Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 37781 on Voting Rights: Young People, whether her Department plans to instruct the Boundary Commissions to perform an early boundary review of Parliamentary Constituencies to ensure electoral equality at the General Election 2029 with the addition of voters aged 16 and 17.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government has no plans to amend the timing of the next Parliamentary Boundary Review.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to reply to correspondence of 17 January 2025 from the hon. Member for Torbay on local government reorganisation; and if she will meet with the hon. Member for Torbay to discuss this issue.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I will respond to the letter imminently.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many (a) homes and (b) affordable homes will be provided on completion by the buildings that have been waiting for Gateway 2 approval from the Building Safety Regulator for more than 52 weeks.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) was established by the previous Government and became the Building Control Authority for higher-risk buildings in England from October 1, 2023.

As with any newly established regulator it is typical that there will be a bedding in period as it develops its operations. As the industry adjusts to the new regulatory regime a lot of poor quality and incomplete applications have been submitted. The volume of sub-standard applications demands much of BSR's time and resources which has a knock-on effect on the processing time for all applications.

The majority of the 8 applications exceeding 52 weeks are transitional applications which were transferred into the building safety regime from private sector building control companies that ceased trading with construction already underway. As they were not started under the gateway regime developers have had to gather the evidence to demonstrate compliance with Gateway Two. In the meantime the BSR has allowed these projects to continue construction whilst demonstrating compliance with building regulations. These are unique cases which have arisen as part of the transition process and are therefore atypical.

Of the applications exceeding 12 and 26 weeks, these will be subject to agreed extensions of time between the BSR and developers. These are often required because the applications have failed to fully demonstrate how the building will comply with building regulations and more information is needed. This is a core responsibility of what the BSR was set up to do and ensures that new buildings meet the requisite safety standards that are set out in law.

Some delays to the processing of applications are due to capacity and efficiency issues that exist within the BSR which the new government is seeking to address. This Government has provided an additional £2.1 million to the BSR to engage additional staff to increase capacity which, alongside several efficiency initiatives, is seeing processing times reduce.

The Department continues to work with the BSR to monitor timescales and scrutinise progress. The safety of buildings remains a top priority for the department and the BSR, and legal safety requirements must be adhered to.

The data the BSR reports to the department does not categorise between homes and affordable homes. The following figures are for new build Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs), Non-HRB conversion to HRB and Category A refurbishments (where this refurbishment increases the number of residential units by 1 or more unit). Note that the figures are nested i.e. the 18,424 includes the 10,192 and the 912; and the 10,192 includes the 912.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many (a) homes and (b) affordable homes will be provided on completion by the buildings that have been waiting for Gateway 2 approval from the Building Safety Regulator for more than 26 weeks.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) was established by the previous Government and became the Building Control Authority for higher-risk buildings in England from October 1, 2023.

As with any newly established regulator it is typical that there will be a bedding in period as it develops its operations. As the industry adjusts to the new regulatory regime a lot of poor quality and incomplete applications have been submitted. The volume of sub-standard applications demands much of BSR's time and resources which has a knock-on effect on the processing time for all applications.

The majority of the 8 applications exceeding 52 weeks are transitional applications which were transferred into the building safety regime from private sector building control companies that ceased trading with construction already underway. As they were not started under the gateway regime developers have had to gather the evidence to demonstrate compliance with Gateway Two. In the meantime the BSR has allowed these projects to continue construction whilst demonstrating compliance with building regulations. These are unique cases which have arisen as part of the transition process and are therefore atypical.

Of the applications exceeding 12 and 26 weeks, these will be subject to agreed extensions of time between the BSR and developers. These are often required because the applications have failed to fully demonstrate how the building will comply with building regulations and more information is needed. This is a core responsibility of what the BSR was set up to do and ensures that new buildings meet the requisite safety standards that are set out in law.

Some delays to the processing of applications are due to capacity and efficiency issues that exist within the BSR which the new government is seeking to address. This Government has provided an additional £2.1 million to the BSR to engage additional staff to increase capacity which, alongside several efficiency initiatives, is seeing processing times reduce.

The Department continues to work with the BSR to monitor timescales and scrutinise progress. The safety of buildings remains a top priority for the department and the BSR, and legal safety requirements must be adhered to.

The data the BSR reports to the department does not categorise between homes and affordable homes. The following figures are for new build Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs), Non-HRB conversion to HRB and Category A refurbishments (where this refurbishment increases the number of residential units by 1 or more unit). Note that the figures are nested i.e. the 18,424 includes the 10,192 and the 912; and the 10,192 includes the 912.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) homes and (b) affordable homes that would be created in buildings awaiting Gateway Two approval from the Building Safety Regulator.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) was established by the previous Government and became the Building Control Authority for higher-risk buildings in England from October 1, 2023.

As with any newly established regulator it is typical that there will be a bedding in period as it develops its operations. As the industry adjusts to the new regulatory regime a lot of poor quality and incomplete applications have been submitted. The volume of sub-standard applications demands much of BSR's time and resources which has a knock-on effect on the processing time for all applications.

The majority of the 8 applications exceeding 52 weeks are transitional applications which were transferred into the building safety regime from private sector building control companies that ceased trading with construction already underway. As they were not started under the gateway regime developers have had to gather the evidence to demonstrate compliance with Gateway Two. In the meantime the BSR has allowed these projects to continue construction whilst demonstrating compliance with building regulations. These are unique cases which have arisen as part of the transition process and are therefore atypical.

Of the applications exceeding 12 and 26 weeks, these will be subject to agreed extensions of time between the BSR and developers. These are often required because the applications have failed to fully demonstrate how the building will comply with building regulations and more information is needed. This is a core responsibility of what the BSR was set up to do and ensures that new buildings meet the requisite safety standards that are set out in law.

Some delays to the processing of applications are due to capacity and efficiency issues that exist within the BSR which the new government is seeking to address. This Government has provided an additional £2.1 million to the BSR to engage additional staff to increase capacity which, alongside several efficiency initiatives, is seeing processing times reduce.

