Written questions by Spencer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what Natural Flood Management projects are currently funded by the Environment Agency within Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency; what their total value is; and what evidenc

Awaiting answer.

Pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2026 to question 11989, if she will provide further information relating to plans to review the funding formula for capital funding to local highways authorities; when the revi

Highways maintenance block allocations have been made up to and including financial year 2029/30.The Department has not yet set a date for the review. It will be important to ensure that the review takes place close to the point that allocations for 2030/...

What proportion of the capacity required to meet the 47GW solar target by 2030 will come from (a) rooftop installations, (b) brownfield and previously developed land and (c) greenfield develo

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the new flood funding policy will change the Government Outcome Rate threshold that schemes in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency must meet to qualify for Environme

In October 2025, following consultation, the government announced major changes to its flood and coastal erosion funding policy. The reforms will make it quicker and easier to deliver the right flood defences in the right places by simplifying our funding...

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the highways maintenance block formula on rural counties such as Suffolk.

Every area faces its own unique challenges. That is why highways maintenance funding is based on established national datasets like road lengths, to help make the system as fair as possible across the country.The Government plans to review the funding for...

Communities and Local Government, what process will determine the final geographic boundaries of the three new unitary authorities in Suffolk; who will conduct that process; and what the timetable is for its comp

The final geographic boundaries of the three new unitary authorities in Suffolk have been decided by the Secretary of State who has announced that he will exercise his power to modify the base proposal received from West Suffolk, Babergh, Mid Suffolk, Eas...

Food and Rural Affairs, which flood defence schemes are included in the capital programme for flood and coastal erosion risk management in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency for 2026-2036; and wha

This Government is investing at least £10.5 billion until 2036 to construct new flood schemes and repair existing defences, protecting communities from the devastating impacts of climate change. Through the largest flood programme in history, this record ...

Whether independent Agricultural Land Classification surveys conducted by a qualified soil scientist are a mandatory requirement before solar farm applications on potential BMV land are deter

Agricultural Land Classification surveys are typically conducted using existing site survey reports, where available. Where this isn’t the case, the developer commissions a new survey, which should be conducted by soil scientists, or experienced soil spec...

What criteria local highway authorities must meet to access the 25% incentive element of the additional highways maintenance funding announced in the Autumn Budget 2024; and when those criteria will be communic

To access the 25% incentive element of the £500m additional highways maintenance funding for 2025 to 2026 announced in the Autumn Budget 2024, local highway authorities were required to publish a report demonstrating how they comply with best practice in ...

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of applications for SFI agreements on farm businesses that had not entered one; and what bridging support is availab

The Government has allocated a record £11.8bn to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. This is being invested in a range of grants and schemes to support farmers, including the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), Countryside Stewa...

Communities and Local Government, whether an independent assessment was made of the projected savings from three unitary authorities in Suffolk compared with the single-authority model proposed by Suffolk County

All proposals were considered carefully on a case-by-case basis against the six criteria set out in the statutory invitation, alongside consultation responses, representations received and all other relevant information. Decisions were taken in the round,...

What guidance his Department issues to planning inspectors on the weighting to be given to Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural land when determining solar farm appeals; and whether he

Appeals against planning refusal are decided in accordance with the applicable planning policies – in most cases, these are the National Planning Policy Framework and the Planning Practice Guidance. These state that, wherever possible, developers should u...

What the highways maintenance block funding allocation was for Suffolk County Council in (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24, (c) 2024-25 and (d) 2025-26; and what proportion of each year's allocation was ringfenced for p

The Department’s total annual highways maintenance funding allocation to Suffolk County Council between 2022-23 and 2025-26 is show in the table below: 2022 to 2023 (£m)2023 to 2024 (£m)2024 to 2025 (£m)2025 to 2026 (£m)27.235.530.743.8 The funding is pai...

Food and Rural Affairs, how many farm businesses in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency held a live Sustainable Farming Incentive agreement as of 11 March 2025; and what the average annual payment

As of 11 March 2025, there were 147 farm businesses in the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency holding a live Sustainable Farming Incentive agreement. The average annual payment value per agreement in that constituency was £27,431.

Communities and Local Government, what transitional funding will be made available to shadow unitary authorities in Suffolk between elections in May 2027 and vesting day in April 2028; and how that figure was cal

The Government announced £63 million in additional capacity funding to support local authorities in areas undergoing local government reorganisation, with each new unitary authority receiving at least £900,000. This means that, across the three new unitar...

What area of Grade 1, 2 and 3a agricultural land in Suffolk has been used for ground-mounted solar development since 2019; and if he will take steps to ensure future solar consents in that co

Data on the area of land occupied by solar projects is contained in the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD). The Government does not currently categorise the data based on agricultural land type. However, work is underway to expand the REPD to inclu...

What estimate her Department has made of the average cost of maintaining a mile of road in (a) rural and (b) urban local authorities.

The Department has not made an assessment of the average cost of maintaining a mile of road in rural or urban local authorities. Every area faces its own unique challenges. That is why highways maintenance funding is based on established national datasets like road lengths, to help make the system as fair as possible across the country.The government plans to review the funding formula that it uses to distribute capital funding to local highways authorities to see whether it can be adjusted to consider, for example, the conditions that affect the wear and tear of local roads. However, the government cannot commit to any changes to the allocation methodology until each option has been assessed for feasibility and deliverability, in line with the normal policy making process. The government would also expect to engage with local highway authorities about any methodology to understand how any changes might impact on their services.

How many potholes were reported per mile of road in (a) rural and (b) urban local authorities in England in the last three years.

The Department for Transport does not hold data on the number of pothole reports made to local authorities. Under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, local highway authorities are responsible for the condition of their local road networks, including responding to reports of defects such as potholes. Data on the number of potholes repaired by each local highway authority during the last five years is published in authorities’ highways maintenance transparency reports, which set out how they are maintaining their network. The Department does not use this data to produce an assessment of pothole repairs per capita, or per mile of road split by rural and urban authorities.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of pothole a) reports and b) repairs per capita in i) urban and ii) rural local authorities in the last 12 months.

The Department for Transport does not hold data on the number of pothole reports made to local authorities. Under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, local highway authorities are responsible for the condition of their local road networks, including responding to reports of defects such as potholes. Data on the number of potholes repaired by each local highway authority during the last five years is published in authorities’ highways maintenance transparency reports, which set out how they are maintaining their network. The Department does not use this data to produce an assessment of pothole repairs per capita, or per mile of road split by rural and urban authorities.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the local highways maintenance funding formula for rural road networks.

The Department has not made an assessment of the average cost of maintaining a mile of road in rural or urban local authorities. Every area faces its own unique challenges. That is why highways maintenance funding is based on established national datasets like road lengths, to help make the system as fair as possible across the country.The government plans to review the funding formula that it uses to distribute capital funding to local highways authorities to see whether it can be adjusted to consider, for example, the conditions that affect the wear and tear of local roads. However, the government cannot commit to any changes to the allocation methodology until each option has been assessed for feasibility and deliverability, in line with the normal policy making process. The government would also expect to engage with local highway authorities about any methodology to understand how any changes might impact on their services.