Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the annual cost to local authorities of servicing Private Finance Initiative contracts.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) collect the Unitary Payment information for all PFI Contracts held by Local Authorities annually as part of the HM Treasury PFI Data collection exercise. This is shared with relevant Sponsoring Government Departments on a project-by-project basis, the data is not aggregated by Authority but shown per contract.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the figures on local authority, fire and police core spending power include or exclude the grant funding to compensate local public bodies for the increase in National Insurance contributions for employees.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As set out at the 2026/27 provisional local government finance settlement, the £502 million Employer National Insurance Contributions Grant from 2025/26 will be consolidated into the Revenue Support Grant. As outlined in the explanatory note on Mayoral Strategic Authority funding existing Strategic Authorities will receive the Mayoral Capacity Fund in 2026/27, which takes account of their allocation from Employer National Insurance Contributions Grant from 2025/26.

Police authorities received funding for the increase in employee National Insurance Contributions separately.

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 Department's press release entitled Councils offered flexibility to complete reorganisation, published on 18 December 2025, what discussions he has had with local government bodies in Essex on the expected change in the number of councillors following local government reorganisation.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

No decisions have yet been taken on reorganisation in Essex, Southend on Sea and Thurrock and as such the Secretary of State has not had discussions on any expected change in the number of councillors.

On 5 February 2025, the Government invited two-tier authorities and their neighbouring small unitary councils to develop proposals for unitary local government. In those proposals, areas were asked to include details of the expected number of councillors for any new unitary council. The four proposals submitted by councils in Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock each included councillor numbers. Consultation on these proposals closed on 11 January 2026. The Secretary of State will now consider the proposals, alongside consultation responses and other available evidence, before deciding which, if any, to implement.

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 press release entitled £500 million for first ever fair pay agreement for care workers, published on 30 September 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of that policy on local government finances.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The £500 million funding for the Fair Pay Agreement is part of an increase of around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028-29, compared to 2025-26, and is part of the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement published on 17 December 2025. The Government has published an impact assessment of the Fair Pay Agreement, which outlines our best current summary of the evidence on potential impacts, costs and benefits, including on local government finances. The Impact Assessment can be found here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the financial sustainability of local authorities with significant Private Finance Initiative liabilities.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authorities are responsible for their own capital strategies and financial management, including borrowing and investment decisions. They must, however, comply with statutory duties and guidance to ensure that all decisions are prudent, affordable and sustainable and consistent with their Best Value duty.

The PFI Programme team attend regular intelligence sharing forums with other teams in the Department who are responsible for overseeing local authority financial stability. The Department provides PFI grant funding to its local authority PFI contracts funding the capital elements of the projects, this ranges 50-70% of the annual Unitary Charge. Local authorities are contractually obliged to pay the annual Unitary Charge under the terms of their PFI Contract. The PFI Grant paid by the Department was awarded by HM Treasury at the Financial Close of the Project Procurement and is paid for the whole of the PFI Contract term to support the Unitary Charge payment.

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 considered the potential implications for his policies of the CCN report entitled Local Government Re-Organisation: Evaluating the financial impact of population thresholds.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In our invitation on 5 February 2025, we set out guidance to support councils as they develop reorganisation proposals that are in the best interests of their areas. This includes guidance on issues of size, sensible geographies, efficiencies and financial sustainability. The criteria we will assess proposals against includes the ability to achieve financial efficiencies.

It is for councils to develop and submit robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of their whole area. Once a proposal has been submitted it will be for the Government, whilst having due regard to the criteria and the available relevant evidence, to decide on which proposal, if any, to take forward.

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 considered the potential implications for his policies of the County Councils Network report entitled Local Government Reorganisation: Analysing the impact on people services.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In our invitation on 5 February 2025, we set out guidance to support councils as they develop reorganisation proposals that are in the best interests of their areas. This includes guidance on issues of size, sensible geographies, efficiencies and financial sustainability. The criteria we will assess proposals against includes the ability to achieve financial efficiencies.

It is for councils to develop and submit robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of their whole area. Once a proposal has been submitted it will be for the Government, whilst having due regard to the criteria and the available relevant evidence, to decide on which proposal, if any, to take forward.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with refence to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, Official Report col 1130, what proportion of people employed by councils in Greater Essex does his Department expect will be required for the new council structure.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We anticipate the vast majority of local council workers will transfer to roles in the relevant new unitary council and all workers will be protected by the relevant employment laws.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what impact assessment he has conducted on the implementation of local government reorganisation.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77631 on 13 October 2025.

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 make an assessment of trends in the level of reserves held by local authorities over the last decade.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government considers reserves to be an important part of the resources available to local authorities.

We encourage local authorities to consider how they can use their reserves to maintain services in the face of pressures, taking account, of course, of the need to maintain appropriate levels of reserves to support their financial sustainability and future investment.

Local authority revenue expenditure and financing data, which includes data on the level of local authority reserves held over the last decade, is published on gov.uk at the following link.

Further information about an individual local authority's reserves can be found in the financial accounts published by that authority. The government will continue to monitor the level of local authority reserves.

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 revalue council tax bands F, G and H.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has a duty to maintain an accurate list of council tax bands. As part of the High Value Council Tax Surcharge (HVCTS), announced at budget, the VOA will conduct a targeted valuation exercise to identify properties in scope of the surcharge. This will be conducted without reference to existing council tax bands. A consultation on the HVCTS will be published in due course. Properties will not be revalued for the purposes of council tax as part of the HVCTS. The Government is committed to ensuring the council tax system is fair for taxpayers and local authorities and will continue to keep council tax under review.

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 draft National Planning Policy Framework of 16 December 2025, and the plans for the re-introduction of maximum parking standards, whether the Government intends to provide guidance on the specific maximum numeric levels of parking spaces allowed per new build unit.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making.

The consultation includes policies relating to sustainable transport and updated policy on parking standards. It proposes that maximum parking standards should be set where they will support efforts to encourage the use of sustainable transport modes, optimise the density of development in well-connected locations, or where they are necessary for managing the local road network.

As is the case now, it will be for local planning authorities to determine appropriate parking standards for their area through the plan-making process.

The consultation is open for responses until 10 March 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.

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 21 November 2025 to Question 88657, on Renters’ Rights Act 2025, if he will publish the terms of reference and project specification for the study commissioned from Verian; and what the timetable is for it to report.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As is usual practice, my Department will publish relevant information on the Verian study on the evaluation registry in due course. This will include the rationale and methods of the evaluation, alongside publication dates. The report findings will be published two and five years after the Renters’ Rights Act implementation date of 1 May 2026.

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 publish the Social and Affordable Homes Programme business case.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) is expected to be onboarded onto the Government Major Programmes Portfolio (GMPP).

In line with the HM Treasury guidance for GMPP programmes, the SAHP intends to publish a summary of its Programme Business Case (PBC) within four months of HM Treasury’s formal approval of the PBC.

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 review the legality of developing crematoria on Green Belt land; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the current planning framework governing such developments.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making.

Proposed Green Belt policy is set out in Chapter 13 of the consultation which can be found on gov.uk here.

A proposal to build a crematorium would be assessed by the relevant local planning authority in the light of all material considerations, including the NPPF, relevant development plan policies and any specific land-use impacts associated with the proposal.

The consultation will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

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 revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 16 December 2025, what assessment has been made of the effect of that Framework on planning applications and planning enforcement for traveller sites.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making.

The draft Framework incorporates policies relating to traveller sites, currently set out in Planning Policy For Traveller Sites, within relevant chapters.

The government recognises that there are particular concerns about the ability of local planning authorities to deal with intentional unauthorised development. The consultation on the revised NPPF seeks views on strengthening the policy on intentional unauthorised development.

The consultation is open for responses until 10 March 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.

