Written questions by Wilkinson.

Communities and Local Government, what her Department's policy is on the transfer of assets from upper tier authorities to town and parish councils as part of the devolution process.

We strongly encourage all local authorities to involve their town and parish councils in their plans to ensure that their contribution to local public services is recognised in future arrangements. Town and parish councils can work with other tiers of local government to determine how they can best serve their communities in their area, including by making local agreements regarding the transfer and management of assets.The power to create and restructure town and parish councils is devolved to principal local authorities, which can review and make changes to local governance arrangements through Community Governance Reviews. In doing so, they are expected to take the views of local people into account. Plans to establish Town or Parish Councils in response to reorganisation should show how these will contribute to reorganisation’s overall goal of creating simpler structures that deliver high quality and sustainable public services to citizens.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has a policy on the creation of new town and parish councils as part of the devolution process.

We strongly encourage all local authorities to involve their town and parish councils in their plans to ensure that their contribution to local public services is recognised in future arrangements. Town and parish councils can work with other tiers of local government to determine how they can best serve their communities in their area, including by making local agreements regarding the transfer and management of assets.The power to create and restructure town and parish councils is devolved to principal local authorities, which can review and make changes to local governance arrangements through Community Governance Reviews. In doing so, they are expected to take the views of local people into account. Plans to establish Town or Parish Councils in response to reorganisation should show how these will contribute to reorganisation’s overall goal of creating simpler structures that deliver high quality and sustainable public services to citizens.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of local government reorganisation on the (a) delivery of and (b) funding for (i) leisure and sports services and (ii) culture and arts.

The funding of local cultural services and organisations is a matter for individual councils, but the Government strongly supports their doing so, not least because of the significant economic, social, and wellbeing benefits cultural organisations deliver. As set out in the Government’s guidance on proposals for local government reorganisation, areas should consider issues of local identity and cultural and historic importance in working up plans that are in the best interests of the whole area.The final Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government in England, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. This above-inflation increase demonstrates the Government’s commitment to supporting local authorities. The majority of this funding is not ring-fenced, so councils can consider how best to balance their local priorities.

Media and Sport, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of local government reorganisation on funding of arts, culture and leisure facilities.

The funding of local cultural services and organisations is a matter for individual local authorities, but the Government strongly supports their doing so, not least because of the significant economic, social, and wellbeing benefits cultural organisations deliver. The final Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. This above-inflation increase demonstrates the Government’s commitment to supporting local authorities. The majority of this funding is not ring-fenced, so local authorities can consider how best to balance their local priorities. As set out in the Government’s guidance on proposals for local government reorganisation, areas should consider issues of local identity and cultural and historic importance in working up plans that are in the best interests of the whole area.

What steps her Department is taking to consult (a) disabled people and (b) relevant organisations on the future of disability benefits.

We are working to develop proposals for health and disability reform in the months ahead and will set them out in a Green Paper ahead of the Spring Statement later this year. This will launch a public consultation on the proposals.  This Government is committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of all that we do, so we will consult on these proposals, with disabled people and representative organisations. Ahead of the formal consultation for the Green Paper, we have already started to explore ways of engaging with disabled people and their representatives, including through stakeholder roundtables and public visits. We look forward to progressing these initiatives over the coming months.

Whether her Department (a) is undertaking research projects and (b) has issued recent guidance on best practice on pothole repairs.

This Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to enabling local highway authorities to maintain and renew the local highway network. As well as providing highway maintenance capital funding allocations to local highway authorities in England, it also funds the Transport Research Innovation Grant (T-TRIG) programme, run jointly with the Connected Places Catapult, and is funding the £30 million “Live Labs” Decarbonising Roads programme, which enables local authorities to trial innovative low-carbon ways of maintaining their highway networks. In addition to the funding that the Department provides to local highway authorities, it endorses guidance such as the UK Roads Leadership Group’s Code of Practice on Well Managed Highway Infrastructure. This recommends that local highway authorities take an integrated, risk-based approach to managing their highway infrastructure, and offers advice on all aspects of highway maintenance, including the frequency of inspections recommended for various types of structures. The Department has committed to updating this guidance and has begun scoping changes with the UKRLG.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of establishing a customs union with the EU on town centre businesses in Cheltenham.

No. The Government is working with the EU to identify areas where we can strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit, such as the economy, energy, security and resilience. But we have been clear that there will be no return to the customs union.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of establishing a customs union with the EU on the cyber security sector in Cheltenham.

No. The Government is working with the EU to identify areas where we can strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit, such as the economy, energy, security and resilience. But we have been clear that there will be no return to the customs union.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of establishing a customs union with the EU on retail prices of consumer goods.

