Lords
Oral Questions
16 December 2025
7 contributions
National Plan to End Homelessness
With £2.8 billion spent on temporary accommodation in the last year by local authorities, forcing many of them towards bankruptcy, the £2.5 billion the Government have allocated, even if you look upon it as trying to cover the costs, is 28% short of the actual cost of temporary accommodation for loc…
My Lords, the welcome national plan identifies newly recognised refugees leaving asylum support accommodation as being particularly vulnerable to homelessness, yet says nothing about the 28-day move-on period, although local authorities and voluntary organisations have criticised it as a key cause o…
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Committee Stage
15 December 2025
3 contributions
Building Safety Regulator (Establishment of New Body and Transfer of Functions etc.) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Andy Roe, who has been leading the work to improve the performance of the building safety regulator and whose peerage was announced on 11 December.
The establishment of the building safety regulator was the most significant reform of the bui…
My Lords, I join the Minister in congratulating Andrew Roe on his peerage. The experience that he will bring to your Lordships’ House from London Fire Brigade and the building safety regulator will be enormously welcome.
This instrument was debated in another place last week, on 10 December, and it…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
11 December 2025
9 contributions
Business Improvement Districts: Town Centre Renewal
I thank my noble friend the Minister for her reply. Does the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill offer an opportunity to strengthen and expand the role of business improvement districts within the devolved economic development frameworks, so that they can play a fuller part in accelera…
My Lords, the hospitality sector is the backbone of town centres. A 5% cut in VAT for hospitality businesses would give such a boost to our high streets. Does the Minister agree?
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
10 December 2025
3 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, it is a pleasure to see the Planning and Infrastructure Bill return to this House for the final time. After today’s debate, the Bill will soon conclude its passage through Parliament and will thereafter become law. It will drive investment and productivity, and facilitate a step change in …
My Lords, as the mover of the original Amendment 33, I am grateful to the Government for accepting the substance of that amendment. I therefore agree with Motion A to agree to the Commons’ further amendment. I heartily endorse what Minister Pennycook said in the other place on Monday: it is now abou…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
24 November 2025
19 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, I will also speak to Motions B, B1, C, C1, D, E and E1, which are grouped together. It is a great pleasure to bring the Planning and Infrastructure Bill back to the House of Lords to consider amendments and reasons from the other place.
A number of further commitments were made last week,…
My Lords, I have tabled Motion B1. I am grateful to the Minister for what she has set out about it. We have made great progress in relation to many of the heritage aspects of this Bill, not least in the rewriting of Clause 41, which had caused such consternation for heritage groups across the countr…
+17 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
24 November 2025
9 contributions
Fair Funding Review
I thank the Minister for her Answer. Additional housing and commercial property come at a cost to councils in both capital and revenue terms, and more than that raised by the additional council tax. Can the Minister explain why this Government are removing the incentive of retained business rates, w…
My Lords, the Minister has just explained that council tax projections for new homes will not now be included in the financial assessment for council income. However, those councils with high deprivation and low economic growth are likely to have below average rates of housebuilding too. Can the Min…
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
20 November 2025
9 contributions
Water and Sewerage Companies: Statutory Consultees
My Lords, I am grateful for that Answer. It begs the question how the Government plan to build major housing developments of 300,000 a year, many of them on flood plains with no sustainable drains, with the additional demands of the new data centres and mindful of the Environment Agency’s national f…
My Lords, we desperately need new housing, but avoiding flooding is also essential. Internal drainage board levies make up a significant proportion of the budgets of some local authorities, which often have to cut off other services to fund the IDB levy. The IDB’s work ensures that communities are s…
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Committee Stage
18 November 2025
6 contributions
Infrastructure Planning (Business or Commercial Projects) (Amendment) Regulations
My Lords, these regulations were laid before the House on 15 October.
