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, whether his Department plans to review planning regulations for houses in multiple occupation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 22786 on 17 January 2025.
The government continues to keep permitted development rights under review.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the consultations on (a) improving the Energy Efficiency of Socially Rented Homes and (b) reforms to the EPC regime; and whether she had discussions with representatives of social landlords on the potential impact of her timetable for responding to those consultations on decisions about investing in their homes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department is currently reviewing responses to both consultations and will publish government responses to both shortly.
We have engaged extensively with social landlords in respect of both consultations and are committed to providing them with clarity on the new SRS Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards and EPC reforms as soon as possible.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of proposed reforms to exit fees charged on retirement properties.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognises the importance of helping older people to live independently at home for as long as possible and is committed to enhancing provision and choice for older people in the housing market, including retirement or sheltered housing.
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 26 November 2024 (HCWS249), the government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations from the Older People's Housing Taskforce report, including its recommendation that the government should implement the Law Commission’s 2017 recommendations to regulate event fees.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he is taking steps to ban exit fees on retirement flats.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognises the importance of helping older people to live independently at home for as long as possible and is committed to enhancing provision and choice for older people in the housing market, including retirement or sheltered housing.
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 26 November 2024 (HCWS249), the government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations from the Older People's Housing Taskforce report, including its recommendation that the government should implement the Law Commission’s 2017 recommendations to regulate event fees.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of the compliance of private parking companies using contract breach terms to apply a penalty when there is no option for the driver to decline to enter into the contact, for instance where signage setting out contract terms is only placed within an area where charges are automatically applied on entry.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Private parking operators are regulated through their membership of the two main trade associations. These are the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC). The BPA and IPC have launched a single industry Code of Practice which their members must follow. The industry Code of Practice requires private parking operators to provide a consideration period to allow a motorist the time to read the terms and conditions and decide whether to accept or reject them before a parking charge can be issued. The industry consideration periods vary from 1 minute to 10 minutes depending on the size of car park. The trade associations currently monitor compliance with its Code of Practice.
The Government is determined to drive up standards in the private parking sector. The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 places a duty on the Government to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities. My department recently ran a consultation outlining its proposals to raise standards across the private parking sector (available from gov.uk here). The consultation included proposals for a minimum consideration period of 5 minutes to be included in the new Government Code of Practice. All responses are now being analysed and the Government will publish a response, together with the new code, in due course.
Our consultation proposed that compliance with the Government Code of Practice would be monitored by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service accredited Conformity Assessment Bodies, who would report compliance figures to the Government.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has issued guidance on the application of pavement licence caps in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 across highways maintainable at public expense regardless of the owning authority.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Pavement Licence (Fees) Regulations 2023, made under the Business and Planning Act 2020, set national fee caps of £500 for new pavement licences and £350 for renewals. The guidance (Pavement licences: guidance - GOV.UK) sets out that licences can only be granted in respect of highways listed in section 115A(1) of the Highways Act 1980, that section does not refer to ownership. Generally, these are footpaths restricted to pedestrians or roads and places to which vehicle access is restricted or prohibited. Highways maintained by Network Rail or over the Crown land are exempt (so a licence cannot be granted).
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
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 11 November 2025 to Question 87322 on Community Relations: Expenditure, if he will place the monitoring and evaluation guidance in the Library; and if he will publish the (a) outputs and (b) outcomes that had to be reported.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The monitoring and evaluation guidance was intended solely for the local authorities in receipt of funding from the Community Cohesion and Resilience Programme, these were set out in Question UIN 85786 on 5 November 2025.
More detail on what has been delivered through Fund is set out in Question UIN 78216 on 21 October 2025.
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 3 November 2025, to Question 84947, on Public Spaces: Access, if he will make it his policy for his department to issue guidance to local authorities to advise that political parties, elected representatives and candidates for office should not be levied fees for authorised street stalls in public spaces.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The provision and administration of street trading and highways licences, including fees charged are the responsibility of Local Authorities under either the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 or the London Local Authorities Act 1990, depending on their location. Local authorities may decide when it is necessary to recover the costs of these services.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to devolve the District Council power to evict travellers and illegal encampments from council-owned land to Town and Parish councils.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government currently has no such plans. Policy announcements will be made in the usual way.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 his written statement of 20 November 2025 on a more active use of ministerial call-in and recovery powers, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of these changes on local authorities with significant areas of Green Belt, including Walsall Council; and whether he will publish guidance confirming that the protection of Green Belt land in constituencies such as Aldridge-Brownhills will be treated as a material consideration of substantial weight in any called-in decision.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Written Ministerial Statement of 2012 sets out the circumstances in which the Secretary of State will use his powers to intervene.
All called in planning applications and appeals will continue to be considered against adopted local plans, in line with s38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, taking into account material planning considerations, which may include emerging Local Plans.
Proposals to determine the appropriate procedure for called-in applications would be introduced by commencing existing provisions in the Planning Act 2008.