Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 reform the process for public consultations on redrawing local council electoral ward boundaries.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England is responsible for delivering fair electoral and boundary arrangements for English councils. The Commission’s main focus is a rolling programme of electoral reviews, and they produce a range of guidance and resources which are available on their website, setting out the detail of how they conduct electoral reviews, including their process of consultation.
As an independent body, responsible to Parliament, the process for public consultation on redrawing local council electoral ward boundaries is a matter for the Commission in line with its statutory duties. The Department has no plans to reform this.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 it his policy that the continued calling of local council by-elections will not be affected by the postponement of a council's elections.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Any legislation brought forward to postpone May 2026 council elections for one year will have no effect on the usual process for by-elections. Where there is an existing vacancy that was to be filled at the May 2026 election, any legislation to postpone those elections will also provide for the filling of such a vacancy, as in previous legislation postponing elections.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 consider representations from councillors at (a) Thurrock and (b) Basildon councils on alleged procedural improprieties before he decides on cancelling those local elections.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Secretary of State announced his decisions to the House on 22 January. We plan to bring forward legislation to postpone Thurrock Council’s 2026 elections.
In reaching his decisions, the Secretary of State carefully considered all the representations made.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to update (a) Basildon, (b) Thurrock and (c) other councils who have requested election postponements.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Secretary of State announced his decisions to the House on 22 January. We plan to bring forward legislation to postpone Thurrock Council’s 2026 elections.
In reaching his decisions, the Secretary of State carefully considered all the representations made.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to lay Statutory Instruments for councils whose elections will be postponed.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Secretary of State announced his decisions to the House on 22 January. We plan to bring forward legislation to postpone Thurrock Council’s 2026 elections.
In reaching his decisions, the Secretary of State carefully considered all the representations made.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 press release entitled Housing Sec pledges to 'go further than ever before' to hit 1.5 million homes, published on 16 December 2025, what estimate his Department has made of the number of applications refused by councillors in England in each year since 2020.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not collect data on rates of refusal for planning applications made at planning committees.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 introduce a statutory requirement in Building Regulations for the provision of Changing Places toilets in new developments.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government has no plans to mandate Changing Places toilets in new developments. Statutory guidance accompanying the Building Regulations (Approved Document M Vol.2 paragraphs 5.6 and 5.7) has already been updated, in January 2021, and includes provision for Changing Places toilets in new non-dwelling developments.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many residential and mixed‑use buildings in (a) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency and (b) England contain reinforced concrete transfer slabs constructed using unsafe historic design methods.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) only holds information related to Higher-Risk Buildings with at least two residential units and cannot provide a response to questions related to commercial premises.
For Higher-Risk Buildings, the BSR does not hold specific Key Building Information in relation to reinforced concrete transfer slabs which includes those constructed using prior design methods.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many commercial buildings contain reinforced concrete transfer slabs constructed using unsafe historic design methods in South Basildon & East Thurrock constituency.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) only holds information related to Higher-Risk Buildings with at least two residential units and cannot provide a response to questions related to commercial premises.
For Higher-Risk Buildings, the BSR does not hold specific Key Building Information in relation to reinforced concrete transfer slabs which includes those constructed using prior design methods.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions his Department have had with the Local Government Boundary Commission for England on the process of public consultation on new boundary wards.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England is an independent body, accountable to Parliament, responsible for delivering fair electoral and boundary arrangements for English councils. As an independent body, decisions about the process of public consultation on new ward boundaries are a matter for the Commission in line with its statutory duties. The Department has had no recent discussions with the Local Government Boundary Commission for England on this process.