Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
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 take steps with her international counterparts to include Commoners of the New Forest as a national minority according to the criteria for such a designation under the terms of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities laid down by the Council of Europe.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK Government is committed to support minority communities and uphold our obligations under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities - to create a society in which all citizens feel acknowledged, safe and able to achieve their full potential. The flexibility provided in the Convention means that we can take a broad approach and consider the experience and specific needs of all minority communities in the UK, to ensure that they receive the support they require. As such, we have no plans for the New Forest Commoners to be formally recognised.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
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 proposed local government reorganisation in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, what protection will be given to the (a) culture and (b) interests of the New Forest Commoners when considering any proposal to subdivide the area currently administered by New Forest District Council by separating Totton and the Waterside from the perambulation of the Forest.
Answered by Jim McMahon
Local government reorganisation will lead to better outcomes for residents, save significant money which can be reinvested in public services, and improve accountability.
The government has been clear with councils on the importance of local engagement in developing their proposals for unitary government. This should include residents, community groups, public service providers, workforces and their representatives, Members of Parliament and businesses.
Boundary changes are possible, and as a starting point existing district areas should be considered the building blocks for proposals. Where there is a strong justification, including having regard to local identity, then more complex boundary changes will be considered.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to increase protection of town and parish council clerks against bullying by elected councillors.
Answered by Jim McMahon
In December the Government launched a consultation seeking views on proposed measures to strengthen the local government standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England. The response to the consultation will be issued in due course. After its release, we will continue to work actively with local government on developing the detailed policies for implementation.
We are committed to empowering local authorities of all types and tiers, including town and parish councils, to deal with member misconduct where it arises.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason future candidates for a directly elected mayoral post are required to pay (a) a deposit of £5,000 and (b) another £5,000 towards a candidates' booklet; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of these payments on participation in mayoral elections.
Answered by Jim McMahon
Under electoral law, candidates are required to pay a deposit in certain elections, reflecting the scale of the role, including budget responsibility, role as chair of the Combined Authority or Combined County Authority, and the ability to raise a levy; as well as the size of the electorate and electoral area. This has been set at £5000 for Mayoral candidates for Combined Authorities and Combined County Authorities. A deposit is returned if a candidate receives more than 5% of the valid votes cast.
A Mayoral candidate for a Combined Authority or Combined County Authority who wishes to have an election address included in the election booklet may be required by the Returning Officer to pay towards the cost of the production of the booklet, at an amount to be set by the Returning Officer. The cost of delivery of such booklets to electors will be met by the Combined Authority or Combined County Authority.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
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 establish a Green and Decent Homes Programme to bring (a) social and (b) council housing up to acceptable standards.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government intend to amend building regulations later this year as part of the introduction of future standards that will set more ambitious energy efficiency and carbon emissions requirements for new homes.
We will also consult this year on a new Decent Homes Standard for social and private rented sectors and consult on a new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard for social housing.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason (a) housing associations and (b) local councils are not eligible to apply to the (i) Building Safety Fund and (ii) Cladding Safety Scheme set up to defray the costs of remediating faulty cladding; and if she will make it her policy to broaden the application criteria.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Social landlords can apply to the Building Safety Fund and the Cladding Safety Scheme for funding equivalent to (1) the amount which the social landlord would otherwise be entitled to pass on to leaseholders; or (2) the full cost of remedial works where paying those costs would render the social landlord financially unviable.
As at end March 2025, government had committed £595m to support remediation of social housing through government schemes, including funding to remove Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding.
Social landlords face barriers to accelerating remediation, including access to upfront capital. The Government has increased targeted support for social landlords applying for government remediation funding, and we will this year announce a long-term strategy for accelerating social housing remediation.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
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 publish a list of the responsibilities that Town and Parish Council will be expected to take over from District Councils following the creating of new Unitary Authorities; how she plans to fund these changes; and what steps she is planning to take to (i) simply the procedures for small Parish Councils to merge and (ii) increase staff support for Town and Parish Councils.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The government has no intention to require town and parish councils to deliver functions as part of local government reorganisation. It is for those councils that have received the statutory invitation to consider the delivery of public services as they develop robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of their whole area.
Principal local authorities have the power to restructure town and parish councils through the existing Community Governance Review process. Town and parish councils operate independently of central government and are best placed to understand and fulfil their staffing needs, ensuring that this approach delivers strong value for money for local precept payers.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
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 take steps to enhance the (a) remit and (b) powers of Town and Parish Councils following the replacement of District and County Councils by unitary authorities; and what the proposed relationship between those two levels of local authorities will be after reorganisation.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The English Devolution White Paper was clear that we know people value the role of governance at the community scale. All levels of local government have a part to play in bringing improved structures to their area through reorganisation. We will therefore want to see stronger community arrangements when reorganisation happens in the way councils engage at a neighbourhood or area level.
Local authorities act independently of central government. Town and parish councils can work with other tiers of local government to determine how they can best serve their communities in their area.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what positions other than (a) new regional mayors and (b) parish and town councillors will elections be held in May 2026 in areas where local authority elections have been postponed for 12 months.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The postponed elections of councillors to the county councils of East Sussex, Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey and West Sussex and the unitary councils of Isle of Wight and Thurrock are due to take place in May 2026. In addition, scheduled elections of councillors to district councils within the county areas listed above are due to take place in May 2026.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the (a) earliest and (b) latest dates are at which she expects elections to be held to (i) the new unitary authority for the area currently covered by Hampshire County Council and (ii) other new unitary authorities for areas covered by County Councils whose elections have been postponed.
Answered by Jim McMahon
Government has agreed to postpone scheduled local elections for Surrey, Norfolk and Suffolk; Essex and Thurrock; Hampshire and the Isle of Wight; East Sussex and West Sussex from May 2025, until May 2026 only. This postponement is crucial in order to ensure that we can reorganise local government and deliver devolution as quickly as possible. For any area in which elections are postponed, we will work with areas to move to elections to new ‘shadow’ unitary councils as soon as possible as is the usual arrangement in the process of local government reorganisation. The exact date of elections to new unitary authorities in any area will depend on the proposals that are developed and submitted to government by councils in that area, and the decisions that are taken on implementing any such proposal. We also intend for Mayoral elections to take place as soon as possible in these areas.