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 made a recent assessment of trends in the number of local authorities hiring public affairs consultants for lobbying.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Section 26 of the Recommended Code of Practice for Local Authority Publicity (‘the Publicity Code’) states that Local authorities should not incur any expenditure in retaining the services of lobbyists for the purpose of the publication of any material designed to influence public officials, Members of Parliament, political parties or the Government to take a particular view on any issue.
Local authorities are required to have regard to the Publicity Code in coming to any decision on publicity, with is defined as any communication, in whatever form, address to the public or a section of the public.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 21 November 2024 (HLWS240), in which clauses of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 (1) the loophole which means the Act goes beyond its intended reforms to valuation, and (2) the omission that would deny shared ownership leaseholders the right to extend their lease with their direct landlord, are found.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The valuation loophole is contained in Schedule 4, paragraph 17(2) of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. The omission related to shared ownership will require new provisions to be added to the Act.
As set out in the WMS of 27 January 2026 HLWS1278 (attached), the government will rectify these flaws in primary legislation.
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 has made an assessment of the adequacy of statutory requirements applying to developers to notify the relevant Building Control authority before commencing structural remedial works relating to subsidence, foundation movement, or other ground‑stability defects.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Work to an existing home is considered a material alteration, and therefore falls within the definition of building work, if changes to the structural, fire safety, or accessibility features of that building are made as part of the work. Unless work is covered by a Competent Persons Scheme (CPS), all building work requires an application to local authority building control or a private sector Registered Building Control Approver. Local authorities have existing powers to prosecute those who breach the building regulations or carry out building work without authorisation and can require that work that breaches the regulations is altered or removed.
These powers were strengthened in the Building Safety Act 2022. Where work has been carried out without a building control application the person carrying out the work can also apply to the local authority to have the work regularised. The competence, conduct, and performance of the building control profession is regulated by the Building Safety Regulator. The Building Control Independent Panel is considering how building control is delivered and the performance of building control bodies; it will report in due course.
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 penalties for developers who (a) fail to notify local authorities of proposed remedial works and (b) provide incorrect information to homeowners regarding the status of such works.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Work to an existing home is considered a material alteration, and therefore falls within the definition of building work, if changes to the structural, fire safety, or accessibility features of that building are made as part of the work. Unless work is covered by a Competent Persons Scheme (CPS), all building work requires an application to local authority building control or a private sector Registered Building Control Approver. Local authorities have existing powers to prosecute those who breach the building regulations or carry out building work without authorisation and can require that work that breaches the regulations is altered or removed.
These powers were strengthened in the Building Safety Act 2022. Where work has been carried out without a building control application the person carrying out the work can also apply to the local authority to have the work regularised. The competence, conduct, and performance of the building control profession is regulated by the Building Safety Regulator. The Building Control Independent Panel is considering how building control is delivered and the performance of building control bodies; it will report in due course.
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, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that developers comply with statutory obligations to obtain Building Control approval for significant remedial works on completed homes.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Work to an existing home is considered a material alteration, and therefore falls within the definition of building work, if changes to the structural, fire safety, or accessibility features of that building are made as part of the work. Unless work is covered by a Competent Persons Scheme (CPS), all building work requires an application to local authority building control or a private sector Registered Building Control Approver. Local authorities have existing powers to prosecute those who breach the building regulations or carry out building work without authorisation and can require that work that breaches the regulations is altered or removed.
These powers were strengthened in the Building Safety Act 2022. Where work has been carried out without a building control application the person carrying out the work can also apply to the local authority to have the work regularised. The competence, conduct, and performance of the building control profession is regulated by the Building Safety Regulator. The Building Control Independent Panel is considering how building control is delivered and the performance of building control bodies; it will report in due course.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the full report by Philip Rycroft into foreign financial interference in UK politics will be laid before the House when it is completed.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In December, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced an independent review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics. The review findings will be delivered to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Security Minister by the end of March 2026.
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government will ensure Mr Rycroft’s report is made available to Parliament at the earliest opportunity after it is received.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether automatic electoral registration, following the proposed reduction in the voting age, will be used to add attainer voters under 16 to the electoral roll.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Should some form of automated registration be introduced using the powers set out in the Representation of the People Bill, this does not apply to attainers (those aged 14 or 15). The duty on Electoral Registration Officers would only apply where they become aware of a person who is of voting age (i.e. someone aged 16 or older). 14- and 15-year-olds will be able to submit their own applications to be attainers.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
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 press release of 16 December 2025 entitled Urgent review into foreign financial interference in UK politics, what is the evidential basis that political donations can currently be made to shell companies.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Currently, the legal test for permissible donations from companies is that they are registered under the Companies Act 2006, incorporated in the UK, and carrying on business in the UK. This last requirement is vague and easy to satisfy, even without having a genuine and strong connection to the UK. It means a newly created shell company with no trading history can legally donate.
This is an unacceptably low threshold and a vulnerability in our system highlighted by many independent experts, including the Electoral Commission, the Committee on Standards in Public Life and the National Crime Agency.
That is why we have introduced reforms which will require companies (and limited liability partnerships) making donations to demonstrate a genuine and substantive connection to the UK or Ireland, preventing the use of shell companies to channel foreign or illicit money into UK politics. We are introducing new, stringent eligibility criteria for companies and limited liability partnerships wishing to make political donations. Companies/LLPs will have had to make sufficient revenue to cover their donation; be headquartered in the UK; and be majority owned or controlled by UK electors or UK citizens usually resident in the UK. These changes are to ensure that political donations reflect genuine UK-based interests and help prevent foreign interference in our democracy.
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 made an estimate of changes in the number of postal votes under the new expiry rules.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Information relating to postal vote applications is held by independent Electoral Registration Officers rather than the UK Government and so it is not possible to provide more information about the number of postal vote applications that were not renewed during any period. The department does not actively track trends in the level of postal vote renewals, or the number and proportion of postal vote applications that were renewed, over any period.
The Government will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and with local authorities to support independent Electoral Registration Officers with postal vote application activities.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Government’s response to its 2025 public consultation on (a) strengthening local government standards and (b) addressing misconduct and bullying by town and parish councillors will be published.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government published its response to the consultation “Strengthening the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England” in November 2025. The response sets out the Government’s intention to introduce measures including a mandatory Code of Conduct for councillors and strengthened oversight of the local government standards regime.
We intend to legislate on local government standards reforms when parliamentary time allows.