Asked by: Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
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 1 September 2026, HCWS299, on the Social and Affordable Homes Programme and the reinvigoration of council housebuilding, how much funding is being allocated in each year of the 2026-2030 spending period; and how much has been allocated for the second half of the programme.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 60128 on 4 July 2025.
Asked by: Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Cost of Living taskforce plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of council tax increases on the cost of living of households.
Answered by Sally Jameson - Parliamentary Secretary and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Cost of Living Taskforce will work to address the structural issues driving up the cost of everyday living, including in areas such as housing. Assessments of council tax sit principally with HM Treasury and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Asked by: Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
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 has taken to ensure local authorities have discharged their functions under Section 121AA and Section 121B of the Housing Act 1985 following the Housing (Right to Buy) (Limits on Discount) (England) Order 2024; and what guidance her Department provides to tenants on action to take if local authorities have not provided adequate notification on right to buy discount changes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities are responsible for complying with sections 121AA and 121B of the Housing Act 1985.
My Department’s Right to Buy guidance for local authorities, which can be found on gov.uk here, sets out the requirements to provide secure tenants with information about the scheme and keep that information up to date so far as reasonably practicable.
Following the announcement of the revised maximum cash discounts in October 2024, my Department updated its published information for tenants and landlords setting out the changes.
It was for local authorities to communicate any changes with tenants. There was no specific requirement for them to inform all tenants of the discount changes by the 21 November 2024 implementation date.
Asked by: Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether bank cards will be a permitted form of identification for the new Parliamentary Candidate identification requirements at nomination.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 12 June 2026 to Question 6801.
Asked by: Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
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 page 50 of her Department's response to the proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system consultation, published in August 2026, what comparative assessment her Department has made of the cost of delivering social rent dwellings with other types of tenure; and if she will publish a list of the organisations that contributed to the consultation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 60080 on 24 June 2025.
My Department does not routinely publish responses received to public consultations.
Asked by: Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
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 the publication entitled Planning powers for mayors in England, of 24 August 2026, para 17, whether there will be any public planning hearing before a mayor directs a local planning authority to refuse an application.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Under the statutory framework for mayoral planning powers, there is no requirement for a public planning hearing before a mayor can direct refusal of applications of potential strategic importance.
The power to direct refusal will be subject to statutory tests, and an applicant will be able to appeal this decision to the Secretary of State.
Asked by: Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
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 the consultation outcome, Modernising and improving the administration of council tax - government response, updated 15 April 2026, para 37, what the timetable is for the review into the changes into council tax disregards; and whether any reforms will be delivered before the Spending Review 2027 period.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government will review the feasibility of changes to council tax disregards ahead of the next spending review.
As set out in the government’s response to the consultation, it aims to introduce changes to collection and enforcement of council tax from April 2027 and amend billing so that newly liable households are liable for 12-month billing by default from April 2027.
Asked by: Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the Valuation Tribunal Service decision, Amazon UK Services Ltd and Karen Giles (Valuation Officer), Ref: Case No: CHG100896364, 27 July 2026, on the business rate liability of (a) distribution warehouses and (b) Generation 10 multi-story robotic distribution warehouses.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The Valuation Office (VO) will reflect the Valuation Tribunal decision. The impact of the ‘Amazon’ decision will be limited to other similar Generation 10 multi-story robotic distribution warehouses, which will be reviewed, as part of the VO’s ongoing casework. The decision is unlikely to impact the wider class of distribution warehouses
Asked by: Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
Question to the HM Treasury:
|To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the joint consultation document entitled High Value Council Tax Surcharge, published on 19 May 2026, if he will make it her policy to include a single person discount for the proposed High Value Council Tax Surcharge.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The Government has consulted on the design of the High Value Council Tax Surcharge and will publish its response in due course.
Asked by: Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
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 29 June 2026 to Question 11667 on MHCLG: Remote Working, whether office attendance data for staff in the London HQ is collated in the same manner and shown in a centralised dashboard.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Attendance data for MHCLG staff based in the London HQ is collated through the same centralised system used for wider attendance reporting. While the data is collated through the same centralised system, the London HQ attendance information is not displayed within the published dashboard.