Written questions by Dowden.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the English Devolution White Paper, CP 1218, published on 16 December 2024, what plans she has to introduce legislative proposals for a ministerial directive to allow the creation of Strategic Authorities.

The English Devolution White Paper set out the government’s ambition for universal coverage of Strategic Authorities with access to devolution in England. We are committed to introducing the English Devolution Bill in this session, subject to parliamentary time. We will legislate for a ministerial power of direction, previously referred to as a ministerial directive, enabling government to create Strategic Authorities in any remaining places where local leaders have not been able to agree a route to devolution and ensure the effective running of public services. The government is fully committed to working in partnership with local authorities, and the Secretary of State will only use this power when other routes to devolution have been exhausted.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with Hertfordshire County Council on local government reorganisation.

There has not been a meeting with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Hertsmere Borough Council or Hertfordshire County Council on local government re-organisation. Officials do meet regularly with councils and following receipt of my 5th February letter of invitation to submit reorganisation proposals all councils in Hertfordshire will be invited to a meeting with departmental officials.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the English Devolution White Paper, CP 1218, published on 16 December 2024, what guidance she has issued on deciding between alternative local government reorganisation proposals for one area.

I wrote to all councils in two-tier areas and to neighbouring small unitaries on 5th February to formally invite unitary proposals from all these councils. The invitation includes guidance on issues of local identity among other matters, all of which will be relevant to decisions between alternative local government reorganisation proposals for one area.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with Hertsmere Borough Council on local government reorganisation.

There has not been a meeting with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Hertsmere Borough Council or Hertfordshire County Council on local government re-organisation. Officials do meet regularly with councils and following receipt of my 5th February letter of invitation to submit reorganisation proposals all councils in Hertfordshire will be invited to a meeting with departmental officials.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant of the Answer of 24 October 2024 to Question 9472, what progress her Department has made on supporting leaseholders at Horizon Place in Borehamwood affected by cladding remediation issues.

The Ministry continues to work with developers to ensure that buildings are remediated, at no cost to leaseholders, under the developer remediation contract. On 2 December, we published a joint plan to accelerate developer-led remediation and improve resident experience, as part of our wider published plan to accelerate remediation of all buildings. To date, 38 developers, including Vistry Group, have signed up to the joint plan and thereby committed to make every effort to start or complete remedial work on 80% of their buildings by July 2026 and on all of their buildings by July 2027.Regarding buildings insurance, my officials continue to engage with industry on Horizon Place and understand that leaseholders should have seen a significant reduction in premiums from the most recent policy renewal. I understand that premiums remain unacceptably high for many leaseholders in buildings with fire safety issues, who have been paying too much for too long. My officials are therefore working with the insurance industry, as we announced in the Remediation Acceleration Plan, to consider whether, for the duration of remediation programme government might support industry to reduce fire-related liabilities, in order to reduce insurance bills.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 August 2024 to Question 1688 on Planning, what progress her Department has made on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Drafting of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill continues apace. We plan to introduce the Bill in Parliament in the coming months.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to postpone local authority elections in Hertfordshire in 2025.

My letter to local councils of 16 December 2024 (here) set out that the Government would only consider postponing elections for areas where the council concerned requested it and where it helps an area to deliver reorganisation and devolution to the most ambitious timeline. Hertfordshire County Council has not requested the postponement of their May 2025 elections and therefore I can confirm that those elections will go ahead as planned.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the cost of further devolution in Hertfordshire.

The English Devolution White Paper, due to be published shortly, will set an ambitious new framework for English devolution, moving power out of Westminster and back to those who know their areas best. In July, the Deputy Prime Minister invited places without devolution agreements, including Hertfordshire, to come forward with proposals for their areas. This process closed in September and the government will engage closely with local leaders and stakeholders to review proposals.This government believes that the benefits of devolution are best achieved through the establishment of combined authorities or combined county authorities over sensible economic geographies and supported by a mayor. We want every part of England to take its place on the Council of Nations and Regions, with strong and effective partnerships in place with councils and other partners to deliver the missions we have set out to transform the country.

Communities and Local Government, what powers she plans to devolve to Hertfordshire.

The English Devolution White Paper, due to be published shortly, will set an ambitious new framework for English devolution, moving power out of Westminster and back to those who know their areas best. In July, the Deputy Prime Minister invited places without devolution agreements, including Hertfordshire, to come forward with proposals for their areas. This process closed in September and the government will engage closely with local leaders and stakeholders to review proposals.This government believes that the benefits of devolution are best achieved through the establishment of combined authorities or combined county authorities over sensible economic geographies and supported by a mayor. We want every part of England to take its place on the Council of Nations and Regions, with strong and effective partnerships in place with councils and other partners to deliver the missions we have set out to transform the country.

Communities and Local Government, what criteria she uses to create regional authorities.

This government believes that the benefits of devolution are best achieved through the establishment of combined authorities or combined county authorities over sensible economic geographies and supported by a mayor. We want every part of England to take its place on the Council of Nations and Regions, with strong and effective partnerships in place with councils and other partners to deliver the missions we have set out to transform the country.

Communities and Local Government, what her Department’s planned timetable is for publication of the English Devolution Bill; and how that Bill will impact Hertfordshire.

The English Devolution White Paper, due to be published shortly, will set an ambitious new framework for English devolution, moving power out of Westminster and back to those who know their areas best. In July, the Deputy Prime Minister invited places without devolution agreements, including Hertfordshire, to come forward with proposals for their areas. This process closed in September and the government will engage closely with local leaders and stakeholders to review proposals.This government believes that the benefits of devolution are best achieved through the establishment of combined authorities or combined county authorities over sensible economic geographies and supported by a mayor. We want every part of England to take its place on the Council of Nations and Regions, with strong and effective partnerships in place with councils and other partners to deliver the missions we have set out to transform the country.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's consultation entitled Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system, updated 24 September 2024, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed reforms on housing targets in Hertsmere constituency.