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 revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 16 December 2025, page 100, for what reason he has repealed the written ministerial statement and associated planning policy on community pubs of 26 January 2015, Official Report, HCWS221.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes a list of Written Ministerial Statements and other documents where the planning policy stated within them is reflected in the proposed NPPF policies on which we are consulting, or which no longer represents government policy. The changes would not affect other content in the Written Ministerial Statements concerned.

The consultation includes policy designed to facilitate and safeguard the provision of community facilities such as public houses.

The consultation will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he will respond to the Private parking code of practice consultation.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is determined to drive up standards in the private parking sector.

Following the close of the private parking Code of Practice consultation on 26^th September 2025, all responses are now being analysed, and the government will publish a response detailing its final proposals in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to issue updated land use in England statistics.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department is working to update the land use statistics’ methodology to take advantage of new, more granular data from Ordnance Survey. Publication is expected to resume this year.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how national housing targets are balanced against local transport constraints in rural areas.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that planning policies and decisions should be responsive to local circumstances in rural areas.

To promote sustainable development, housing should be located where it will support and enhance the vitality of rural communities, especially where this will support local services.

The Framework is also clear that significant development should be focused on locations which are, or can be made, sustainable, through limiting the need to travel and offering a genuine choice of transport modes. It also notes that opportunities to maximise sustainable transport solutions will vary between urban and rural areas, and this should be taken into account in both plan-making and decision-making.

The Framework sets out that development should only be prevented or refused on highways grounds if there would be an unacceptable impact on highway safety, or the residual cumulative impacts on the road network, following mitigation, would be severe, taking into account all reasonable future scenarios.

The government is currently consulting on a new NPPF that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation includes policies on housing and sustainable transport.

The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance is issued to local planning authorities on approving housing developments in areas where existing rural road infrastructure cannot be expanded.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that planning policies and decisions should be responsive to local circumstances in rural areas.

To promote sustainable development, housing should be located where it will support and enhance the vitality of rural communities, especially where this will support local services.

The Framework is also clear that significant development should be focused on locations which are, or can be made, sustainable, through limiting the need to travel and offering a genuine choice of transport modes. It also notes that opportunities to maximise sustainable transport solutions will vary between urban and rural areas, and this should be taken into account in both plan-making and decision-making.

The Framework sets out that development should only be prevented or refused on highways grounds if there would be an unacceptable impact on highway safety, or the residual cumulative impacts on the road network, following mitigation, would be severe, taking into account all reasonable future scenarios.

The government is currently consulting on a new NPPF that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation includes policies on housing and sustainable transport.

The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people granted refugee status have presented to local authorities as homeless or have slept rough within three months of the termination of asylum support in the last 12 months.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government publishes homelessness and rough sleeping data for England on gov.uk here. This includes data on the number of people owed a homelessness duty due to leaving asylum accommodation and the number of people seen sleeping rough who had left asylum accommodation within the last 85 days.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when local authorities will be informed of their indicative allocations of the Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant for each consecutive financial year from 2026 to 2029.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Provisional allocations of the Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant have been published on gov.uk here. Final allocations will be published in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate has the Land Registry made of the potential impact of the number of years of the lease length and the capital value of a leasehold (a) flat and (b) house.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

It is not within HM Land Registry's remit to conduct estimates of potential impacts of the number of years of the lease length and the capital value for flats or houses.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what is the projected total cost of local government reorganisation in England.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77631 on 13 October 2025.

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 Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-27 on (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This Local Government Finance Settlement is our most significant move yet to make English local government more sustainable. The government is making good on long overdue promises to fundamentally update the way we fund local authorities. We are delivering fairer funding, targeting money where it is needed most through the first multi-year Settlement in a decade.

The provisional Settlement 2026-27 will make available almost £78 billion in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England, a 5.7% cash-terms increase compared to 2025-26. For Surrey Council, we are making available up to £1.3 billion in 2028-29 in Core Spending Power, an increase of up to 6.9% compared to 2024–25. For Surrey Heath Council, we are making available up to £15.4 million in 2028-29 in Core Spending Power, an increase of up to 2.4% compared to 2024–25.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of aggregate council tax receipts in England in (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27, (c) 2027-28 and (d) 2028-29.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As part of the provisional settlement the Government has made estimates of changes to Core Spending power between 2026 and 2029. This includes estimates of the council tax requirements councils will set for those years. These estimates are set out here - Core Spending Power table: provisional local government finance settlement 2026 to 2029 - GOV.UK. These estimates exclude parish precepts, police and crime commissioner precepts, as well as the High Value Council Tax Surcharge being introduced from 2028.

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 12 December 2025, to Question 97317, on Local Government: Reorganisation, and to the answer of 16 December 2025, to Question 95327, on councillors, if he will place a copy in the Library of the full calculations on which the £120 million statistic was based, including the assumptions of councillor allowances and election costs.

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 97317 on 12 December 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with refence to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, Official Report col 1130, what discussions his Department have had with Basildon Council regarding the financial viability of the 5 council model where Basildon and Thurrock would merge.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Thurrock Commissioners were involved in the development of reorganisation proposals and my officials met with them in the course of those and other responsibilities.

The Department met with councils following the submission of proposals on 26 September, and officers from Basildon attended the meeting on the five unitary authority proposal meeting in November.

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage visited Basildon on 12 December, where local government reorganisation was raised.

On the wider question of Thurrock’s debt and the general handling of council debt, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77936 on 13 October 2025.

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 review the adequacy of existing protections for leaseholders of shared ownership leasehold properties who are unable to either sell or re-mortgage their properties.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Ten major mortgage lenders have signed the updated joint statement on cladding, confirming they will consider lending on properties in buildings 11 metres and above, where the building is in a remediation scheme or the property is protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act and the leaseholder has completed a ‘Leaseholder Deed of Certificate’ to evidence it. Officials in my department engage with lenders individually should we receive evidence to suggest a signatory is not upholding the statement. The Government does not collect data on the number of shared owners impacted by building safety issues who have difficulty selling or remortgaging their properties.

The leaseholder protections give greater protection from costs to shared ownership leases. Specifically, holders of qualifying leases which were shared ownership leases as of 14 February 2022 have lower maximum contribution caps, proportional to their share of ownership of the property on that date. Government is not currently considering expanding the leaseholder protections further. The Leaseholder Protections balance the rights of leaseholders with those of those freeholders not connected with the developer who were equally innocent in the creation of the emerging defects.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Department has considered a buy-back scheme for shared ownership leaseholders whose homes become unsaleable due to building safety faults.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Ten major mortgage lenders have signed the updated joint statement on cladding, confirming they will consider lending on properties in buildings 11 metres and above, where the building is in a remediation scheme or the property is protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act and the leaseholder has completed a ‘Leaseholder Deed of Certificate’ to evidence it. Officials in my department engage with lenders individually should we receive evidence to suggest a signatory is not upholding the statement. The Government does not collect data on the number of shared owners impacted by building safety issues who have difficulty selling or remortgaging their properties.

The leaseholder protections give greater protection from costs to shared ownership leases. Specifically, holders of qualifying leases which were shared ownership leases as of 14 February 2022 have lower maximum contribution caps, proportional to their share of ownership of the property on that date. Government is not currently considering expanding the leaseholder protections further. The Leaseholder Protections balance the rights of leaseholders with those of those freeholders not connected with the developer who were equally innocent in the creation of the emerging defects.

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 2 January to Question 99197, on Council tax, what the deadline is for a local authority to make a representation to him on a higher council tax referendum threshold in 2026-27.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As set out in the provisional settlement, we will continue to have a framework to support councils and have set the process out in communication with the sector. Councils should engage with the department as soon as they have concerns about their ability to set or maintain a balanced budget or if they are considering submitting a request to be considered for higher council tax referendum thresholds in 2026-27. All discussions will be treated in confidence, but we will publish details of any support provided, including bespoke referendum principles at the Local Government Financial Settlement.