The Government have identified data centres as essential infrastructure, necessary to support, grow and develop the UK’s economy. Data infrastructure now underpins almost all economic activity and innovation, including the develo…
My Lords, I thank the Minister for her explanation of this statutory instrument, which, as she said, enables the development of data centres using the NSIP regime. As Liberal Democrats, we understand and support this in principle. However, the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee’s report raises…
+4 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
18 November 2025
11 contributions
Election Law
My Lords, I welcome the clarity of the Minister’s Answer and the clear commitment to the principle of consolidating election law. I take the point that it is a time-consuming measure, but is that not why it is all the more important that the Government make a start on it now, rather than putting it …
My Lords, over 6 million eligible UK citizens are not signed up to vote. What steps are the Government taking towards automatic voter registration?
+9 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
10 November 2025
4 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, the nature restoration fund is a key part of the Government’s vision for a planning system that delivers for both nature and people. Throughout the passage of the Bill, we have worked with Peers and wider stakeholders to ensure that everyone can be confident that, by taking a different app…
My Lords, to make a few brief comments to the noble Lord, Lord Lansley, we have discussed the implementation of the issues contained in the levelling-up Act before; however, it would probably help noble Lords if I write a letter setting out when those provisions come into place—I hope that will help…
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
3 November 2025
10 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, Amendment 232, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Lansley, seeks to standardise and extend powers in respect of mayoral development corporations to mayors of all strategic authorities outside London. I understand why the noble Lord has brought his amendment forward. The Government are bringing…
My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have taken part in this short but interesting debate. Amendments 235 and 236, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Lansley, seek to change the parliamentary procedure for designating areas to be developed as a new town by new town development corporations from the aff…
+8 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
3 November 2025
9 contributions
London Boroughs: Financial Support
I thank the Minister for her Answer. Due to rising demand, London boroughs have overspent on children’s social care by £150 million annually for the past two years, yet the Government’s proposal for funding reforms assumes that London’s share has dropped by 40%. This could leave boroughs with a £1.5…
My Lords, I call the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours, who is participating remotely.
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Statutory Instrument
30 October 2025
2 contributions
Town and Country Planning (Crown Development Applications) (Procedure and Written Representations) Order 2025
I thank the Minister very much for her full and detailed response to my concerns. Unfortunately, the fundamentals remain. The Minister is quite right to say that the local planning authority will be involved in all the notifications and that voices and comments and so on can be heard, but in the end…
I accept that wholly. The Minister has always responded positively to the queries I have raised; it is just that we disagree on the balance.
I shall continue challenging because I think that is always needed. With those few remarks, I beg leave to withdraw the Motion.
Lords
Debate
29 October 2025
7 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, this group of amendments seeks to examine the circumstances in which an environmental delivery plan, and the associated levy payment, could be mandatory. Amendment 164, in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Roborough, would wholly remove the option for an EDP to be mandatory. Amendment 164A,…
My Lords, before I respond to the specific amendments, I apologise for any discourtesy to the noble Earl, Lord Caithness. I take responsibility for that myself. Although he was kind enough to say that it was not my fault, it is always down to the Minister to make sure that Peers are responded to. I …
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
29 October 2025
13 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, we return to the substantive consideration of Part 3 of the Bill and the nature restoration fund, with this first grouping considering amendments that relate to the underlying requirements of an environmental delivery plan.
In response to the question from the noble Lord, Lord Roborough, …
I am sorry if I misunderstood, but that may be due to confusion around the wording. It seemed that the amendment was trying to widen that out. As I said, any impact not addressed through the EDP is subject to a separate assessment. Therefore, it would not need to form part of the EDP itself.
+11 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
29 October 2025
7 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, before I respond on this group of amendments, I convey my get-well wishes to my noble friend Lady Hayman of Ullock, who, as noble Lords will realise, very much hoped to be here with us today, but unfortunately is unwell. I know that she wanted to take part in today’s discussions. We all se…
I thank all noble Lords who have participated in this debate. Amendment 115, tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Willis of Summertown, seeks to ensure that local plans comply with the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, and that an authority which prepares a local plan carries out …
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
27 October 2025
9 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, before I address the amendments, I should say that I circulated a diagram of the respective responsibilities of, and links between, spatial development strategies, local plans and neighbourhood plans that I hope was helpful to noble Lords in our consideration of the Bill.