The Department continues to work with the BSR to monitor timescales and scrutinise progress. The safety of buildings remains a top priority for the department and the BSR, and legal safety requirements must be adhered to.

The data the BSR reports to the department does not categorise between homes and affordable homes. The following figures are for new build Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs), Non-HRB conversion to HRB and Category A refurbishments (where this refurbishment increases the number of residential units by 1 or more unit). Note that the figures are nested i.e. the 18,424 includes the 10,192 and the 912; and the 10,192 includes the 912.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many (a) homes and (b) affordable homes will be provided on completion by the buildings that have been waiting for Gateway Two approval from the Building Safety Regulator for more than 12 weeks.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) was established by the previous Government and became the Building Control Authority for higher-risk buildings in England from October 1, 2023.

As with any newly established regulator it is typical that there will be a bedding in period as it develops its operations. As the industry adjusts to the new regulatory regime a lot of poor quality and incomplete applications have been submitted. The volume of sub-standard applications demands much of BSR's time and resources which has a knock-on effect on the processing time for all applications.

The majority of the 8 applications exceeding 52 weeks are transitional applications which were transferred into the building safety regime from private sector building control companies that ceased trading with construction already underway. As they were not started under the gateway regime developers have had to gather the evidence to demonstrate compliance with Gateway Two. In the meantime the BSR has allowed these projects to continue construction whilst demonstrating compliance with building regulations. These are unique cases which have arisen as part of the transition process and are therefore atypical.

Of the applications exceeding 12 and 26 weeks, these will be subject to agreed extensions of time between the BSR and developers. These are often required because the applications have failed to fully demonstrate how the building will comply with building regulations and more information is needed. This is a core responsibility of what the BSR was set up to do and ensures that new buildings meet the requisite safety standards that are set out in law.

Some delays to the processing of applications are due to capacity and efficiency issues that exist within the BSR which the new government is seeking to address. This Government has provided an additional £2.1 million to the BSR to engage additional staff to increase capacity which, alongside several efficiency initiatives, is seeing processing times reduce.

The Department continues to work with the BSR to monitor timescales and scrutinise progress. The safety of buildings remains a top priority for the department and the BSR, and legal safety requirements must be adhered to.

The data the BSR reports to the department does not categorise between homes and affordable homes. The following figures are for new build Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs), Non-HRB conversion to HRB and Category A refurbishments (where this refurbishment increases the number of residential units by 1 or more unit). Note that the figures are nested i.e. the 18,424 includes the 10,192 and the 912; and the 10,192 includes the 912.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many planning applications for housing developments in (a) Wychavon District Council and (b) England have the Gardens Trust and Sport England contributed to in their capacities as statutory consultees in the last five years; and how many of these applications (i) passed and (ii) were refused.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 39567 on 27 March 2025 in relation to The Gardens Trust.

In respect of Sport England, available data from 2022/23 and 2023/24 show that they responded to 1,145 and 1,168 applications respectively across England. The government does not hold data on response times or the nature of the responses from statutory consultees broken down by individual local planning authorities.

Statutory consultees do not have a veto on planning applications and therefore cannot pass or refuse an application. It is for the local planning authorities to determine planning applications.

As set out in the Written Minister Statement made on 10 March 2025, the government intend to consult this Spring on the impacts of removing a limited number of statutory consultees, including Sport England and the Gardens Trust. Even if ultimately removed as statutory consultees, both organisations will still be able to submit views on individual planning applications.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, in what circumstances a previous landowner is eligible for additional compensation following a Compulsory Purchase Order; and how this applies to Compulsory Purchase Orders where hope value has been removed.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Additional compensation may be payable where a compulsory purchase order was confirmed with a direction removing hope value, but the acquiring authority does not build out their scheme as proposed.

The Department has issued guidance on the circumstances where additional compensation may be claimed.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Nature Restoration Fund levy will be in addition to Biodiversity Net Gain.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Nature Restoration Fund will be in addition to Biodiversity Net Gain and will run concurrently, focusing on enabling development in areas where it has stalled due to specific environmental obligations relating to impacts on protected sites or species.

We will ensure that developers receive a user-friendly experience and that BNG credit and the Nature Restoration Fund revenue is deployed in a joined-up manner to maximise environmental outcomes.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the speech entitled PM remarks on the fundamental reform of the British state, published on 13 March 2025, on what evidential basis the Prime Minister said that jumping spiders stopped the development of an entire new town.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at the Swanscombe Peninsula was designated in 2021 due to the presence of a number of rare plant, bird and invertebrate species, including the rare Distinguished Jumping Spider. The SSSI includes a significant area of land that had been purchased by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation to bring forward an important part of the new Garden City at Ebbsfleet.

As a consequence of the designation and the need to comply with National Planning Policy on SSSI’s the Development Corporation took the decision to re-masterplan the area leading to the loss of approximately 1,300 new homes and some 30,000sqm of commercial development.

The Ebbsfleet Development Corporation continues to progress its plans for c15,000 new homes and facilities across its wider development area.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether (a) environmental delivery plans and (b) the nature restoration fund will replace suitable alternative natural greenspace.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) can be used to address the negative effects of development leading to recreational disturbance of Habitats Sites. Where appropriate, SANGs will continue to play an important role in nature restoration under both Environmental Delivery Plans (which will be funded by the Nature Restoration Fund) and the existing Habitats Regulations Assessment regime.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of her Department's intervention at Birmingham City Council since October 2023.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Commissioners’ fees and expenses are published on Birmingham City Council’s website at regular three-month intervals. There are additional costs associated with the admin support team provided by Birmingham City Council. Commissioners’ fees and expenses for one year were just over £1.3m.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to amend the Habitats Regulations.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill includes targeted amendments to the Habitats Regulations, with Schedule 4 including changes necessary to streamline environmental assessment as part of Environmental Delivery Plans and Schedule 6 adding Ramsar Sites to Part 6 of the Habitats Regulations so these sites are covered whilst strengthening protections.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what the relationship will be between the biodiversity net gain rules and the future Nature Restoration Fund.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Last year the Environment Act introduced a new mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirement of 10% for new developments, subject to some exceptions.

