Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 make an assessment of the potential (a) costs and (b) merits of local government reorganisation in Surrey.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out to the House on 17 June, two proposals for Local Government Reorganisation in Surrey were received on 9 May. In accordance with the guidance provided to two-tier areas, it is for councils to develop robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of their whole area. Councils are responsible for working through the implications relating to local government reorganisation, including costs and merits.
Following the Government’s consultation which closed on 5 August, the proposals for Surrey will be considered carefully against the published criteria, alongside the responses received and all other relevant information. It would be inappropriate to comment at this stage or give a view on specific unitary proposals, or to pre-empt future decisions under the statutory process for unitarisation.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 help reduce the number of children living in temporary accommodation in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government has inherited record levels of homelessness, and we recognise the cost pressures this has put on councils. That is why we have increased funding for homelessness services in 2025/26 by £233 million to nearly £1 billion, alongside a local government finance settlement for 2025/26 which makes available over £69bn for local government, a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024/25.
The Homelessness Prevention Grant is allocated to councils across England based on local homelessness pressures. In 2025/26 the Homelessness Prevention Grant provided £451,899 to Newcastle-under-Lyme, £538,531 to East Staffordshire, £219,530 to South Staffordshire and £240,569 to Staffordshire Moorlands.
In 2025/26 LAs are required to spend 49% of their funding on prevention, relief and staffing activity. This has been introduced, to support areas maintain their homelessness prevention and relief services.
Allocations for the Homelessness Prevention Grant can be found here: Homelessness Prevention Grant allocations: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK
Asked by: Lee Pitcher (Labour - Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme)
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 help people sleeping rough access long-term and stable accommodation.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected. We are determined to address this and deliver long term solutions.
The Government is looking at these issues carefully and is developing a new cross government strategy. We are committed to moving away from a system focussed on crisis response, taking a holistic approach to preventing homelessness in the first place and driving better value for money interventions.
The Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant (RSPARG) is providing a total of £185.6 million to local authorities across England in 2025/26. The RSPARG gives local authorities the flexibility to determine the most suitable rough sleeping services, this includes accommodation required to meet local need.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Independent - Poole)
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 there is sufficient future supported housing to meet demand.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 69642, on 4 September 2025.
Asked by: Jess Asato (Labour - Lowestoft)
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 (a) deliver long-term financial sustainability for the supported housing sector and (b) prevent the decommissioning of supported housing schemes.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Commissioning of local housing-related support services is for local authorities. Local authorities are best placed to decide how their funding is spent locally. For 2025-26, the Government has delivered a Settlement that begins to fix the foundations of local government by providing significant investment. The Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. The recent Spending Review provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three years for local services that communities rely on. This includes £3.4 billion of new grant funding through the Local Government Finance Settlement within financial years 2026-27 to 2028-29.
At the Spending Review, the government also announced £39 billion for a new Social and Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36. The programme is designed with the flexibility necessary to support a greater diversity of social and affordable supply, including supported housing.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to help tackle the intersectional stigma of place-based ageing.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I recognise that people can face challenges as they age, and so I welcome the University of Stirling Research on the Intersectional Stigma of Place-based Ageing and look forward to seeing it's report in due course.
This research is exploring how interventions such as home and environmental modifications can help people to age well within their homes and communities.
This government recognises how important home adaptations are in enabling older and disabled people to live as independently as possible in a safe and suitable environment. This is why government has boosted funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), which can contribute to the cost of adaptations for eligible people of all ages and tenures, to £711 million for 2024-2025 and 2025-2026.
DFG funding helps adapt over 55,000 homes annually, helping disabled people and their families to live independently and well in their own homes and communities for longer.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
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 help improve the quality of student accommodation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is improving the quality of student accommodation by overhauling the regulation of the private rented sector through the Renters’ Rights Bill.
The Bill will provide tenants, including students, with greater security and stability and empower them to challenge bad practice. This change will help increase flexibility and prevent students in the private rented sector from being trapped paying rent for substandard properties – assured periodic tenancies will incentivise timely repairs and better standards.
For purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), only providers signed up to approved government codes will be exempt from the assured system. Quality in private PBSA is safeguarded through government-approved codes of practice, administered by ANUK/UNIPOL, which set rigorous standards for safety, maintenance, and student wellbeing.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the cost to the public purse of funds spent by local authorities on public persuasion on local government reorganisation.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government’s invitation to councils is clear on the importance of local engagement in the development of proposals. It is for councils to decide how to do this, including what resource is used, and the department does not hold information on this. Local authorities must have regard to the Recommended Code of Practice on Local Authority Publicity in coming to decisions on communications addressed to the public.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
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 impact of the Renter's Rights Bill on the number of court-adjudicated evictions.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department is working closely with the Ministry of Justice and HM Courts and Tribunal Service to ensure that the county courts are ready for the implementation of the Renters' Rights Bill. This includes an ongoing assessment of any additional burdens on the justice system arising from the Bill.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
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 help tackle potential barriers to home ownership for local people in popular tourist destinations.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognise that excessive concentrations of short-term lets and second homes impact on the availability and affordability of homes for local residents to buy and rent, as well as local services.
Local authorities are now able to apply a premium of up to 100% extra on the council tax bills of second homes. The premium will provide additional funding for councils and help local leaders to address the impacts of second homes and improve the sustainability of communities where they consider it necessary.
From 31 October 2024, the higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) on additional dwellings were increased from three percentage points above standard rates to five percentage points above standard rates. This is to ensure that those looking to move home, or purchase their first property, have a greater advantage over second home buyers, landlords, and businesses purchasing residential property.
We are considering what additional powers we might give local authorities to enable them to respond to the pressures created by short-term lets and second homes.