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 make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the number of people whose ongoing living is in unconventional accommodation such as a vehicle or shed between 2020 and 2025.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Housing and homelessness is devolved. This government inherited a homelessness crisis in England. Our National Plan to End Homelessness sets out a credible plan to get back on track to ending homelessness in England.

Our strategy will address the root causes of homelessness by building more homes, reforming renters’ rights, and tackling poverty. We will support councils and public services to shift from crisis to prevention setting cross government targets, record levels of investment with £3.5bn for homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next 3 years, and new duties on services to work together to prevent homelessness. And we will tackle the worst forms of homelessness by ending the unlawful use of B&Bs for families and halving long term rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament.

Local authorities are responsible for delivering homelessness services in England. The government works closely with local authorities to share and develop good practice in response to changes in patterns of homelessness. This includes the development of new services to assess and support people in unconventional accommodation to resolve their homelessness.

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 make it his policy to ensure that monies raised in a geographic are ringfenced for spending in that area in the event of local government reorganisation.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The proposals set out in the Fair Funding Review will ensure local government funding delivers the best value for money for taxpayers and sees funding go to the places that need it most. It will be for new authorities to decide how spending is allocated within their areas.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with refence to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, Official Report col 1130, what recent discussions his Department has had regarding financial support for whichever restructured council area inherits the debts of Thurrock, Basildon, and Essex Councils.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Thurrock Commissioners were involved in the development of reorganisation proposals and my officials met with them in the course of those and other responsibilities.

The Department met with councils following the submission of proposals on 26 September, and officers from Basildon attended the meeting on the five unitary authority proposal meeting in November.

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage visited Basildon on 12 December, where local government reorganisation was raised.

On the wider question of Thurrock’s debt and the general handling of council debt, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77936 on 13 October 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with refence to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, Official Report col 1130, what discussions his Department have had with the commissioners at Thurrock Council on the preferred option for which councils Thurrock should merge with.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Thurrock Commissioners were involved in the development of reorganisation proposals and my officials met with them in the course of those and other responsibilities.

The Department met with councils following the submission of proposals on 26 September, and officers from Basildon attended the meeting on the five unitary authority proposal meeting in November.

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage visited Basildon on 12 December, where local government reorganisation was raised.

On the wider question of Thurrock’s debt and the general handling of council debt, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77936 on 13 October 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of shared ownership leaseholders (a) nationally and (b) in London who are unable to sell or remortgage their homes due to cladding or EWS1-related issues.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Ten major mortgage lenders have signed the updated joint statement on cladding, confirming they will consider lending on properties in buildings 11 metres and above, where the building is in a remediation scheme or the property is protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act and the leaseholder has completed a ‘Leaseholder Deed of Certificate’ to evidence it. Officials in my department engage with lenders individually should we receive evidence to suggest a signatory is not upholding the statement. The Government does not collect data on the number of shared owners impacted by building safety issues who have difficulty selling or remortgaging their properties.

The leaseholder protections give greater protection from costs to shared ownership leases. Specifically, holders of qualifying leases which were shared ownership leases as of 14 February 2022 have lower maximum contribution caps, proportional to their share of ownership of the property on that date. Government is not currently considering expanding the leaseholder protections further. The Leaseholder Protections balance the rights of leaseholders with those of those freeholders not connected with the developer who were equally innocent in the creation of the emerging defects.

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 consumer protections on the marketing and selling of shared ownership properties with cladding or remediation based issues.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Ten major mortgage lenders have signed the updated joint statement on cladding, confirming they will consider lending on properties in buildings 11 metres and above, where the building is in a remediation scheme or the property is protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act and the leaseholder has completed a ‘Leaseholder Deed of Certificate’ to evidence it. Officials in my department engage with lenders individually should we receive evidence to suggest a signatory is not upholding the statement. The Government does not collect data on the number of shared owners impacted by building safety issues who have difficulty selling or remortgaging their properties.

The leaseholder protections give greater protection from costs to shared ownership leases. Specifically, holders of qualifying leases which were shared ownership leases as of 14 February 2022 have lower maximum contribution caps, proportional to their share of ownership of the property on that date. Government is not currently considering expanding the leaseholder protections further. The Leaseholder Protections balance the rights of leaseholders with those of those freeholders not connected with the developer who were equally innocent in the creation of the emerging defects.

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 9 December 2025 to Question 96074 on Kent County Council: Best Value, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of a Best Value intervention in relation to the current Administration of Kent County Council.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My department monitors individual councils, including Kent, through a wide range of data and direct engagement. We continually review local authority governance, financial management, and sustainability, including through examining national data metrics, local authority documents, reports from auditors and inspectorates, and letters from residents. Where we become aware of early indications of best value failure, we consider a range of ways to closely monitor an authority’s progress. We will continue to monitor risk in individual councils, and we will act where necessary to ensure that councils meet their best value duty and are transparent and accountable to their residents.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to support councils in Surrey in managing projected SEND deficits beyond 2026–27.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We recognise that local authorities are continuing to face significant pressure from the impact of Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits on their accounts and that they will need continued support during the transition to a reformed Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system. This will include working with local authorities to manage their SEND system, including deficits. On 23 June, as part of the Fair Funding Review 2.0, we announced a two-year extension to the DSG Statutory Override, now due to end in March 2028.

We will provide further detail on our plans to support local authorities with historic and accruing deficits later in the Settlement process.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Department is taking to ensure that leaseholders can sell flats where external fire risk assessments identify remedial works.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Ten major banks and building societies have signed the lenders’ statement on cladding. These lenders have committed to consider mortgage applications for buildings over 11 metres tall, even if a property has building safety issues, provided either the building has funding for works from government or the developer, or the property is protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act, and the leaseholder has completed a ‘Leaseholder Deed of Certificate’ to evidence it.

Officials in my department engage with lenders individually should we receive evidence to suggest a signatory is not upholding the statement.

We are of the firm belief that mortgage lenders should not request an EWS1 form as a requirement to lend on buildings under 11 metres tall, but whether they do so remains their commercial decision and is subject to their individual lending criteria.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how his Department ensures lenders comply with guidance that EWS1 forms are not required for buildings under 11 metres.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Ten major banks and building societies have signed the lenders’ statement on cladding. These lenders have committed to consider mortgage applications for buildings over 11 metres tall, even if a property has building safety issues, provided either the building has funding for works from government or the developer, or the property is protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act, and the leaseholder has completed a ‘Leaseholder Deed of Certificate’ to evidence it.

Officials in my department engage with lenders individually should we receive evidence to suggest a signatory is not upholding the statement.

We are of the firm belief that mortgage lenders should not request an EWS1 form as a requirement to lend on buildings under 11 metres tall, but whether they do so remains their commercial decision and is subject to their individual lending criteria.

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 Department’s press release entitled Councils offered flexibility to complete reorganisation, published on 18 December 2025, what evidence his Department used to determine that local elections could divert substantial time and resources away from delivering local government reorganisation, including those county councils without responsibility for administering elections.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This government takes democracy very seriously. In the spirit of devolution and trusting local leaders we have listened to councils telling us about the capacity constraints they are operating within and the work that reorganisation introduces on top of existing challenges.

On 18 December I invited councils undergoing local government reorganisation with local elections in May 2026 to set out their views on the postponement of their local election and if they consider this could release essential capacity to deliver local government reorganisation and will consider all the representations we receive by the deadline of 15th January. The Secretary of State will consider the position of each council individually, weighing up the evidence received.

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 Electoral Commission statement entitled Electoral Commission responds to potential election postponements, published on 19 December 2025, what is the Government's evidence base that capacity constraints justify delaying scheduled elections.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This government takes democracy very seriously. In the spirit of devolution and trusting local leaders we have listened to councils telling us about the capacity constraints they are operating within and the work that reorganisation introduces on top of existing challenges.

On 18 December I invited councils undergoing local government reorganisation with local elections in May 2026 to set out their views on the postponement of their local election and if they consider this could release essential capacity to deliver local government reorganisation and will consider all the representations we receive by the deadline of 15th January. The Secretary of State will consider the position of each council individually, weighing up the evidence received.

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 written statement on 19 November 2025, HCWS1071, on Local Government Reorganisation, on what date will the shadow unitary authorities be elected; on what date would the new unitaries be vested; and whether it will vary by local authority.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 5 February 2025, the Government issued invitations to councils in two-tier areas in England and neighbouring unitary councils to prepare proposals for local government reorganisation.

The Government will work with these areas to hold elections for new unitary councils as soon as possible. The exact timings and details will depend on the decisions taken on which proposal, if any, to implement. On the most ambitious timelines, elections to new unitary councils could take place in May 2027, ahead of "go live” date of 1 April 2028.

Surrey is operating on an accelerated timeline and we anticipate elections to the new unitary authorities will take place on May 2026, ahead of a vesting date of 1 April 2027.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support or enforcement the Department can provide where lenders block transactions contrary to fire safety guidance.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Ten major banks and building societies have signed the lenders’ statement on cladding. These lenders have committed to consider mortgage applications for buildings over 11 metres tall, even if a property has building safety issues, provided either the building has funding for works from government or the developer, or the property is protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act, and the leaseholder has completed a ‘Leaseholder Deed of Certificate’ to evidence it.

Officials in my department engage with lenders individually should we receive evidence to suggest a signatory is not upholding the statement.

We are of the firm belief that mortgage lenders should not request an EWS1 form as a requirement to lend on buildings under 11 metres tall, but whether they do so remains their commercial decision and is subject to their individual lending criteria.

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 re-introduce the guidance entitled Four-day working week arrangements in local authorities, withdrawn on 8 November 2024.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Secretary of State wrote to all Council Leaders and Chief Executives in England on 19 December 2025, setting out the Government’s policy that local authorities should not be offering full time pay for part time work. This policy is reflected in the Best Value Guidance issued in May 2024.

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 1 September 2025 to Question 69721 on Waste Management: Birmingham City Council, whether his Department has provided payment to (a) Tom White Waste, (b) Job & Talent, (ci) Smart Solutions and (d) other local authorities and arm length bodies for the purposes of waste management in the jurisdiction of Birmingham City Council from 11 March 2025.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The department engages regularly with Birmingham City Council and Commissioners, as is normal for all Councils under intervention, and continues to monitor the disruption caused by the bin strikes and the associated impact to the residents of the city.

The waste dispute is a local issue and is rightly being dealt with by the Council. The Government has no formal role in this matter. Waste management funding arrangements are also a matter for the Council and the department does not pay for waste management services on behalf of councils.

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 the potential impact of pub closures on community cohesion.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We recognise that pubs are an important part of the social fabric of the UK, places that are focal points of many communities, where people from different backgrounds can mix and generate a sense of belonging. That is why we are introducing Community Right to Buy so people can protect pubs that mean so much to their communities. We are also taking steps to support the viability of pubs, such as introducing legislation to ban upwards only rent reviews in commercial leases, reforming licensing rules, and committing funding to support rural pubs to diversify their services.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Commissioners appointed to oversee Birmingham City Council on negotiations with Unite.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The department engages regularly with Birmingham City Council and Commissioners, as is normal for all Councils under intervention, and continues to monitor the disruption caused by the bin strikes and the associated impact to the residents of the city.

The waste dispute is a local issue and is rightly being dealt with by the Council. The Government has no formal role in this matter. Waste management funding arrangements are also a matter for the Council and the department does not pay for waste management services on behalf of councils.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions his Department has had with Birmingham City Council on the progress of negotiations with Unite.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The department engages regularly with Birmingham City Council and Commissioners, as is normal for all Councils under intervention, and continues to monitor the disruption caused by the bin strikes and the associated impact to the residents of the city.

The waste dispute is a local issue and is rightly being dealt with by the Council. The Government has no formal role in this matter. Waste management funding arrangements are also a matter for the Council and the department does not pay for waste management services on behalf of councils.

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 December to Question 95126, on Fire and Rescue Services: Workplace Pensions, whether his Department can provide a timeline of when constituents can expect to receive an update on the firefighters’ pension aggregation issue.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The firefighters’ pension aggregation issue remains subject to litigation, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 2026. While we are not yet able to provide a definitive timeline, we will update the sector as soon as we are in a position to do so.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much their Department has spent on (a) advertising and (b) marketing in each of the last three years.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Total spend with our media buying agency for the last three financial years is as follows:

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 make an estimate of the cost of the local government reorganisation programme.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77631 on 13 October 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to the Answer of 15 December to Question 97083 on Nature Conservation: Planning, what further external engagement is planned; at what stage in the implementation process will this take place; and how will external stakeholders be consulted.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In preparing Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), Natural England is engaging with a range of stakeholders.

The government, and Natural England, will continue to work closely with local authorities, developers, environmental groups and other stakeholders to gather and assess the data needed to underpin each EDP. As required by the Planning and Infrastructure Act, all EDPs will also be subject to a 28 working day public consultation.

The Implementation Plan for the Nature Restoration Fund was published on 18 December 2025 on and can be found on gov.uk here.

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 on 10 September 2025 to HL10181, when he plans to launch the competitive funding award process for a Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum to those of a Muslim faith who gave their lives in two World Wars, as announced in the March 2024 Budget.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government committed to provide up to £1 million funding for a fitting Muslim War Memorial to commemorate the immense contribution of Muslim soldiers in service of this country during the World Wars.

A public market engagement exercise was launched on 31 January 2025 and ran for one month to gather information on potential delivery options. The information has been evaluated, and we are developing plans for a competitive funding process. Stakeholder engagement will be an integral part of the delivery of the memorial and the most effective means of achieving this will be factored into our planning.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with stakeholders on plans for a Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum to those of a Muslim faith who gave their lives in two World Wars, as announced in the March 2024 Budget.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government committed to provide up to £1 million funding for a fitting Muslim War Memorial to commemorate the immense contribution of Muslim soldiers in service of this country during the World Wars.

A public market engagement exercise was launched on 31 January 2025 and ran for one month to gather information on potential delivery options. The information has been evaluated, and we are developing plans for a competitive funding process. Stakeholder engagement will be an integral part of the delivery of the memorial and the most effective means of achieving this will be factored into our planning.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on plans to finance a Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum to those of a Muslim faith who gave their lives in two World Wars, as announced in the March 2024 Budget.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government committed to provide up to £1 million funding for a fitting Muslim War Memorial to commemorate the immense contribution of Muslim soldiers in service of this country during the World Wars.

A public market engagement exercise was launched on 31 January 2025 and ran for one month to gather information on potential delivery options. The information has been evaluated, and we are developing plans for a competitive funding process. Stakeholder engagement will be an integral part of the delivery of the memorial and the most effective means of achieving this will be factored into our planning.

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 undertook a public sector equality duty assessment on the decision to cancel the mayoral elections.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government intends to establish Mayoral Strategic Authorities via secondary legislation for all the Devolution Priority Programme areas as soon as possible, subject to the councils’ consent. Devolution is strongest when it is built on strong foundations, and this extra time will allow these four areas to establish strong institutions ahead of their Mayors taking office in 2028. The decision to hold the mayoral elections at a later date does not necessitate a Public Sector Equality Duty assessment, as an assessment will be produced for the establishment legislation.

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 conducted an equality impact assessment relating to the effect of an Islamophobia definition on religious minorities other than Muslims.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable, and this Government is committed to tackling this wherever it manifests. The Government established an independent working group to advise on a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, including on how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim. The Working Group have now submitted their advice to ministers for consideration.

The working group have engaged widely to ensure the advice given to the Government reflects the diverse perspectives and implications for different groups. To strengthen engagement, the Working Group launched a Call for Evidence on 20 July 2025. It was open to the public, and any individual or organisation, including Hindu community groups, were able to submit advice.

The Working Group operated according to its established terms of reference, which stated that any definition must be compatible with free speech and the right to criticise religions and religious practices. The Government will consider their advice in view of this.

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 of an Islamophobia definition on the ability to scrutinise religious ideology or practice.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable, and this Government is committed to tackling this wherever it manifests. The Government established an independent working group to advise on a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, including on how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim. The Working Group have now submitted their advice to ministers for consideration.

The working group have engaged widely to ensure the advice given to the Government reflects the diverse perspectives and implications for different groups. To strengthen engagement, the Working Group launched a Call for Evidence on 20 July 2025. It was open to the public, and any individual or organisation, including Hindu community groups, were able to submit advice.

The Working Group operated according to its established terms of reference, which stated that any definition must be compatible with free speech and the right to criticise religions and religious practices. The Government will consider their advice in view of this.

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 received representations from Hindu community groups on the potential impact of an Islamophobia definition on freedom of expression.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable, and this Government is committed to tackling this wherever it manifests. The Government established an independent working group to advise on a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, including on how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim. The Working Group have now submitted their advice to ministers for consideration.

The working group have engaged widely to ensure the advice given to the Government reflects the diverse perspectives and implications for different groups. To strengthen engagement, the Working Group launched a Call for Evidence on 20 July 2025. It was open to the public, and any individual or organisation, including Hindu community groups, were able to submit advice.

The Working Group operated according to its established terms of reference, which stated that any definition must be compatible with free speech and the right to criticise religions and religious practices. The Government will consider their advice in view of this.

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 assessed the compatibility of a proposed Islamophobia definition with hate crime legislation.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable, and this Government is committed to tackling this wherever it manifests. The Government established an independent working group to advise on a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, including on how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim. The Working Group have now submitted their advice to ministers for consideration.

The working group have engaged widely to ensure the advice given to the Government reflects the diverse perspectives and implications for different groups. To strengthen engagement, the Working Group launched a Call for Evidence on 20 July 2025. It was open to the public, and any individual or organisation, including Hindu community groups, were able to submit advice.

The Working Group operated according to its established terms of reference, which stated that any definition must be compatible with free speech and the right to criticise religions and religious practices. The Government will consider their advice in view of this.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which organisations and representative groups were consulted by his Department prior to consideration of an Islamophobia definition.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable, and this Government is committed to tackling this wherever it manifests. The Government established an independent working group to advise on a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, including on how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim. The Working Group have now submitted their advice to ministers for consideration.

The working group have engaged widely to ensure the advice given to the Government reflects the diverse perspectives and implications for different groups. To strengthen engagement, the Working Group launched a Call for Evidence on 20 July 2025. It was open to the public, and any individual or organisation, including Hindu community groups, were able to submit advice.

The Working Group operated according to its established terms of reference, which stated that any definition must be compatible with free speech and the right to criticise religions and religious practices. The Government will consider their advice in view of this.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what engagement his Department has had with Hindu community organisations on the development and adoption of an Islamophobia definition.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

All forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely unacceptable, and this Government is committed to tackling this wherever it manifests. The Government established an independent working group to advise on a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, including on how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim. The Working Group have now submitted their advice to ministers for consideration.

The working group have engaged widely to ensure the advice given to the Government reflects the diverse perspectives and implications for different groups. To strengthen engagement, the Working Group launched a Call for Evidence on 20 July 2025. It was open to the public, and any individual or organisation, including Hindu community groups, were able to submit advice.

The Working Group operated according to its established terms of reference, which stated that any definition must be compatible with free speech and the right to criticise religions and religious practices. The Government will consider their advice in view of this.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to the written statement of 16 December 2025 HCWS1186, on electoral resilience, whether the review will consider the foreign influence on UK politics through US-registered Resolute 1850 Inc.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

It is, and always will be, an absolute priority for this Government to protect our democratic and electoral processes. On 16 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 purpose of the review is to provide an in-depth assessment of the current financial rules and safeguards and make recommendations. The review will be led by the former Permanent Secretary Philip Rycroft, reporting both to the Secretary of State responsible for elections, and to the Minister of State for Security, as the Chair of the Defending Democracy Taskforce.

The terms of reference for the review can be found here.

Given the review’s independence, we cannot pre-empt specifics of the ground it will cover, nor the recommendations it will make. It is right that the review is independent of Government and independent of any political party. However, we will be looking to mitigate the risk of foreign financial interference in UK politics from any actors and individuals who might wish to undermine our democracy.

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 16 July 2025 to Question 66201 on Council Tax, whether the non-police element of the (a) GLA precept and (b) combined authority mayoral precepts are included in the £2,000 assessments.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The updated distribution proposed in the Fair Funding Review 2.0 includes a resource adjustment to take account of a local authority's ability to raise income locally when allocating funding as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement.

As set out in the response to Question UIN 66201, the notional council tax used in this adjustment is set at the average Band D level of Council Tax in England. This includes the social care precept and the fire precept but does not include police or parish precepts. Mayoral precepts are not included, except for the fire element.

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 Local Authority Housing Fund: Round 4 prospectus and guidance, of 19 November 2025, for what reason the funding can be used for the flipping of forthcoming shared ownership completions into social rented housing; and what the estimated grant per unit is.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authorities delivering the fourth round of the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF R4) can shape its delivery according to local circumstances.

Converting unsold shared ownership completions into social rented housing is included in a list of possible delivery routes and may be appropriate where there is insufficient demand for shared ownership homes and greater need for social rented housing.

There is not a fixed grant intervention rate for converting use from shared ownership homes. The amount of funding which can be applied depends on how the shared ownership scheme was originally funded.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Local Authority Housing Fund: Round 4 can be used to provide accommodation for asylum seekers and former asylum seekers other than those from Afghanistan.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Local Authority Housing Fund Round 4 (LAHF R4) funds local authorities to provide better quality temporary accommodation to those owed homelessness duties, as well as providing sustainable settled housing for families on the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP).

Asylum seekers are not eligible for LAHF accommodation, and they are not eligible for social housing.

Former asylum seekers who have been granted indefinite leave to remain (ILR), refugee status or humanitarian protection, or leave to remain with recourse to public funds, may be entitled to homelessness assistance and temporary accommodation.

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 build more social and affordable homes in Leeds Central and Headingley constituency.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771) and the answer given to Question UIN 101017 on 6 January 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the calculation of the base liability for the transitional relief in the 2026 business rates revaluation (a) includes and (b) excludes the application of Retail, Hospitality and Leisure rate relief in 2025-26.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

At the Budget the Chancellor announced a support package for ratepayers seeing significant bill increases as a result of the 2026 revaluation. This includes two key reliefs, Transitional Relief and Supporting Small Business Relief.

Transitional Relief is calculated from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill before all other reliefs.

The Supporting Small Business Relief provides support for ratepayers losing certain reliefs including the current 40% relief for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure. The Supporting Small Businesses Relief is calculated from a base liability that takes into account the effect of eligible reliefs – Small Business Rate Relief, Rural Rate Relief, 2025/26 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief, or 2023 Supporting Small Business Relief. The government published guidance for local authorities on the administration of the scheme on 15 December. This can be found on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-rates-relief-2026-supporting-small-business-relief-local-authority-guidance).

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding was allocated to the Affordable Housing Programmes in (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25, including funding provided to his Department, Homes England, the Greater London Authority, local councils, housing associations and combined authorities.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 95055 on 5 December 2025.