No. The Government is working with the EU to identify areas where we can strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit, such as the economy, energy, security and resilience. But we have been clear that there will be no return to the customs union.

Whether she plans to take steps to improve the regulation of electrically assisted pedal cycles to (a) assist police with enforcement and (b) clarify the law for the public.

There are no immediate plans to amend the regulations on electrically assisted pedal cycles (EAPCs). The previous administration consulted on potential changes to regulations, including increasing the maximum power of an EAPC from 250 to 500 Watts, but the Government has decided against this. More broadly, the Government’s White Paper on English Devolution, published in December 2024, included proposals for greater powers for Local Transport Authorities to manage EAPC rental schemes and to tackle the scourge of badly parked cycles and e-cycles. In addition, the Government will be bringing forward new legislation to enable the police to take vehicles, including EAPCs, off the road more quickly where they are being ridden in an anti-social manner, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing them. Finally, the Department published updated information for the public in December 2024 on the legal use of EAPCs, which is available on gov.uk. It is for the police to take enforcement action where these rules are not followed.

What data her Department holds on the number of pupils who have been absent from school due to a lack of provision of SEND services.

The department does not hold information on the number of pupils who have been absent from school due to the lack of provision of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services. However, we recognise that rates of absence are generally higher for pupils with SEND and children attending special schools.We also recognise that barriers to attendance are wide and complex, and this is particularly true for pupils with SEND. Addressing these barriers requires a support-first approach and strong relationships between families, schools, local authorities and other relevant local services.This is why the department has published the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance, which became statutory in August 2024. The guidance promotes a support-first approach and provides detail on additional support for pupils with SEND. Where a pupil is not attending due to unmet or additional needs, this guidance sets out clear expectations on how schools, local authorities and wider services work together to access and provide the right support to improve attendance.The department is working closely with schools and local authorities to ensure that education settings are able to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND, including announcing £1 billion investment in high needs at the Autumn Budget 2024. This funding will help to ensure all children can access the high quality education that should be their right.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of a customs union between the UK and the European Union on (a) the creative industries and (b) the sports and recreation industry.

This Government has been clear that there will be no return to the EU’s Customs Union so we have made no such assessment.As agreed between the Prime Minister and President of the European Commission in October 2024, we are committed to strengthening the relationship between the UK and EU to find constructive ways to work together and deliver for the British people.I am proud of the international reputation of our sports and creative industries. Notably, this Government has committed to address issues facing our brilliant musicians, artists and their support staff. We are already working hard with our sectors and engaging with the EU and EU Member States to this end.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of relocating civil service offices to Cheltenham via the Places for Growth Scheme.

We are working with departments on their future workforce and location plans as part of the upcoming Spending Review.

What steps his Department is taking to help increase the recruitment of midwives for Cheltenham General Hospital’s Aveta Birth Centre.

Information on local plans is not collected centrally by the Department. National Health Service organisations are responsible for their own recruitment, and for developing their own workforce plans based on local service needs. At a national level, we ar...

What steps his Department is taking to support A&E Departments in Gloucestershire in winter 2024-25.

Local winter resilience plans and resourcing are operational matters for the National Health Service. The national approach on priorities for winter planning was issued by NHS England on 16 September, setting out the key steps to be taken to support the d...

What steps he is taking to improve the energy efficiency of homes in winter 2024-2025.

We have various schemes already delivering improvements to home energy efficiency through the Energy Company Obligation, the Great British Insulation Scheme, the Home Upgrade Grant, the Warm Homes: Social Housing Decarbonisation, and the Boiler Upgrade Sc...

What steps his Department is taking to improve the retention of midwives.

The Government is committed to tackling the retention and recruitment challenges that face the National Health Service. NHS England is leading a range of initiatives to boost retention of existing staff and ensure that the NHS remains an attractive career...

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of poor access to NHS dental services on health outcomes in Gloucestershire.

Dental Statistics - England 2023/24, published by the NHS Business Services Authority on 22 August 2024, is available at the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324 The data for the ...

What steps her Department is taking to mitigate (a) cancellations and (b) delays to rail between Cheltenham and London during the construction period for Old Oak Common station.

The department continues to work closely with HS2, Network Rail, GWR, TfL and Heathrow Express to mitigate the impacts of Old Oak Common construction. This aims to minimise disruption to passengers on the Great Western Main Line during the construction of...

What steps his Department taking to increase the provision of NHS dental care in Cheltenham constituency.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild den...