Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
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 Budget 2025, if he will set out how the High Value Council Tax Surcharge will be collected.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The High Value Council Tax Surcharge will be collected from April 2028. Local Authorities will collect this revenue on behalf of central government. Revenue will be used to support funding for local government services, with further detail set to be set out at the next Spending Review. The government will work closely with local government and will undertake a new burdens assessment to ensure costs to local authorities are fully funded. Further details to be consulted on next year.
Asked by: Lord Jamieson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the guidance Holocaust Memorial: handling arrangements for planning casework, published on 5 November, and Entertainment Resort Complex, Bedford: Handling Arrangements, published on 17 October, whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the handling arrangements for the planning casework of the Chinese Embassy application at the Royal Mint.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In dealing with any planning casework, Ministers and officials will always act in accordance with published propriety guidance on planning casework decisions, which is available on gov.uk (attached) here.
Handling arrangements are published where they are required in specific cases to ensure that Ministers or officials with any role in promoting planning proposals are explicitly excluded from the planning decision-making process. That does not apply in the case of the application for the Royal Mint Court.
Asked by: Lord Jamieson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what planning-related data they obtain from Glenigan.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Glenigan provide data on residential development sites and planning applications. Data fields include site dimensions, date application submitted, date application decided, decision outcome, number of proposed units, application type, site location, and planning authority, among other details.
We also receive a calculated metric on the number of homes granted planning permission at detailed and reserved matters stage each quarter. This is published in the department’s quarterly planning applications statistics release.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 an assessment of the cumulative impact on the protection of Green Belt land of reducing the number of planning applications requiring advice from statutory consultees such as National Highways and Active Travel England; and what steps he will take to ensure that streamlining does not reduce the scrutiny of infrastructure, transport, or environmental pressures in constituencies such as Aldridge-Brownhills.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 17 November 2025, my Department published a consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system. That consultation closes on 13 January 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.
A consultation will also be carried out in due course seeking views on plans to amend and expand the 2024 Consultation Direction currently in force.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 risk that the combination of expanded intervention powers and reduced statutory consultee involvement may incentivise speculative applications in small Green Belt communities such as Aldridge-Brownhills; and whether he will consider bespoke protections for such areas in the forthcoming revised National Planning Policy Framework.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 17 November 2025, my Department published a consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system. That consultation closes on 13 January 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.
A consultation will also be carried out in due course seeking views on plans to amend and expand the 2024 Consultation Direction currently in force.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of a devolution deal for Wessex on the economy of Wessex.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The evidence is clear that to drive improved economic outcomes, we must devolve core levers over growth – like transport, skills, employment support and strategic planning – and align these across functional economic areas in which people live and work. Decisions on future devolution, including for Wessex, will be confirmed in due course, subject to further ministerial review and local conversations.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2025, to Question 90709, on Shops: Planning Permission, and the Answer of 7 November 2025, to Question 86776, on Retail Trade: Urban Areas, what are the new specific powers for local authorities to block unwanted (a) hairdressers and (b) barbers that would apply to shops that are not otherwise long-term empty, separate to the Companies House changes.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As we have set out, there are a range of measures to tackle this issue. This government has since announced further action to crack down on illegal high street activity in premises such as mini-marts, barbershops, vape shops, nail bars and car washes. The Autumn Budget has provided £15 million per year to fund enhanced enforcement activity and establish a cross-government policy taskforce to better understand and disrupt organised crime, money laundering and related criminality on our high streets.
This is in addition to wider measures, which support stronger action against those who break the rules, including amending the Company Directors Disqualification Act to extend the circumstances in which directors who break the law can be disqualified.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
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 allocate funding to support the Great South West Partnership from April 2026.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following a four-week public consultation, in March 2025 the Government announced its intention to end funding for Pan-Regional Partnerships, with an exceptional, time-limited award of £281,250 for the Great South West Pan-Regional Partnership for the 2025/26 financial year.
Pan-Regional Partnerships, including the Great South West, have made a valuable contribution, supporting collaboration between local authorities and government and taking forward a breadth of work on shared growth opportunities. However, as our English Devolution White Paper sets out, we are now moving to a different model of regional collaboration, where we are keen to support new models driven by local leaders.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
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 19 November 2025 to Question 88283 on Simon Case, what his remuneration is; and whether it includes pension contributions.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Lord Simon Case was directly appointed Chair of the Barrow Delivery Board by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government in February 2025.
In line with Cabinet Office guidance around direct ministerial appointments, published in October 2025, Lord Case is renumerated at a daily rate of £725.00 with a time commitment of 3 to 4 days per month. Renumeration does not include pension contributions.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
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 issued guidance on the application of pavement licence caps in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 across highways maintainable at public expense regardless of the owning authority.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Pavement Licence (Fees) Regulations 2023, made under the Business and Planning Act 2020, set national fee caps of £500 for new pavement licences and £350 for renewals. The guidance (Pavement licences: guidance - GOV.UK) sets out that licences can only be granted in respect of highways listed in section 115A(1) of the Highways Act 1980, that section does not refer to ownership. Generally, these are footpaths restricted to pedestrians or roads and places to which vehicle access is restricted or prohibited. Highways maintained by Network Rail or over the Crown land are exempt (so a licence cannot be granted).