Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 given to Question UIN 106227 on 9 February 2026, what assessment he has made of whether the cost of restructuring councils is an indicator of the cost effectiveness of providing public services in (a) unitary and (b) two-tier councils.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government recognises that restructuring will involve some upfront costs, but experience from previous reorganisations shows that creating strong, sustainable unitary councils delivers long‑term savings and efficiencies.
By reducing duplication, cutting waste and saving back‑office money, unitarisation enables councils to reinvest resources into frontline public services, meaning better outcomes for local residents and better value for money for taxpayers. Exact costs and savings will vary depending on the area and the final decisions on which proposals, if any, are implemented.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 letter to council leaders on 16 February 2026, whether he has also received legal advice on proceeding with the local elections in Basildon in 2027.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer hon. Members to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement made on 23 February (HCWS1349).
It is a longstanding principle that government does not comment on or publish legal advice.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 letter to council leaders on 16 February 2026, whether legal advice was considered when the 2025 local elections were postponed.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer hon. Members to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement made on 23 February (HCWS1349).
It is a longstanding principle that government does not comment on or publish legal advice.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 letter to council leaders on 16 February 2026, whether he plans to publish the legal advice cited in that letter.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer hon. Members to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement made on 23 February (HCWS1349).
It is a longstanding principle that government does not comment on or publish legal advice.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what process will be followed in determining the location of the headquarters for a new Strategic Mayoral Combined Authority that would include Luton.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Any decision regarding the headquarters of a strategic authority would be the responsibility of that strategic authority, and not central Government.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps his Department has taken to support Havering Council in tackling its budget deficit.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
By 2028-29, this government will have made available a 24.3% increase in Core Spending Power, worth £16.6 billion since coming into power in 2024-25. For Havering, the Settlement makes available up to £329.7 million, which is an increase of 33.5% compared to 2024-25.
Our local government finance reforms get money to where it is needed, but we recognise the challenging context for councils as they continue to deal with the legacy of the previous system. The government has announced a further £77m of Exceptional Financial Support to enable the Council to set a balanced budget in 2026-27 and continues to work closely with the Council.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
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 potential impact of the Local Government Finance Settlement on council tax levels in rural authorities; and what estimate she has made of the additional annual council tax cost for Band (a) A and (b) D households in the East Riding of Yorkshire by the end of the current spending period.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It is for individual councils to decide their level of council tax based on their local circumstances and other sources of income. For East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the Government has set a core referendum principle of 3% and a 2% adult social care precept for 2026-27. Where referendum principles are in place, councils seeking to set an increase above this threshold must have it approved by voters.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 28 January 2026 to Question 107021 on Affordable Housing: Asylum, what types of accommodation, including (a) change of use, (b) HMOs, (c) hotels or communal accommodation and (d) new build will the new fund for local authorities support.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 107021 on 20 January 2026.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 given to question 109756 on 4 February 2026, for what reason he will not publish the representations received.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 23 February, the Secretary of State has now provided an update to the House on local elections: WMS HCWS1349.
Asked by: Anneliese Midgley (Labour - Knowsley)
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 on the levying of service charges in residential buildings that have been fully decanted pending remediation works; and whether she will take steps to restrict the recovery of such charges in those circumstances.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Some levying of service charges in the event of a decant may be necessary to help pay for remediation. However, leaseholders with qualifying leases will still benefit from the caps on service charges for building safety defects, as set out at Schedule 8 of the Building Safety Act, irrespective of whether their building has been decanted.
Any service charges wrongfully raised from leaseholders for building safety defects can be recovered from building owners via Remediation Contribution Orders. RCOs can include associated costs of alternative accommodation when residents are decanted from relevant buildings on building safety grounds. This has been set out in extensive guidance on the UK Government website.
Local authorities can apply to the Court to recover their costs if they pay to rehouse residents in these circumstances. There is also limited scope for Resident Management Companies to recover the legal costs of raising an RCO from leaseholders where they might otherwise struggle to find the funds to do so. Relevant guidance can be found here: Amendments to the Building Safety Act introduced through the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 - GOV.UK.