Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 has considered reducing the desired population size for new unitary councils to 300,000 residents.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
New unitary councils must be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks.
The 500,000 figure is a guiding principle, not a hard target. We understand the need for flexibility, especially given our ambition to build out devolution and take account of housing growth alongside local government reorganisation.
All proposals – whether they are at, above, or below the guided level – should clearly set out the rationale for the proposed approach. Decisions on the most appropriate option for each area will be judgements in the round, having regard to the statutory guidance and the available evidence.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 review the criteria for designating Assets of Community Value to consider environmental benefit as a qualifying factor.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The new community right to buy, which we are introducing through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, will give communities stronger powers to take ownership of assets that are important to them and save them for future community use.
Communities will be able to nominate any asset that furthers the social or economic wellbeing of the community, which will include a range of environmental assets, and purchase these if they are put up for sale.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 take steps to avoid postponement of scheduled local elections during future reorganisation processes.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government’s starting point is for all elections to go ahead unless there is strong justification.
The Government will work with areas to hold elections for new unitary councils as soon as possible, as is the usual arrangement in the process of local government reorganisation.
Legislation to implement proposals for unitary councils replaces any planned elections with elections for the new councils. This avoid the cost and disruption of elections to short-term posts in councils which will shortly be abolished.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of undertaking a public consultation on the reorganisation of local government.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out in the English Devolution White Paper we are ending the two-tier system of local government and establishing single tier councils everywhere. Two tier local government slows down decision making and delivery. It leads to fragmented public services, wastes money on duplication, and is confusing about who is responsible for what.
We have invited proposals for unitary councils from councils in the 21 two-tier areas in England. There is a requirement for the Secretary of State to consult with affected councils and such other persons as he considers appropriate before implementing a proposal.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 require registered providers of social housing to provide data on (a) the number and (b) location of all market sales over the past five years and the (i) value, (ii) age, (iii) condition and (iv) other information on stock in the forthcoming housing strategy.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) sets out when it must be notified if a private registered provider disposes of homes – including where these might be disposed of by market sale.
RSH sets out different requirements dependent on the nature of the disposal but requires providers that are selling homes out of the regulated sector to identify the location and number of homes sold. The relevant RSH guidance can be found on gov.uk here.
RSH publishes a range of statistics, including on sector and provider-level number of sales. These are available on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will take steps with local authorities to end the use of (a) hotels, (b) bed and breakfasts and (c) hostels for homeless (i) single adults and (ii) families.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Homelessness levels are far too high. The Government is looking at the issue carefully and is developing a new cross-Government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness.
We have already taken the first steps to getting back on track to ending homelessness, including making a £1 billion investment in homelessness and rough sleeping services this year, a £233 million increase on the previous year and the largest-ever cash boost in homelessness prevention services. The 2025 Spending Review protected this level of investment until 2028/29 and provided £100 million additional funding, including from the Transformation Fund, to fund increased homelessness prevention activity.
Where homelessness cannot be prevented, any temporary accommodation provided must be suitable for the needs of the household. The Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities sets out the factors to be taken into account when determining the suitability of accommodation.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 he has made of the potential impact of (a) trends in the number of firefighters and (b) levels of funding for fire and rescue services on public safety.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 3 February, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS) which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities.
These allocations, which include the National Insurance Contribution Grant, will see standalone fire and rescue authorities receiving an increase in core spending power of £69.1 million in 2025/26. This is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.
In addition to settlement funding, the Government has provided Fire and Rescue Authorities with several grants intended for specific purposes, such as the Fire Pensions Grant and Protection Uplift Grant
Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority.
FRSs employed 30,769 full-time equivalent (FTE) firefighters on 31 March 2024. This is virtually unchanged compared with the previous year (30,723).
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 adequacy of Approved Document M on Access to and Use of Buildings under the Building Regulations 2010, last updated on 1 October 2024, in meeting the needs of (a) disabled and (b) older residents.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Safety Act 2022 requires the Building Safety Regulator to keep the safety and standard of buildings under review; Building Regulations or Approved Documents, including Approved Document M can then be updated as needed. Housing is one of this Government’s top priorities; everyone deserves to live in a decent home that is suitable for them and meets their needs. The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, requires local planning authorities to assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including those of older and disabled people, and to reflect this in planning policies. Where an identified need exists, plans are expected to help bring forward an adequate supply of accessible housing. The government will shortly set out its policies on accessible new build housing, reinforcing our commitment to ensuring everyone has access to a safe, suitable home.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much and what proportion of the funding allocated for affordable housing in the Spending Review 2025 will be allocated to rural areas.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771).
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to issue guidance to (a) charities and (b) the voluntary sector on local government reorganisation.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The Department has no plans to issue guidance to charities or the voluntary sector on local government reorganisation.