The Nature Restoration Fund will be in addition to BNG and will run concurrently, focusing on enabling development in areas where that has stalled due to specific environmental obligations relating to impacts on protected sites or species in those areas

We will ensure that developers receive a user-friendly experience and that BNG credit and the Nature Restoration Fund revenue is deployed in a joined-up manner to maximise environmental outcomes.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has had discussions with mortgage-lenders on ensuring that existing leaseholders with (a) unregulated and (b) uncapped ground rents are able to secure buyers for their properties.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government remains firmly committed to its manifesto commitment to tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, and we will deliver this in legislation.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that existing leaseholders with (a) unregulated and (b) uncapped ground rents are able to secure buyers for their properties.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government remains firmly committed to its manifesto commitment to tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, and we will deliver this in legislation.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, under what circumstances freeholders become liable for higher insurance fees if they delay fire safety works.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The terms of individual leases determine when freeholders can pass on insurance costs to leaseholders. This remains the case even if there is a delay to remediating the building.

We are pushing for faster remediation as set out in the Remediation Acceleration Plan. We also intend to make it a criminal offence, and apply civil sanctions, against those who fail to remediate their unsafe buildings - including freeholders. Freeholders who delay works can expect swift and robust enforcement action from regulators, with the full support of government.

We remain committed to ensuring residents have access to information regarding their buildings insurance and can challenge unreasonable costs. Under the Leasehold & Freehold Reform Act we are making sure landlords provide leaseholders with information about their building’s insurance.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support veterans affected by homelessness.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We have increased funding for homelessness services and supported veterans to access social housing by exempting them from local connection tests for social housing in England.

The Deputy Prime Minister is chairing an Interministerial Group, which includes the Veterans Minister, to develop a long-term cross-Government strategy to end homelessness.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes in the number of firefighters on fire and rescue response times in Dorset and Wiltshire.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

It is the responsibility of Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority (FRA) to decide how the authority’s resources, including staff, are best deployed to meet core functions. This includes determining crewing levels and appropriate targets for local response times. Decisions are based on analysis of risk and local circumstances within local Community Risk Management Plans.

The Government is committed to ensuring FRAs have the resources they need to do their important work keeping the public safe. In 2024/25, fire and rescue authorities received around £2.87 billion. Standalone FRAs saw an increase in core spending power of £95.4m during 2024/25.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of parking enforcement companies; and whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to protect consumers from their practices.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government recognises the need for high standards in the private parking industry and is committed to delivering a Code of Practice, in accordance with The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019.

We are progressing with plans to protect and support motorists and to help us further understand the potential impacts of the Code, we will be launching a consultation in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will consider introducing protections for consumers in the new Parking Code of Practice.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government recognises the need for high standards in the private parking industry and is committed to delivering a Code of Practice, in accordance with The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019.

We are progressing with plans to protect and support motorists and to help us further understand the potential impacts of the Code, we will be launching a consultation in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when her Department plans to re-introduce the Parking Code of Practice.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government recognises the need for high standards in the private parking industry and is committed to delivering a Code of Practice, in accordance with The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019.

We are progressing with plans to protect and support motorists and to help us further understand the potential impacts of the Code, we will be launching a consultation in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of existing regulatory mechanisms for property management companies on mixed tenure estates; and what her planned timetable is for the implementation of provisions in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill designed to support freeholders seeking to change their management company.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether freeholders are liable for insurance costs for leaseholders if court ordered safety works are not completed in time.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The terms of individual leases determine when freeholders can pass on insurance costs to leaseholders. This remains the case even if there is a delay to remediating the building.

We are pushing for faster remediation as set out in the Remediation Acceleration Plan. We also intend to make it a criminal offence, and apply civil sanctions, against those who fail to remediate their unsafe buildings - including freeholders. Freeholders who delay works can expect swift and robust enforcement action from regulators, with the full support of government.

We remain committed to ensuring residents have access to information regarding their buildings insurance and can challenge unreasonable costs. Under the Leasehold & Freehold Reform Act we are making sure landlords provide leaseholders with information about their building’s insurance.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to change disqualification rules for (a) councillors, (b) mayors and (c) other elected representatives, in relation to those found guilty of sexual offences.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On changes to local government disqualification criteria, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 41451.

The government has been clear that standards in local government need to be improved and that could include a standards regime which has the power to suspend, sanction and disqualify for the most serious breaches.

Councillors and mayors already face disqualification if found guilty of sexual offences. Individuals made subject to the notification requirements or who receive a relevant order for sexual offences are disqualified for as long as they remain subject to them.

Someone cannot be a Police and Crime Commissioner if they have ever been convicted of an imprisonable offence.

We have no plans to extend the House of Commons disqualification criteria beyond those set out in the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975 and the Representation of the People Act 1981. There are also mechanisms in place under the Recall of MPs Act 2015 for the electorate to decide whether to remove MPs convicted of other offences.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to (a) reform and (b) enhance the (i) powers, (ii) financial responsibility and (iii) wider responsibilities of parish councils through the process of local government reform.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The English Devolution White Paper is clear that the government wants to create new opportunities for communities to have a say in the future of their area and play a part in improving it. Ensuring that parish councils are effective and representative of their communities will contribute to this goal.

The government has consulted on necessary reforms to the local government standards regime, including in parish councils. The consultation closed on 26 February 2025 and government will respond in due course. We have also consulted on aims to enable stronger financial oversight of parish councils following the publication of our ‘Strategy for Overhauling Local Audit in England.’ The consultation closed on 29 January 2025 and we will respond in due course.

