Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a right for leaseholders to manage their own electricity supply arrangements.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The rights of leaseholders in respect of electricity supply arrangements are governed by the terms of their leases.
The government is committed to implementing measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 to make enfranchisement cheaper and easier.
The Act sets the method for calculating the price of a statutory lease extension or freehold acquisition, known as the valuation process. It removes the requirement for marriage value to be paid, caps the treatment of ground rents in the valuation calculation at 0.1% of the freehold value, and allows government to prescribe the rates used to calculate the enfranchisement premium.
Valuation rates used to calculate the enfranchisement premium will be set by the Secretary of State in secondary legislation. We will consult on valuation rates and commence the relevant provisions as soon as possible.
As per my Written Ministerial Statement of 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), primary legislation will be required to rectify a small number of specific flaws in the 2024 Act before the Act’s enfranchisement provisions are commenced.
Once brought into force, these measures, together with the already implemented removal of the two-year qualifying rule for enfranchisement, will mean leaseholders will be able to buy their freehold at any time, at a fair price. This will allow them to manage the electricity supply in their building.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 potential merits of introducing a householder exemption to the Community Infrastructure Levy.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Householders building residential extensions and residential annexes to their homes can obtain an exemption from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), subject to completing the procedural process for obtaining the exemption within required timescales.
The CIL guidance, which can be found on gov.uk here, sets out all the criteria that must be met and procedures that must be followed to obtain an exemption.
I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 105228 on 21 January 2026.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 considered introducing an exemption from the Community Infrastructure Levy for householders.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Householders building residential extensions and residential annexes to their homes can obtain an exemption from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), subject to completing the procedural process for obtaining the exemption within required timescales.
The CIL guidance, which can be found on gov.uk here, sets out all the criteria that must be met and procedures that must be followed to obtain an exemption.
I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 105228 on 21 January 2026.
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 decision letter, Called-in decision: Royal Mint Court, London, EC3N 4QN (refs. 3353754 and 3353755), 20 January 2026, whether the build out of the Chinese Embassy site at the Royal Mint will be subject to inspections by local authority (a) building control and (b) planning officers.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 110795 on 12 Feb 2026.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
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 potential impact of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill on levels of supply of housing-with-care for older people.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 108467 on 3 February 2026.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
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 introduce statutory timescales for registered providers of social housing to complete remedial works following the identification of defects in new‑build homes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has no current plans to introduce new statutory timescales for registered providers to complete remedial works on new‑build homes.
There are already a range of legal and contractual protections in place to ensure defects are addressed promptly. Developers and landlords have duties under the Defective Premises Act 1972 to ensure homes are fit for habitation when completed. Many new‑build homes are also covered by warranties and the Consumer Code for Home Builders, which set standards for quality and provide routes for redress.
In addition, landlords remain legally responsible for meeting their repair obligations under Awaab’s Law, which requires them to investigate and remedy serious damp and mould and emergency hazards within statutory timeframes.
The government expects all housebuilders to deliver good quality homes, and we know that the vast majority do so. When things do go wrong, the government expects housebuilders to make things right.
To help customers resolve issues with new homes which developers have been unable or unwilling to fix, the government has committed to establishing a statutory UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman to investigate and resolve complaints and provide new home buyers with effective redress. We will set out further details in due course.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
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 whether new housing supply alone can reduce rents in areas where private rent inflation exceeds wage growth.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 41989 on 4 April 2025.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how long does his Department expect it to take for current housebuilding targets to exert downward pressure on rents.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 41989 on 4 April 2025.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of rent control areas legislation in the Housing (Scotland) 2025 Act.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 78220 on 20 October 2025.
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, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of affordable community spaces for charities and voluntary organisations in a) Essex and b) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Responsibility for the provision and management of community buildings and spaces sits primarily with local authorities and local partners, who are best placed to understand local need and demand. The Department engages more broadly with councils in Essex and the voluntary and community sector through cohesion projects and policy initiatives that can support community infrastructure and resilience, for example, through the Common Ground Awards. This is a capital grant programme that funds voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations in England to improve or equip community spaces that bring people together from different backgrounds. The awards support small-scale building works or equipment purchases to strengthen social cohesion and help communities connect and share space.
The Department does not hold data on the number of a) community centres, b) halls and c) shared civic spaces which have closed in the last 3 years.
Through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, we are, however, introducing a new community right to buy that will empower communities to take ownership of valued community spaces and protect them for the benefit of the wider community.