Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 the press release entitled £500 million for first ever fair pay agreement for care workers, published on 30 September 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of that policy on local government finances.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The £500 million funding for the Fair Pay Agreement is part of an increase of around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028-29, compared to 2025-26, and is part of the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement published on 17 December 2025. The Government has published an impact assessment of the Fair Pay Agreement, which outlines our best current summary of the evidence on potential impacts, costs and benefits, including on local government finances. The Impact Assessment can be found here.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 considered the potential implications for his policies of the CCN report entitled Local Government Re-Organisation: Evaluating the financial impact of population thresholds.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In our invitation on 5 February 2025, we set out guidance to support councils as they develop reorganisation proposals that are in the best interests of their areas. This includes guidance on issues of size, sensible geographies, efficiencies and financial sustainability. The criteria we will assess proposals against includes the ability to achieve financial efficiencies.
It is for councils to develop and submit robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of their whole area. Once a proposal has been submitted it will be for the Government, whilst having due regard to the criteria and the available relevant evidence, to decide on which proposal, if any, to take forward.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 considered the potential implications for his policies of the County Councils Network report entitled Local Government Reorganisation: Analysing the impact on people services.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In our invitation on 5 February 2025, we set out guidance to support councils as they develop reorganisation proposals that are in the best interests of their areas. This includes guidance on issues of size, sensible geographies, efficiencies and financial sustainability. The criteria we will assess proposals against includes the ability to achieve financial efficiencies.
It is for councils to develop and submit robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of their whole area. Once a proposal has been submitted it will be for the Government, whilst having due regard to the criteria and the available relevant evidence, to decide on which proposal, if any, to take forward.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 make an assessment of trends in the level of reserves held by local authorities over the last decade.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government considers reserves to be an important part of the resources available to local authorities.
We encourage local authorities to consider how they can use their reserves to maintain services in the face of pressures, taking account, of course, of the need to maintain appropriate levels of reserves to support their financial sustainability and future investment.
Local authority revenue expenditure and financing data, which includes data on the level of local authority reserves held over the last decade, is published on gov.uk at the following link.
Further information about an individual local authority's reserves can be found in the financial accounts published by that authority. The government will continue to monitor the level of local authority reserves.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 revalue council tax bands F, G and H.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has a duty to maintain an accurate list of council tax bands. As part of the High Value Council Tax Surcharge (HVCTS), announced at budget, the VOA will conduct a targeted valuation exercise to identify properties in scope of the surcharge. This will be conducted without reference to existing council tax bands. A consultation on the HVCTS will be published in due course. Properties will not be revalued for the purposes of council tax as part of the HVCTS. The Government is committed to ensuring the council tax system is fair for taxpayers and local authorities and will continue to keep council tax under review.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 publish guidance for planning inspectors on how to approach local authorities which allocate housing sites later designated as new towns in emerging local plans.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In advance of the government confirming new town locations, local planning authorities for areas in which a new town may be located should continue with plan-making and continue to approach planning applications in these locations in a positive and proactive manner.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the effectiveness of the application of planning legislation relating to flooding, in the context of appeals (a) APP/D0121/W/24/3343144 and (b) APP/V2255/W/24/3350524.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Due to the quasi-judicial role of MHCLG Ministers in the planning system, I am unable to comment on the details of specific planning applications or appeals.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 100731 on 5 January 2026.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 make an estimate of the proportion of home purchasers who were first time buyers in each of the last five years.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not collect data on the number of first-time buyers.
The Office for National Statistics publishes data on first-time buyer mortgage sales by local authority in the UK. They can be found on its website here. Data covers the period between 2006 and 2024. Data for 2025 has not yet been published
On 28 November 2025, the government published the latest update on UK monthly property transactions, which includes the total number of home purchases. It can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 the press release entitled More homes and improved high streets for new mayoral areas through 30-year funding package, published on 4 December 2025, whether additional funding will be available for new mayoral areas outside the Devolution Priority Programme.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97367 on 11 December 2025. Decisions on future devolution areas beyond those in the Devolution Priority Programme, including Bedfordshire, have not yet been taken, but the Department will continue to engage with local authorities about possible future devolution agreements. All future funding decisions, including the 30-year investment fund, will form part of conversations with local areas. The government is committed to ensuring that all new Strategic Authorities are built on strong foundations and set up to succeed.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 allocated funding for Mayoral strategic authorities which a) do not currently exist and b) are not in the priority programme across the Spending Review period.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97367 on 11 December 2025. Decisions on future devolution areas beyond those in the Devolution Priority Programme, including Bedfordshire, have not yet been taken, but the Department will continue to engage with local authorities about possible future devolution agreements. All future funding decisions, including the 30-year investment fund, will form part of conversations with local areas. The government is committed to ensuring that all new Strategic Authorities are built on strong foundations and set up to succeed.