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, if his Department will provide local authorities with flexibility in applying the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 or Procurement Act 2023 during periods of local government reorganisation.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
There is a suite of general continuity regulations for local government reorganisation made under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 which ensure smooth transfer to new unitary councils.
These general regulations provide transitional and supplementary arrangements, so that the councils can undertake specific functions to enable a successful move to the single tier of local government. The provisions relate to continuity of services and functions, staffing, local authority plans and schemes, transfer of assets, property and reserves.
It is the responsibility of councils to manage their budgets and they should ensure funding decisions are prudent and represent value for money. The Government expects local government reorganisation deliver better value for money for taxpayers, saving money that can be reinvested in front line services.
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 page 4 of the Autumn Budget 2025, HC1492, 26 November 2025, if he will publish the evidential basis for the claim that there would be a £250 million saving from reducing the number of councillors by 5000.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to cutting the cost of politics.
The £250 million figure was calculated based on estimated savings from the potential reduction in local councillors through Local Government Reorganisation and from the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners
For councillors, this is based on £120 million of savings through a potential reduction in the number of councillors by 5,000. The Government estimated savings on councillor expenditure of £40 million per year from 2028/2029 when new unitarity councils are due to be established, through to the end of the fiscal forecast period in 2030/31.
Our estimates are based on the range of councillors and number of new authorities post-reorganisation based on the proposals and initial plans under discussion in local areas, the announced approach for reorganisation in Surrey, as well as the Local Government Boundary Commission 2024/25 data on councillor numbers and sampling councillor expenditure from current upper and lower tier authorities. Our estimates are rounded mid-points as the exact figures will naturally depend on decisions on which, if any, proposals for reorganisation are implemented.
The remaining £130 million is based on estimated net savings from the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners over 5 years.
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 discussions he had had with Kent County Council on best value since May 2025.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My department monitors individual councils, including Kent, through a wide range of data and direct engagement. We continually review local authority governance, financial management, and sustainability, including through examining national data metrics, local authority documents, reports from auditors and inspectorates, and letters from residents. Where we become aware of early indications of best value failure, we consider a range of ways to closely monitor an authority’s progress. We will continue to monitor risk in individual councils, and we will act where necessary to ensure that councils meet their best value duty and are transparent and accountable to their residents.
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 13 October 2025 to Question 77537 on Hotels: Taxation, and with reference to the written statement of 25 November 2025 on Devolution and Growth, HCWS1097, on what basis this change in policy was made.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government keeps all tax policy under review. The government’s number one mission is to kickstart economic growth, and devolving fiscal powers is critical to achieving this.
Introducing a visitor levy provides Mayors with a new lever to both raise and reinvest revenue locally. English Mayors have come together to ask for an overnight stay levy through the “right to request”. The government has considered these representations from Mayors and the three amendments proposed by Wera Hobhouse MP, Paula Barker MP and Alex Mayer MP, to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill in reaching this position. A Written Ministerial Statement setting out this position was published on 25 November.
A visitor levy also responds to the call from Mayors for further fiscal devolution.
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, further to Table A.5 of the OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025, CP1439, 26 November 2025, according to information held by HM Government, if he will list the estimates for council tax receipts in each year from 2024-25 to 2030-31 for England only.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department has published data on actual council tax collection rates in England which can be found on gov.uk here.
Estimates of council tax receipts (excluding police authorities, mayoral combined and county combined authorities and parish councils) will be published at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement for England, for the years 2026-27, 2027-29 and 2028-29, later this year.
Table A.5 of the OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025, CP1439 estimates UK-wide council tax receipts for 2029-30 and 2030-31 but these are not disaggregated to England level.
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 an assessment has been made of the potential impact of changes in parish council precepts on council tax.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Council tax levels are decided by local authorities wish to set, but increases above referendum principles set by the Secretary of State must be approved by voters. To date, no referendum principles have been set for town and parish councils. The Secretary of State reviews the referendum principles annually and will set out his proposal for 2026-27 in the provisional local government finance.
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 11 November 2025 to Question 87322 on Community Relations: Expenditure, if he will place the monitoring and evaluation guidance in the Library; and if he will publish the (a) outputs and (b) outcomes that had to be reported.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The monitoring and evaluation guidance was intended solely for the local authorities in receipt of funding from the Community Cohesion and Resilience Programme, these were set out in Question UIN 85786 on 5 November 2025.
More detail on what has been delivered through Fund is set out in Question UIN 78216 on 21 October 2025.
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 job-related exemption will be based on the job-related tests in the Schedule of the Council Tax (Prescribed Classes of Dwellings) (England) Regulations 2003 for the second homes council tax premium.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The definition of a job-related dwelling, for the purposes of exceptions from the second homes premium, is set out in the 2003 regulations. The Government has issued guidance on council tax premiums including exceptions.
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, further to the written statement of 25 November 2025, HCWS1097, on Devolution and Growth, and further to the Visitor levy policy paper published on 26 November 2025, whether the monetary value of the overnight visitor levy will be increased or uprated each year.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government has announced powers for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy on short-term overnight accommodation in their region, to drive economic growth including through support for the local visitor economy.
The Visitor Levy Consultation, running until 18 February 2026, sets out the details of the proposals for this power. This consultation will ensure the public, businesses, and local government can shape the design of the power to introduce a levy that will be devolved to local leaders.
The impacts of the levy will largely be determined by local decisions. Mayors will decide whether to introduce a levy and, if so, consult with businesses and their communities on specific proposals including the rate at which the levy is set – which will determine the revenue raised. Rates vary across the world, for example from 2% in Turkey to 12.5% in Amsterdam. Mayors will also be required to produce an Impact Assessment.
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, further to the Visitor levy policy paper published on 26 November 2025, whether MHCLG has modelled what the percentage rate per night would be under their preferred option of a percentage fee.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government has announced powers for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy on short-term overnight accommodation in their region, to drive economic growth including through support for the local visitor economy.
The Visitor Levy Consultation, running until 18 February 2026, sets out the details of the proposals for this power. This consultation will ensure the public, businesses, and local government can shape the design of the power to introduce a levy that will be devolved to local leaders.
The impacts of the levy will largely be determined by local decisions. Mayors will decide whether to introduce a levy and, if so, consult with businesses and their communities on specific proposals including the rate at which the levy is set – which will determine the revenue raised. Rates vary across the world, for example from 2% in Turkey to 12.5% in Amsterdam. Mayors will also be required to produce an Impact Assessment.