Written Question
Monday 15th December 2025
Asked by:
Sam Carling (Labour - North West Cambridgeshire)
Question
to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to tackle repeated retrospective planning applications designed to delay enforcement action on projects which have already had permission rejected.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook
- Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, local planning authorities have various powers to decline to determine planning applications. These include the power to decline to determine a retrospective planning application where an enforcement notice has already been issued (section 70C) and the power to decline to determine repeat planning applications (section 70A).
It is for local planning authorities to decide when and how they use these powers.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 25 Nov 2025
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
"Does my hon. Friend therefore agree that cross-border licensing is causing huge enforcement problems, because authorities that are miles away cannot properly investigate such issues?..."Sam Carling - View Speech
View all Sam Carling (Lab - North West Cambridgeshire) contributions to the debate on: English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 25 Nov 2025
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
"I recognise what my right hon. Friend has said. In fact, I carefully drafted this speech to avoid attacking Wolverhampton in any way, because I recognise that the reasons for this situation are complex. That goes to my next point: overstretched councils cannot monitor conditions, let alone enforce them, for …..."Sam Carling - View Speech
View all Sam Carling (Lab - North West Cambridgeshire) contributions to the debate on: English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 25 Nov 2025
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
"I strongly support this Bill and was proud to serve on the Committee. The Bill will deliver an enormous transfer of power out of this place and into our local communities. As a former councillor, I know that trusting local representatives to make decisions about local services and issues leads …..."Sam Carling - View Speech
View all Sam Carling (Lab - North West Cambridgeshire) contributions to the debate on: English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 24 Nov 2025
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
"I am glad that those governance arrangements work, but they sound like a nightmare based on hearing that information. Would the hon. Member not agree again that under one unitary council, there can be much more strategic oversight of such a situation? If local residents are not happy with the …..."Sam Carling - View Speech
View all Sam Carling (Lab - North West Cambridgeshire) contributions to the debate on: English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 24 Nov 2025
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
"I used to be a councillor in an authority that had area committees, and we ended up scrapping them because they were not really doing a good job. Does the hon. Gentleman not agree that mandating particular governance arrangements of that sort and at that level within councils in legislation …..."Sam Carling - View Speech
View all Sam Carling (Lab - North West Cambridgeshire) contributions to the debate on: English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 24 Nov 2025
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
"My hon. Friend is speaking eloquently about the length of time people have been lobbying for this power. I felt that when I was a councillor. Does he agree that the right to request in this Bill will help mayors to identify these issues, and provide a pathway for them …..."Sam Carling - View Speech
View all Sam Carling (Lab - North West Cambridgeshire) contributions to the debate on: English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Written Question
Thursday 5th December 2024
Asked by:
Sam Carling (Labour - North West Cambridgeshire)
Question
to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress her Department has made on improving access to pet friendly properties in the (a) social and (b) private rented sectors.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook
- Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government wants to ensure more tenants can experience the benefits of pet ownership – including the benefits to mental and physical health. Many social landlords set out their pet policies in their tenancy agreements and will allow tenants to keep pets where it is appropriate to do so. Consideration is given to whether the pets can be well looked after and any adverse effects on the lives of neighbours and those living nearby. We encourage all social landlords to adopt similar policies. The circumstances in which pets may be kept is, however, for social landlords to determine locally, taking account of the views of their tenants.
The Renters’ Rights Bill will give private tenants the right to request a pet and ensure that landlords cannot unreasonably withhold consent. Landlords will be required to respond to any requests by a tenant to keep a pet within 28 days, instead of the 42 that had been proposed by the previous Government. Tenants will also be able to challenge unfair decisions by either going to the courts or the new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman.