Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 help ensure those seeking election to local authorities are provided with support in advance of election day.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government does not provide direct support to individuals seeking election. The Electoral Commission is the independent regulatory body responsible for providing guidance and support to candidates on how to comply with electoral law.
This department funds the Local Government Association (LGA) to deliver a programme of sector support, including the LGA’s Be A Councillor Campaign which aims to raise awareness of the councillor role, help people to find out more about becoming a councillor and increase representation in local government of the communities it serves.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 help ensure that the planning process protects access to green spaces for residents in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that strategic policies set out in the development plan should make sufficient provision for green infrastructure.
In addition, the designation of land as Local Green Space through local and neighbourhood plans allows communities to identify and protect green areas of particular importance to them.
National planning policy also sets out strong protections for existing open space, outlining that it should not be built on unless an assessment has been undertaken which has clearly shown the open space to be surplus to requirements, or that any loss resulting from the proposed development would be replaced by equivalent or better provision in terms of quantity and quality in a suitable location, or that the development is for alternative sports and recreational provision, the benefits of which clearly outweigh the loss of the current or former use.
The government is currently consulting on changes to the NPPF, including policies relating to green infrastructure and open space. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 effectiveness of the Building Safety Regulator.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has a range of duties, including facilitating safety in higher-risk buildings (HRBs), keeping the safety and standards of all buildings under review and facilitating improvement in competence across industry.
The introduction of the BSR in 2023 has led to demonstrable improvements in the safety of the buildings it is responsible for. HRBs are now subject to more stringent scrutiny at both design and construction stages. The planning gateway process embeds fire and structural safety requirements at the earliest stages of design and construction.
The BSR has faced challenges implementing a significant shift in building safety regulation and recognises the impact of delays on the pipeline of new HRBs. In June, MHCLG announced a new phase for the BSR, including strengthened leadership, steps to address operational challenges, and plans for a new body for the BSR.
BSR performance continues to improve. Significant numbers of new build applications have been cleared, and new operating models are delivering dramatically reduced processing times. To support transparency and accountability, the BSR published performance data on 23 December 2025 and will continue to do so monthly.
Establishing a standalone body for the BSR will provide a singular focus for the new leadership to tackle this complex area of regulation. Work is underway to establish the new body through a Statutory Instrument which confirms the establishment date as 27 January 2026. We will work closely with the BSR to ensure a smooth transition from the Health and Safety Executive.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to improve standards in local politics.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We published the government’s response to the Strengthening the Standards and Conduct Framework for Local Authorities in England consultation on 11 November. The response, informed by the consultation and wider sector engagement, sets out our ambition to introduce a clearer and consistently applied conduct system that will help local elected members to hold themselves and their colleagues to account in meeting the high standards and conduct their roles demand and the public have a right to expect.
We intend to legislate on local government standards reforms when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 (a) effectiveness and (b) adequacy of the Building Safety Regulator.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The new Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy recently met with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) leadership, in recognition of the critical role the regulator plays in ensuring the safe design and construction of high-rise buildings.
We understand delays to the assessment of applications are unacceptable, which is why we announced reforms to the BSR on 30 June, including plans to carve out the BSR from the Health and Safety Executive and establish a standalone body with a clear focus on building safety.
In recognition of the performance challenges, and in line with announcement in June, the BSR has already started to make operational and policy changes to speed up decision making particularly on building control approval, including through the introduction of an Innovation Unit. We are seeing early signs of improvement, with all applications in the Innovation Unit so far on track to exceed or meet the 12-week SLA as they progress through the application process.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what engagement he has had with the Building Safety Regulator since his appointment.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The new Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy recently met with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) leadership, in recognition of the critical role the regulator plays in ensuring the safe design and construction of high-rise buildings.
We understand delays to the assessment of applications are unacceptable, which is why we announced reforms to the BSR on 30 June, including plans to carve out the BSR from the Health and Safety Executive and establish a standalone body with a clear focus on building safety.
In recognition of the performance challenges, and in line with announcement in June, the BSR has already started to make operational and policy changes to speed up decision making particularly on building control approval, including through the introduction of an Innovation Unit. We are seeing early signs of improvement, with all applications in the Innovation Unit so far on track to exceed or meet the 12-week SLA as they progress through the application process.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 devolution on economic growth in Staffordshire.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We know that giving local leaders who understand their patch greater powers to respond to the specific challenges they face, can unlock the growth potential of places.
By empowering areas through devolution, all of our regions, including Staffordshire, can take the decisions that drive the change they want to see.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 take to ensure that communities are (a) notified of and (b) consulted on planning applications in their areas.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Planning law requires local planning authorities to publicise planning applications through various means, including site notices, advertisements in local newspapers, and publishing information on their website. We are exploring ways to enhance community engagement through the greater digitalisation of the planning system. This will help remove barriers to participation in the planning application process, including among those in representative community groups.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to increase funding for homelessness prevention services in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government has inherited record levels of homelessness, and we recognise the cost pressures this has put on councils. That is why we have increased funding for homelessness services in 2025/26 by £233 million to nearly £1 billion, alongside a local government finance settlement for 2025/26 which makes available over £69bn for local government, a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024/25.
The Homelessness Prevention Grant is allocated to councils across England based on local homelessness pressures. In 2025/26 the Homelessness Prevention Grant provided £451,899 to Newcastle-under-Lyme, £538,531 to East Staffordshire, £219,530 to South Staffordshire and £240,569 to Staffordshire Moorlands.
In 2025/26 LAs are required to spend 49% of their funding on prevention, relief and staffing activity. This has been introduced, to support areas maintain their homelessness prevention and relief services.
Allocations for the Homelessness Prevention Grant can be found here: Homelessness Prevention Grant allocations: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the number of children living in temporary accommodation in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government has inherited record levels of homelessness, and we recognise the cost pressures this has put on councils. That is why we have increased funding for homelessness services in 2025/26 by £233 million to nearly £1 billion, alongside a local government finance settlement for 2025/26 which makes available over £69bn for local government, a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024/25.
The Homelessness Prevention Grant is allocated to councils across England based on local homelessness pressures. In 2025/26 the Homelessness Prevention Grant provided £451,899 to Newcastle-under-Lyme, £538,531 to East Staffordshire, £219,530 to South Staffordshire and £240,569 to Staffordshire Moorlands.
In 2025/26 LAs are required to spend 49% of their funding on prevention, relief and staffing activity. This has been introduced, to support areas maintain their homelessness prevention and relief services.
Allocations for the Homelessness Prevention Grant can be found here: Homelessness Prevention Grant allocations: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK