Asked by: Baroness Griffin of Princethorpe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to support elected mayors and devolved authorities in tackling climate change in the light of COP 30.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government’s English Devolution White Paper (attached) sets out Environment and Climate Change as a core area of competence for Strategic Authorities. It commits to strengthening their role in leading Local Nature Recovery Strategies and supporting wider environmental delivery. The White Paper also highlights opportunities for Strategic Authorities to influence energy system planning, act as heat network zoning coordinators, and embed climate adaptation principles in local services.
Alongside this, the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill introduces a ‘Right to Request’, enabling Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities to seek additional devolution, including in relation to climate and environmental responsibilities. Departments across government will work with Strategic Authorities to ensure they have the tools they need to tackle climate change.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to ensure that the 60% of affordable homes provided through the new route at social rent are not renegotiated out at a later stage in the development process.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 23 October 2025, the Secretary of State and the Mayor of London announced a new package of support for housebuilding in London. Details can be found on gov.uk here. A consultation on these London-specific measures will be launched in November 2025.
The package includes a new, time-limited planning route, which will sit alongside the Greater London Authority’s existing Fast Track and Viability Tested routes. This new route is designed to encourage schemes to come forward, and existing schemes to progress, in the near-term, in order to support a rapid recovery in housing delivery.
In order to access this time-limited route, schemes will be required to provide at least 20 per cent affordable housing, with a minimum of 60 per cent social rent (and the rest intermediate tenures in line with London Plan policy). Boroughs will be expected to consider applications that meet these minimum levels. This route will be available until 31 March 2028 or the publication of the revised London Plan, whichever is earlier. All planning decisions on applications will need to have been issued by the local planning authority by the deadline.
A gain-share review mechanism will be applicable where construction on the scheme has not reached a fixed milestone by the end of March 2030 – meaning that if additional returns result from improved market conditions, these benefit fairly both the developer and the community.
Any proposed reductions in affordable housing will be subject to full viability assessment and will no longer be eligible for the time limited planning route. In this case a review would then apply regardless of whether the delivery milestone was met to determine whether additional affordable housing contributions can be provided if viability improves over the lifetime of the development.
In respect of existing schemes, the GLA encourages partners to deliver affordable housing in excess of 20 per cent where possible, especially where planning consents are in place, and will make grant available at or above the announced benchmark grant rates for such projects where it provides value for money to do so. Projects consented at 35 per cent or more affordable housing, that are currently stalled due to viability reasons, are encouraged to assess the availability of grant where this is needed to support delivery and to increase the level of affordable housing above this. For bids providing less than 35 per cent affordable housing, where the grant requested is higher than the said benchmarks, the GLA will require Additionality Viability Assessments to be undertaken. In all cases, the GLA will undertake checks to ensure that any grant allocated is compliant with subsidy control rules
Asked by: Lord Moraes (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking, if any, in response to the British Muslim Trust report, A summer of division: The nationwide surge in anti-Muslim hate, that between July and October 25 mosques were targeted in 27 attacks, with some mosques targeted repeatedly.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The surge in anti-Muslim hatred is deeply alarming. Recent hate crime statistics showed 45% of religious hate crimes targeted Muslims – a record high. This is unacceptable, and we must have zero tolerance of anti-Muslim hatred in any form.
The Government established an independent working group to advise government on a definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, and how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims or anyone who is perceived to be Muslim. The group have now provided their advice to Ministers who will rightly take the time to review and consider the advice carefully before confirming next steps in due course.
The British Muslim Trust will receive funding to provide a comprehensive service to monitor anti-Muslim hatred and support victims.
Up to £39.4 million is available for protective security at mosques and Muslim faith schools in 2025/26. This includes additional funding announced by the Prime Minister of £10 million to further strengthen security at mosques and other Muslim community sites.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 3 November (HL11135), whether they will take into consideration the burden that monitoring the proposed pilots of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England will impose on police forces when selecting the local authorities to carry out those pilots.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors.
