Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 9 June 2025 to Question 54882 on Elections: Fraud, if she will take steps to improve (a) transparency and (b) accountability in local government.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is taking steps to strengthen both.
I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to Question UIN 54882 on 9 June 2025. Statutory guidance on overview and scrutiny was updated in April 2024. We are also working to strengthen standards, governance, financial management, and local audit to fix the foundations of local government to ensure that it is fit, legal and decent.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 reduce the number of empty and abandoned homes in Devon.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government wants to see more empty homes brought back into use across the country, including in Devon.
Local authorities have strong powers and incentives to tackle empty homes. They have the discretionary powers to charge additional council tax on properties which have been left unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for one or more years. The maximum premium that a council can apply increases, depending on the length of time that the property has been empty for, with a premium of up to 300% on homes left empty for over ten years.
Local authorities can also use powers to take over the management of long-term empty homes to bring them back into use in the private rented sector. Local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) when a property has been empty for more than two years, subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for their proposal. More information can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 take steps to ensure local authorities are able to require standards in excess of legal minimums as conditions for planning approval.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Planning conditions attached to the grant of planning permission can be used to require development to meet certain standards.
However, as the National Planning Policy Framework states, such conditions should only be imposed where they are necessary, relevant to planning and to the development to be permitted, enforceable, precise and reasonable in all other respects. They should also not duplicate the role of other regulatory regimes.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
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 levels of resourcing for Natural England on the use of developer levies collected through the Nature Restoration Fund for nature recovery.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is working closely with Natural England to ensure that resources are in place to administer the Nature Restoration Fund, which is designed to run on a cost recovery basis.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 planning (a) policy and (b) legislation to help facilitate the construction of new water reservoirs.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 29 May, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced the Fens and Lincolnshire Reservoirs would be given ‘nationally significant’ status and set out the government’s intention to legislate so that similar projects would automatically be ‘Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects’ and considered under the Planning Act 2008.
The National Policy Statement for Water Resources Infrastructure, which includes policy on reservoirs, was designated in September 2023.
The Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs intends to undertake a targeted update to the NPS to streamline water resources infrastructure projects.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, in what month in 2025 her Department plans to publish its consultation on a new Disabled Facilities Grant allocations formula; and if she will make it her policy to publish the outcome of that consultation before 31 March 2026.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is reviewing the formula for allocating Government Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding to local authorities in England to ensure the funding is better aligned with local needs. It is important that we take the time to consider the issues properly and have committed to consult on a new approach this year. Following the consultation, we will carefully consider responses from local authorities and MPs before finalising the new approach, with a view to implementation as soon as possible thereafter.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
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) completing the review of the Disabled Facilities Grant allocations formula, (b) publishing the findings of that review and (c) implementing any revised formula.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is reviewing the formula for allocating Government Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding to local authorities in England to ensure the funding is better aligned with local needs. It is important that we take the time to consider the issues properly and have committed to consult on a new approach this year. Following the consultation, we will carefully consider responses from local authorities and MPs before finalising the new approach, with a view to implementation as soon as possible thereafter.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether hon. Members will be able to give evidence to her Department's review of the Disabled Facilities Grant allocations formula.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is reviewing the formula for allocating Government Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding to local authorities in England to ensure the funding is better aligned with local needs. It is important that we take the time to consider the issues properly and have committed to consult on a new approach this year. Following the consultation, we will carefully consider responses from local authorities and MPs before finalising the new approach, with a view to implementation as soon as possible thereafter.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
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 to consult with local authorities on the development of a revised Disabled Facilities Grant allocations formula.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is reviewing the formula for allocating Government Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding to local authorities in England to ensure the funding is better aligned with local needs. It is important that we take the time to consider the issues properly and have committed to consult on a new approach this year. Following the consultation, we will carefully consider responses from local authorities and MPs before finalising the new approach, with a view to implementation as soon as possible thereafter.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 transparency data entitled MHCLG: spending over £25,000, April 2025, published on 30 May 2025, if she will publish the research commissioned from the Greater London Authority.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This funding was to cover legal and administrative costs incurred by the Greater London Authority in setting up the Grenfell Assisted Home Ownership Scheme.