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 takes account of exceptional circumstances in previous years when calculating Council Tax base growth, including reviews of single person discounts and the introduction of a Council Tax premium on second homes.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

At the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-27 to 2028-29 on 17 December 2025, we set out the funding available to councils through the longstanding Core Spending Power measure, which was calculated in line with the approach used at previous Settlements. This means we assumed each authority’s council tax base increases in line with the five-year average annual growth in their council tax base. The inclusion of second homes premium income in Core Spending Power does not affect grant allocations, as it is excluded in the updated assessment of relative need and resources.

We are aware over two thirds of billing authorities introduced second homes premiums in 2025-26, and under our proposals this additional income would be accounted for in Core Spending Power, given it is an important part of the resources available to local authorities to deliver services. No council will lose grant and/or business rates through our assessment of authorities’ relative need and resources as a result of this approach and as part of the government’s policy to reward places for housebuilding.

The consultation on the provisional Settlement closed on 14 January. The government is now considering responses and will set out its position at the final Settlement in February.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department or Homes England for the Lancaster West Estate refurbishment; and what assessment he has made of the estimated £85 million shortfall in funding identified the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is committed to supporting the community affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy for the long term.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government agreed to provide c£25m towards the refurbishment of the Lancaster West estate on the assumption that this funding was to be matched by Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and that no further funding would be required from Government.

My officials have been engaging with RBKC, who lead on the refurbishment of the estate, to fully understand the cause of the shortfall and the Council’s plans for delivery.

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 level of overlap of proposals for appointing Public Safety Commissioners in mayoralties with the position of Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Where a mayor is responsible for Police and Crime Commissioner functions, they must appoint a Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, who works with them to oversee policing. Where mayors are also responsible for fire and rescue, they can delegate this to the DMPC. This means one individual can lead on policing and fire.

The Public Safety Commissioner (PSC) will be a new optional appointment, whose role would be to lead on the ‘public safety’ area of competence for a mayor, including matters beyond policing and fire. They could be delegated fire functions but not policing.

This gives mayors a choice on how to best deliver public safety in their area. They could delegate all their public safety functions to the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime or appoint a separate Public Safety Commissioner to manage non-policing functions, such as fire.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether HM Land Registry has a duty to report if property in the UK is purchased by other nation states.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

HM Land Registry records show that The People’s Republic of China is the registered proprietor of 58 registered titles in England and Wales.

Two further titles are registered in the name of The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China, and four titles are registered in the name of The National Tourism Administration of the People's Republic of China.

Although HM Land Registry does not have a formal duty to report new acquisitions of UK land registered in the name of foreign states, this information is held by HM Land Registry and can be accessed where required by government and others subject to the general law relating to data protection and freedom of information.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many properties registered with HM Land Registry are owned by the People's Republic of China.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

HM Land Registry records show that The People’s Republic of China is the registered proprietor of 58 registered titles in England and Wales.

Two further titles are registered in the name of The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China, and four titles are registered in the name of The National Tourism Administration of the People's Republic of China.

Although HM Land Registry does not have a formal duty to report new acquisitions of UK land registered in the name of foreign states, this information is held by HM Land Registry and can be accessed where required by government and others subject to the general law relating to data protection and freedom of information.

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 17 November 2025 to Question 87319, and to the Answer of 19 June 2025 to Question 58975, on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Remote Working, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the number of desks for civil servants working in Darlington on their ability to attend the office for 60 per cent of the working week.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Darlington Economic Campus is an integrated shared facility between several Government Departments. Currently, due to the available capacity, MHCLG staff are expected to attend the office for 40% of their time.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance has his department given to local authorities on political restrictions on local authority staff running as candidates for election in other local authorities.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Local Government Officers (Political Restrictions) Regulations 1990 continues to set out the specific restrictions that apply to holders of politically restricted posts in Local Authorities. As independent employers, Local authorities are responsible for complying with legislation.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether local authorities will be expected to pass on high needs deficits to any new unitary councils created following local government reorganisation.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

In general, as with previous restructures, there is no proposal for council debt to be addressed centrally or written off as part of reorganisation. It is the Government’s expectation that any debt held by a council will be transferred to the new council. Councils remain responsible for managing their budgets, and it is standard for councils to borrow and to hold debt, which they will do in the normal course of business. Local government re-organisation does not change this and it is essential that councils continue to deliver their business-as-usual services and duties during and after local government reorganisation.

In relation to the high needs deficit, the Fair Funding Review 2.0 announced a two-year extension to the Dedicated Schools Grant Statutory Override, now due to end in March 2028. We will set out more detail on our plans to support local authorities with historic and accruing SEND deficits later in the Settlement process.

Once the Statutory Override ends in March 2028, funding for SEND deficits will be managed within the overall government DEL envelope and would not be expected to fall to local authority general funds.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of high street closures on town centre vitality and local employment, particularly in areas with limited alternative sources of work.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The high street provides a critical source of employment and skills in our economy, accounting for 4.4m jobs in 2018.

No specific data is held on the impact of closures on employment. However, the national rate of persistently vacant high street retail and leisure properties increased to 5.3% in 2023, up from 3.6% in 2018, reflecting factors including long term shifts in consumer behaviour, rising costs, and retail crime.

The Government is acting to reverse this decline with support for high street businesses, such as banning upwards only rent reviews in commercial leases and reforming licensing rules, strengthening powers to tackle retail crime and anti-social behaviour, and empowering councils to auction the lease of persistently vacant premises on our high streets.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many planning appeals relating to grey belt land have been allowed in the past two years.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Planning Inspectorate does not hold the requested information in a readily searchable way, and planning appeals do not have a marker for Grey Belt. As such, it is not possible to identify planning appeal decisions relating to grey belt in the past two years.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of rough sleepers in (1) London, and (2) each other region in England and Wales.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The government inherited a homelessness crisis - the number of people sleeping rough is far too high. The latest published management information estimated that 2,195 people slept rough across the month in London in September 2025 and 9,292 people slept rough across the month in England. Housing and homelessness is devolved, but the government publishes data on the number of people sleeping rough in England, including regional breakdowns, here.

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 18 December 2025, to Question 96897, on MHCLG: Public Appointments, when he plans to publish this data.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We will publish data on MHCLG’s Direct Ministerial Appointments in line with recent guidance in the coming months.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to the revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 16 December 2025, what assessment has been made of the potential effect of the proposed changes on the number and size of residential gardens in suburban neighbourhoods.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making.

The consultation includes policies that will support development within residential curtilages, including gardens. The relevant policies make clear that new development within residential curtilages should not occupy more than twice the footprint of the existing building on the site and should retain at least half of the non-developed area within the building’s curtilage. These policies would safeguard residential gardens from being lost and prevent inappropriate development which would be out of scale with the existing dwelling(s) taking place, while also allowing gentle increases in density in suitable locations.

Individual development decisions would be made by landowners/homeowners.

The consultation will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.

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 drivers of and reasons for the doubling of the wage and salary costs of the Land Registry since April 2017.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

HM Land Registry’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2016-17 and 2024-25 respectively show that staff costs for permanent HMLR employees have increased from £168 million to £326 million.

The drivers of this increase are a combination of the compound interest of annual pay increases, plus the increase in permanent employees from 4,148 at the end of March 2017, to 6,907 at the end of March 2025.

The principal reason for the staff increase at the Agency has been the need to invest in its people and systems to improve the services it provides following a period of historic underinvestment following the property market crash in 2007-08, prior to which HMLR had over 8,000 permanent employees.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance has the (a) Government and (b) Planning Inspectorate given to local planning authorities and inspectors on the implications of the Equality Act 2010 for planning policy.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department does not provide guidance on the implications of the Equality Act 2010 for planning policy to either local planning authorities or inspectors.

The Government Equalities Office publishes guidance on the Public Sector Equality Duty for public bodies, which can be found on gov.uk here.

