Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is central to the mission-driven government, from fixing the foundations of an affordable home to handing power back to communities and rebuilding local governments.
Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Liberal Democrat
Baroness Thornhill (LD - Life peer)Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Housing)
Baroness Pinnock (LD - Life peer)
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Green Party
Ellie Chowns (Green - North Herefordshire)Green Spokesperson (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Conservative
James Cleverly (Con - Braintree)Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Liberal Democrat
Gideon Amos (LD - Taunton and Wellington)Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Housing and Communities)
Zöe Franklin (LD - Guildford)
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Local Government)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
David Simmonds (Con - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)Shadow Minister (Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con - Life peer)
Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Lord Jamieson (Con - Life peer)
Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Gareth Bacon (Con - Orpington)
Shadow Minister (Housing and Planning)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Paul Holmes (Con - Hamble Valley)Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Ministers of State
Matthew Pennycook (Lab - Greenwich and Woolwich)Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Alison McGovern (Lab - Birkenhead)
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab - Life peer)Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Samantha Dixon (Lab - Chester North and Neston)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Miatta Fahnbulleh (LAB - Peckham)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
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The Government has introduced the Representation of the People Bill, which includes its manifesto commitment to lower the voting age …
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his decision letter to council …
Regulation 2 of these Regulations makes a number of changes to the Allocation of Housing and Homelessness (Eligibility) (England) Regulations …
A Bill to Authorise the payment out of money provided by Parliament of expenditure incurred by the Secretary of State …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Commons Appearances
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:- Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
- Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
- Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.
Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
Most Recent Commons Appearances by Category
Bills currently before Parliament
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not have Bills currently before Parliament
Acts of Parliament created in the 2024 Parliament
A Bill to make provision for expenditure by the Secretary of State and the removal of restrictions in respect of certain land for or in connection with the construction of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 22nd January 2026 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision about infrastructure; to make provision about town and country planning; to make provision for a scheme, administered by Natural England, for a nature restoration levy payable by developers; to make provision about development corporations; to make provision about the compulsory purchase of land; to make provision about environmental outcomes reports; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 18th December 2025 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision changing the law about rented homes, including provision abolishing fixed term assured tenancies and assured shorthold tenancies; imposing obligations on landlords and others in relation to rented homes and temporary and supported accommodation; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 27th October 2025 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision for, and in connection with, the introduction of higher non-domestic rating multipliers as regards large business hereditaments, and lower non-domestic rating multipliers as regards retail, hospitality and leisure hereditaments, in England and for the removal of charitable relief from non-domestic rates for private schools in England.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 3rd April 2025 and was enacted into law.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government - Secondary Legislation
Petitions
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
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Departmental Select Committee
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.
At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.
Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.
0 Members of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee: 9 Current Inquiries
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee: Previous Inquiries
50 most recent Written Questions
(View all written questions)Within the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) measure, three domains from seven incorporate measures of welfare or benefit take-up. The Income Deprivation Domain carries a weight of 22.5% and the Employment Deprivation Domain carries a weight of 22.5%. The Comparative Illness and Disability Ratio, which is drawn from similar sources, has a weighting of 0.294 in the overall Health Deprivation and Disability Domain, which contributes 13.5% to the IMD.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Peter Bedford
(Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
MHCLG is committed to thorough performance management and has in place robust processes to ensure that those who fall below the expected standards are supported to improve in a timely manner. To this end, there have been:
70 employees who have been placed on a Development Support Plan between 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024, 110 between 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025, and 61 between 1st April 2025- 31st March 2026.
Those who cannot improve their performance, despite this additional support, may be dismissed.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 119480 on 17 March 2026.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government has included powers in the Representation of the People Bill to enable the testing and introduction of new methods of registration. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will continue to consult with a range of relevant stakeholders to ensure that any changes to the registration process are based on robust evidence, user research and thorough testing.