We want to see stronger community arrangements when reorganisation happens in the way councils engage at a neighbourhood or area level. Proposals will need to explain plans to make sure that communities are engaged. Where there are already arrangements in place it should be explained how these will enable strong community engagement. Town and parish councils can work with other tiers of local government to determine how they can best serve their communities.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department holds information on the individual bye-laws in force by each local authority.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG does not hold information on individual byelaws in force by each local authority.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will impose higher penalties on freeholders who do not implement fire safety works within timetables set out in court Remediation Orders.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Building Safety Act 2022 (the Act) provides that a First-tier Tribunal decision made under or in connection with section 123 (remediation orders), will be enforceable with the permission of the County Court. Proceedings will function in the same way as under orders of that Court.

The current regime is intended to provide security to the majority of leaseholders and support actions to ensure buildings are remediated. As with all policies, the Government will keep open the option of considering changes in the future.

Indeed, our Remediation Acceleration Plan sets out our plan to go further in making sure there are severe penalties for landlords that delay works on cladding issues. We intend to introduce new criminal and civil sanctions for those who fail to assess and remediate unsafe buildings within fixed timescales, backed by a further £33 million investment in 25/26 to provide local and national regulators with capacity and capability to tackle hundreds of enforcement cases a year, targeting those neglecting to quickly remediate their buildings.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take with (a) developers and (b) freeholders who fail to meet remediation orders on time.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Building Safety Act 2022 (the Act) provides that a First-tier Tribunal decision made under or in connection with section 123 (remediation orders), will be enforceable with the permission of the County Court. Proceedings will function in the same way as under orders of that Court.

The current regime is intended to provide security to the majority of leaseholders and support actions to ensure buildings are remediated. As with all policies, the Government will keep open the option of considering changes in the future.

Indeed, our Remediation Acceleration Plan sets out our plan to go further in making sure there are severe penalties for landlords that delay works on cladding issues. We intend to introduce new criminal and civil sanctions for those who fail to assess and remediate unsafe buildings within fixed timescales, backed by a further £33 million investment in 25/26 to provide local and national regulators with capacity and capability to tackle hundreds of enforcement cases a year, targeting those neglecting to quickly remediate their buildings.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that penalties are enforced for businesses and freeholders that delay works on cladding issues.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Landlords are legally responsible for making sure their buildings are safe and must do so without delay. Where works on cladding issues are delayed, regulators have legal powers to compel work by a set time and can penalise inaction. In 2023, Newham Council became the first council to successfully prosecute a landlord for delays in removing dangerous cladding. Others are following suit: As of 19 February 2025, enforcement action has been, or is being, taken under the Housing Act against 532 landlords of 11m+ buildings with unsafe cladding.

This Government is committed to working hand-in-glove with regulators to get unsafe buildings fixed without delay. We recently published ‘remediation enforcement guidance for regulators’, and launched a new fund which LAs and FRAs can access to obtain funding to get their own specialist legal advice on enforcement cases. The Department’s Recovery Strategy Unit also holds organisations to account who are failing to fix unsafe buildings and contribute to remediation costs.

Our Remediation Acceleration Plan sets out our plan to go further in making sure there are severe penalties for landlords that delay works on cladding issues. We intend to introduce new criminal and civil sanctions for those who fail to assess and remediate unsafe buildings within fixed timescales, backed by a further £33 million investment in 25/26 to provide local and national regulators with capacity and capability to tackle hundreds of enforcement cases a year, targeting those neglecting to quickly remediate their buildings.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure the diversity of (a) shops and (b) service provision on high streets.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government is committed to fostering the conditions for prosperous and diverse high streets. The Government has recently introduced High Street Rental Auctions to tackle persistent vacancy and ensure that more business ventures can access commercial property opportunities at a fair market rate.

The National Planning Policy Framework also supports town centres by requiring policies and decisions to promote their growth, management and adaptation. The commercial business and service use class provides flexibility for premises between high street uses, including to provide services such as creches or health services, without the need for a planning application.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2025 to Question 31685 on Public Consultation: Young People, what his planned timetable is for the publication of the long term strategy for communities; and what policy areas it will cover.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Young people were invited to participate via DCMS-funded youth programmes. Participants represented a range of age groups and communities from across the country.

The government continues its work to deliver for communities and is currently developing its longer-term strategy. We will set out next steps in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2025 to Question 31685 on Public Consultation: Young People, how the young people for the two round tables on the long term strategy for communities were selected.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Young people were invited to participate via DCMS-funded youth programmes. Participants represented a range of age groups and communities from across the country.

The government continues its work to deliver for communities and is currently developing its longer-term strategy. We will set out next steps in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Spring Statement of 26 March 2025, Official Report, column 945, what steps she is taking to monitor the progress made in meeting housebuilding targets.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 39650 on 25 March 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on how campaigners can (a) hold street stalls and (b) give out leaflets in local high streets.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government has not issued any guidance to local authorities on issues relating to campaigning.

The Electoral Commission is responsible for providing guidance directly to candidates and campaigners.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether debts from local authorities being merged together will be taken on jointly by the new authority under her Department's local government reorganisation plans; and how any existing debt will be serviced.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 6 February I wrote to the leaders of two-tier councils and neighbouring unitaries to formally invite them to develop proposals for reorganisation. It is for the councils to develop robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of the whole area.

As outlined in our invitation letter, in general, as with previous restructures, there is no proposal for council debt to be addressed centrally or written off as part of reorganisation. For areas where there are exceptional circumstances where there has been failure linked to capital practices, proposals should reflect the extent to which the implications of this can be managed locally, including as part of efficiencies possible through reorganisation.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much decision making authority local councillors will have over large-scale planning applications.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill does not change the consultation rules on local planning applications.

Representations can be made by interested parties and these are considered by the relevant decision maker – whether that be a local planning officer or planning committee.

The government intends to consult on the delegation of planning decisions in England alongside passage of the Bill.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what measures does the Planning and Infrastructure Bill contain to empower local councillors, outside formal committee settings, to effectively influence planning decisions and represent their constituents' interests.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill does not change the consultation rules on local planning applications.