Amendment 90, ta…
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Grender, and the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Norwich for Amendments 93 and 94, which propose additional statutory obligations for strategic planning authorities in relation to the identification and safeguarding of chalk streams. With 85% of the wo…
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
27 October 2025
9 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have participated in this very interesting debate for the very valuable contributions we have heard this afternoon. I have engaged with many noble Lords on these matters in the preceding weeks and our debate has focused on something on which I think we all agree…
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Coffey, for Amendment 87, which would require decision-makers to take account of the environmental delivery plans when making a planning decision under the Town and Country Planning Act. I agree, of course, that it is crucial that EDPs are integrated into t…
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
24 October 2025
2 contributions
Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Bill
I shall be brief, because this is the last point I want to make from the report. It says:
“Several people were injured, five of whom were treated in hospital”.
Those five, I can confirm, were Israelis. It continues:
“Twenty to thirty Israeli supporters with minor injuries were taken in by the Jew…
The relevance of this is that the purpose of the Bill is to ensure safety at football matches. The interaction between the Bill and the need for guidance and guidelines, including for the police, on how it would be best used is fundamental to its success. Otherwise, what happens is that people will …
Lords
Debate
24 October 2025
2 contributions
Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Bill
Before the Minister sits down, I note that I agree with some of the comments of the noble Lord, Lord Jamieson, if not all of them. He makes some good points about the different gaps in and problems within our election laws. In our Second Reading and Committee debates, many of us across the House spo…
My Lords, it is quite difficult for a Welsh Labour politician to talk about elections dispassionately, but I will try to do that. I thank all those who have been involved in the Bill—my honourable friend Tracy Gilbert from the other place and, of course, all the officials and parliamentary officials…
Lords
Oral Questions
23 October 2025
10 contributions
Chinese Embassy
My Lords, this issue will go on and on; indeed, there was a UQ down in the other place this morning. I am not asking about the incompetent wannabe spies; I am asking about the Government’s motivation. The Prime Minister called in this application, as we know, following a discussion with Xi Jinping. …
The Minister mentions that all relevant planning considerations will be taken into account. Is it a relevant planning consideration that this country needs a new embassy in Beijing?
+8 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
22 October 2025
6 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have taken part in the debate.
I will first address Amendments 70 and 81, concerning flood risk and resilience within the planning system. They draw attention to the important matter of how we prepare for and mitigate the impacts of flooding, particularly in li…
My Lords, I thank all noble Lords for a very interesting debate on this topic. Next July, I will have the benefit of five days of Oasis concerts in the fantastic venue of Knebworth House, which is just about a mile away from my house, and this summer we enjoyed Old Town Live, a day-long festival for…
+4 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
22 October 2025
11 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, that was an interesting debate on these amendments. Believing in local people also means building the homes that they need and the infrastructure to support those homes. This problem with buildout did not commence in July 2024; it has been there for a long time, and this Bill is trying to …
We did consult on that very issue. We are still analysing the responses to the working paper. As soon as we have done that, I will inform the House of the outcome.
+9 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
22 October 2025
4 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, in speaking to Amendments 48 and 50, I shall later move government Amendments 49, 51, 66, 258 and 260. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson, and the noble Baronesses, Lady Pinnock and Lady Bennett, as well as the other noble Lords who have raised this issue during the Bill’s passage. I a…
My Lords, I welcome this amendment from the noble Baroness, Lady Coffey, which seeks to ensure that the specified infrastructure project regulations are amended to enable a broader use and to ensure that we get value for money for customers.
Two procurement models for delivering infrastructure exis…
+2 more contributions in this session