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 drivers of and reasons for the doubling of the wage and salary costs of the Planning Inspectorate since April 2017.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Planning Inspectorate deals with a range of planning and environmental casework from across government including:

• planning and environmental appeals, including against refusals of planning related applications by Local Planning Authorities and refusals of applications by other bodies including the Environment Agency.
• advising on and examining applications for nationally significant infrastructure and other infrastructure orders including large scale energy infrastructure and power generation, large road and other transport schemes like airports, and reservoirs.
• examining local plans for compliance with legal tests and national policy.
• deciding or making recommendations on a range of casework on behalf of Secretaries of State including 'called in' planning applications, Crown Development applications, Compulsory Purchase Orders, planning applications in Local Planning Authorities designated for poor performance, Drought Orders and Permits and Necessary Wayleaves.
• deciding a range of casework for Defra relating to access to the countryside, including new rights of ways, changes to existing rights of way, village and town greens and the regime to protect and manage Common Land.

Since 2017 the Planning Inspectorate has increased its employees by approximately 60%, including an increase in full time equivalent Inspectors providing advice, decisions, and recommendations from 261 to 421 (61%).

This reflects the significant increase and complexity in the Planning Inspectorate's casework over that period as well as a significant investment in digital services which has been necessary for the organisation to fulfil its critical role in delivering the agendas of successive governments.

Inflation accounts for about a third of the increase in costs over the period.

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 non-metropolitan area towns.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Economic growth is the number one mission of this government. Across the country growth has stagnated, leading our towns and cities to underperform and living standards to fall. This government will drive growth and unlock investment across the country by giving local leaders the tools they need to maximise their unique strengths and opportunities.

On 25 September 2025, the Government announced its flagship Pride in Place Programme, which will provide up to £20 million in flexible funding and support over the next decade to 244 of the UK’s most in-need neighbourhoods, including a number of non-metropolitan area towns such as Kirkby-in-Ashfield in the Honourable Member’s constituency. This programme will serve as the cornerstone of the Government’s support for communities, incorporating the existing 25 trailblazer areas announced at Spending Review and the 75 Phase 1 Plan for Neighbourhoods areas announced in March 2025, including places in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance is issued to local authorities on recording and recovering costs incurred during environmental clean-up operations following maritime incidents; and whether such guidance allows for costs incurred by organised charity, conservation, or wildlife groups supporting those clean-up efforts to be included within claims made against responsible commercial parties.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG is not responsible for maritime or environmental clean-up operations. The Lead Government Department responsibility for these sits with the Department for Transport and the Environment Agency, which are responsible for guidance to local authorities on these issues. I would also refer the hon Lady to the Answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Security gave to the Member for North West Norfolk (James Wild) on 29 April 2025 UIN 46848.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support his Department provides to local authorities responding to maritime incidents that result in environmental contamination or significant shoreline clean-up operations.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG is not responsible for maritime or environmental clean-up operations. The Lead Government Department responsibility for these sits with the Department for Transport and the Environment Agency, which are responsible for guidance to local authorities on these issues. I would also refer the hon Lady to the Answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Security gave to the Member for North West Norfolk (James Wild) on 29 April 2025 UIN 46848.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance exists on public communication and safety messaging by local authorities during environmental incidents affecting coastal communities.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG is not responsible for maritime or environmental clean-up operations. The Lead Government Department responsibility for these sits with the Department for Transport and the Environment Agency, which are responsible for guidance to local authorities on these issues. I would also refer the hon Lady to the Answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Security gave to the Member for North West Norfolk (James Wild) on 29 April 2025 UIN 46848.

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 make it his policy to use his Best Value powers to stop local authorities boycotting or divesting in companies based in, or which trade with, Israel.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Cabinet Office Procurement Policy Note 01/16 remains in force which prohibits procurement boycotts by public authorities against Israeli firms and firms which trade with Israel, unless formal government sanctions are in place Under the Local Government Act 1999, local authorities have a statutory Best Value duty to secure continuous improvement in how they exercise their functions, having regard to economy, efficiency, and effectiveness. The Secretary of State may intervene where there is significant, systemic, and extensive failure to meet this duty, based on a holistic assessment of all relevant information. The government has published guidance for local authorities on meeting the Best Value duty and on intervention.

Found: White Paper, and we are working very closely with our colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: White Paper, and we are working very closely with our colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: Cambridge Water Demand Reduction Scheme Project summary MOSL is supporting the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: This point was previously acknowledged by the UK government with MHCLG funding English local authorities

Found: published HSTF Findings Report and Technical Data Report (both signed off by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: also ensure that high street and town centres in Scotland benefit from the recent announcement from MHCLG

Found: SHS0027 - The future of Scotland’s high streets Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: (MHCLG) that informed us about a £9.276m revenue funding allocation for 2026-27

Found: Will future allocations of levelling -up style funding be determined by the Exec utive rather than MHCLG

Found: Despite overwhelming evidence and repeated warnings, the NIO and MHCLG appear determined to proceed

Found: Alan, I wish to raise with you my concerns about the slow response of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: The White Paper says that Defra will work “with MHCLG to ensure the right to connect for water supply

Found: aligns the objectives of HM Treasury, Department for Business and Trade, and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: aligns the objectives of HM Treasury, Department for Business and Trade, and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is responsible for devolution policy

Found: for Transport, the Department for Work and Pensions, Skills England and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: While engagement with DSIT, DBT and MHCLG has improved, that ability to have a structured, long-term

Found: The current model of MHCLG saying, “Hands off, Home Office.

Found: public libraries has decreased from £1.5bn in 2009/10 to £673m in 2022/23 (Institute for Government / MHCLG

Found: pounds worth of taxpayers’ money, spread across a whole host of Departments—the MoD, the Home Office, MHCLG

Found: For MHCLG, the challenges on planning are very clear for me to see.

Found: Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Home Office, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Home Office, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: a) six Mayoral Strategic Authorities receiving LABG as part of their Integrated Settlement with MHCLG

Found: Forty-sixth report: Improving local areas through developer funding 18 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: Forty-sixth report: Improving local areas through developer funding 18 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: Forty-sixth report: Improving local areas through developer funding 18 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: Forty-sixth report: Improving local areas through developer funding 18 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: Forty-sixth report: Improving local areas through developer funding 18 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: a) six Mayoral Strategic Authorities receiving LABG as part of their Integrated Settlement with MHCLG

Found: a) six Mayoral Strategic Authorities receiving LABG as part of their Integrated Settlement with MHCLG

Found: a) six Mayoral Strategic Authorities receiving LABG as part of their Integrated Settlement with MHCLG

Found: a) six Mayoral Strategic Authorities receiving LABG as part of their Integrated Settlement with MHCLG

Found: a) six Mayoral Strategic Authorities receiving LABG as part of their Integrated Settlement with MHCLG

Found: a) six Mayoral Strategic Authorities receiving LABG as part of their Integrated Settlement with MHCLG

Found: Forty-sixth report: Improving local areas through developer funding 18 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: planning permission.37 The Department told us that it is working with the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government

Found: be the Secretary of State with policy responsibility , so primarily Defra in most instances , but MHCLG

Found: We consider it essential that DEFRA and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ensure

Found: Before that, I held roles in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department

Found: To pick up on your point about funding, that was funded by MHCLG, and that allowed us to take this concept—young

Found: knowledge, the local resilience forum does not have a seat at the table, but the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: Office, the Migration Impacts Forum answered to both the Home Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: If we need to work with MHCLG and with councils to understand the challenges of administration, and

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for energy independence of a) current and b) predicted future levels of gas use in new build homes.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government’s policy on new build regulation is driving down the use of gas in new build homes, contributing to our energy independence. MHCLG has developed statistics on energy efficiency characteristics of new dwellings and will publish them shortly. Under the Future Homes Standard, to be published in early 2026, we expect new homes to be built with low carbon heating, such as heat pumps and heat networks, as well as solar panels by default. This, along with increased wider renewable generation, will boost our energy security with clean, homegrown power and increase our energy independence.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for energy independence of a) current and b) predicted future levels of gas use in new build homes.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government’s policy on new build regulation is driving down the use of gas in new build homes, contributing to our energy independence. MHCLG has developed statistics on energy efficiency characteristics of new dwellings and will publish them shortly. Under the Future Homes Standard, to be published in early 2026, we expect new homes to be built with low carbon heating, such as heat pumps and heat networks, as well as solar panels by default. This, along with increased wider renewable generation, will boost our energy security with clean, homegrown power and increase our energy independence.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 23 September 2025, to Question 70484, on Government Departments: Training, who was on the evaluation panel for Project 7114, whether it included officials who had previously worked with Public Digital Ltd; and if he will publish the conflict-of-interest declarations made in connection with that procurement.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Test, Learn & Grow programme is being delivered jointly by the Cabinet Office, MHCLG and local authority partners, complemented by a support partner, the Test, Learn & Grow Partnership.