Representations can be made by interested parties and these are considered by the relevant decision maker – whether that be a local planning officer or planning committee.

The government intends to consult on the delegation of planning decisions in England alongside passage of the Bill.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will safeguard the call-in powers of local councillors.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill does not change the consultation rules on local planning applications.

Representations can be made by interested parties and these are considered by the relevant decision maker – whether that be a local planning officer or planning committee.

The government intends to consult on the delegation of planning decisions in England alongside passage of the Bill.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the cost to the public purse of local government reorganisation in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The overall case for local government reorganisation is set out the English Devolution White Paper.

A PWC 2020 report estimated that reorganisation of the then 25 two-tier areas to a single unitary would have a one-off cost of £400 million, with the potential to realise £2.9 billion over five years, with an annual post-implementation net recurring saving of £700 million, however as it is for local areas to submit proposals for government to consider, the savings could vary area by area and across England in the round. We are also keen to ensure the wider benefits are also promoted, specifically simplified and more efficient structures.

Councils in Lincolnshire were invited on 5 February to develop proposals for reorganisation, which are due to be submitted to government by November 2025. It will be for the new councils to achieve the efficiencies identified in reorganisation proposals and subsequent detailed implementation and transformation plans while delivering high quality and sustainable public services to local residents and businesses.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that local government is accountable for its decisions.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Councils are democratic institutions accountable to the communities they serve. We are strengthening that accountability through clearer expectations, stronger local scrutiny, and a renewed focus on outcomes.

Together, these measures are building a more trusting and equal partnership-based relationship between central and local government.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2025 to Question 36221 on Housing: construction, whether she plans to issue guidance to local authorities on density.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Planning Policy Framework is supportive of development that makes efficient use of land and makes clear that local development plans should include the use of minimum density standards to that ends.

I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 36221 on 14 March 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2025 to Question 36223 on Housing: Construction, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits for policy-making of collecting that information.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government will keep the matter under review.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she is taking steps to increase the level of funding for social rent homes at the spending review.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to protect the green belt in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is committed to preserving Green Belts which have served England's towns and cities well over many decades, not least in terms of checking the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas and preventing neighbouring towns merging into one another.

The government’s new approach to the Green Belt, including prioritising the release of lower quality grey belt land and introducing ‘golden rules’ to ensure development benefits communities and nature, is set out in the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on 12 December.

On 27 February, Planning Practice Guidance was published to assist local authorities and other decision-makers, and to support a consistent approach to determining whether land is grey belt. It can be found on gov.uk here. This new guidance will support authorities in producing Local Plans, while also making sure that planning applications and development on suitable grey belt land can proceed in the short-term in areas without an up-to-date plan.

The government has also provided 133 local planning authorities with £70,000 of pump priming funding each to contribute towards the costs of carrying out Green Belt reviews in their areas.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to provide safe accommodation for victims of domestic abuse.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This government is committed to tackling violence against women and girls and supporting victims of domestic abuse.

Since 2021, local authorities in England have a duty under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 to ensure victims of domestic abuse and their children have access to support within safe accommodation. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provides funding to local authorities to deliver this duty. For 2025-26, £160 million has been allocated, a £30 million uplift from the previous year. This revenue funding is for local authorities to commission lifesaving support for victims and their children within safe accommodation. Funding for 2026/27 onwards will be a matter for the Spending Review.

Statutory guidance to local authorities is available here providing further details on how the duty should be delivered.

The current Affordable Homes Programme for 2021-2026 includes capital funding for new supply of supported housing, including domestic abuse safe accommodation. At Spring statement, the government announced an immediate injection of £2 billion to support delivery of the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and contribute to our milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament, including for victims of domestic abuse.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to take steps to ensure that planning guidance issued by her Department includes measures on preserving (a) biodiversity and (b) habitats for pollinators.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Planning Policy framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should conserve and enhance the natural environment by minimising impacts on, and providing net gains for, biodiversity, including by establishing coherent ecological networks that are more resilient to current and future pressures and incorporating features which support priority or threatened species. Planning Practice Guidance on the Natural Environment provides further detail on how users of the planning system can implement these policies.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure equal access to affordable housing for families from lower-income backgrounds.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Social housing goes to those who need it most. Where someone is eligible for social housing, they will have their housing needs considered in accordance with the relevant local authority’s housing allocation scheme.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support housing landlords with tenants in long-term rent arrears.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Financial support is available for tenants facing difficulty paying their rent, including through the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payment schemes. In 2025/26, the government is investing £1 billion into these schemes, which are administered by local authorities in line with local priorities.

Free, non-means tested legal advice is available through the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service for tenants who are at risk of possession proceedings or loss of their home. Through this service, tenants can receive advice on housing, welfare benefits and debt as soon as they receive written notice that possession of their home is being sought.

While support is available to sustain tenancies where appropriate, the government believes that landlords must have robust grounds for possession where there is good reason to take their property back, including where a tenant has accrued long-term rent arrears. Under the Renters’ Rights Bill, there will be grounds for possession for rent arrears allowing mandatory eviction after three months’ arrears are accrued, and discretionary grounds for lesser amounts in situations such as frequent late payment.

It is also important that landlords can have efficient access to justice in the minority of cases where court action becomes necessary. We will make the court possession process more efficient for users by digitising it from end-to-end.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled £2 billion new investment to support biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, published on 25 March 2025, over what period the (a) funding will be allocated and (b) new homes will be (i) commenced and (ii) completed.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 25 March 2025 (HCWS549)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2025 to Question 36225 on New Towns: Mid Bedfordshire, if she will make it her policy to inform Rt hon. and hon. Members of a new town proposal in their constituency before publicly disclosing such information.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The New Towns Taskforce will submit its final report this summer.

