Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what consideration was given to providing additional financial support to local authorities that will have large reductions in Government funding.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government published the Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 and response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on Thursday 20 November, which set out the government's plans to introduce a fairer and evidence-led funding system. The government also published the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-2027 to 2028-2029 on Wednesday 17 December 2025.
The government has been clear that we will support local authorities to manage their updated funding positions through a package of transitional arrangements, including by introducing changes over the multi-year Settlement and protecting councils’ income, including locally retained business rates growth. These arrangements will support councils to their new allocations in a sustainable way. Provisional multi-year funding allocations were published at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement on 17 December 2025, including details on the package of transitional support for councils who would otherwise see their funding fall as a result of the introduction of the reformed system.
The government recognises the challenging financial context for local authorities as they continue to deal with the legacy of the previous flawed system. We will therefore continue to have a framework in place to support those in the most difficult positions. We also recognise that local authorities are continuing to face significant pressure from the impact of Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits on their accounts and that local authorities will need continued support during the transition to a new Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system. We will provide further detail on our plans to support local authorities with historic and accruing deficits and conditions for accessing such support later in the Local Government Finance Settlement process. The Department for Education will set out plans for reform of the SEND system in the upcoming Schools White Paper, building on the work already done to create a system that’s rooted in inclusion, where children receive high-quality support early on and can thrive at their local school.
The government is considering the responses received following the consultation of the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026 to 2027 and will set out a position when the final Settlement is published in early February. Between now and the end of the multi-year Settlement, there will be another Spending Review which will determine arrangements for 2029-30 and beyond.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of the transitional funding arrangements in the Fair Funding Review in ensuring the sustainable operation of local authorities.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government published the Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 and response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on Thursday 20 November, which set out the government's plans to introduce a fairer and evidence-led funding system. The government also published the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-2027 to 2028-2029 on Wednesday 17 December 2025.
The government has been clear that we will support local authorities to manage their updated funding positions through a package of transitional arrangements, including by introducing changes over the multi-year Settlement and protecting councils’ income, including locally retained business rates growth. These arrangements will support councils to their new allocations in a sustainable way. Provisional multi-year funding allocations were published at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement on 17 December 2025, including details on the package of transitional support for councils who would otherwise see their funding fall as a result of the introduction of the reformed system.
The government recognises the challenging financial context for local authorities as they continue to deal with the legacy of the previous flawed system. We will therefore continue to have a framework in place to support those in the most difficult positions. We also recognise that local authorities are continuing to face significant pressure from the impact of Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits on their accounts and that local authorities will need continued support during the transition to a new Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system. We will provide further detail on our plans to support local authorities with historic and accruing deficits and conditions for accessing such support later in the Local Government Finance Settlement process. The Department for Education will set out plans for reform of the SEND system in the upcoming Schools White Paper, building on the work already done to create a system that’s rooted in inclusion, where children receive high-quality support early on and can thrive at their local school.
The government is considering the responses received following the consultation of the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026 to 2027 and will set out a position when the final Settlement is published in early February. Between now and the end of the multi-year Settlement, there will be another Spending Review which will determine arrangements for 2029-30 and beyond.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
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 considered consulting local authorities or other stakeholders on extending the Recovery Grant.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following extensive consultation and engagement, we are realigning funding distributed through the Local Government Finance Settlement with need and deprivation. We will target a greater proportion of grant funding towards the most deprived places which need it most, ensuring the best value for money for government and taxpayers.
These updates will account for local circumstances, including for different ability to raise income locally from council tax, and the variation in the cost of delivering services, including between rural and urban areas. By using the most up to date data available, the government will be able to assess local authorities' relative demand for services more effectively. This includes using the most up-to-date 2025 Indices of Multiple Deprivation in our assessment of need.
We introduced the £600 million Recovery Grant in 2025-26 to support the most deprived local authorities which are least able to fund their own services through income raised locally. After years of funding cuts to local government, in which the most deprived places suffered the most, the recovery is not over. Following a large number of representations on the importance of Recovery Grant funding, the government has consulted on its plans to maintain the Recovery Grant across the multi-year Settlement, to enable these places to continue their recovery.
