Lords
Committee Stage
15 April 2026
3 contributions
Building Safety (Responsible Actors Scheme and Prohibitions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I beg to move that the Committee considers these draft regulations. Before I speak to them, I thank both Local Authority Building Control and the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments for raising the important issues that led to these regulations coming before us today.
The amendments …
I thank the Minister for bringing this statutory instrument before the Committee. As the Minister said, this instrument makes a number of minor technical amendments to the Building Safety (Responsible Actors Scheme and Prohibitions) Regulations 2023, which were introduced by the previous Conservativ…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
15 April 2026
4 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, these are minor and technical amendments following amendments made to the Bill on Report. The Government will not oppose them today.
My Lords, I thank all noble Lords for their thoughtful contributions and engagement during the passage of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill through this House. I am particularly grateful to the Opposition Front Bench, namely the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Bybrook, and the nobl…
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
14 April 2026
4 contributions
Grenfell Tower Memorial (Expenditure) Bill
My Lords, I begin by acknowledging the bereaved family members of those who died in the Grenfell Tower fire, as well as survivors and members of the local community. Nothing that can be said in this House can diminish the loss they have endured or the impact this tragedy has had on their lives, but …
My Lords, none of us will forget the events of 14 June 2017. The shock we all felt is nothing to the pain that the Grenfell community have suffered. We can never fully appreciate the cost of the Grenfell fire to those who were there that night and those who are part of that local community. They hav…
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
14 April 2026
8 contributions
HMT “Empire Windrush”: 80th Anniversary
I thank the Minister for that Answer. My Lords, I am so proud to be part of the Windrush generation who, like thousands of Caribbeans, have played and continue to play a part in British society, despite having faced hostility and rejection. It is great to hear that the Windrush Day scheme provides g…
My Lords, as we approach this significant anniversary, can my noble friend the Minister update the House on the progress in delivering the Windrush compensation scheme? What is being done to speed up the claims, especially of elderly applicants?
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
13 April 2026
22 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, for her amendments on local government reorganisation. Before I comment on the amendments, I wonder if the House would indulge me for one moment so that I may pay tribute to Lord Jeremy Beecham, who died during recess.
Jeremy Beecham’s passion for l…
It was my understanding that we had moved on to winding speeches.
+20 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
26 March 2026
15 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, I thank the noble Baronesses, Lady Scott, Lady Pidgeon and Lady O’Neill, for their amendments on the functions and governance of the Greater London Authority and London boroughs.
I turn first to Amendments 81, 154 and 156. This Government are committed to delivering a permanent transfer o…
My advice, as I read out, is that it is a two-thirds majority.
+13 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
24 March 2026
4 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, I thank the noble Lords, Lord Bichard and Lord Shipley, and the noble Baroness, Lady Pidgeon, for their amendments on scrutiny and accountability. These have been recurring themes during debates on the Bill. I thank the noble Baronesses, Lady Scott and Lady Pinnock, and the noble Lords, Lo…
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, for her Amendments 69 to 74. While I recognise her commitment to accountability in local government, the Bill provides that combined and combined county authorities and independent remuneration panels must take account of any guidance issued by the S…
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
24 March 2026
11 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, I thank all noble Lords, particularly for such a positive response to the changes brought forward in this group. I hope we continue the evening as we have started; that would be wonderful. I thank noble Lords for their insightful and continued engagement on this Bill, both through Committe…
I beg to move.
+9 more contributions in this session
Lords
Statutory Instrument
24 March 2026
Sussex and Brighton Combined County Authority Regulations 2026
That the draft Regulations laid before the House on 11 and 12 February be approved. Relevant document: 52nd Report from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee. Consider ed in Grand Committee on 23 March.
