Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many approvals for the disposal of allotments were made under section 8 of the Allotments Act 1925 between 7 May 2010 and 4 July 2024; and what the (a) location and (b) reference number of each disposal was.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Between July 2018 and 4 July 2024 the sitting Secretary of State approved 58 allotment disposals. The location, town, reference number where available and date of disposal are listed in the table below. Due to a change in case management systems, records for the number of allotment disposals do not go back further than July 2018.
Location | Town | Reference | Date |
Dene Park Allotments | Hexham | N/A | 13/06/2024 |
Land North of Courteenhall Road | Bilsworth | NA | 12/04/2024 |
Redbridge Lane West Allotments | London | Redbridge Lane West Allotments | 02/01/2024 |
Central Avenue Allotments | Kirby in Ashfield | W3005 | 03/08/2023 |
Leadgate Bradley Bungalows Allotment Site. Adjacent to 50 | Bradley Bungalows, Consett | Leadgate Bradley Bungalows | 28/06/2023 |
Land at Saltings Allotments | Grimsby | B2002 | 07/06/2023 |
Castlefield Allotments | Dartford | N/A | 24/03/2023 |
Windmill Lane Allotment Site, | Greenford | Legal/RK/00684865 | 02/02/2023 |
Milner Royd Allotments | Sowerby Bridge | SP/1009217 | 02/02/2023 |
Bellfield Allotments | Guildford | 12401253.1/674661.02022 | 08/11/2022 |
Tursdale Allotment site | Cassop-cum-Quarrington | N/A | 23/09/2022 |
Grazing Land at Beech Allotments | Grayshott | N/A | 16/08/2022 |
Land at Cliff Road | Wakefield | xxxxxx | 03/08/2022 |
The Allotments | Colchester | N/A | 06/07/2022 |
Bulbourne Road | Tring | N/A | 04/07/2022 |
Land fronting Bowes Road Allotments | Enfield | Q53000 | 30/06/2022 |
Land at Beever Road | Tipton | N/A | 23/05/2022 |
Jerome Allotments | Acton | N/A | 18/05/2022 |
Bellfields Allotments | Guilldford | N/K | 10/02/2022 |
Furge Lane Field | Henstridge | Henstridge | 19/11/2021 |
Melbourne Park Allotments | Chelmsford | N/A | 25/08/2021 |
Wesley Street Alotments | Kirkby-in-Ashfield | N/K | 08/07/2021 |
Middleton Allotments | Milton Keynes | N/A | 08/06/2021 |
Part of Silver Acre Allotments, off Scott Road, Kettering NN16 9NS | Kettering | n/a | 17/02/2021 |
Harcourt Road Allotments | Middlesbrough | N/K | 16/02/2021 |
Brandon Road and Wilton Road | Feltwell | n/a | 20/08/2020 |
Club Terrace | Pontefract | Unknown | 09/07/2020 |
Newland Road | Bristol | N/A | 08/06/2020 |
Wolf Field Allotments, | Norwood | n/a | 02/06/2020 |
Bushey Croft | Harlow | N/K | 26/05/2020 |
Stones Road Allotment Site | Epsom | N/A | 06/05/2020 |
Bulborne Allotments | Tring | TBC | 26/03/2020 |
Lillands Avenue | Brighouse | N/A | 23/03/2020 |
Hamm Moor Allotments | Addlestone | NA | 18/03/2020 |
Beechwood Allotments | Middlesbrough | N/A | 09/03/2020 |
Redfield Hill Allotmemnts | Bristol | n/a | 05/03/2020 |
Lockleaze Allotments | Bristol | N/K | 08/01/2020 |
Coneybeare Allotment Site | Ashford | N/A | 07/10/2019 |
White Hart Allotment Site | Swindon | TBC | 03/10/2019 |
Portobello/Grove Allotments | Kingston- Upon_Hull | HS343328 | 05/09/2019 |
Meadway Allotments | Dunstable | xxxxx/xxxx/xcxx | 03/09/2019 |
Lampits Allotments | Hoddesdon | Lampits Allotments | 15/08/2019 |
Eldon Road Allotments | Rotherham | n/a | 20/05/2019 |
Grammar School Road Allotments | Brigg | N/A | 07/05/2019 |
Farnham Road Allotments | Bishops Stortford | N/A | 27/03/2019 |
Fleet Meadow,Oxfordshire | Didcot | C Wayman | 14/03/2019 |
Merry Hill Allotment, Smethwick | Birmingham | n/a | 14/03/2019 |
Redesdale Place | Moreton-in-Marsh | N/A | 05/03/2019 |
Silverdale Allotments | Dinnington St John | N/A | 26/02/2019 |
Bardney Allotments | Lincoln | N/A | 14/02/2019 |
Spaxton allotment field | Spaxton | n/a | 25/01/2019 |
Acton Allotment, Hanbury Road | Ealing | P/2012/0708 | 21/01/2019 |
Land off East Anglian Way / Land on the west side of Church Road | Gorleston | EE/EE-GYBC/38714 | 12/12/2018 |
Marlpool Allotments | Heanor | N/A | 30/11/2018 |
Leys Allotment Site | High Peak | n/a | 26/11/2018 |
Schofield Street | Mexborough | N/A | 15/11/2018 |
Butt Field | Goggeshall | N/A | 24/10/2018 |
Ilchester Crescent | Bristol | N/A | 02/08/2018 |
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
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 is taking to improve the regulation of supported exempt accommodation; and what information her Department holds on levels of supported exempt accommodation in (a) Birmingham and (b) Birmingham Northfield constituency.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
As set out in the written statement on Supported Housing Regulation (HCWS800) published on 10 July 2025, following the recent consultation on supported housing regulation the government is considering the responses received and will publish a full government response as soon as possible, in advance of consulting on draft regulations in early 2026.
