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 21 October 2025 to Question 74185 on Deputy Prime Minister: Admiralty House, whether the Government Property Agency intends to claim back the over-paid second homes council tax premium.

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

No overpayment has been made. Westminster City Council has determined that a premium is due regardless of the change in occupancy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many civil society organisations received Prevent funding in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial years; what the cost of that funding was; and what her Department's budget is for Prevent funding for civil society organisations in the 2025-26 financial year.

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

It is vital that Prevent is well-equipped to counter the threats that we face and the ideologies that underpin them.

Prevent provides funding for all local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland to address radicalisation risks through targeted projects

In the financial year 2023-24, the Home Office provided £26,294,582.59 in Prevent funding. This includes £2,790,047.15 in project delivery funding to a total of 63 Civil Society Organisations under the Prevent programme.

In the financial year 2024-25, the Home Office provided £27,769,727.44 in Prevent funding. This includes £2,365,309.72 in project delivery funding to a total of 52 Civil Society Organisations under the Prevent programme.

In the financial year April 2025 – March 2026, the Home Office is projected to provide £28,758,000 in Prevent funding. This includes a projected spend of £1,877,378.99 in project delivery funding to a total of 30 Civil Society Organisations under the Prevent programme.

This financial year, we have an allocated budget of £2 million for project funding. The anticipated expenditure for this financial year was £1.8 million, based on the funding bids received from local authorities.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, through what mechanisms and systems will the Valuation Office Agency revalue dwellings for the new council tax surcharge.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Valuation Office Agency are developing their approach to the targeted valuation and will set out more details in due course, following the outcome of the Government's consultation.

In general, when valuing domestic properties, the VOA uses modern technology and industry standard techniques combined with freely available information including sales data, property attribute details and government records.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2025, to Question 86767, on Counter-terrorism: expenditure, what was the policy reason for the number of local authorities receiving Prevent funding being reduced from 30 to 28.

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

The number of local authorities (LAs) that receive Home Office funding has varied over the years from 20 in 2012 to 44 areas at its peak in 2021, which was just under 25% of all single-tier and upper tier LAs in England and Wales. Irrespective of funding, the Prevent duty places a statutory responsibility on all LAs in England, Scotland and Wales to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.

Evidence suggests that the threat from radicalisation is no longer contained to a relatively small number of LAs and that it is increasingly diffuse with more complex cases. Factors such as an increase in online radicalisation has led to risk and threat no longer being contained within administrative boundaries and an LA does not need to be high threat to be high risk.

In recognition of the evolving threat and risk, Prevent has evolved its delivery model to a regional model providing increased support to all local authorities. We now have a team of region based expert Home Office Prevent Advisers; this network of Prevent Advisers (PAs) work hand-in-hand with partners across England, Scotland and Wales to offer support and raise Prevent delivery standards within local areas.

The funding model does acknowledge that there are some areas with increased threat and risk, and so We currently provide dedicated Prevent funding to 28 LAs that are assessed as managing a higher level of threat and risk, relative to other LAs, to help them go above and beyond the requirements of the Prevent duty. Determining the number of LAs that receive dedicated funding takes account of internal funding allocations for the local delivery of Prevent, and other operational considerations.

The regional model also takes into account, the recommendations of the Independent Review of Prevent (IRP), The IRP also noted that the number of funded areas should be reduced to between 15-20 local authorities.

In line with this, outside of London, we now fund 20 local authorities. However, in London it is more challenging to assess the threat and risk relative to other parts of the country because the high number of LAs - i.e 32 London Boroughs and the City of London - disaggregates the threat and risk. Our current model therefore considers Greater London as a whole and we fund eight London Boroughs on the basis that they are managing a higher threat and risk, they are performing well and are geographically placed to give us cross-Greater London coverage.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the Preventing Radicalisation Fund funding to local authorities in 2025-26 operating on a competitive bidding basis.

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

It is vital that Prevent is well-equipped to counter the threats that we face and the ideologies that underpin them. Prevent provides funding for all local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland to address radicalisation risks through targeted projects, under the Preventing Radicalisation Initiative fund (PRI).

For 2025-26 changes were made to the management and bidding process for the PRI fund, with all projects being administered through a grant administrator and Home Office undertaking due diligence on all Civil Society Organisation providers. This ensures government funding is only provided to those approved individuals or organisations that we are confident do not support or hold extremist views.

Project delivery must focus on tackling the ideological causes of terrorism, challenging extremist ideology that can be reasonably linked to terrorism and / or providing early interventions to people who are potentially susceptible to radicalisation. Where other harms or vulnerabilities are addressed, it must be evident that the project beneficiaries are potentially susceptible to radicalisation due to significant risk factors.

In the financial year April 2025 – March 2026, the Home Office is projected to provide £1,877,378.99 in project delivery funding to a total of 30 Civil Society Organisations under the Prevent Radicalisation programme.

This year’s project provision is due to complete by 31st March 2026. Evaluation will be completed by analysts in Homeland Security Analysis and Insight during the next financial year that will reflect on how the Preventing Radicalisation Initiative fund has worked this financial year.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding was allocated to Home Office units responsible for delivering (a) the Prevent strategy and (b) counter-extremism communications in the (i) (A) 2023-24 and (B) 2024-25 financial years and (ii) 2025-26 financial year, broken down by unit.

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

The total Prevent Budget in the 2025/26 financial year is £38,697,583.35 (of which £25,854,619.99 is allocated for Prevent Delivery Unit and £12,942,963.36 for Counter-Radicalisation and Enablers Unit).

The total Prevent expenditure in the 2024/25 financial year was £36,139,230.25 (of which £26,427,104.62 was spent on Prevent Delivery Unit and £9,712,125.63 spent on Counter-Radicalisation and Enablers Unit).