The government is considering the responses received following the consultation of the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026 to 2027 and will set out a position when the final Settlement is published in early February.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment was made in the process of developing the Fair Funding Allocation formulae of the adequacy of the evidence supplied by stakeholders and local authorities of the cost impacts of remoteness and rurality.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government published the Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 and response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on Thursday 20 November, which set out the government's plans to introduce a fairer and evidence-led funding system. The government also published the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-2027 to 2028-2029 on Wednesday 17 December 2025. The government is committed to continuing to work closely with the sector. We have now consulted four times on our proposals for reform and we are grateful for the high-quality and constructive responses received from local authorities and sector groups.
The government is committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural communities. Our updates will account for local circumstances, including the variation in cost of delivering services, such as between rural and urban areas. More detail can be found in the consultation response document here.
As part of this, the government is including a remoteness adjustment within the adult social care formula, as the best evidence we have heard indicates that distance from a major market has an impact on the cost of delivering social care services. We are also including a journey times adjustment, which is within the area cost adjustment applied to all our funding formulas, which accounts for the impact on the cost of labour of the difference in travel times to provide services; and increasing the cap within the home to school transport formula from 20 miles to 50 miles, in recognition that the original distance cap would unfairly penalise authorities who have no choice but to place children further from home.
The government is considering the responses received following the consultation of the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026 to 2027 and will set out a position when the final Settlement is published in early February.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what reviews of the accuracy of the calculations used in the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement to estimate Council Tax revenues were carried out.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out in the published explanatory note, the methodology for calculating council tax receipts followed for the provisional Settlement is the same as in previous years. The Department undertakes thorough quality assurance processes as part of the Settlement, including double running and sourcing data from published statistics. It is for individual councils to decide their level of council tax, based on their local circumstances.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
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 provide the basis on which his Department determined there was insufficient evidence of rurality and remoteness impacting the cost of service delivery in the provisional local government finance settlement.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government published the Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 and response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on Thursday 20 November, which set out the government's plans to introduce a fairer and evidence-led funding system. The government also published the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-2027 to 2028-2029 on Wednesday 17 December 2025. The government is committed to continuing to work closely with the sector. We have now consulted four times on our proposals for reform and we are grateful for the high-quality and constructive responses received from local authorities and sector groups.
The government is committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural communities. Our updates will account for local circumstances, including the variation in cost of delivering services, such as between rural and urban areas. More detail can be found in the consultation response document here.
As part of this, the government is including a remoteness adjustment within the adult social care formula, as the best evidence we have heard indicates that distance from a major market has an impact on the cost of delivering social care services. We are also including a journey times adjustment, which is within the area cost adjustment applied to all our funding formulas, which accounts for the impact on the cost of labour of the difference in travel times to provide services; and increasing the cap within the home to school transport formula from 20 miles to 50 miles, in recognition that the original distance cap would unfairly penalise authorities who have no choice but to place children further from home.
The government is considering the responses received following the consultation of the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026 to 2027 and will set out a position when the final Settlement is published in early February.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.
Costs in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlements. We will draw on a shared, cross‑government approach when determining how to help meet any new funding requirements.
We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
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 merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to criminalise the behaviour of developers who (a) falsify information and (b) are dishonest about their compliance with fire safety standards.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Where a developer dishonestly falsifies information of any kind with a view to profiting from it, that would be likely to constitute an offence of fraud by false representation under the Fraud Act 2006.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding the Government has allocated to new social housing in each year since 2010.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government is committed to increasing the supply of social housing and has made £9 billion available through the Affordable Homes Programme to March 2022 to deliver approximately 250,000 new affordable homes in a wide range of tenures.
The table below provides details on affordable homes programme funding since 2010. This data may also be found in the public domain at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-oscar-publishing-from-the-database
Financial Year | Affordable Homes Programme Expenditure |
2010/11 | £2,660,493,213 |
2011/12 | £1,431,994,000 |
2012/13 | £1,136,633,000 |
2013/14 | £1,219,494,000 |
2014/15 | £1,342,398,000 |
2015/16 | £1,256,863,000 |
2016/17 | £747,333,000 |
2017/18 | £1,308,730,000 |
2018/19 | £1,670,312,000 |
The way in which our delivery partners Homes England and the Greater London Authority allocate this funding across the country is publicly available. To view the further allocations across England regions and local authorities please see the following: