Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Fair Funding Review will ensure that the most deprived areas of the country will receive the biggest increases in funding.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government published the local government finance policy statement Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 - GOV.UK and government 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 system, that will realign funding with need and deprivation.
The government has used the most robust and up to date evidence available. On this basis, we are now using data from the recently published 2025 Indices of Multiple Deprivation in our assessment of need.
We expect that by 2028-29, the top 10% most deprived authorities will see a significant increase in their Core Spending Power per head, compared to the least deprived.
We will publish provisional local authority allocations at the upcoming provisional multi-year Settlement in December. Proposals and allocations will be subject to consultation and the usual Parliamentary process.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, How many housing development applications refused by local authorities have had decisions subsequently been overturned by planning inspectors in each year since 2015.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The table below shows housing development applications refused by local planning authorities and subsequently overturned on appeal, as well as total housing development appeal decisions made by the Planning Inspectorate between the years 2015 and 2025:
Year | Total overturned | Housing development decisions |
2015 | 1,977 | 6,793 |
2016 | 2,621 | 9,063 |
2017 | 2,192 | 7,928 |
2018 | 2,018 | 7,256 |
2019 | 2,091 | 8,625 |
2020 | 1,466 | 6,618 |
2021 | 1,443 | 5,933 |
2022 | 1,392 | 5,492 |
2023 | 1,480 | 5,847 |
2024 | 1,561 | 6,353 |
2025 | 1,243 | 4,532 |
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to make any changes to the existing bespoke distribution method for the Recovery Grant.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The local government finance settlement for 2024 to 2025 introduced the Recovery Grant, worth £600 million. This was distributed to places with greater need and demand for services (using deprivation as a proxy), and which are least able to fund their own services locally.
The grant laid the foundations for funding reform, ahead of our commitment to bringing forward the Fair Funding Review 2.0 from 2026-27.
We consulted on the Fair Funding Review 2.0 over the summer, and we will confirm final details of our proposals through a comprehensive policy statement later in the autumn, followed by a consultation for the provisional local government finance settlement, as usual, later in the year.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
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 oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 16 March 2021, Official Report, column 192, on 16 March 2021, where are the data sets the Government used to priorities areas for funding from the levelling-up fund are available; and on what date they were published.
Answered by Luke Hall
The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets.
We have published the index and further details of the methodology used to calculate the index of places set out in the prospectus: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/levelling-up-fund-additional-documents/levelling-up-fund-prioritisation-of-places-methodology-note.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reasons Halton did not meet the criteria to be a (a) category one area for the purposes of the Levelling Up Fund or (b) priority area for the Community Renewal Fund.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
As set out in the prospectus published last week, the index used for the Levelling Up Fund places areas into category one, two or three based on the local area’s need for economic recovery and growth, improved transport connectivity, and regeneration.
As set out in the UK Community Renewal Fund prospectus published on 3 March, we have identified 100 priority places based on an index of economic resilience across Great Britain which measures productivity, household income, unemployment, skills and population density.
We are committed to transparency and have published a methodological note on the index used for each Fund.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
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 22 February 2021 to Question 151623 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, when his Department plans to publish its response to the Government's consultation on options to amend building regulations to require electric vehicle charge points to be installed in residential and non-residential buildings.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government will publish the response to the consultation 'Electric Vehicle Charging in Residential and Non-Residential Buildings' by the summer. The amended building regulations will come into effect by the end of the year.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Widnes and Halewood)
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 take steps to ensure that all future new build houses have electric car charging points installed during construction.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government consulted in 2019 on options to amend the building regulations to require electric vehicle chargepoints in residential and non-residential buildings. We will publish a response, which will set out our plans for the new requirements coming into effect.