During the development of this work, the Government has worked closely with the Electoral Commission, the Association of Electoral Administrators, local authorities, devolved governments and civil society organisations. We will also continue to offer engagement with political parties.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Buildings in the CSS in Slough are making progress on their remediation, and in cases outside of the timeframe expected by CSS, action has been taken to bring progress back on track.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government continues to engage with local government and the communities sector to ensure that we understand best practice. We will lay regulations and in due course.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit (JESP), led by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Cabinet Office is an enduring election security function, dedicated to coordinating a collective effort across Government to safeguard our elections against the range of threats we face.
Before an election takes place, an ‘Election Cell’ is set up by the Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit (JESP). This brings together government departments, the police, the intelligence agencies, the Devolved Governments, and external partners to monitor and respond to any emerging issues across candidate, cyber and information security. MHCLG's Community Cohesion Unit is also a core part of JESP’s Election Cell; the Community Cohesion Unit works closely during election campaigns with local partners, including the police and local councils to monitor and address issues related to cohesion.
Harassment and intimidation of voters, electoral staff, candidates and campaigners, both online and in person, is totally unacceptable, whatever the driving cause, and has a profoundly detrimental impact on our democratic process.
Government is also working closely with the Electoral Commission to develop an updated Code of Conduct for campaigning to set clear expectations for behaviour during election campaigns. Ahead of the updated Code of Conduct, the Electoral Commission has recently published a set of principles for campaigning respectfully and safely, which are welcomed by this Government.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Representation of the People Bill makes clear the new tests that will apply in respect of political donations made by companies.
The company must be majority owned or controlled by registered UK electors, or UK citizens usually resident in the UK.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 119518 on 18 March 2026.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government does not hold data on the number of qualifying EU citizens who are eligible to register to vote in England or Northern Ireland following the implementation of the Elections Act 2022.
As set out in the answer to Question UIN 120066 on 18 March 2026, the Office for National Statistics has not produced updated estimates of EU citizens eligible to vote following the changes to voting rights implemented through the Elections Act 2022.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
There are no official statistics on the number of qualifying Commonwealth citizens living in the UK who are eligible to register to vote, either in England or across the United Kingdom.
As set out in the answer to Question UIN 120063 on 18 March 2026, the Electoral Commission has previously estimated that around 66% of qualifying Commonwealth citizens may be registered to vote (as at 2023). The Commission’s estimate is based on their survey data and provides an indication of the proportion registered; however no corresponding estimate exists for the total number eligible to register.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following the publication of the independent Rycroft Review on 25 March 2026, the Government wrote to political party representatives to set out the immediate steps being taken to strengthen the UK’s political finance framework to address the risk of foreign financial interference.
The Government announced its intention to introduce a cap on donations from overseas electors and a moratorium on donations via cryptoassets. Further policy detail will be set out as we bring forward these policies as amendments to the Representation of the People Bill.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Part P of the Building Regulations 2010 and Approved Document P make clear electrical installations in dwellings should be designed and installed in such a way to protect people from electric shock and fire hazards. Approved Document P refers to the electrical installation standards in BS7671 as the way of showing compliance with Building Regulations. In domestic situations, if electrical work is notifiable, competent electricians can self-certify that their work is compliant with Part P of the Building Regulations. All electricians who have been authorised by a government approved Competent Person Scheme are listed on the Registered Competent Person Electrical Register All other functional requirements of Building Regulations, beyond electrical safety, must also be met.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
James Cleverly
(Conservative - Braintree)
James Cleverly
(Conservative - Braintree)
The department does hold data on workplace and staff attendance including in regional offices.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the Representation of the People Bill 2026, which provides that bank cards must show either the elector’s first and last name or first initial and last name to be accepted as Voter ID. Bank cards will not be required to display an honorific to be accepted as Voter ID.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 113744 on 26 February 2026.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to supporting and strengthening community asset ownership and transfers. This includes wider reforms such as the new Community Right to Buy, introduced through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, which will apply across England.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Secretary of State’s conclusions in respect of the S106 Agreement are at Paragraphs 111-121 of the published decision letter, which can be found on gov.uk here.