As there may be political or commercial sensitivities to information submitted regarding prospective developments, the New Towns Taskforce will not be sharing information about the evidence base of locations prior to publication of the final report.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2025 to Question 36227 on New Towns, whether any sites submitted as part of the call for evidence are in the Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The New Towns Taskforce will submit its final report this summer.

As there may be political or commercial sensitivities to information submitted regarding prospective developments, the New Towns Taskforce will not be sharing information about the evidence base of locations prior to publication of the final report.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to increase levels of data sharing between developers and local authorities.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) runs a Digital Planning Programme which aims to enable a modern and efficient planning system in England.

Core objectives of the Programme include providing better access to planning data, improving data quality, and making data more open.

We are delivering on these objectives through the Planning Data platform, which will continue to expand the availability of standardised and open data on planning.data.gov.uk to drive the creation of new tools and services that share planning data (including making more data accessible to developers) and enable improved monitoring of planning outcomes.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2025 to Question 35438 on Tree Preservation Orders: Bedfordshire, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that locally held records like Tree Protection Orders are not lost during Local Government reorganisation.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The implementation of local government reorganisation will be a matter for local authorities to consider as they develop their proposals for reorganisation and establish new unitary authorities. It is essential that councils continue to deliver their business-as-usual services and duties, which remain unchanged up until such time as the reorganisation process is complete.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether environmental delivery plans will apply to all protected species within the designated area.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The scale and coverage of an Environmental Delivery Plan (EDPs) will reflect the nature of the specific environmental impact being addressed.

EDPs will only be put in place where Natural England and the Secretary of State are confident that conservation measures will be sufficient to outweigh the negative effects of development. Where this is not the case, existing environmental obligations, including those arising under the Habitats Regulations, will remain in place.

Where a protected species is not suitable for this more strategic approach, Natural England will not propose an EDP.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2025 to Question 36228 on Housing: Construction, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing (a) a housing supply forecast and (b) projected profiles of housing delivery every (i) month, (ii) quarter) and (iii) year.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government publishes quarterly data on planning applications and housing starts and completions.

The latest data on planning application statistics can be found on gov.uk here.

Data on housing starts and completions can be found on gov.uk here. The main measure of housing supply is net additional dwellings, the latest data on which can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the accessibility of playgrounds; and what steps her Department is taking to help increase accessibility of playgrounds.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is firmly committed to creating better access to play areas, and parks more widely. They are an essential part of local social infrastructure which supports more connected, stronger communities.

Local authorities must consider their obligations under the Equalities Act of 2010 in relation to work being done on play areas, this includes ensuring that they are accessible and inclusive.

We will use our bold £1.5 billion Plan for Neighbourhoods to bolster community assets, including play areas. The plan will deliver up to £20 million of funding and support over the next decade into 75 communities across the UK, bringing together “neighbourhood boards” to develop local regeneration plans in partnership with local authorities.

Furthermore, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that planning policies and decisions should aim to achieve healthy, inclusive and safe places.

In addition to this, the National Design Guide demonstrates through ten characteristics for well-designed places how new development can promote inclusive design by creating buildings and spaces that are safe, social and inclusive, with an integrated mix of uses that are accessible for all. This should include spaces for comfort, relaxation and stimulation, including play.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 39567 on Local Plans: Gardens Trust, what criteria was applied to the decision to remove the Gardens Trust as a statutory planning consultee.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 10 March 2025 (HCWS510).

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 38367 on Fast Food: Planning Permission, what rulings the Planning Inspectorate has made on the working definition of a fast food outlet.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Planning Inspectorate has not made any rulings on the working definition of a fast food outlet.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has assessed compliance costs associated with local authority planning approvals.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Ensuring compliance with planning approvals is a matter for local planning authorities. As such, the Department has not made an assessment of the costs involved.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent progress her Department has made on implementing the Remediation Acceleration Plan.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Progress has been made in many areas, such as identifying remaining buildings with unsafe cladding, making developer remediation progress information more accessible for public scrutiny, and increasing regulator funding to build and maintain their capacity and capability.

We will provide an update in summer 2025 assessing progress, outlining further steps, and reflecting the spending review.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that adequate infrastructure is in place before new housing is built.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government recognises the importance of ensuring that new housing development is supported by appropriate infrastructure.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published 12 December included changes designed to improve the provision and modernisation of various types of public infrastructure.

The government is also committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide the necessary infrastructure communities expect.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to provide safe accommodation for victims of domestic abuse.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authorities in England must ensure that support is available in safe accommodation for domestic abuse victims who need it. My Department has allocated £160 million for 2025-26, a £30 million uplift from the previous year. That funding is for local authorities to commission lifesaving support for victims in safe accommodation.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

What steps her Department is taking to improve standards in the private rented sector in Bournemouth East constituency.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Our Renters’ Rights Bill will deliver the government’s manifesto commitment to transform the experience of private renting, including by applying a Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector to drive up standards within it.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to review cross-Government spending on tackling homelessness, in the context of the Spending Review.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As part of the current Spending Review, the government will be reviewing all spending across government, including spend on tackling homelessness. The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending homelessness. This includes chairing a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, bringing together ministers from across government to develop a long-term strategy.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has plans to repeal part 1, Schedule 13 of the Elections Act 2022.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 23541 on 22 January 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 38627 on Democracy and Elections, if she will name each of the stakeholders who have been consulted to date.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government engages with a broad range of stakeholders including local authorities, Civil Society Organisations and electoral bodies including the Electoral Commission, the Association of Electoral Administrators, The Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and the Scottish Assessors’ Association. The Government is committed to working proactively and collaboratively with those groups where the Government’s ambitious agenda for electoral reform will have the most impact and we will continue to build on these trusted relationships.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2025 to Question 36103 on Islamophobia, what the public appointment process will be.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia working group has been established to provide government with a working definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred which is reflective of a wide range of perspectives and priorities of British Muslims. The Working Group is made up of representatives from Muslim communities, independent experts, and academics.