The department does not hold data on supported exempt accommodation. The most recent estimates of national levels of supported housing were published in the gov.uk Supported Housing Review 2023 on 4 November 2024.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local authorities are able to prevent new employees from joining the Local Government Pension Scheme.
Answered by Jim McMahon
It is unlawful for local authorities to prevent their new employees from joining the Local Government Pension Scheme. Local authorities are scheduled bodies, as defined by part 1 of Schedule 2 of the LGPS Regulations 2013, and scheduled bodies must offer the LGPS to directly employed staff.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
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 07 April 2025 to Question 43306 on Birmingham City Council: Finance, when the transparency publication referred to in that Answer will next be updated.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The Commissioners’ fees and expenses up to and including March 2025 have now been published on Birmingham City Council’s website.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the process is for amending an enterprise zone's boundaries.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Enterprise Zone sites were carefully selected and are designated in law. We currently have no plans to allow for boundaries to be redrawn
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
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 24 April 2025 to Question 46451 on Birmingham City Council: Finance, what the estimated cost of providing central support to that intervention was in (a) 2023-2024, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26 to date.
Answered by Jim McMahon
It is established practice for MHCLG to provide a Chief of Staff function to support Commissioners appointed to local authorities in statutory intervention. In line with normal practice, the Department does not comment on the detail of civil service staffing or pay arrangements.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
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 24 April 2025 to Question 46451 on Birmingham City Council: Finance, whether her Department has made an inexact estimate of the cost of providing central support to that intervention.
Answered by Jim McMahon
It is established practice for MHCLG to provide a Chief of Staff function to support Commissioners appointed to local authorities in statutory intervention. In line with normal practice, the Department does not comment on the detail of civil service staffing or pay arrangements.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
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 7 April 2025 to Question 43306 on Birmingham City Council: Finance, whether Birmingham City Council has reimbursed her Department for any costs associated with that intervention; and if she will publish details of any such costs, broken down by heading.
Answered by Jim McMahon
It is established practice for MHCLG to provide a Chief of Staff function to support Commissioners appointed to local authorities in statutory intervention. There are currently two full-time equivalent roles attached to the intervention in Birmingham City Council. These costs are contained within existing departmental budgets, and in line with standard practice. No separate estimate of exact costs has been made.
As is standard practice for Councils under intervention, Birmingham City Council has not reimbursed the department for any costs associated with the Chief of Staff function, but does cover the Commissioners’ fees.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
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 7 April 2025 to Question 43306, on Birmingham City Council: Finance, how many officials in her Department provide support to that intervention on a (a) headcount and (b) full-time equivalent basis; and if she will make an estimate of the cost of departmental support to the intervention since October 2023.
Answered by Jim McMahon
It is established practice for MHCLG to provide a Chief of Staff function to support Commissioners appointed to local authorities in statutory intervention. There are currently two full-time equivalent roles attached to the intervention in Birmingham City Council. These costs are contained within existing departmental budgets, and in line with standard practice. No separate estimate of exact costs has been made.
As is standard practice for Councils under intervention, Birmingham City Council has not reimbursed the department for any costs associated with the Chief of Staff function, but does cover the Commissioners’ fees.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
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 cost to the public purse of her Department's intervention at Birmingham City Council since October 2023.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The Commissioners’ fees and expenses are published on Birmingham City Council’s website at regular three-month intervals. There are additional costs associated with the admin support team provided by Birmingham City Council. Commissioners’ fees and expenses for one year were just over £1.3m.