The proposed standard methodology to calculate local housing need figures for each local authority, including for Hertsmere, is set out in the ‘Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system’ consultation documents. These can be found at gov.uk.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's consultation entitled Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system, updated 24 September 2024, what steps her Department is taking to protect the Green Belt in (a) England and (b) Hertsmere constituency.

The government is committed to preserving the greenbelt which has served England's towns and cities well over many decades. Without changing its purposes or general extent, we intend to take a more strategic approach to Green Belt land designation and release, so that we can build more homes in the right places.Our proposed approach to the Green Belt, including prioritising the release of lower quality grey belt land and introducing ‘golden rules’ to ensure development benefits communities and nature, was set out in our recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework. The consultation closed on the 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses with a view to publishing a government response before the end of the year.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's consultation entitled Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system, updated 24 September 2024, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed reforms on Local Plans.

This government inherited a planning system in which only 31% of local planning authorities have adopted plans in the last five years.We are determined to drive local plans to adoption as quickly as possible, to progress towards our ambition of achieving universal plan coverage and ensure plans contribute positively to our ambition of delivering 1.5 million homes.In our recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), we set out changes to how we plan for the homes we need.In drafting proposals for the consultation, we considered the impact upon plans at all stages of plan making. The proposed transitional arrangements aimed to strike a balance between maintaining the progress of plans at more advanced stages of preparation, while maximising proactive planning for the homes our communities need. They apply differently depending on what stage of preparation the plan has reached and the extent to which it is meeting the government’s housing growth aspirations. The transitional arrangements for plans will be confirmed when the revised NPPF is published.As part of wider reforms, it is currently our intention to implement the new plan-making system as set out in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act from Summer or Autumn 2025. The new system will be simpler, faster, and shaped by the views of communities about how their area should evolve.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's consultation entitled Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system, updated 24 September 2024, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed reforms on the timing of the (a) submission and (b) adoption of Local Plans.

This government inherited a planning system in which only 31% of local planning authorities have adopted plans in the last five years.We are determined to drive local plans to adoption as quickly as possible, to progress towards our ambition of achieving universal plan coverage and ensure plans contribute positively to our ambition of delivering 1.5 million homes.In our recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), we set out changes to how we plan for the homes we need.In drafting proposals for the consultation, we considered the impact upon plans at all stages of plan making. The proposed transitional arrangements aimed to strike a balance between maintaining the progress of plans at more advanced stages of preparation, while maximising proactive planning for the homes our communities need. They apply differently depending on what stage of preparation the plan has reached and the extent to which it is meeting the government’s housing growth aspirations. The transitional arrangements for plans will be confirmed when the revised NPPF is published.As part of wider reforms, it is currently our intention to implement the new plan-making system as set out in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act from Summer or Autumn 2025. The new system will be simpler, faster, and shaped by the views of communities about how their area should evolve.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to increase funding for Local Authorities in line with NHS pay awards to ensure that other council services, including SEND and social care provision, are not affected.

We have announced £1.3 billion of new grant funding in 2025/26 for local government to deliver core services, of which £600 million is for social care and £700 million to support general pressures. We have also announced a £1 billion uplift to special educational needs and disability (SEND) and Alternative Provision funding, the second biggest ever year-on-year increase.Further details of total allocations will be made in the Local Government Finance Settlement.Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management and organisation of their own workforces, including remuneration. The Government recognise the challenges that local authorities are facing as demand increases for critical services. We have listened to voices across the sector, and we have prioritised local government at this Budget.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the protection of historic landscapes which have inspired literature from development.

The Government is committed to ensuring that our most important and cherished landscapes are appropriately protected so they can be enjoyed by future generations.The National Planning Policy Framework sets out how planning policies and decisions should recognise the character and beauty of the countryside, and local authorities are expected to protect heritage assets which can include landscape and setting of listed buildings.It is open to local authorities to take the historic literary importance of a place into account in their decisions if they find that it is a material consideration.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support leaseholders at Horizon Place in Borehamwood affected by cladding remediation issues.

Vistry Group has signed a developer remediation contract with government obligating Vistry Group to remediate or pay to remediate all life-critical fire safety defects in buildings listed in its contract, including Horizon Place, as quickly as reasonably practicable. This means that leaseholders will not pay for remediation. The contract requires developers to make sure that residents and leaseholders are kept up to date. The Ministry monitors developer performance and acts where a developer is failing to comply with its contractual obligations.Work has been ongoing to bring about ways to reduce premiums for leaseholders, and the Government will review how to better protect leaseholders from costs and push for fair premiums for leaseholders in buildings with fire safety issues. Leaseholders wanting to sell their properties to buyers who require a mortgage, should be aware of the industry statement on cladding, signed by 10 lenders. It confirms that, even if a property has building safety issues, lenders will consider mortgage applications if the building has funding for works from government or the developer, as is the case at Horizon Wood, or the property is protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 July 2024 to Question 815 on High Rise Flats: Insulation, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to increase the pace of cladding remediation.

I refer the Right Hon Member to the response provided to Question UIN 8200 on 25 October 2024.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of retaining the electoral franchise in its current form.

The government was elected on a manifesto commitment to extend the franchise to 16–17-year-olds, and we intend to deliver on that commitment.