Full membership details of the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group have been published on GOV.UK. The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. Further details of the Government’s public appointments process and the Governance Code of Public Appointments can be found on GOV.UK.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the members of the working group on the definition of Islamophobia will be remunerated; and what is the process by which they have been selected.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Members of the Anti-Muslim Hate/Islamophobia Definition Working Group will not be remunerated but will be able to claim expenses for travel and/or costs incurred whilst carrying out their role. Members are technical experts and have been selected for their ability to deliver against the group’s objectives. All members must follow The Seven Principles of Public Life and the Government retains the right to end the relationship if any member does not abide by the principles. All appointments are subject to assessment of any potential or actual conflicts of interest, which must be fully disclosed to the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government. Further details are provided in the Group’s Terms of Reference which have been published on GOV.UK.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer by Lord Khan of Burnley of 13 March 2025, Official Report, House of Lords, Column 822, whether the grant funding agreement with Tell MAMA has been signed.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As with all government funding, funding to Tell MAMA is subject to grant funding agreements which are rightly kept under constant review and are subject to continued monitoring and evaluation. Following Tell MAMA’s signing of the required Grant Funding Agreement, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has made payment for the 2024/25.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 31935 on Civil Society: Islam, how such decisions are (a) recorded and (b) communicated to teams within her Department.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The responsibility for decisions around who departments engage with sits with respective departments and the appropriate policy areas. All policy decisions are taken and recorded in the usual way, as per standard practice.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing mission critical neighbourhoods, as defined by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods, on the effectiveness of the Government's policies on tackling (a) deprivation and (b) other issues.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This Government has recently announced the Plan for Neighbourhoods, a £1.5 billion programme to invest in 75 areas over the next decade, offering a long-term strategy to fix the foundations of places that have been left behind. This plan will help to tackle deprivation at the root cause, creating neighbourhoods where people can thrive, communities are stronger, and people have control over the things that matter to them. In each of these areas, we will help set up a Neighbourhood Board, bringing together residents, local businesses, and grassroots campaigners to draw up a new vision for their neighbourhood. I welcome the launch of the Independent Commission on Neighbourhood’s interim report and look forward to seeing, their insights on how we can build on this agenda to support the most in need neighbourhoods.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she expects to receive the final report of the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This Government has recently announced the Plan for Neighbourhoods, a £1.5 billion programme to invest in 75 areas over the next decade, offering a long-term strategy to fix the foundations of places that have been left behind. This plan will help to tackle deprivation at the root cause, creating neighbourhoods where people can thrive, communities are stronger, and people have control over the things that matter to them. In each of these areas, we will help set up a Neighbourhood Board, bringing together residents, local businesses, and grassroots campaigners to draw up a new vision for their neighbourhood. I welcome the launch of the Independent Commission on Neighbourhood’s interim report and look forward to seeing, their insights on how we can build on this agenda to support the most in need neighbourhoods.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has received any representations on fire safety guidance and the time within which care homes should aim to evacuate residents from protected areas.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Fire Risk Assessment: Residential Care guide is being updated as part of a major work programme to update all fire safety guidance under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and will address evacuation times in premises such as care homes. This work is currently expected to run over the next couple of years given the number of guides in development, the detailed policy work required and the differing expert views regarding care home evacuation times.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her plans are for projects that received funding through the Levelling Up Fund in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Levelling Up Fund is fully committed, with £4.8 billion going to 271 projects across the UK. In Lancashire this includes 10 projects worth £260 million.

We are supporting Local Authorities to help deliver the benefits of this investment to communities across the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that purchasers are not financially disadvantaged by incorrect EPC certificates.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2012 place a duty on accreditation schemes to ensure that Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are produced in a consistent and accurate manner and the energy assessors are suitably qualified and experienced to carry out their duties. Government regularly audits accreditation scheme to assess whether they are fulfilling their duties and takes action to address any issues found.

We have recently consulted on EPC Reforms including proposals to improve the accuracy and reliability of Energy Performance Certificates. This includes reviewing the training standards of energy assessors and strengthening auditing processes to more effectively capture and correct errors. We have also proposed that additional metrics be added to EPCs to provide a broader perspective on building performance, alongside measures to make the underlying data used to calculate these metrics more transparent. This increased transparency will allow any errors to be identified sooner and corrected.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 32222 on Homes England: Equality, whether this expenditure was signed off by the Principle Accounting Officer for Homes England.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Whitehall Diversity & Industry Group (WIG) Diversity & Inclusion event is a conference with key note speakers, panel discussions and interactive sessions and therefore does not fall under the EDI restrictions and/or require sign off from the Principal Accounting Officer for Homes England.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total funding they allocated to Faith Matters for the Tell MAMA project for the 2025–26 financial year; what was the duration in months for which the funding was granted; and what specific activities will be supported by this funding.

Answered by Lord Khan of Burnley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is committed to providing a comprehensive service to monitor anti-Muslim hatred and providing support for victims, and on 2 April announced the Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund. We are seeking grant applications to support organisations to provide a comprehensive service to monitor anti-Muslim hatred and support victims. We welcome applications from Tell MAMA as well as alternative providers.

The government has also made available £500,000 for funding Tell MAMA in 2025/26, to support their work for Q1 and Q2 of 2025/26. This is subject to their signing of a Grant Funding Agreement for 2025/26 which will detail the specific activities the funding will support.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government by what date they expect the work to remove dangerous cladding from high rise residential buildings in England to have been completed.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

No leaseholder in a high-rise residential building should wait a day longer for remediation than necessary. The Remediation Acceleration Plan published last December states that by the end of 2029 all high rise buildings (18 metres and over) with unsafe cladding in a government funded scheme will have been remediated. The joint plan with developers published alongside the Remediation Acceleration Plan established targets for developers to start or complete remedial works on all their buildings by the end of July 2027.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 24 March (HL Deb cols 1447–9), whether they have met insurance companies about the rising insurance costs of leaseholders due to the lower remediation required by PAS 9980.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Officials in my department engage regularly with the insurance industry and Minister Norris met representatives earlier in the year. PAS9980:2022 sets out steps that can be taken to identify and assess risk factors as well as mitigation steps that might improve the risk rating of a building via a holistic and fact-based assessment of a building’s construction.

