Written questions by Mitchell.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the organic food sector in the Midlands

I met with representatives of the English Organic Forum at the Oxford Farming Conference in January this year. The English Organic Forum is a collection of organic-focused organisations that have come together to represent the organic sector across England, which includes the Midlands, and we discussed challenges and opportunities for the organic sector. Defra officials routinely meet with representatives of the organic sector which includes the English Organic Forum and other sector representatives, organic Control Bodies and organic businesses.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help support the wild bird population in the West Midlands.

We are committed to delivering our statutory biodiversity targets which will support the recovery and conservation of wild bird populations. At a local level Defra Group has supported the West Midlands Combined Authority to prepare their Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which was published in October 2025. It sets nature recovery priorities and maps specific proposals for habitat creation and improvement that will support many species including wild birds. Nationally, Government actions to restore and create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat by 2042, along with projects funded through Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme, will support the conservation and recovery of a wide range of bird species. Within the farmland environment, Environment Land Management schemes include actions that provide food, shelter, and nesting habitat for a range of bird species. In addition, to support delivery of our statutory species targets, Defra is developing a detailed Threatened Bird Recovery Plan which aims to improve the coordination and drive the delivery of actions to recover our most threatened bird species.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98739 on Biodiversity and Pollution: Sutton Park, how many meetings have taken place between Natural England and Birmingham City Council on the decline in the condition of the park’s woodland and heathland habitats since 1 January 2024.

Natural England has had 12 face to face meetings since 1 January 2024 with Birmingham City Council, with ongoing dialogue in between meetings. Natural England would be happy to meet with the Rt Hon Member and discuss.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98739 on Biodiversity and Pollution: Sutton Park, what discussions she has had with Birmingham City Council on additional funds to support (a) biodiversity and (b) reducing pollution in Sutton Park since that Council issued a Section 114 notice in September 2023.

Natural England has discussed the following options for funding with Birmingham City Council to support biodiversity and pollution reduction; Severn Trent Water’s 5-year funded Asset Management Programme, future utilisation of agri-environment scheme funding, options for council designed and implemented ‘developer funded’ scheme, and the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Local Investment in Natural Capital (LINC) Programme.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98739 on Biodiversity and Pollution: Sutton Park, what housing developments in the vicinity of Sutton Park have been discussed between DEFRA officials and Birmingham City Council.

I am not aware of discussions between Defra officials and Birmingham City Council.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98739 on Biodiversity and Pollution: Sutton Park, whether additional monitoring is in place to ensure that the recommendations from Natural England and the Forestry Commission are being implemented.

Natural England is in regular dialogue with Birmingham City Council, Severn Trent Water and other partners to review progress with the implementation of its recommendations relating to the condition of Sutton Park SSSI. This is in addition to its condition assessment programme, which monitors the status of the site’s habitat features. Natural England officials would be happy to offer a meeting with the Rt Hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield to discuss Sutton Park SSSI, its management, and the pressures affecting its condition in more detail, should that be helpful. The approved woodland management plan for Sutton Park includes the requirement for the author of the plan to review progress against site objectives after five years, including objectives to support the recovery and resilience of the woodlands. In addition, the Forestry Commission operate a risk-based inspection regime of approved management plans, which considers the scale and environmental sensitivity of woodland sites. Under this approach, sites such as Sutton Park are more likely to be selected for inspection.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce concentrations of fine particulate matter in the Birmingham City Council area.

Birmingham City Council is responsible for reviewing and assessing air quality in its area. The 2025 Birmingham Air Quality Annual Status Report notes continued action to reduce PM2.5 through implementation of the Birmingham Clean Air Zone, fleet renewal and retrofit of buses and taxis, promotion of active travel, traffic management and anti-idling enforcement. The Council is also reducing emissions from domestic solid fuel burning through smoke control enforcement and public awareness, and works with Defra supported monitoring and modelling to track PM2.5 trends and inform further targeted interventions. The Council continues to work with Defra, DfT, the West Midlands Combined Authority and partners to identify new measures to reduce pollution.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98739 on Biodiversity and Pollution: Sutton Park, what official guidance has been issued by the Forestry Commission to Birmingham City Council on improving the management of Sutton Park.

The Forestry Commission has approved a Felling Licence based on a management plan, which includes permissions for both thinning and conditional felling, alongside 4.99 hectares of heathland restoration. This plan was approved for a 10-year period in September 2025 and will remain in effect until 14 September 2035. The management plan sets out the following environmental objectives:Manage woodlands towards the recovery of positive conditions on “Plantations on Ancient Woodlands” (PAWS) and “Site of Special Scientific Interest” (SSSI) through a mix of active planting and natural regeneration.Promote good health and resilience of woodlands, diversifying age class and species composition using conventional and continuous cover forestry.Manage priority habitat by cutting back undesirable scrub and regeneration.Promote habitat connectivity by managing rides, footpaths, and edge woodlands.Increase fauna and flora diversity through retention of veteran trees, standing deadwood, brash piles, and targeted thinning. The management plan aims to ensure that Sutton Park’s woodlands are managed sustainably, enhancing biodiversity and supporting the long-term resilience of these important habitats. All of the above is in-line with the Government’s UK Forest Standard.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98739 on Biodiversity and Pollution: Sutton Park, what recent discussions her Department has had with Severn Trent on how sewage infrastructure failures can be avoided in Sutton Park.