Implementation of the said Agreement, in line with the Secretary of State's decision, is a matter for the parties to it.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Through our Moving to commonhold: banning leasehold for new flats consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, the government is seeking views from industry and consumers on questions relating to scope, exemptions, timings, transitional arrangements, and the wider commonhold legal framework.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Pride in Place programme is providing up to £5.8 billion over 10 years to support 284 places across the UK. That covers 242 constituencies in England, 24 in Scotland and 13 in Wales. The Pride in Place Impact Fund also is providing up to £150 million to a further 95 local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales, many spanning multiple constituencies. In Northern Ireland Phase 1 Pride in Place programme funding is being delivered in 2 constituencies. The Northern Ireland share of Phase 2 Pride in Place programme funding (years 25-26 to 28-29) and Pride in Place Impact Fund will be delivered as part of the Local Growth Fund across Northern Ireland.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government will introduce a moratorium on the acceptance of political donations made using cryptoassets to any regulated recipient, in order to safeguard the integrity of the UK’s political finance system.
This moratorium will apply to cryptoasset donations of any value, including those valued under existing donation thresholds in law of £500 (or £50 for candidates).
Further details on the operation of the moratorium will be set out in due course.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The sole aim of moving towards automated registration, as set out in the Representation of the People Bill, is to increase the completeness and accuracy of electoral registers. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will test automated registration in a range of different locations and settings, with different characteristics and challenges. We will be guided throughout by principles of fairness and open engagement.
The Parliamentary Boundary Commissions for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, are independent of Government. The timings of Parliamentary Boundary Reviews are set by legislation, which the Government has no plans to change.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 95245 on 5 December 2025.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The political finance measures set out in the government’s factsheet Political Donations Overview: existing rules and what is changing relate to donations regulated under electoral law, including donations to political parties, candidates and campaigners.
Donations rules under electoral law do not apply to ministers.
The acceptance and declaration of gifts and hospitality by Ministers continue to be governed by the Ministerial Code. No changes are being made to those rules as part of these reforms.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government does not comment on individual cases or the work of the UK statistics authority. Councils are responsible for administering council tax in line with the legislation. It is the government’s expectation that the information councils provide is clear and accurate for taxpayers.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department publishes guidance on gov.uk for residential and commercial leaseholders, including a ‘How to Lease’ guide for residential leaseholders.
The government-funded Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) provides extensive guidance and free initial legal advice for leaseholders on residential leasehold enfranchisement, including through its website here.
The government is committed to implementing measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 to make enfranchisement cheaper and easier.
The Act sets the method for calculating the price of a statutory lease extension or freehold acquisition, known as the valuation process. It removes the requirement for marriage value to be paid, caps the treatment of ground rents in the valuation calculation at 0.1% of the freehold value, and allows government to prescribe the rates used to calculate the enfranchisement premium.
Valuation rates used to calculate the enfranchisement premium will be set by the Secretary of State in secondary legislation. We will consult on valuation rates and commence the relevant provisions as soon as possible.
As per my Written Ministerial Statement of 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), primary legislation will be required to rectify a small number of specific flaws in the 2024 Act before the Act’s enfranchisement provisions are commenced.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Where local government reorganisation takes place, arrangements are made to preserve civic identity and city or borough status when a council is abolished. We are working with local councils in Surrey on these issues.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Sections 9F(2)(a) and 9F(4) of the Local Government Act 2000 set out how local authorities should make sure their respective scrutiny committees have the power to review and scrutinise decisions made by the executive, commonly referred to as ‘call-in’ procedures. Guidance on ‘call-in’ procedures was published in 2000 alongside the Act. More recent guidance funded by central government was published in 2023 by the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny.