Once buildings comply with Building Regulations or align with industry-accepted PAS 9980 standards, insurers should offer affordable premiums and should not be prescribing additional remedial works.

BSI has commenced the review, which will include a six-week public consultation, and BSI anticipates publishing the updated guidance in early 2026. The consultation will provide the opportunity for industry and the public to participate in the review of PAS 9980.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will amend the PAS 9980 Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls and Cladding of Flats code of practice to require compliance with building regulations and statutory guidance in force at the time of construction.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The British Standards Institution (BSI) developed and published PAS 9980 and Government has sponsored BSI to review it to make sure it captures best practices, meets market needs, and identifies any necessary revisions. BSI has commenced the review, which will include a six-week public consultation, and BSI anticipates publishing the updated guidance in early 2026. The consultation will provide the opportunity for industry and the public to participate in the review of PAS 9980.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the role of the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff in determining devolution deals with (1) combined authority mayors, (2) council mayors, and (3) council leaders.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government has moved away from individual negotiated deals to a consistent devolution offer for new areas and to existing Mayors and combined authorities, as set out in the English Devolution White Paper. Discussions on new devolution agreements or unlocking further powers for existing combined authorities are led by the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution on behalf of the Government. There is no role for the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff in these negotiations.

New devolution agreements must be supported by all the proposed constituent councils and can only go ahead if the Secretary of State is satisfied that the statutory tests have been met to proceed with the necessary secondary legislation to establish the strategic authority.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her planned timetable is for (a) introducing a registration scheme for short-term lets, (b) removing the furnished holiday let rules to ensure all income from property will be treated the same for tax purposes and (c) concluding her consideration of what additional powers she might give local authorities to enable them to respond to the pressures created by short-term lets.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government remains committed to introducing a national mandatory registration scheme for short-term lets. The initial phase of digital development is now complete, and public testing is planned to start in the next 12 months. Further details about the implementation of the scheme will be announced in due course.

The furnished holiday lettings rules cease to apply in tax years commencing on or after 6 April 2025 for Income Tax and for Capital Gains Tax, and 1 April 2025 for Corporation Tax and for Corporation Tax on chargeable gains. This was enacted by the Finance Act 2025.

We are considering what further powers we might give to local authorities to enable them to respond to the pressures created by second homes and short-term lets. We will announce further details on this in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of housing affordability for first-time buyers.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The ONS publishes monthly indicators on house prices in Great Britain, including the average price and average percentage change for first-time buyers (at Worksheet 4):
UK House Price Index: monthly price statistics - Office for National Statistics . In January 2025, (the most recent data from ONS) the average house price for a first-time buyer in Great Britain was £227,000, an annual percentage increase of 5.3%.

The affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many people are now locked out of homeownership. As well as committing to building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in England in this Parliament, we are introducing a permanent, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme to support first-time buyers who struggle to save for a large deposit, with lower mortgage costs.

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Found: Net Zero (DESNZ) to accelerate planning processes, in conjunction with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: cross-government approach to skills and drive partnerships with key government departments such as DBT, DWP and MHCLG

Found: Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government relating

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Found: We work very closely with DESNZ, MHCLG, The Crown Estate and other partners to try to build that picture

Found: We work very closely with DESNZ, MHCLG, The Crown Estate and other partners to try to build that picture

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Birmingham bin strikes on neighbouring constituencies.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is aware of the disruption caused by the bin strikes and the associated public health risks to the residents of Birmingham. While Birmingham City Council continues to lead the response, cross-Government mechanisms have been activated to ensure a coordinated response, with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in the lead and Defra supporting.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with local authorities on the potential impact of the costs of supporting asylum seekers on the financial sustainability of local authorities.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain, with tens of thousands of people stuck in limbo without any prospect of having their claims processed. At their peak use under the previous government, in the autumn of 2023, more than 400 asylum hotels were being leased by the Home Office, at a cost of almost £9 million a day.

Inevitably, due to the size of the backlog we inherited, the Government has been forced to continue with the use of hotels for the time being. It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs.

The Home Office continues to work closely with local authorities to manage all the pressures arising from the provision of asylum accommodation including the impact on wider local authority obligations and plans.

The Home Office has delivered various grants through which we provide funds to support local authorities housing asylum seekers.

Working closely with MHCLG, we are also making efficiencies in supporting the integration of newly recognised refugees to mitigate homelessness risks. This includes the sharing of cross-cohort, place-based data with partners to support better planning, and the completion of scoping exercises to understand the full costs to LAs and ensure our funding package is appropriate.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he ha made of the potential merits of using swift bricks when building new homes.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Natural England has identified that the lack of nest sites is a pressure on certain bird species, including the swift. Therefore, provision of swift bricks may aid recovery alongside other actions, such as to increase food resources.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in December 2024, included several changes designed to enhance and protect the environment. For example, it expects developments to provide net gains for biodiversity, including through incorporating features such as swift bricks which support priority or threatened species. Defra policy officials are also working with MHCLG colleagues to consider what action may be appropriate to drive up rates of swift brick installation in new build properties.

Found: Science, Innovation and Technology, Department for Culture Media and Sport and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: The proposals remain subject to a planning decision from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

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Found: Assessment Directive (ODPM, 2005) and Strategic environmental assessment and sustainability appraisal (MHCLG

Found: European Environment Agency (EEA), Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: From: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Department for Levelling Up, Housing

Found: Buildings are resilient to other climate risks Key UK government department Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: From: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local

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Found: From: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Department for Levelling Up, Housing

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Found: FM provided the following updates on the information in the slide pack: 10/02/25 MHCLG engagement:

Found: WP noted that the recent government consultation on rent policy has closed: MHCLG are considering the

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