Lords
Oral Questions
24 March 2026
6 contributions
Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019
My Lords, in 1989, I had the privilege of taking through Parliament the Parking Act, which was there to assist in the parking process. Some 30 years went past, when cowboy operators really let rip on the motoring public, until my good friend, the right honourable Sir Greg Knight, introduced his own …
My Lords, according to the RAC, private parking companies have issued a staggering 76 million parking tickets in the seven years since the Parking (Code of Practice) Act became law. In addition to this long-awaited code, what update can the Minister provide on work to introduce a regulator with appr…
+4 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
24 March 2026
8 contributions
Renters’ Rights Act: Definition of Court Readiness
My Lords, in the other place, the Minister, Matthew Pennycook, said that
“court readiness is essential to the successful operation of the new system”
and that he was working
“to ensure that the Courts and Tribunals Service is ready ”.—[ Official Report , Commons, 14/1/25; col. 258.]
The Minister…
My Lords, I declare my interests in the private rented sector, with cottage lettings in Buckinghamshire and Lincolnshire. Sadly, there is not just the current delay of up to 15 months in the court granting a repossession; there is then an additional delay of up to seven or eight month waiting for a …
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Committee Stage
23 March 2026
3 contributions
Non-Domestic Rating (Rates Retention and Levy and Safety Net: Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2026
The most exciting ones always come at the end.
As many noble Lords will know, the Government are embarking on a much-needed funding reform for English councils to ensure that resources are aligned with need across the sector, with the first multi-year settlement in a decade delivering that reform. …
My Lords, I draw the Grand Committee’s attention to my interest as a councillor on Kirklees Council.
This is a very technical measure and a bit of a mixed bag. The reset of the business rates retention system is long overdue and welcome. For too long, the distribution of resources has been based on…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Committee Stage
23 March 2026
4 contributions
Sussex and Brighton Combined County Authority Regulations 2026
My Lords, these regulations were laid on 11 February 2026. Before I proceed, I draw the Committee’s attention to a correction slip that has been issued for these regulations. It corrects the name of the appropriate administering authority for pension purposes from East Sussex to West Sussex. This ch…
My Lords, I thank the Minister for her introduction to this statutory instrument, one in a series of statutory instruments creating county combined authorities that we have discussed over several months.
I start with what the Minister said about the purpose of this statutory instrument: that the Go…
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
18 March 2026
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
That the amendments for the Report stage be marshalled and considered in the following order: Clauses 1 to 4, Schedule 1, Clauses 5 and 6, Schedule 2, Clauses 7 to 9, Schedule 3, Clauses 10 to 20, Schedule 4, Clauses 21 to 23, Schedule 5, Clause 24, Schedule 6, Clause 25, Schedule 7, Clause 26, Sche…
Lords
Oral Questions
18 March 2026
8 contributions
High Streets and Towns: Regeneration
My Lords, Pride in Place is a programme delivering to 300 communities over the next 10 years. In those next 10 years, what financial support will be available to those hundreds or maybe thousands of communities across this country that are not included in the scheme but whose high streets are also s…
My Lords, I declare my interest as the executive chairman of Iceland Foods. Does the Minister accept that it is retail businesses which are the catalyst that make a high street thrive? Yet many fail to survive because of the outdated Victorian taxation system of business rates, which are simply too …
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
17 March 2026
11 contributions
Birmingham City Council and Unite: Refuse Workers’ Pay
The Minister is well aware that, almost a year ago, an agreement was reached at ACAS between the chief executive of the council and Unite to end this dispute, only for it to be vetoed by the commissioners appointed by the last Government on about £1,200 a day. Does the Minister agree that this agree…
Is it possible for us to agree that one of the reasons we are in this dispute is that refuse workers are so badly paid? I am a former refuse worker —I was a road sweeper for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea—and I can honestly say that this is a disgrace. If we do not have the removal of r…
+9 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
16 March 2026
10 contributions
Social Cohesion Action Plan
My Lords, I am grateful for the thoughtful comments from the noble Baronesses.
Last week, the Secretary of State responsible for housing, communities and local government announced this publication, Protecting What Matters , which sets out the first steps towards a more confident, cohesive and resi…
I agree with the noble Baroness that everyone deserves to feel safe in our country. We will work with and celebrate our faith and belief communities to improve understanding of different religions, support tolerance and build a more cohesive and resilient country.