The number of councillor questions permitted at Full Council is not prescribed by statute or central government guidance and is instead determined locally through each authority’s constitutional procedure rules.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the New Towns Draft Programme consultation launched on 23 March which can be found on gov.uk here.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the New Towns Draft Programme consultation launched on 23 March which can be found on gov.uk here.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the New Towns Draft Programme consultation launched on 23 March which can be found on gov.uk here.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the New Towns Draft Programme consultation launched on 23 March which can be found on gov.uk here.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the New Towns Draft Programme consultation launched on 23 March which can be found on gov.uk here.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Existing controls on political donations apply to Members of Parliament. The reforms we are making to political donation rules through the Representation of the People Bill will also apply to Members of Parliament.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Localism Act 2011 covers a broad range of local government and community empowerment matters, and the government keeps this legislative framework under review. The government is committed to widening and deepening devolution across England, rebuilding and reforming local government and giving communities stronger tools to shape their local areas. The government is delivering on this through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, by devolving powers to local leaders across areas such as transport, skills, housing and growth, and by enhancing community empowerment, including greater influence over local decision-making and control over local assets.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The housing supply estimates published in the Future Homes Standard Impact Assessment are for the purposes of appraisal only and do not represent an official forecast of housing supply.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
A new Consultation Direction was published on 31 March 2026, following the legislative change made by the Town and Country (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/595). The Direction can be found on gov.uk here.
A revised call-in and recovery policy will follow in due course. Until then, I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the policy set out in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 26 October 2012, which continues to apply and can be found here.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Published guidance on propriety in respect of planning casework decisions can be found here. The principles set out in the guidance apply to decisions to use the call-in and recovery process as well as to substantive decisions.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities are responsible for the administration of business rates, including decisions on the awarding of and eligibility for various reliefs. Guidance for local authorities on the administration of the pubs and live music venues relief 2026 to 2027 was published on 18 February 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here. It is for local authorities to determine whether individual properties meet the definitions contained within the guidance to be eligible for the Pubs and Live Music Venues relief.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are working with departments across Whitehall to explore the range of data-enabled opportunities available to supporting the overall objective of improving registration. This includes working with the Home Office to explore whether its data could help to identify individuals who are eligible to register.
We will work closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office to ensure that any use of data is supported by appropriate safeguards.
Any permanent changes to the registration process will be informed by robust evidence, user research and careful testing before being implemented.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Valuation Tribunal for England (VTE) is an independent judicial body that hears council tax and business rates appeals. The Valuation Tribunal Service provides administrative services to the VTE and publishes the VTE’s appeal decisions on an online portal which can be found on their website here. The VTS does not issue guidance on Council Tax second home premiums.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following publication of the independent Rycroft Review on 25 March 2026, the Government set out steps to strengthen the UK’s political finance framework to address the risk of foreign financial interference, including through the Representation of the People Bill, which will introduce a cap on donations from overseas electors and a moratorium on donations via cryptoassets, and will strengthen donation rules across the regime, including for donations linked to Ireland, which remain subject to strict permissibility, transparency and enforcement requirements to ensure the true source of funds is identifiable and lawful.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Provision relating to the validity of petitions seeking to trigger a governance referendum is set out in Part 2 of the Local Authorities (Referendums)(Petitions)(England) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/ 2914).
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Through the Representation of the People Bill, the Government will allow all agents, including candidates acting as their own agent, to provide an alternative correspondence address instead of their home address.
Election agents may use a PO Box as a correspondence address. However, they are still required to provide an office address at which legal documents may be served. Under UK Civil Procedure Rules, this office address cannot be a PO Box. It is the responsibility of individual agents to ensure that they have a suitable office address.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following the publication of the independent Rycroft Review on 25 March 2026, the Government announced its intention to act upon two key recommendations from that Review, to introduce a cap on donations from overseas electors and a moratorium on donations via cryptoassets.
The review and its recommendations were informed by engagement with a range of stakeholders, including political parties.
The Government will be introducing these measures by amendment to the Representation of the People Bill where there will be sufficient opportunity to scrutinise and debate the proposals.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The current local authority standards and conduct regime is in certain key aspects ineffectual, inconsistently applied, and lacking in adequate powers to effectively sanction members found in serious breach of their codes of conduct. This is why, in November 2025, we announced our intention to legislate to introduce a clearer and consistently applied conduct system that will help local elected members to hold themselves and their colleagues to account. We will do this when Parliamentary time allows.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 117738 on 13 March 2026.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
No additional guidance has been issued.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)