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 remain committed to delivering a modern 21st century estate at the Lancaster West Estate following the Grenfell Tower fire; and what plans they have to provide funding for its refurbishment.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government is committed to supporting the community affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy for the long term, and to working with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) so the vision of 21st century estate for the residents of the Lancaster West estate can be realised.
I understand how important and pressing this is. My officials are engaging with RBKC, who lead on the refurbishment of the estate, to fully understand the Council’s plans and timelines for delivery and explore potential funding options to determine whether government can further support the Council in refurbishing the estate.
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 what assessment they have made of the impact of the Fair Funding 2.0 review on the overall finances of (1) London and (2) the rest of the country.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
On Thursday 20 November, we published (attached) the government response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0, which sets out the government’s plan to introduce a fairer and evidence-led funding system.
These updates will account for local circumstances, including different ability to raise income locally from council tax, and the variation in cost of delivering services, including between rural and urban areas. In doing so, we will target a greater proportion of grant funding towards the places that need it most, ensuring the best value for money for government and taxpayers.
The vast majority of councils with social care responsibilities will see their Core Spending Power increase in real terms over the multi-year Settlement. We will also support local authorities to manage their updated funding positions through a package of transitional arrangements, which we set out in detail in the response.
We will publish provisional local authority allocations at the upcoming provisional multi-year Settlement in December. Proposals and allocations will be subject to consultation and the usual Parliamentary process.
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 the cost for delivering local government services is higher in rural or urban areas.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
On Thursday 20 November, we published (attached) the government response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0, which sets out the government’s plan to introduce a fairer and evidence-led funding system.
These updates will account for local circumstances, including different ability to raise income locally from council tax, and the variation in cost of delivering services, including between rural and urban areas. In doing so, we will target a greater proportion of grant funding towards the places that need it most, ensuring the best value for money for government and taxpayers.
The vast majority of councils with social care responsibilities will see their Core Spending Power increase in real terms over the multi-year Settlement. We will also support local authorities to manage their updated funding positions through a package of transitional arrangements, which we set out in detail in the response.
We will publish provisional local authority allocations at the upcoming provisional multi-year Settlement in December. Proposals and allocations will be subject to consultation and the usual Parliamentary process.
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 costs associated with London's role as a capital city will be reflected in the Fair Funding 2.0 formula.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the noble Lord to the statement made by my hon friend the Minister for Local Government [Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 - GOV.UK] (attached) which was published on Thursday 20 November, which sets out our plans for the 2026-27 to 2028-29 multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement. These proposals represent a fairer system for all authorities which recognises the variation in demand and the cost of providing services in different places.
We have always said we are committed to supporting public services and driving growth across the country, including London, as part of our Plan for Change. This includes recognising the additional strain that commuters and tourists can place on service provision in some authorities – including those in London - and taking account of need in specific service areas like temporary accommodation.
We have also used the latest data from the 2025 Indices of Deprivation in both the Foundation Formula and the Children’s and Young People’s Services formula. These include incorporating data on Universal Credit claimants, enabling the measure to account for income after housing costs. Incorporating this data in our updated assessment of need is consistent with the Fair Funding Review 2.0’s principle of using the most recent and most robust evidence available.
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 what steps they are taking to include housing costs in calculating deprivation need for local authorities as part of the Fair Funding 2.0 review.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the noble Lord to the statement made by my hon friend the Minister for Local Government [Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 - GOV.UK] (attached) which was published on Thursday 20 November, which sets out our plans for the 2026-27 to 2028-29 multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement. These proposals represent a fairer system for all authorities which recognises the variation in demand and the cost of providing services in different places.
We have always said we are committed to supporting public services and driving growth across the country, including London, as part of our Plan for Change. This includes recognising the additional strain that commuters and tourists can place on service provision in some authorities – including those in London - and taking account of need in specific service areas like temporary accommodation.
We have also used the latest data from the 2025 Indices of Deprivation in both the Foundation Formula and the Children’s and Young People’s Services formula. These include incorporating data on Universal Credit claimants, enabling the measure to account for income after housing costs. Incorporating this data in our updated assessment of need is consistent with the Fair Funding Review 2.0’s principle of using the most recent and most robust evidence available.
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 what plans they have to help local authorities in London with the increasing costs of temporary accommodation.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has increased funding for homelessness services by £316 million this year to a total of more than £1 billion. That includes more than £420 million for London, an increase of £118 million on the previous year.
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 what assessment they have made of the merits of enabling councils and local authorities in England to require businesses to pay all business rates in advance.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government has not assessed the merits of requiring businesses to pay in advance. Typically, councils will bill in ten monthly instalments, but ratepayers can request to make twelve monthly payments to help businesses spread the cost. Ratepayers can also choose to pay their bill annually, should they wish to. This supports the flow of funding to local government and contributes towards the cost of local services.
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 London is on track to deliver its share of the target to build 1.5 million homes in this Parliament.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government has set a target of 88,000 new homes per year in London through the new standard method and remains committed to working in partnership with the London Mayor, boroughs, and wider stakeholders to achieve a step change in building in the capital.
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 what steps they will take to ensure that their intention to repeal the Vagrancy Act 1824 by spring 2026 does not cause an increase in homelessness and rough sleeping; and what plans they have to offer additional financial support to local authorities in England to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Vagrancy Act 1824 does nothing to tackle the root causes of homelessness, which is why we will be the government which repeals this punitive legislation.
At the same time, homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected. We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The government is looking at these issues carefully and will develop a new cross government strategy to get us back on track to ending homelessness.
The government have already taken the first steps to getting back on track to ending homelessness, including making a £1 billion investment in homelessness and rough sleeping services this year (2025/26), a £233 million increase on the previous year.
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 what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the leasehold property system and what plans they have to reform it; and what assessment they have made of the case for making commonhold the primary model of ownership for flats in England and Wales.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As set out in my Written Ministerial Statement of 21 November 2024, for far too many leaseholders, the reality of home ownership has fallen woefully short of the dream. As set out in our manifesto, we are determined to bring the feudal leasehold system to an end, reinvigorate commonhold and take the first steps towards making it the default tenure by the end of this Parliament.
Draft legislation and a consultation on the best approach to banning new leasehold flats will be published later this year.