Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward regeneration funding for rural market towns.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In September 2025 we announced the Local Regeneration Fund, which brings together the Levelling Up Fund, Towns Deals and Pathfinder Pilots into a single, flexible capital pot, responding to Local Authority feedback for less bureaucratic oversight and more local autonomy.
This partnership approach empowers local authorities to allocate resources based on their own priorities, which will help rural councils. Decisions on how to manage these allocations rest with each authority’s Section 151 Officer or equivalent. In the small number of cases where projects are no longer viable, we expect projects to rescope their plans and use the funding for other initiatives in the same area that originally stood to benefit.
Earlier this month, the Prime Minister confirmed that 40 further places will join the Pride in Place Programme. That means that nearly 300 communities will benefit from this transformational programme. Funding for the Pride in Place programme is going to communities with the greatest need: places that have been overlooked and stand to benefit most, including market towns.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
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 putting the agent of change principle on a statutory footing on i) the speed of the planning process ii) the number of grassroots music venues iii) new housing starts iv) urban development.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The agent of change policy is given effect through the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which makes clear that where the operation of an existing business or community facility could have a significant adverse effect on new development in its vicinity, the applicant (or ‘agent of change’) should be required to provide suitable mitigation before the development has been completed.
The government is currently consulting on a new NPPF that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation includes a proposed update to the agent of change policy which sets out in more detail the types of matters which should be considered. These include early engagement with existing uses to identify potential impacts; the use of planning conditions to secure agreed mitigation measures; and the need to consider both current and permitted levels of activity to reduce the risk of conflict.
The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he will provide guidance to developers on the role of the agent of change principle in pre-application engagement.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The agent of change policy is given effect through the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which makes clear that where the operation of an existing business or community facility could have a significant adverse effect on new development in its vicinity, the applicant (or ‘agent of change’) should be required to provide suitable mitigation before the development has been completed.
The government is currently consulting on a new NPPF that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation includes a proposed update to the agent of change policy which sets out in more detail the types of matters which should be considered. These include early engagement with existing uses to identify potential impacts; the use of planning conditions to secure agreed mitigation measures; and the need to consider both current and permitted levels of activity to reduce the risk of conflict.
The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 implications for his Department’s policies of the report from Liverpool and Sheffield Hallam Universities on the impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission, published in June 2022.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97962 on 15 December 2025.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the impact of the commission charge on the sale of park homes on park home owners.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97962 on 15 December 2025.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will meet with the Social Housing Action Campaign to discuss their concerns around service charges.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Neither the Secretary of State nor I have any current plans to meet with the Social Housing Action Campaign.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support leaseholders in Poole constituency for remediation work to properties that is required following the Grenfell Tower fire.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Eight years on from the Grenfell tragedy, there is no justification for any building to remain unsafe. The Government has provided extensive funding and strong legal protections to shield leaseholders from historical building safety costs following Grenfell, including cladding remediation funds and strengthened leaseholder rights under the Building Safety Act.
In December 2024, Government launched the Remediation Acceleration Plan (RAP) to fix buildings faster, identify those still at risk, and support residents. An update in July 2025 outlined progress and further steps to remove barriers and strengthen accountability.
As of December 2025, there are 30 buildings identified with unsafe cladding above 11m in the Poole constituency, of which 25 buildings have started or completed remediation works.
The Government remains committed to considering how to strengthen protections for leaseholders from current and future building safety issues, outside the scope of the leaseholder protections regime.
Plans to launch a new long-term Waking Watch Replacement Fund were announced as part of the RAP update in July 2025, and we plan to launch the new fund shortly.
In the RAP, we announced we would work with the insurance industry to consider options for possible government support. We are currently engaging with industry and will provide an update in due course. Following a public consultation, we are also proceeding with legislation to ban insurance commissions being passed to freeholders, landlords and managing agents at leaseholders’ expense, and replace these with a fair and transparent permitted fee structure.
As soon as parliamentary time allows, we will bring forward a new Remediation Bill to push the remediation of historic unsafe cladding further.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
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 implications for her policies of Australia's Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Tackling all forms of hatred is an issue of global significance. This government is committed to eradicating hated from our society, working to ensure that no individual should ever experience hatred or live in fear due to their race, religion, beliefs or the way they choose to live their lives.
The government works closely with allies and international partners including Australia to achieve this. This exchanging of relevant and up-to-date policy information helps to inform and develop effective strategies for addressing the global rise of antisemitism both at home and abroad.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they are liaising with Westminster City Council to assist the homeless people found in the Westminster underground station and vicinity.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government engages closely with councils across England to support them to help people experiencing and at risk of homelessness and rough sleeping in their areas including Westminster City Council. This year we have provided more than £1 billion for homelessness and rough sleeping services across England, including more than £26 million to Westminster City Council. My department’s team of homelessness and rough sleeping advisers meet with councils, including Westminster City Council, regularly to discuss challenges and share best practice.
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 the oral contribution by the Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness on 23 February 2026, whether the removal of the pay-day loan premium will apply to the reorganised councils who will inherit the debt of areas such as Thurrock.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The previous government made a sustained recovery for councils even harder by charging a premium on borrowing for councils needing Exceptional Financial Support. In December 2024, the government confirmed that the additional 1% premium on Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) borrowing would not apply to any council borrowing or refinancing going forward.