Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
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 have awarded the funding to the British Muslim Trust which was pledged in July 2025.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Hate crimes targeting Muslims are now at record levels: in the year to March 2025, there were 4,478 religious hate crimes against Muslims, representing almost half of all religious hate crimes. This is abhorrent and this Government is committed to tackling anti-Muslim hostility wherever, and however it manifests.
To do this, the Government provided £650,000 in the 2025/26 financial year to the British Muslim Trust to monitor anti-Muslim hostility and support victims. This includes providing a helpline to report incidents safely, raising awareness of hate crime and working closely with partners across the country to deliver on this vital work.
This funding is an important step in the Government’s mission to confronting all kinds of hatred and building safer, stronger and more cohesive communities for all.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
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 potential impact on non-mayoral visitor economies, including Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, of limiting powers to introduce an overnight visitor levy in England to Mayoral Strategic Authorities and any future Foundation Strategic Authorities.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
West Sussex is a constituent member of the Sussex and Brighton Combined County Authority, which was formally established on 25 March 2026. Consequently, the towns of Bognor Regis and Littlehampton will benefit from a Mayoral Strategic Authority (MSA) for the region with the power to introduce an Overnight Visitor Levy (OVL). As set out in the Visitor Levy consultation document, the Government believes this power best sits with MSAs as Mayors hold the levers to drive local growth and have the mandate to make strategic decisions over a large geography. Evidence from other countries suggests that modest levies have a limited impact on visitor numbers and displacement.
In February, the Government invited all local authorities that do not currently have a devolution agreement to come forward with proposals for a Foundation Strategic Authority (FSA) across a sensible geography to ensure everywhere has access to the benefits of devolution. As you note, the Government has also consulted on whether to give the Visitor Levy power to FSAs, given they also hold levers to drive local growth and have strategic roles in economic development over a significant geographic area. The Government will publish the response to the consultation which ended on 18 February shortly
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, with reference to the command paper, Protecting What Matters, CP 1540, 9 March 2026, page 28, what issues the consultation paper on national integration will include.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This government recognises that integration is a two-way street: we all share a role in providing opportunities for people to participate free from fear of discrimination or bigotry, while newcomers have a responsibility to engage with and embrace what it means to be British.
As set out in Protecting What Matters, we will set clear national integration expectations - focused on stronger social connections, shared identity, English language proficiency, and participation in work. To ensure these expectation are grounded in evidence and lived experience, we will launch a national consultation later this year.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
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 issue guidance to billing authorities on the publication of aggregate and recipient-level information on discretionary business rates relief awarded to premises used wholly or mainly for community sport.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Billing authorities report on the value of discretionary relief provided to Community Amateur Sports Clubs and a snapshot of the number of hereditaments in receipt of this discretionary relief via the Department’s national non-domestic rates forms. Guidance to help complete the forms is provided to billing authorities.
The latest published information on the value of the relief in 2026-27 can be found at table 2 here.
The latest published data on the number of hereditaments in receipt of discretionary relief as at 31 December 2024 can be found in Table 4 here.
Data on hereditaments as at 31 December 2025 will be published in due course.
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, whether his Department has met with representatives of the (a) Dar Alhekma Trust, (b) Islamic Centre of England, (c) Abrar Islamic Foundation, and (d) Centre for Media Monitoring, since July 2024.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department has not met with representatives of the (a) Dar Alhekma Trust, (b) Islamic Centre of England, (c) Abrar Islamic Foundation, or (d) Centre for Media Monitoring.
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, with reference to the command paper, Protecting What Matters, CP 1540, 9 March 2026, page 29, whether requirements to learn English for new arrivals will apply to asylum seekers as a condition of receiving (a) asylum and (b) settled status.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The ability to use and understand our shared language is a fundamental basis for participating in society and an expectation of all who wish to call the UK home. English language proficiency is a key facilitator of cohesive communities, and proficiency provides opportunity for individuals, including improved social connections, participation, access to employment and access to essential services.
A decision to grant asylum is based on whether an individual is at risk of persecution in their home country. In compliance with our international obligations, this does not take into account whether or not they can speak English.
As outlined in Protecting What Matters, this government has already strengthened English language requirements for people subject to immigration control, including those applying for settlement. We will also review English language provision to identify best practice, and explore how innovation, including digital delivery, can increase the numbers able to speak English, with conclusions published in Autumn 2026.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has issued guidance to local authorities undergoing Local Government Reorganisation on the transfer or sale of assets to community groups.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
During the local government reorganisation process, councils are expected to continue to operate on a business-as-usual basis. Assets and liabilities remain locally managed by councils until reorganisation is complete. Decisions about the disposal or transfer of assets, including to community or voluntary groups, are matters for individual local authorities to determine.
The Government has issued explanatory guidance to councils undergoing local government reorganisation on financial and asset‑related decision making and has been clear that councils should take a responsible approach to such decisions and avoid actions that could jeopardise the financial sustainability of successor authorities.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Welsh Government will receive consequential funding as a result of the decision to expand Phase 2 of the Pride in Place programme to an additional 40 places, based on an England-only methodology.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are already supporting 14 communities across Wales through the Pride in Place programme, each with up to £20 million of funding to unlock the potential of the place they call home. The recent programme expansion is limited to English neighbourhoods since it is funded from existing MHCLG budgets for England. The governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have already received their share of this funding via their respective block grant.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
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 Housing Delivery Test outcomes on the delivery of strategic housing sites in Greater Cambridge, including Northstowe and Waterbeach.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the correspondence sent to her on 16 March.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
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 4 March 2026 to question 112731, on what date his officials will meet the promoters of Forest City 1.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Officials in my Department met with the Forest City 1 promoters on 18 February 2026.