The most recent discussion Natural England has had with Severn Trent regarding how sewage infrastructure failures can be avoided in Sutton Park was a meeting on 13 November 2025 in conjunction with the Environment Agency. This discussion was part of ongoing discussions regarding Severn Trent's commitment within the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) to investigate the sources and impacts of water pollution at Sutton Park. The next meeting is due on 21 January 2026. Natural England has noted that the number of serious incidents has reduced (from four in 2021 to two in 2025). Severn Trent has recently employed a new Ranger to support this work. However, there is still more work to reduce incidents. We will continue to work with Severn Trent alongside the Environment Agency to ensure Severn Trent delivers its commitments within the WINEP.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98739 on Biodiversity and Pollution: Sutton Park, on what date a decline in the condition of the park’s woodland and heathland habitats was first detected as part of Natural England's Site of Special Scientific Interest monitoring programme.

The woodland feature has been recorded as unfavourable since 2012, and was first identified as declining in the condition assessment published in March 2025. The heathland feature has been unfavourable since 2000, and was first identified as declining in September 2012. For both habitats, prior to their being recorded as unfavourable declining, they had previously been considered as unfavourable recovering. Unfavourable condition means that the habitat is not meeting its definition of favourable condition, and ‘recovering/declining’ indicates whether the management of on and off-site pressures will enable the habitat to become favourable.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 98739 on Biodiversity and Pollution: Sutton Park, what steps her Department has taken since the decline in the condition of the park was first detected.

Natural England (NE) and the Forestry Commission are working with Birmingham City Council (BCC) to review on-site management to address the decline in habitat condition. This includes: improved grazing; addressing scrub and bracken encroachment; management of invasive species; increased woodland thinning; and visitor management. NE also provided a detailed response to BCC’s 2025 consultation on its Sutton Park National Nature Reserve management plan, which identifies the key objectives and actions for managing the Park. NE is also discussing with BCC future funding support through agri-environment schemes and other sources.NE is working with BCC and other neighbouring Local Planning Authorities to influence strategic development and transport plans to ensure housing needs are met while protecting the habitats of the Site of Special Scientific Interest from recreational pressure and air pollution. NE and the Environment Agency continue to work with Severn Trent Water to address pollution risks from sewage infrastructure as part of the Water Industry Natural Environment Programme. The recently published West Midlands Combined Authority Local Nature Recovery Strategy recognises the importance of Sutton Park, both for nature and for people. Actions identified in the Strategy, both within the Park and the wider area, will also support habitat recovery in the Park.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support hedgehog conservation initiatives in the West Midlands.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) are being prepared by responsible authorities to agree on priorities that help nature recover and support species of local and national importance. Responsible authorities are required to consider national environmental objectives when preparing their LNRS, including the target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030. The West Midlands LNRS was published recently and maps specific proposals for habitat creation and improvement to support species such as hedgehogs. Nationally, Natural England is supporting the National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy and the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme. Information gathered from these projects will provide insights into the factors contributing to hedgehog population decline, leading to the implementation of practical conservation measures to address this challenge.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with Birmingham City Council on (a) pollution and (b) decreasing biodiversity in Sutton Park.

Sutton Park is both a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a National Nature Reserve. Natural England (NE) has an ongoing constructive dialogue with Birmingham City Council (BCC), which manages the park, about its management of the park’s important biodiversity. This follows a decline in the condition of the park’s woodland and heathland habitats detected as part of NE’s SSSI monitoring programme. NE and the Forestry Commission (FC) are advising BCC on improving the management of those habitats. NE is also exploring with BCC opportunities for managing the increased recreational pressure on the park, while also supporting growth of housing in the vicinity of the park. NE is also engaged with Severn Trent Water on how sewage infrastructure failures can be avoided and any impacts addressed on the wetland and open water areas in Sutton Park. This work forms part of the water company’s five-year Asset Management Programmes agreed with Ofwat. Actions to improve the site are set out in the West Midlands Combined Authority Local Nature Recovery Strategy. NE will be working with the responsible authority, FC and the Environment Agency to support delivery of those actions.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle harm to pollinators in the West Midlands.

