Lords
Committee Stage
18 May 2026
3 contributions
Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority Regulations 2026
My Lords, these regulations were laid on 16 March 2026. When referring to the Hampshire and the Solent combined county authority hereafter, I will use the term “strategic authority” unless there is a particular reason to be specific.
This Government were elected on a manifesto commitment to widen a…
I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Jamieson, for his comments. I know that he has great experience of dealing with matters such as this. I will pick up each of his points in turn.
The first is the issue of restructuring for its own sake. That is just not where we are with this. We have had exten…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
28 April 2026
5 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, in moving Motion A, I will speak also to Motions B and C.
What a privilege it is at the end of this Session of Parliament to bring back the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to the House of Lords to consider amendments and reasons from the other place. This landmark devolu…
My Lords, I want to thank the Minister for introducing this third round of ping-pong and for her willingness to listen to alternative points of view and effect numerous changes to the Bill. The Government have demonstrated that willingness to compromise and alter. For me, this has been an example of…
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
27 April 2026
13 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, in moving Motion A, I will also speak to Motions B, B1, C, C1, D, E, E1, F and F1. It is a pleasure to bring the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill back to the House of Lords to consider the amendments and reasons from the other place. I again thank my colleague in the other…
My Lords, I will speak to Motion E1, as an amendment to Motion E. I have listened very carefully to what the Minister, who I hold in the highest regard, has said this evening. But I am disappointed that the other place continues to disagree with our amendment—in its view, because it is not necessary…
+11 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
23 April 2026
20 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, in moving Motion A, I will also speak to Motions B, C, C1, H and H1. It is a pleasure to bring the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill back to the House of Lords to consider the amendments and reasons from the other place. I thank all noble Lords who engaged extensively in th…
My Lords, I beg to move Motion A1 as an amendment to Motion A. The Commons have disagreed with our amendment, which was carried 285 to 156: a majority of 129 and a pretty convincing endorsement of the strength of feeling in the Chamber for rural affairs to get the recognition they deserve. I am grat…
+18 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
23 April 2026
8 contributions
Home Ownership: First-Time Buyers
I am grateful to the Minister for that reply. Recently, the Prime Minister said:
“For my family growing up, the roof over our heads was everything. But for so many families today, homeownership is a distant dream. My government will make it a reality once again”.
For millions of people renting or …
My Lords, I will follow up the important points that the noble Lord made. Home ownership makes up 62% of housing tenure, and getting first-time buyers to their first house is crucial, but social housing also plays a really important part in helping people to get into a decent, secure and affordable …
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Statutory Instrument
21 April 2026
5 contributions
Local Authorities (Changes to Years of Ordinary Elections) (England) (Revocation) Order 2026
The Minister has not told us at all, and nor indeed does the Explanatory Memorandum tell us, the nature of the legal vulnerability that was implicit in the decision to reconsider. The fact that the decision had to be taken by an independent Minister in her own department, not by the Secretary of Sta…
The logic of the Government’s original position clearly was not logic at all, because if the elections can now take place, as well as the reorganisation, this postponement was not required at all, was it?
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
20 April 2026
7 contributions
Business Improvement District Ballots: Digital Voting
My Lords, I thank my noble friend the Minister for that Answer, which leads to my further question. Business improvement district ballots involve a clearly defined electorate of registered voters. They are overseen by local authority returning officers, and they determine real financial commitments …
My Lords, a quick look at international comparisons for introducing digital voting suggests that experiments in other advanced democratic countries have shown that it is okay at the local level, where the likelihood of cyber attack is low, but at the national level it is open to too many risks to tr…
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
16 April 2026
8 contributions
Local Resilience Forums
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that response. If one believes in the concept of a whole of society and whole of government approach to resilience and preparedness, local resilience forums are an essential part of that mix. I hope my noble friend will relay to her ministerial colleagues …
My Lords, utilising modern science and technology, the police appear to be addressing the most serious crime very effectively. But we all know that we have an epidemic of offending on our streets—and our high streets—unmatched in my lifetime, with shoplifting, phone-snatching, drug-dealing and rogue…
+6 more contributions in this session
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