Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to give councils powers to seize or impound vehicles linked to unpaid penalty charge notices; and what discussions they have had with governments of foreign countries about sharing vehicle data for the payment of those notices.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Local authorities are required under the Traffic Management Act 2004 to ensure that their parking policies are proportionate, support town centre prosperity, and reconcile competing demands for space whilst ensuring traffic moves freely and quickly on their roads and the roads of nearby authorities.
In line with the need for proportionality, there are no plans to allow councils to seize or impound vehicles for unpaid penalty charges.
However, under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978,local authorities can remove abandoned vehicles on parking sites. Before a local authority can remove an abandoned vehicle, the authority must first give the landowner 15 days’ notice. This is done so the law protects individuals from having their property removed without due process.
Vehicle keeper data cannot be shared internationally for civil debt enforcement, and as such cannot be traced outside the UK. Where fines are due from foreign registered vehicles that have already left the country, parking companies and local authorities can and do use international debt collection agencies to pursue unpaid charges.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic impact of the 12 freeports in the UK; and what future impact they expect the freeports to achieve within the current Parliament.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
UK Freeports have played an important role in building the foundations for long-term regional and national growth and, alongside Investment Zones, they will be pivotal tools for delivering growth in the government’s priority sectors under the shared identity ‘Industrial Strategy Zones’.
As set out in the UK Freeports Programme Report (June 2025), Freeports have attracted £6.4 billion in private investment, with 89% of this total investment coming from overseas investors, demonstrating the international competitiveness of Freeports.
To assess the future economic impact of Freeports, MHCLG commissioned Arup to conduct analysis. This projected that the eight English Freeports would create around 60,000 net new jobs and support an additional 42,000 jobs across the supply chain, contributing approximately £6.6 billion per year in GVA. Further analysis is being undertaken, the results of which will be published in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 3 November (HL Deb col 1768), what criteria they plan to use to decide which categories of open space should be included in the review of the existing protections of open spaces, and whether they will include covenanted land or land held in trust.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Open and green spaces are an essential part of local social infrastructure and must be protected for future generations. The review of existing protections will examine the fragmented and outdated nature of current legislative protections for public recreational green spaces, assess how these protections complement those in the planning system, and consider the lack of central records on protected land.
Further details on the review of protections for public recreational green spaces, and on the timetable of the review will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 3 November (HL Deb col 1768), what is the timetable for the review of the existing protections of open spaces.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Open and green spaces are an essential part of local social infrastructure and must be protected for future generations. The review of existing protections will examine the fragmented and outdated nature of current legislative protections for public recreational green spaces, assess how these protections complement those in the planning system, and consider the lack of central records on protected land.
Further details on the review of protections for public recreational green spaces, and on the timetable of the review will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the total cost was for (a) settlement agreements and (b) special severance payments made to departing staff from his Department in the last year.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Any payments made in each Financial Year relating to settlement agreements, which includes special severance payments associated with settlement agreements where relevant, will be published in the relevant Annual Report and Accounts.
For the last financial year, these are published at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mhclg-annual-report-and-accounts-2024-to-2025
A further update will be provided as part of the next set of published accounts for 2025-26.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for the total spend on (i) LinkedIn membership fees (ii) other subscriptions by his Department in the last financial year.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The department does not hold information on LinkedIn membership fees and other subscriptions in the format requested, and this could only be collated at a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 warm hubs for local residents in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 79025 on 29 October 2025.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans does the department have for future equivalent Shared Prosperity Funding for Devon.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In order to allow greater flexibility for local authorities and to maximise the spend on UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), the deadline for expenditure for 2025-26 allocations has been extended by six months to September 2026. Looking ahead, the government is introducing a long-term approach to local funding. This will be led by sustained and predictable support for local authorities through the Local Government Finance Settlement and complemented by targeted interventions designed to drive local growth and strengthen communities.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has received representations from (a) the Welsh Government and (b) members of the Welsh Senedd over the use of the Internal Market Act 2020 to deliver the Pride in Place programme.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I recently wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government in the Welsh Government to express my commitment to greater collaboration between the UK and Welsh Governments on areas of shared interest.
In Wales, we have set out the requirement for Pride in Place Neighbourhood Boards to consider how their plans align with the objectives of the Welsh Government’s Programme for Government, the Well-being of Future Generations Act, the Transforming Towns programme, and the Future Wales: National Plan 2040 planning framework, as well as other relevant strategies. We believe the close collaboration within communities and across government will make these neighbourhood boards stronger and more effective.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to establish a cross-departmental office for green spaces.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government does not plan to establish a new cross-departmental office for green spaces. Cross-government coordination will continue through the Parks Working Group, which brings together sector expertise with departmental representatives to improve parks and green spaces, with a focus on equality of access.
Improving access to green and blue spaces remains a priority. As part of the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025, the government has announced that it will bring forward an Access to Nature Green Paper to consult on proposals to improve and expand public access to the outdoors. Furthermore, the MHCLG-owned Green Flag Award sets the national standard for parks and green spaces aiming to meet the needs of the communities they serve.
Local authorities play an important role in improving local green space. The Spending Review 2025 provides over £5 billion of new grant funding, most of which is unringfenced, over the next three years for local services that communities rely on.
Finally, the Pride in Place strategy will deliver up to £5 billion over ten years to up to 350 deprived neighbourhoods, supporting a wide range of community assets, including community green spaces.