Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which taxes (a) local authorities and (b) combined authority mayors will retain local revenues for.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The Government is developing a roadmap for fiscal devolution, which will set out plans to give mayors of strategic authorities control of a share of some national taxes that for too long have been allocated by central government.

The Government will be working closely with mayors and businesses to develop the details of the roadmap, which will be published at this year’s Budget.

Local authorities already retain revenues from council tax, and a locally retained share of business rates under the Business Rates Retention System, subject to reliefs and exemptions.

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 set out the process of deciding boundaries for shadow unitary authority elections in 2027, including in those existing districts which will be split between two proposed unitary authorities.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department is liaising closely with the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (the Commission). The Secretary of State invited the Commission to respond as a named consultee on all proposals received that involved boundary change requests splitting districts between new unitary councils.

With regard to electoral boundaries within new councils, these will be reflected in the Structural Changes Order that establishes them, once Ministers have decided which proposals to implement. For the first elections, anticipated in May 2027, we ask councils to provide us with their suggested interim warding arrangements for inclusion in the structural changes order, based on existing wards, divisions or, where appropriate, parishes.

The Commission can offer advice and guidance to councils as they draw up these boundaries. The Commission intend to undertake a full electoral review of all new councils after their first election and before their second.

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 document entitled Environmental Outcomes Reports: a new approach to environmental assessment - government response, updated 13 March 2026, whether the new Environmental Outcomes Reports will monitor Scope (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 carbon emissions.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Through the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, the previous government secured powers to bring forward a new domestic framework to replace the current EIA and SEA environmental assessment regimes.

The purpose of Section 164 of that Act is to allow Environmental Outcomes Reports Regulations to manage interactions with existing environmental assessment legislation, including the Habitats Regulations.

Detailed arrangements for how Environmental Outcome Reports will operate will be set out in regulations and guidance. The government will consult on these draft regulations in due course following policy development and engagement with key stakeholders.

Until a new system is implemented, existing legislation on environmental assessment and its supporting guidance continues to apply.

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 document entitled Environmental Outcomes Reports: a new approach to environmental assessment - government response, updated on 13 March 2026, whether he intends to incorporate Habitats Regulation assessments into the Environmental Outcomes Reports regime using powers under Section 164 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Through the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, the previous government secured powers to bring forward a new domestic framework to replace the current EIA and SEA environmental assessment regimes.

The purpose of Section 164 of that Act is to allow Environmental Outcomes Reports Regulations to manage interactions with existing environmental assessment legislation, including the Habitats Regulations.

Detailed arrangements for how Environmental Outcome Reports will operate will be set out in regulations and guidance. The government will consult on these draft regulations in due course following policy development and engagement with key stakeholders.

Until a new system is implemented, existing legislation on environmental assessment and its supporting guidance continues to apply.

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 has made an assessment of the potential impact of local government restructuring on the (a) administration and (b) viability of the Eden Project Morecambe.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

During the local government reorganisation process, it is expected that councils continue to deliver their services and duties as usual until reorganisation is complete. The proposed restructuring of local government has not been raised, in discussion between officials and the project, as having an impact on delivery. Following the completion of reorganisation, commitments undertaken by existing councils will become the responsibility of any new unitary authorities.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will have discussions with his counterparts in the European Union on case number INFR(2021)2001 relating to Poland's obligations in relation to the Brussels IIa Regulation.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Government has no plans to discuss this infringement case with Ministers from EU countries. Officials in the Ministry of Justice and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have been in contact with officials in the European Commission, which issued the infringement notice. Ministers and officials continue to raise relevant international child abduction cases with the Polish authorities at every appropriate opportunity.

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 factsheet entitled Political Donations Overview: existing rules and what is changing, how political parties should establish the audited revenues of small and micro-companies, and unlimited companies, under the new proposed corporate political donation regime.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In terms of small, micro, and unlimited companies, where statements are not available on Companies House the company must provide revenue statements to political parties in order to make a donation.

As set out in Representation of the People Bill Impact Assessment, Table 8, we estimate that around 26% - 29% of donations from companies made in the year prior to the 2024 General Election would not meet the permissibility criteria. All businesses, including small businesses, will need to meet strict new criteria in order to make political donations. Requiring donors to demonstrate a genuine UK connection is key in protecting against foreign actors from using shell companies to channel foreign or illicit money into UK politics.

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 factsheet, Political Donations Overview: existing rules and what is changing, of 2 March 2026, what assessment his Department made of the potential impact of the new corporate donation rules on the ability of all political parties to raise corporate sponsorship at their annual party political conferences.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In terms of small, micro, and unlimited companies, where statements are not available on Companies House the company must provide revenue statements to political parties in order to make a donation.

As set out in Representation of the People Bill Impact Assessment, Table 8, we estimate that around 26% - 29% of donations from companies made in the year prior to the 2024 General Election would not meet the permissibility criteria. All businesses, including small businesses, will need to meet strict new criteria in order to make political donations. Requiring donors to demonstrate a genuine UK connection is key in protecting against foreign actors from using shell companies to channel foreign or illicit money into UK politics.

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 factsheet entitled Political Donations Overview: existing rules and what is changing, published on 2 March 2026, whether the new provisions on (a) due diligence, (b) company donations, (c) crypto-donation and (d) overseas donations will apply to donations to gifts and hospitality to Ministers in a Ministerial capacity.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The political finance measures set out in the government’s factsheet Political Donations Overview: existing rules and what is changing relate to donations regulated under electoral law, including donations to political parties, candidates and campaigners.
Donations rules under electoral law do not apply to ministers.

The acceptance and declaration of gifts and hospitality by Ministers continue to be governed by the Ministerial Code. No changes are being made to those rules as part of these reforms.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the answer of 6 March 2026 to Question HL14718 on Public Bodies: Human Rights, whether an (a) equality impact, (b) human rights, (c) regulatory impact and (d) environmental principles assessment has been produced for amending police powers on unauthorised traveller encampments.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government takes all necessary steps to ensure that legislation is developed in line with its statutory obligations and established processes, including the need to act compatibly with human rights.

In response to the declaration of incompatibility made by the High Court in May 2024, the Government brought forward an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to reduce the no‑return period from twelve months to three months, addressing the incompatibility identified by the Court while retaining appropriate enforcement powers in relation to unauthorised encampments.

The human rights implications of the amendment were considered as part of the usual Bill process, including through the published European Convention on Human Rights memorandum for the Crime and Policing Bill.

The Government will consider equality impacts and other statutory duties in line with its usual processes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 119316 Strategic Migration Partnerships: Finance, what the nature of the sensitivity is.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office have Grant Agreements and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in place with Strategic Migration Partnerships in 12 regions/nations in the UK. Strategic Migration Partnerships provide leadership and coordination on migration for Asylum and Resettlement. Each Strategic Migration Partnership is awarded funding to carry out delivery of the outcomes under Asylum and Resettlement workstreams set out in the Grant and MOU. Funding is allocated individually to each SMP, and the details of each funding allocation is not shared amongst SMPs other than the recipient due to the agreement being made between the Home Office and recipient and varies in allocation amount.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Valuation Office Agency news story entitled VOA integration with HMRC, of 12 March 2026, whether Valuation Office branding will be retained by HMRC.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

From 1 April 2026, the Valuation Office Agency no longer exists as an executive agency, and now operates as a group within HMRC.

The Valuation Office name has been retained, and it has been integrated into HMRC’s branding for customer communications.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the successful appeal rate against valuations for the new council tax surcharge.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 119316 on Strategic Migration Partnerships: Finance, what the (a) grant programme codes, (b) grant programme titles and (c) award dates were of payments to strategic migration partnerships in 2024-25.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not currently publish information relating to Strategic Migration Partnerships for 2024-25, previous years funding can be found here: Government Grants Data and Statistics

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the police on stationing police officers near polling stations in areas with previous instances of disorder, intimidation and undue influence.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Government is in close contact with partners, including police, to ensure the integrity of the local elections.

The decisions on the deployment of officers at polling stations is a matter for the police and Ministers cannot not intervene in any operational decisions. To do so would undermine the principle that the police are entirely independent of Government.

The police have a range of powers to deal with any behaviour that causes harassment, alarm or distress to others. The Government fully supports the police in their use of these powers to maintain public order and keep communities safe.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish the most recent version of the Valuation Office Agency's Property Details Guide.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

There are no plans to publish the Valuation Office’s Property Details Guide at this time.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 19 March 2026 to Question HL15251 on Business Rates, whether devolved Administrations will receive Barnett consequential funding for pub and live music relief; and whether the figures cited are for England only.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Business rates are a devolved tax. Details on business rates receipts in England can be found on page 112 of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2026 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

The Barnett formula applied in the normal way, as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy, to changes in business rates revenue.

A breakdown of Barnett consequentials for the Devolved Governments as a result of decisions at Spring Forecast will be reflected in the next iteration of the Block Grant Transparency publication.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of gross business rate receipts in (a) England and (b) the United Kingdom in (i) 2024-25, (ii) 2025-26 and (iii) 2026-27 following changes to pub and live music relief.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Business rates are a devolved tax. Details on business rates receipts in England can be found on page 112 of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2026 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

The Barnett formula applied in the normal way, as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy, to changes in business rates revenue.