Local authorities were invited to submit applications to pilot a range of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England. We are working with individual local authorities to shape the detail of their flexible voting pilots. We will continue to work with key stakeholders and local authorities throughout development and delivery of the pilots.
We are currently reviewing applications from local authorities wishing to pilot at the May 2026 elections and we will share further details in due course.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 3 November (HL11135), which local authorities have applied to pilot flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England; which voting methods will be piloted; and what criteria will be applied when selecting the local authorities to operate these pilots.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors.
Local authorities were invited to submit applications to pilot a range of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England. We are working with individual local authorities to shape the detail of their flexible voting pilots. We will continue to work with key stakeholders and local authorities throughout development and delivery of the pilots.
We are currently reviewing applications from local authorities wishing to pilot at the May 2026 elections and we will share further details in due course.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 3 November (HL11135), which organisations and political parties have been consulted on the election pilots.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors.
Local authorities were invited to submit applications to pilot a range of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England. We are working with individual local authorities to shape the detail of their flexible voting pilots. We will continue to work with key stakeholders and local authorities throughout development and delivery of the pilots.
We are currently reviewing applications from local authorities wishing to pilot at the May 2026 elections and we will share further details in due course.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 paragraph 33 of his Department's publication entitled Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales: Scheme improvements (access and protections), updated on 15 October 2025, if he will publish a copy of the (a) calculations and (b) estimates provided by the Government Actuary Department.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Currently, the Department has no plan to publish the calculations or estimates provided by the Government Actuary’s Department in the consultation document published on 13 October 2025. The policy is still being developed and is subject to public consultation.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of delays in building safety approvals on the (a) volume and (b) value of residential investment transactions.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We recognise that delays to the assessment of applications have been unacceptable on the construction supply chain. This is why we announced reforms to the Building Safety Regulator on 30 June, including plans to establish the BSR as a separate body. The BSR has committed to improving operations by December, with faster processing of new build applications and decisions on most of the existing new-build caseload.
The BSR is already making operational and policy changes to speed up decision making, particularly on building control approval, including through the introduction of an Innovation Unit (IU). Early signs are positive with the majority of applications in the IU so far on track to exceed or meet the 12-week SLA as they progress through the application process.
New guidance, developed with the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), is also helping to support industry to better understand all aspects of the new building control regime and secure approval from BSR.
To support transparency and accountability, the BSR published performance data on 16 October and will continue to do so monthly to track progress against this commitment.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
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 construction supply chain bottlenecks associated with Gateway 2 on the construction plant-hire sector.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My department and the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) recognises that the delays in assessing Building Control Applications have been unacceptable and that they impact upon all parts of the construction supply chain. This is why we announced reforms to the BSR on 30 June, including plans to establish the BSR as a separate body.
The BSR has listened to feedback from the industry and the reform package announced on 30 June 2025 is already having a positive impact on operations, with twice as many decisions being made by the BSR between June-September 2025 in comparison to January-March 2025.
The BSR has committed to improving BSR operations by December, with faster processing of new build applications and decisions on most of the existing new-build caseload. The BSR published performance data on 16 October and will continue to do so monthly to track progress against this commitment.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department has made on streamlining Gateway 2 approvals under the Building Safety Regulator.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My department and the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) recognises that the delays in assessing Building Control Applications have been unacceptable and that they impact upon all parts of the construction supply chain. This is why we announced reforms to the BSR on 30 June, including plans to establish the BSR as a separate body.
The BSR has listened to feedback from the industry and the reform package announced on 30 June 2025 is already having a positive impact on operations, with twice as many decisions being made by the BSR between June-September 2025 in comparison to January-March 2025.
The BSR has committed to improving BSR operations by December, with faster processing of new build applications and decisions on most of the existing new-build caseload. The BSR published performance data on 16 October and will continue to do so monthly to track progress against this commitment.