Due to the nature of personal data, we are precluded from publishing information on the evaluation panel. The procurement followed standard best practice in line with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR15), and the contract is being managed proactively with use of benchmarking and performance data.

Two quarterly statements of work have been agreed under the Work Order. Due to commercial sensitivities, we cannot publish the statements nor can we disclose the key performance indicators.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 23 September 2025, to Question 70484, on Government Departments: Training, how many quarterly Statements of Work have been agreed to date under the Work Order for Project 7114; and if he will publish those statements.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Test, Learn & Grow programme is being delivered jointly by the Cabinet Office, MHCLG and local authority partners, complemented by a support partner, the Test, Learn & Grow Partnership.

Due to the nature of personal data, we are precluded from publishing information on the evaluation panel. The procurement followed standard best practice in line with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR15), and the contract is being managed proactively with use of benchmarking and performance data.

Two quarterly statements of work have been agreed under the Work Order. Due to commercial sensitivities, we cannot publish the statements nor can we disclose the key performance indicators.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what key performance indicators have been set for the Public Sector Reform Test, Learn and Grow Strategic Delivery Partner contract; and whether financial penalties apply for non-performance.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Test, Learn & Grow programme is being delivered jointly by the Cabinet Office, MHCLG and local authority partners, complemented by a support partner, the Test, Learn & Grow Partnership.

Due to the nature of personal data, we are precluded from publishing information on the evaluation panel. The procurement followed standard best practice in line with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR15), and the contract is being managed proactively with use of benchmarking and performance data.

Two quarterly statements of work have been agreed under the Work Order. Due to commercial sensitivities, we cannot publish the statements nor can we disclose the key performance indicators.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of tokenised deposits and smart contracts on the mortgage market, including use in conveyancing, remortgaging and the reduction of intermediaries and transaction delays.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Decisions on the use of tokenised deposits and smart contracts in the mortgage market are independent commercial matters for lenders and property firms, within the regulatory framework overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority, including the Consumer Duty and relevant mortgage conduct rules. However, the Government is regularly in contact with mortgage lenders on all aspects of their business, including the evolution and integration of new technologies and their potential impact on the industry.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is currently undertaking a review of home buying and selling, which will consider how digital tools and emerging technologies could be used to improve property transaction processes. The Government has made clear its objectives that reform should support faster, more reliable transactions and reduced fall throughs and risks.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make additional funding available to open GP surgeries in areas designated for New Towns.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In May, we announced schemes which will benefit from the £102 million Utilisation and Modernisation Fund (UMF) to deliver upgrades to a thousand general practice (GP) surgeries across England this financial year. Building on this, the Government has committed £426 million of UMF funding over the next four years to continue upgrading the GP estate and to support refurbishing the existing estate to deliver neighbourhood health centres over this Parliament as part of the 10-Year Health Plan commitment.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning, including planning, securing, and monitoring GP services, within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including GPs, in each local area. It should take account of population growth and demographic changes.

Whilst we have big ambitions to further boost house building, we recognise the challenges that significant housing and population growth can place on primary care infrastructure. The Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government to determine how developer contributions from new housing developments can be better used towards local health services and infrastructure, including for new towns.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on (a) formally notifying and (b) engaging with Members of Parliament during significant environmental or public safety incidents affecting their constituencies.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The government issues a range of guidance on the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, its associated regulations and wider non-statutory arrangements for civil protection. This supports local responders, which includes Local Authorities, to understand how to fulfil their duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies taking place in the UK, including environmental and public safety incidents.

Cabinet Office guidance, including the ‘Emergency Response and Recovery’ guidance and ‘National Resilience Standards for Local Resilience Forums’ guidance, provides information on protocols that local responders should have for ensuring appropriate political involvement in the management of emergencies, particularly in the recovery phase. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has also issued ‘Local authorities’ preparedness for civil emergencies: a good practice guide for chief executives’ guidance which provides assistance to chief executives of local authorities to make sure they are well-prepared to respond and recover from emergencies. This includes the need to provide clear information to politicians on what is happening during an emergency.

Found: document entitled “The English Indices of Deprivation 2019” published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: Establishment) Order 2026” of which prints signed by a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: spelthorne-borough-council-best-value-inspection-report or in hard copy from the Secretary of State on request to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: working on the matter on a cross-departmental basis with colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) The Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: Pier, Nelson Street, Kingston upon Hull Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG

Found: (Project ID: ME6024) Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) (2024) ‘National Planning

Found: There were no changes to this policy from 2019-2024 (MHCLG, 2024).

Found: MHCLG LAO update Ben Robertson/Rosie Seymour (MHCLG) 12.00 FRAB 157 (06) 7.

Found: CIPFA LASAAC noted the feedback and all responses will be shared with MHCLG to support their consideration

Found: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; 10.

Found: In 2018-19 there were 4.6m PRS properties25 and in 2022-23 there were also 4.6m26. 25 MHCLG (2020)

Found: generally be installed in most homes, their feasibility depends on factors such as availabl 20 20 MHCLG

Found: Council Tax Reduction in Scotland, 2023 to 2024; Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG

Found: from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities' (renamed the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: The model uses the 2016/17 and 2017/18 English Housing Survey (EHS)3 3 MHCLG ‘English Housing Survey

Found: DESNZ and MHCLG will work together to ensure the HHSRS review aligns with wider government aims on

Found: DESNZ and MHCLG will work together to ensure the HHSRS review aligns with wider government aims on energy

Found: DESNZ and MHCLG will work together to ensure the HHSRS review aligns with wider government aims on energy

Found: (MHCLG). 103after new EPCs are introduced.

Found: (MHCLG).

Found: embed international education into the priorities of departments including DSIT, Cabinet Office, MHCLG

Found: the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and supported by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: NAV market more proportionate by working closely with regulators and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: NAV market more proportionate by working closely with regulators and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: a) six Mayoral Strategic Authorities receiving LABG as part of their Integrated Settlement with MHCLG

Found: a) six Mayoral Strategic Authorities receiving LABG as part of their Integrated Settlement with MHCLG

Found: Office for National Statistics, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provides RSH with finance services and will

Found: charges) NG11 7EP 3,106.00 Housing, Communities & Local Government PINS 10/11/2025 Legal Fees Knowledge MHCLG

Found:

Found: Local Planning Authority LNRS Local Nature Recovery Strategy MCA Marine Character Area MHCLG

Found: Office for National Statistics, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: MHCLG (formerly DLUHC) has worked collaboratively with the FRC, and other system partners, to develop

Found: The portfolio has also received £14.4 million from the UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: I am just copying my colleagues in the MHCLG Scotland Area Team [Redacted S.38(1)(b)] and [Redacted

Found: In the Pride in Place programme, neighbourhoods will be selected by the Scotland Office and MHCLG later