A breakdown of Barnett consequentials for the Devolved Governments as a result of decisions at Spring Forecast will be reflected in the next iteration of the Block Grant Transparency publication.

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 has issued guidance to local authorities on the flying of flags on buildings which are designated polling stations on polling day.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The independent Electoral Commission is responsible for issuing guidance to Returning Officers, including on the appropriateness of the flying of flags in and around polling stations.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) budget and (b) forecast cost is of the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

As set out in the Terms of Reference for the Inquiry, published on 31 March 2026, the final report of the Inquiry must be submitted to the Home Secretary by 31 March 2029. It is supported by a £65 million budget.

In addition, within three months of the formal setting up date of the Inquiry, the Chair and Panel must determine what must be delivered within this timeframe and budget and agree that assessment with the Home Secretary.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding was provided by her Department to the London Borough of Hillingdon for asylum support in 2024-25.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Cabinet Office publish annual grant funding data (Government Grants Data and Statistics) where you can find details of grant levels by local authority area broken down per year. The Home Office does not publish any additional information.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether residential properties subject to the annual tax on enveloped dwellings are required to pay the high value council tax surcharge.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

If a residential property currently attracts the Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings and is above the threshold for the High Value Council Tax Surcharge, it will pay both.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of Commonwealth citizens resident in the United Kingdom with an immigration status allowing them to be a qualifying Commonwealth elector.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

There are no official statistics on the number of qualifying Commonwealth citizens living in the UK who are eligible to register to vote, either in England or across the United Kingdom.

The Office for National Statistics publishes population estimates by nationality. These statistics suggest there are over one million Commonwealth nationals living in the UK. However, these figures cannot be used as an estimate to those eligible to register to vote, as it does not account for individuals’ immigration status or other eligibility criteria.

As set out in the answer to Question UIN 120063 of 18 March 2026, the Electoral Commission has previously estimated that around 66% of qualifying Commonwealth citizens may be registered to vote (as at 2023). The Commission’s estimate is based on their survey data and provides an indication of the proportion registered; however no corresponding estimate exists for the total number eligible to register.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department engages with Greenpeace.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

There has been no recent engagements with Greenpeace.

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 letter from the Secretary of State to the Leader of HM Opposition, dated 21 March 2026, how much and what proportion of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme is currently funded in the Spending Review.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 60128 on 4 July 2025.

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 the change to the Housing Ombudsman Service's level of fees on the financial burden on local authorities; and what steps he will take to encourage the Housing Ombudsman Service to consult in a more timely fashion with local authorities on potential changes to annual fees in the next financial year.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Following consultation, the Housing Ombudsman published its 2026-27 Business Plan on 15 April. Both the final Business Plan and a consultation response summary can be found on the Housing Ombudsman’s website here.

Fees will be increased to £9.64 per home in 2026-27 to deal with ongoing increases in demand.

The Business Plan also makes clear that in 2026-27 the Housing Ombudsman will undertake a discovery exercise on alternative fee models that recognise positive complaint handling to potentially replace the per home charge and will work with my Department to support an earlier consultation.

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 has issued governance guidance to local authorities on whether a sitting Chairman or civic Mayor can preside over, and participate in, a Full Council debate and vote, where there is a motion for the annual Full Council to re-appoint that Chairman or civic Mayor for another year, including any guidance on the application of the case law of R v Owens (1858) to modern day Annual Council selection meetings.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authority governance arrangements are a matter for councils themselves, operating within the statutory framework set by the Local Government Act 1972.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure asylum seekers are securely dispersed from short-term holding facilities when those facilities reach capacity.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has a statutory obligation to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute by providing appropriate support which usually includes accommodation.

Accommodation Plans consider a range of suitability factors for dispersal in each Local Authority covering market availability, viability, social factors and other supported cohorts.

Full dispersal remains a key priority which aims to achieve a fairer and more equitable accommodation spread of asylum seekers across the UK. We remain committed to housing asylum seekers in cost-effective and suitable accommodation in communities, achieving the best value for money for the taxpayer.

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 bring forward legislative proposals to reverse the interpretation of Environmental Impact Assessment law on carbon emissions created by the Supreme Court ruling of R (on the application of Finch on behalf of the Weald Action Group) (Appellant) v Surrey County Council and others (Respondents) UKSC/2022/0064.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government will continue to support the appropriate application of the judgment in the case of R (on the application of Finch on behalf of the Weald Action Group) (Appellant) v Surrey County Council and others (Respondents).

Consideration of the judgment and wider case law will form part of the development of Environmental Outcomes Reports to provide clarity as to the nature of assessment required for different types of development.