The total Prevent expenditure in the 2023/24 financial year was £34,564,419.17 (of which £27,451,332.62 was spent on Prevent Delivery Unit and £7,113,086.55 was spent on Counter-Radicalisation and Enablers Unit).

There has been no budget allocated, and no expenditure committed for counter-extremism communications for the period requested.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total annual expenditure on Prevent was in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial years; and what the budget is for the 2025-26 financial year.

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

The total Prevent Budget in the 2025/26 financial year is £38,697,583.35 (of which £25,854,619.99 is allocated for Prevent Delivery Unit and £12,942,963.36 for Counter-Radicalisation and Enablers Unit).

The total Prevent expenditure in the 2024/25 financial year was £36,139,230.25 (of which £26,427,104.62 was spent on Prevent Delivery Unit and £9,712,125.63 spent on Counter-Radicalisation and Enablers Unit).

The total Prevent expenditure in the 2023/24 financial year was £34,564,419.17 (of which £27,451,332.62 was spent on Prevent Delivery Unit and £7,113,086.55 was spent on Counter-Radicalisation and Enablers Unit).

There has been no budget allocated, and no expenditure committed for counter-extremism communications for the period requested.

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.

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.

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.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the potential annual revenue from the proposed overnight visitor levy; and whether an Impact Assessment has been produced.

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the Autumn Budget 2025, for what reason alcohol duty is being uprated by RPI rather than CPI inflation.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office for National Statistics, regulated by the UK Statistics Authority, produces a range of inflation statistics. The most widely used estimates of inflation, both by Government and the private sector, are the Consumer Prices Index and the Retail Prices Index (RPI).

Alcohol duty, like many other taxes expressed in cash terms, is indexed to RPI.

On the wider considerations about the extent to which RPI is embedded in the UK's economic and legal system, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 13 November 2025 to PQ UIN 88538.

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 10 November 2025 to Question 83467 on Councillors: Disclosure and Barring Service, what steps would be taken if a councillor has a criminal record.

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

Where a councillor has been convicted of criminal offences and receives a jail sentence (whether suspended or not) of three months or more, they are disqualified from either standing for or holding office as a local authority member for a period of five years.

The Local Government (Disqualification) Act 2022 introduced a further disqualification of registered sex offenders who may not receive a custodial sentence.

Councillors must declare anything that might disqualify them from standing for or holding local office, not doing so is a criminal offence.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Budget 2025, HC1492, 26 November 2025, Box 3.H, and to the HMT document, Effects of the business rates retail, hospitality and leisure multipliers and high value multiplier of 26 November 2025, what is the estimated saving to the Exchequer in 2026-27 relative to 2025-26 from central government no longer funding the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure rate relief.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years to protect ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. Most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest. The Valuation Office Agency has published statistics on changes in the rateable value of properties in the 2026 revaluation.

More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto. The Government is doing this by introducing permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties.

The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since COVID. The 40% RHL relief was forecast to cost £1.7 billion in 2025/26, less than the £2.1 billion we are spending on Transitional Relief and Supporting Small Business relief in 2026/27. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.

The new RHL tax rates will be 5p below the national tax rates. Making the RHL tax rates even lower would have led to an even higher tax rate for high-value properties.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Budget 2025, HC1492, 26 November 2025, Box 3.H, and Table 4.1, and to the HMT document, Effects of the business rates retail, hospitality and leisure multipliers and high value multiplier of 26 November 2025, what is the estimated monetary total gross cost of the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure multiplier in 2026-27.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years to protect ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. Most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest. The Valuation Office Agency has published statistics on changes in the rateable value of properties in the 2026 revaluation.

More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto. The Government is doing this by introducing permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties.

The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since COVID. The 40% RHL relief was forecast to cost £1.7 billion in 2025/26, less than the £2.1 billion we are spending on Transitional Relief and Supporting Small Business relief in 2026/27. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.

The new RHL tax rates will be 5p below the national tax rates. Making the RHL tax rates even lower would have led to an even higher tax rate for high-value properties.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether single person discount will apply to the high value council tax surcharge.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The High Value Council Tax Surcharge levies a new charge on owners of residential property in England worth £2 million or more. The Government will consult on exemptions, reliefs, and the detail of a support scheme for those who struggle to pay the charge in the New Year.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference paragraph 4.28 of the Autumn Budget 2025, HC1492, published on 26 November 2025, how many hereditaments will pay the business rate transitional supplement in 2026-27; what estimate she has made of the cost of the supplement; and for what reason the transitional relief is no longer funded by the Exchequer.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Budget 2025, the Government announced updated property values independently assessed by the Valuation Office. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values (RVs) of properties are updated in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base. Following growth in the tax base, all ratepayers will pay a lower tax rate than they do now.

Revenue raised from business rates is forecast to increase for a number of reasons. The tax rates change with inflation to maintain income for local authorities in real terms; the size of the tax base is forecast to increase; and temporary reliefs taper away. The Government is spending £4.3bn over the next three years on a support package, including protection for those seeing bills increase.

This includes a re-designed Transitional Relief (TR) scheme, to protect businesses from large bill increases as a result of the revaluation. This is worth £3.2 billion over the next three years and, compared to the 2023 TR scheme, provides more generous support for those paying higher tax rates (including the high-value multiplier).

To reduce the Exchequer cost the Government is introducing a 1p supplement in 2026/27 only, paid by ratepayers who do not receive TR or the Supporting Small Business scheme.

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.

Found: David Simmonds moved an amendment that would have permitted councillors to choose not to disclose their