Pollinators are an essential part of our environment and play a crucial role in food production. Following the conclusion of our National Pollinator Strategy in 2024, we will be designing and delivering a refreshed Pollinator Action Plan, that sits underneath our broader Environmental Improvement Plan. This will set out key actions for pollinators across every area in England, including the West Midlands.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding from tree planting schemes has been granted to the West Midlands in each of the last five years.

The Government is working towards the statutory target to reach 16.5% tree canopy and woodland cover in England by 2050. Defra and the Forestry Commission are funding a significant package of grants and supporting activity across England to increase tree coverage. Tree-planting is demand-led from applicants from across England and we do not collate this information by area. As part of the tree planting programme Defra provides funding to the National Forest Company and the Community Forests. A breakdown covering the last five years for the amount paid by Defra to the Forest of Mercia (the Community Forest falling within the West Midlands) and the funding provided by Defra to the National Forest Company that has been directed to tree planting schemes in Staffordshire (the only West Midlands county falling within the National Forest) can be found below. YearForest of Mercia (£)National Forest Company – Staffordshire (£) 2020/21163,197118,4182021/22305,010720,1702022/23543,069319,3772023/24607,390548,7012024/25894,722580,943Total2,513,3882,287,608 NB. Total may not match sum of individual years due to rounding to nearest whole number.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of measures in place to tackle fly-tipping in the West Midlands.

No specific assessment of the effectiveness of measures to tackle fly-tipping in the West Midlands has been made. However, local authorities are required to report the number of fly-tipping incidents and enforcement actions to Defra, this data is published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england. This excludes the majority of private-land incidents. Local authorities have a range of enforcement powers to tackle fly-tipping. These include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, vehicle seizure and prosecution action which can lead to a significant fine or even imprisonment. We encourage councils to make good use of these powers, and we are taking steps to develop statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance to support councils to consistently and effectively exercise their powers.  This government has also announced a review of their powers to seize and crush vehicles of suspected fly-tippers to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool. Defra will continue to work with stakeholders through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, such as the National Farmers Union, local authorities and police, to promote and disseminate good practice on tackling fly-tipping.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to clear up water ways in the West Midlands.

Navigation authorities are responsible for keeping their waterways clear of obstacles, rubbish, aquatic plant overgrowths, and any other impediments to ensure safety of navigation for users. They also work closely with the relevant authorities in responding to pollution incidents; an example of this was the Canal and River Trust working with the Environment Agency and others to deal with a serious pollution incident in the Walsall Canal in August 2024. More widely in the West Midlands in 2024/25 the Environment Agency’s Water Industry National Environment Programme included over 160 actions aimed at improving sewage treatment works and storm overflow discharges to improve water quality and over 100 actions aiming to prevent deterioration of water quality. There is also a continued focus on the impact of agriculture on our rivers, with more than 400 farm inspections conducted by the Environment Agency across the West Midlands in 2024/25. In 2024/25, £1.9m of Water Environment Improvement Fund money was invested in the West Midlands. Through partnerships, 29 projects were delivered improving or enhancing 15km of watercourse and more than 110 hectares. These projects covered rural land management, urban communities, and habitats and priority species including Atlantic Salmon, Trout, and White-Clawed Crayfish.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase biodiversity in the West Midlands.

Improving biodiversity is a key objective for the Government, and we are taking action to deliver on our legally binding biodiversity targets on species abundance, species extinction, and habitat creation and restoration. These targets, alongside other statutory targets on tree canopy and woodland cover, water and air quality, marine protected areas, and resource efficiency, will drive action for nature recovery. The West Midlands Combined Authority is the responsible authority for preparing the West Midlands Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which will agree priorities for nature recovery in the area and identify and map the best locations for action to be taken to benefit nature and the wider environment. Defra has provided funding to responsible authorities to prepare their strategies, as well as dedicated advice and support from Natural England, the Environment Agency, and the Forestry Commission.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take with local authorities to reduce the amount of plastic pollution in public parks.

Local councils are usually best placed to respond to littering problems, as their response can be tailored to the local community. They have a range of enforcement tools at their disposal including fixed penalty notices and prosecution. We are reviewing how we can further support local authorities to tackle these issues. We have also taken steps to tackle commonly littered plastic items such as disposable vapes. The sale of single-use vapes will be banned from 1 June 2025. This will help to tackle a huge and growing stream of hard-to-recycle waste and litter, with nearly 5 million thrown away every week. Plastic drinks containers are also covered as part of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) that will go live in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027. The DRS will introduce a redeemable deposit on single-use in-scope drinks containers which can be claimed back by customers when the empty container is returned. This will reduce litter, increase recycling rates, create high quality recyclate for producers, and promote a circular economy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the recycling rates in Birmingham in 2022-23.

The percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting for Birmingham City Council in 2022-23 was 22.9 per cent. Waste and recycling statistics including household recycling rates are published annually for all local authorities in England here.