We need to continue to support pro…
+8 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
16 March 2026
11 contributions
UK Domestic Visitor Levy
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for her Answer, but the facts in this country are probably a little different from those she has given. According to the World Economic Forum’s travel and tourism development index, the United Kingdom currently ranks 113th for price competitiveness. A soon to …
My Lords, can the Minister confirm that, where there are no mayors, it will be up to local authorities whether to implement this levy? Will she undertake that, whether this levy is implemented locally or nationally, there is a consistent system of collection right across the country? Will she make s…
+9 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
12 March 2026
7 contributions
Anti-Muslim Hostility: Non-statutory Definition
I thank the Minister for her reply, and I appreciate that the Government have made a real attempt to balance protecting Muslims on the one hand and safeguarding freedom of speech on the other. While I can see that the definition might be quite useful from a cultural point of view, it is very difficu…
My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend and the working group on a very clear, common-sense definition. Does she agree that it is a very useful public educational tool, not least for signposting actual hard law, such as articles in the human rights convention on free expression and discrimination, …
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
9 March 2026
6 contributions
Stamp Duty: Periodic Tenancies
I thank the Minister for her Answer. Will any guidance be issued by HMRC or anybody else to tenants, landlords and agents to let them know whether their tenancy will come under stamp duty land tax and they have to issue some kind of return to HMRC? Many tenants are very worried that this will happen…
My Lords, one of the ways in which we meet the concerns that the noble Lord has raised is by increasing the housing supply. Can my noble friend the Minister give us an update on the social and affordable housing programme that the Government are supporting?
+4 more contributions in this session
Lords
Committee Stage
5 March 2026
16 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, I thank all noble Lords and noble Baronesses for their amendments on the community right to buy and assets of community value, which I will refer to as ACVs. I know we debated this as far back as 11 February and, if it were not for the magic of Hansard , it would be a considerable memory t…
The point is that many communities have managed to raise funding for schemes themselves. We are trying to target those communities that are less able to do that, and that is the point of the way in which this is funded.
Turning to Amendment 222D, I share the desire of the noble Baroness, Lady Coffe…
+14 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
4 March 2026
Surrey (Structural Changes) Order
That the draft Order laid before the House on 14 January be approved. Considered in Grand Committee on 2 March . Relevant document: 49th Report from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee .
Lords
Oral Questions
4 March 2026
7 contributions
Ballot Secrecy Act: Breaches
I thank the Minister. She will know that the previous Government introduced a power in the Elections Act 2022 for the Electoral Commission to draw up a strategy and policy document containing measures to tackle electoral fraud and corrupt and illegal practices, including family voting. However, Mini…
My Lords, family voting, as it is now called, is not an entirely new phenomenon. When I first started out as a candidate, a very long time ago, it was most common in working-class communities; it is now rather more common in communities of south Asian origin. There should have been sufficient staff …
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
4 March 2026
9 contributions
Local Government Reorganisation
I thank my noble friend for her Answer. One part of the country that is not included in the current plans for local government reorganisation is London, despite it now being nearly 30 years since the current model of London governance was introduced. Given that the London model is idiosyncratic in c…
My Lords, in a county such as Surrey, where the new arrangements are to come into play shortly, we also seem to be getting parish councils. Why are the Government replacing a two-tier system of local government with a two-tier system of local government?
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Committee Stage
2 March 2026
9 contributions
Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026
My Lords, this order was laid before the House on 14 January 2026. If approved in the House and in the other place, it will implement a proposal submitted by Elmbridge Borough Council, Mole Valley District Council and Surrey County Council for two unitary councils, east Surrey council and west Surre…
My Lords, I thank the Minister for explaining the draft order for the reorganisation of the 11 districts and one county in Surrey into two unitaries. I do not totally agree with either her solution or the reasoning behind it. The Government are continuing to push through reorganisation that does not…
+7 more contributions in this session