Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the number of firefighters to meet operational demand.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) does not have data on firefighter vacancies and recruitment, but it does publish fire and rescue service (FRS) workforce numbers. The latest published statistics say that while the full time equivalent (FTE) number of firefighters has reduced by 0.5%, the total number of FRS staff (FTE) has increased by 0.6% on the previous year.
Decisions on how fire and rescue services are run, their resources and crewing numbers, are for the local Chief Fire Officers and their democratically elected fire and rescue authority. They are responsible for ensuring the needs and demands of their local community are met and are able to direct their resources where they are needed most.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help increase firefighter recruitment.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
While the Government is committed to ensuring fire and rescue services have the resources they need to do their important work, is it individual fire and rescue authorities that are responsible for recruitment and decisions around deployment of resources.
The provisional 2026-27 Settlement will make available almost £1.99bn in Core Spending Power for standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities in England, a 4.4% increase compared to 2025-26. By the end of the multi-year period (2026-27 to 2028-29), we will have provided a 12.6% increase compared to 2025-26. (NB: this excludes Greater Manchester and York and North Yorkshire mayoral authorities.)
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
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 make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring private parking enforcement companies to provide an online appeals option for motorists to challenge parking charge notices.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognises motorists concerns about the private parking industry and the existing appeals process. Under the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, a new Code of Practice will be introduced to raise standards across the sector.
On 11th July 2025, the government published a consultation, setting out its proposals for the Code and specifically sought views on the perceived shortcomings of the current appeals process.
Responses are now being analysed, and the government will publish its final proposals in due course.
Many parking operators do provide an online appeals platform for motorists to use.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
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 12 June 2025 to Question 58194 on Letter Boxes, if he will make an estimate of the number of property developers who do not comply with the guidance on the positioning of letterboxes and letterplates.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The department does not hold this data.
Since October 2023, the Building Safety Regulator have a duty under the Building Safety Act 2022 to keep under review the safety and standards of all buildings in England, which includes keeping Approved Document Q under review.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of the 1.5 million homes the Government aims to deliver during this Parliament expected to be built by (a) private sector developers, (b) social housing providers and (c) local authorities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Achieving the government’s ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million new safe and decent homes in England in this Parliament requires the contribution of a wide range of housing providers, including, but not confined to, local authorities, registered providers of social housing, and private developers.
The government has not made an estimate of the exact number of homes each type of housing provider will deliver in this Parliament.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department collects on local authorities’ use of (a) Compulsory Purchase Orders and (b) Empty Dwelling Management Orders.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has published a register of decisions on compulsory purchase orders in England submitted by local authorities for confirmation since 2019. It can be found on gov.uk here.
The Department does not collect data on the number of Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMOs) that have been issued.
Local authorities can apply for an EDMO when a property has been empty for more than two years, subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for their proposal. More information can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
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 5 June 2025 to Question 56184 on Letter Boxes, if he will make the guidance relating to the height and positioning of letter boxes set out in BS EN 13724:2013 Postal Services: Apertures of Private Letter Boxes and Letter Plates a mandatory requirement for (a) new-build properties and (b) new front door replacements.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 56988 on the 10 June 2025.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to make the industry standard for letterbox height mandatory for all (a) new-build properties and (b) new front door replacements.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 19554 on 18 December 2024.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much the Oxford Growth Commission project will cost her Department in (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27, (c) 2027-28 and (d) 2028-29.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Economic growth is the number one priority for this Government and the Plan for Change. Oxford offers huge economic potential for the UK’s growth prospects which will not only benefit the wider region but also help drive growth in every corner of the country by creating jobs, boosting living standards, and putting more money into working people’s pockets.
The Oxford Growth Commission will support the delivery of infrastructure, housing and employment to unleash Oxford’s and Oxfordshire’s economic power and is a key part of government’s commitment to unlock growth in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor and the high potential sectors within it.
The Commission is jointly supported by MHCLG, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council alongside the Universities and local business. Future departmental budgets will be set at the upcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the potential contribution of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to Local Growth Plans in former coalfields areas with capital funding from government.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Local leadership is at the heart of our mission to achieve higher growth - harnessing the expertise that exists in devolved institutions and local communities. National government will work in partnership with local stakeholders, such as the Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT), to empower places to deliver improved outcomes.
Mayoral Local Growth Plans are the cornerstone of this place-based approach. These will articulate a ten-year vision for growth, setting out their region’s unique strengths, identifying shared priorities of national importance to be taken forwardly jointly with the UK Government, and highlighting the most attractive opportunities for private sector investment. Several plans – including for the North East Combined Authority and the West Midlands Combined Authority – will serve coalfield communities.
The Government will consider the request for funding from the CRT at HM Treasury’s 2025 multi-year spending review. I am pleased to be meeting with Andy Lock to discuss the work of the CRT.