Contributions
445 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillThe Minister kindly said that she would write to me about funding, but I had two other related questions. First, will all authorities be able to say, “I want to be a foundation…20 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I declare my interest as a councillor in central Bedfordshire. This group of amendments on Clause 2 concerns the areas of competence afforded to strategic authorities…20 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, we have had an interesting day debating the Bill. I think there is universal agreement across the Committee that devolution is desirable and that local areas having…20 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillThe noble Lord, Lord Wilson, and my noble friend Lady Scott have stolen my first line about the size of this group; that is largely down to the structure of the Bill, which has…20 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I am grateful to all noble Lords who have spoken on this group. What has emerged quite clearly is that there is a huge desire across the Committee for a proper…20 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillBefore the Minister sits down, I want to clarify one of the statements she made. This is a devolution Bill. She implied that she wants clarity that all functions are done at the…20 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I speak on this group of amendments concerning Clause 3, which addresses the creation of single foundation strategic authorities. The amendment in my name and that of my…20 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill20 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, before I speak to these amendments, I have a point of clarification: I believe that my noble friend Lord Parkinson was referring to Bristol, not Ipswich. The amendments…20 Jan 2026HANSARDBuilding Safety Regulator (Establishment of New Body and Transfer of Functions etc.) Regulations 2026I am sorry, but I am going to take slightly longer on this SI, because this is a really important issue. We have a housing crisis and a safety crisis in the UK, and we need to get…15 Dec 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I declare my interest as a councillor in central Bedfordshire and a local government pensioner. I extend my thanks to the Minister for the time that she has given noble…08 Dec 2025HANSARDGateway 3 New-build ApplicationsMy Lords, we have seen a significant drop in the delivery of housing starts in London. Have the Government analysed the impact of delays in and the uncertainty of the BSR process…03 Dec 2025HANSARDDomestic Abuse: Emergency AccommodationMy Lords, Labour pledged fairness and protection for domestic abuse victims, yet refuges are shutting, councils are financially stretched and housing delivery plans are years away…26 Nov 2025HANSARDFair Funding ReviewI thank the Minister for her Answer. Additional housing and commercial property come at a cost to councils in both capital and revenue terms, and more than that raised by the…24 Nov 2025HANSARDFair Funding ReviewTo ask His Majesty’s Government how the pressures on local authorities to deliver additional housing and employment growth are factored into the Fair Funding Review.24 Nov 2025HANSARDWater and Sewerage Companies: Statutory ConsulteesMy Lords, does the Minister agree that water and sewerage companies and undertakings should fully engage with local plans and spatial development strategies as statutory…20 Nov 2025HANSARDInfrastructure Planning (Business or Commercial Projects) (Amendment) RegulationsMy Lords, as the noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, said, there is a certain amount of logic in adding data centres to the list of projects that may be taken through the nationally…18 Nov 2025HANSARDInfrastructure Planning (Business or Commercial Projects) (Amendment) RegulationsThe Minister may have been coming on to this, so I apologise if I have butted in too quickly. It was not just the quantum of energy; it was the cost of energy, and this is very…18 Nov 2025HANSARDInfrastructure Planning (Business or Commercial Projects) (Amendment) RegulationsI am probably stretching my licence here, but the Minister talked about removing restrictions on wind power. Might her colleagues in DESNZ be looking at moving some of the…18 Nov 2025HANSARDPlanning and Infrastructure BillMy Lords, I thank my noble friend Lady Hodgson for her constructive engagement throughout the passage of this Bill, her close attention to its detail and her ambition to improve…03 Nov 2025