Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the telecommunication cables by the Royal Mint site will be amended or moved when the Chinese Embassy is built.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Details of the development for which planning permission has been granted in the case in question are set out in the relevant decision letter which can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department's correspondence entitled 1/2026: Pubs and live music venues relief 2026 to 2027, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) pub and (b) live music hereditaments that will benefit.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The number of pubs and live music venues that will benefit from this relief will be determined, ultimately, by the relief decisions made by councils in line with the guidance published.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the total budget for the Valuation Office Agency's Council Tax Valuation Operating System; and which contractors are being used to deliver the project.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Information about the Valuation Office Agency’s Valuation Operating System for Council Tax can be found on Contracts Finder.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2026, to Question 104894, on business rates, and to the answer of 6 January 2025, to Question 20948, on Business Rates: Greater London, whether the Chief Statistician of the Valuation Office Agency has consulted on the change to official statistical publications.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As part of its official statistics, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) publishes the number of hereditaments by Special Category Code and local authority. The percentage change in RV is also published by Special Category Code and by Local/Unitary authority separately.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the business rate information letter, 1/2026: Pubs and live music venues relief 2026 to 2027, whether the new relief will be available to (a) licensed premises which have a members’ clubs premises licence under the Licensing Act 2023 and (b) the bar of a community sports club.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
This relief will be awarded to pubs and live music venues at the discretion of Local Authorities, who will determine eligibility using guidance published by the Government and based on existing definitions.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the new pub relief will apply to (a) business rate supplements levied by the Mayor of London and (b) business improvement district levies on business rates.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Decisions around the determination and application of local Business Rates Supplement are for relevant local authority, must ensure they follow the requirements set out in the Business Rates Supplement Act 2009 and the policies set out in their final prospectus.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
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 his Department's correspondence entitled 1/2026: Pubs and live music venues relief 2026 to 2027, published on 27 January 2026, whether the new scheme disapplies the transitional relief schemes for (a) 2027-28 and (b) 2028-29 financial years by capping any increases relative to the outturn bill for 2026-27 at CPI inflation.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Properties eligible for the pub and live music venue relief scheme will benefit from a 15% relief in 2026/27. Thereafter they will see their rates bill frozen in real terms in 2027/28 and 2028/29 provided the pub remains occupied. Any improvements to the pub which increases its rateable value after 1 April may also increase the bill in the normal way.
The Treasury have published examples of how the pub and live music venue relief scheme will work. Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief - GOV.UK.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
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 potential impact of the local government finance settlement on councils in London on the sustainability of their existing local council tax support schemes for working age people.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Council tax support for working age households is designed by councils in consultation with their residents, taking into account the resources available to them and the needs and circumstances of their local communities. Each year, councils must consider whether to revise or replace their scheme in consultation with their residents.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Council Tax Valuation Operating System Evaluation, published by the Valuation Office Agency on 20 January 2026, what are the new geospatial tools, and which datasets is it populated with.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Valuation Office Agency’s Valuation Operating System for Council Tax replaces multiple existing tools with a single case management system. This includes a mapping tool which utilises publicly available geographical data and government records to support Council Tax work.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 105978 on second homes: council tax, whether he has made any assumption on changes in the adoption of (a) second and (b) empty home council tax premiums when estimating the council tax requirement over the three years of the settlement.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As part of the provisional local government finance settlement, the government has made estimates of changes to Core Spending Power between 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29. This includes estimates of council tax requirements councils will set for those years which take account of estimated taxbase growth. These estimates, and the underpinning methodology are set out here.
The government has not made assumptions about changes in the adoption of second home or empty home council tax premiums. These decisions remain a matter for local discretion.
The way council tax in Core Spending Power is estimated is unchanged from previous Local Government Finance Settlements. The inclusion of council tax premium income in Core Spending Power does not affect how much local authorities receive through our assessment of relative need and resources, which assumes that authorities make no use of their discretionary discounts and premiums in order to protect the principle of local discretion. The Government will review the approach to calculating Core Spending Power ahead of the 2027-28 Settlement.