be implemented, subject to Parliamentary approval. In doing so, he will have regard to all the relevant information available to him, including the results of the local poll, and to all the representations he has received, including representations about the local poll and its conduct.

The Secretary of State expects to announce his decisions on the unitary proposals before the summer along with a summary of consultation responses.


Written Question
Unitary Councils: Somerset
Monday 5th July 2021

Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications of the outcome of the referendum held by the district Councils in Somerset on the matter of unitary authorities.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

On 27 April I said in response to the Hon Member’s questions of 20 April (UIN 184363, 184364, 184365, 184366, 184367, 184368) that thousands of responses had been received to the consultation on local government reorganisation in Somerset, and that these responses were being analysed. I can now confirm that over 5,000 responses have been received from this consultation on the two proposals for unitary local government in Somerset.

The Secretary of State is now carefully considering the reorganisation proposals for Somerset to decide which, if any, should be implemented, subject to Parliamentary approval. In doing so, he will have regard to all the relevant information available to him, including the results of the local poll, and to all the representations he has received, including representations about the local poll and its conduct.

The Secretary of State expects to announce his decisions on the unitary proposals before the summer along with a summary of consultation responses.


Written Question
Local Government: Somerset
Monday 5th July 2021

Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make a statement on the local referendum on the future of local government in Somerset and its outcome.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

On 27 April I said in response to the Hon Member’s questions of 20 April (UIN 184363, 184364, 184365, 184366, 184367, 184368) that thousands of responses had been received to the consultation on local government reorganisation in Somerset, and that these responses were being analysed. I can now confirm that over 5,000 responses have been received from this consultation on the two proposals for unitary local government in Somerset.

The Secretary of State is now carefully considering the reorganisation proposals for Somerset to decide which, if any, should be implemented, subject to Parliamentary approval. In doing so, he will have regard to all the relevant information available to him, including the results of the local poll, and to all the representations he has received, including representations about the local poll and its conduct.

The Secretary of State expects to announce his decisions on the unitary proposals before the summer along with a summary of consultation responses.


Written Question
Local Government: Somerset
Monday 5th July 2021

Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people responded to his Department's consultation on proposals for locally-led reorganisation of local government in Somerset; and where those people live.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

On 27 April I said in response to the Hon Member’s questions of 20 April (UIN 184363, 184364, 184365, 184366, 184367, 184368) that thousands of responses had been received to the consultation on local government reorganisation in Somerset, and that these responses were being analysed. I can now confirm that over 5,000 responses have been received from this consultation on the two proposals for unitary local government in Somerset.

The Secretary of State is now carefully considering the reorganisation proposals for Somerset to decide which, if any, should be implemented, subject to Parliamentary approval. In doing so, he will have regard to all the relevant information available to him, including the results of the local poll, and to all the representations he has received, including representations about the local poll and its conduct.

The Secretary of State expects to announce his decisions on the unitary proposals before the summer along with a summary of consultation responses.


Written Question
Local Government: Somerset
Tuesday 27th April 2021

Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many responses his Department received from people resident outside of Somerset to its consultation on local government reform in Somerset, which closed on 19 April 2021.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

Thousands of responses have been received to the consultation on local government reorganisation in Somerset which closed on Monday 19 April. The Secretary of State will now be carefully considering the reorganisation proposals for Somerset to decide which, if any, should be implemented, subject to Parliamentary approval. In doing so he will have regard to all relevant information available to him, including the representations from the consultation which are now being analysed, and all other representations he has received.

He intends before the summer to announce his decisions on the unitary proposals and publish a summary of consultation responses.


Written Question
Local Government: Somerset
Tuesday 27th April 2021

Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many responses his Department received from people resident in Somerset to its consultation on local government reform in Somerset, which closed on 19 April 2021.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

Thousands of responses have been received to the consultation on local government reorganisation in Somerset which closed on Monday 19 April. The Secretary of State will now be carefully considering the reorganisation proposals for Somerset to decide which, if any, should be implemented, subject to Parliamentary approval. In doing so he will have regard to all relevant information available to him, including the representations from the consultation which are now being analysed, and all other representations he has received.

He intends before the summer to announce his decisions on the unitary proposals and publish a summary of consultation responses.


Written Question
Local Government: Somerset
Tuesday 27th April 2021

Asked by: Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative - Bridgwater and West Somerset)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many responses his Department received to its consultation on local government reform in Somerset, which closed on 19 April 2021, were recorded in favour of Somerset's four district councils' Stronger Somerset proposal.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

Thousands of responses have been received to the consultation on local government reorganisation in Somerset which closed on Monday 19 April. The Secretary of State will now be carefully considering the reorganisation proposals for Somerset to decide which, if any, should be implemented, subject to Parliamentary approval. In doing so he will have regard to all relevant information available to him, including the representations from the consultation which are now being analysed, and all other representations he has received.

He intends before the summer to announce his decisions on the unitary proposals and publish a summary of consultation responses.