Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 it her policy to ensure that Ministers who make decisions on (a) called-in planning applications, (b) recovered planning appeals and (c) Special Development Orders will be required to undertake the same training on planning as councillors.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 28 May 2025, my Department published a technical consultation on proposals for reform of planning committees. It can be found on gov.uk here.
We are currently reviewing the feedback received and will set out further details, including in relation to mandatory member training, in due course.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many staff assigned to work for the Deputy Prime Minister are based in (a) 70 Whitehall and (b) 26 Whitehall.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Deputy Prime Minister works from multiple locations, including an office in 70 Whitehall. The office in 70 Whitehall can accommodate up to 30 staff. No staff assigned to the Deputy Prime Minister are based in 26 Whitehall.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 help tackle conditional selling by estate agents.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It is unacceptable for estate agents to withhold offers from sellers because the potential buyer declines to use their additional services. Where there is evidence of such practices, agents can face sanctions including a ban.
The government is committed to protecting people from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents and to improving estate agent standards more generally.
The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team (NTSEAT) is the lead estate agent enforcement authority. Alongside local authority Trading Standards teams, they are responsible for ensuring estate agents comply with the Estate Agents Act 1979 and other relevant legislation. NTSEAT have powers to issue warnings and banning orders against rogue agents. In cases of conditional selling, it is essential that any misconduct or manipulation in the offer process is reported to help build a clearer picture of the problem and support potential investigations.
My Department engages regularly with NTSEAT to discuss how best to address specific issues, including conditional selling, and continue to look at options to improve standards across the estate agent sector.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 4 July 2025 to Question 63255 on Property Development: Repairs and Maintenance, whether the 2026-36 Affordable Homes Programme will allow a proportion of programme delivery to come from (a) acquisitions of existing (i) new build and (ii) second hand homes and (b) funding replacement homes on regeneration schemes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government’s new Social and Affordable Homes Programme will not have numerical targets for particular types of homes other than Social Rent nor will it have ringfenced budgets for particular regions or types of home beyond the portion allocated to the Greater London Authority.
While the new programme will focus on the supply of new homes, it will also continue to support some regeneration schemes that provide a net increase in homes on a site. The programme will also allow for a limited number of acquisitions of existing housing stock, to support wider delivery while more rapidly increasing the supply of social and affordable homes.
We will allow bids for individual projects on an ongoing basis, and for Strategic Partnerships over the life of the programme, including bids for funds over the entire 10 years of starts with homes completing after 2036 also eligible. A competitive bidding round for Strategic Partnerships will launch this winter, followed by later opportunities.
It is our intention to publish a full prospectus for the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme in autumn 2025 and open it for bids in the winter.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 her Department's policy paper entitled Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections, published on 17 July 2025, whether the code of conduct for campaigning will be statutory.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
As set out in our strategy, we will work with the Speaker’s Conference and the Electoral Commission to consult with political parties to develop a code of conduct which is fit for purpose. This code will be non-statutory.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the ban on upward-only rent reviews on (a) pension funds and (b) property investments owned by councils.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 68122 on 24 July 2025.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 paragraph 63 of her Department's policy paper entitled Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections, published on 17 July 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of allowing dual registration on election spending limits.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN HL9888 on 4 August 2025.
With regards to the impact on election spending limits, we continue to work through the detail on the application of this measure.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she consulted the Parliamentary Parties Panel on the policy paper entitled Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections, published on 17 July 2025.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government has worked closely with its partners in local and devolved government, with the electoral sector, with education providers and civil society, and with citizens themselves in the development of the strategy for modern and secure elections. We will continue to engage with a range of stakeholders, including with political parties and sector representative organisations such as the Association of Electoral Administrators, to ensure these changes are delivered successfully.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 paragraph 63 of her Department's policy paper entitled Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections, published on 17 July 2025, which organisations were impacted by the prohibition on dual registration.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN HL9888 on 4 August 2025.
With regards to the impact on election spending limits, we continue to work through the detail on the application of this measure.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 undertake a public consultation on proposed changes to election law.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The government has worked closely with its partners in local and devolved government, with the electoral sector, with education providers and civil society, and with citizens themselves in the development of the strategy for modern and secure elections. We will continue to engage with a range of stakeholders, including with political parties and sector representative organisations such as the Association of Electoral Administrators, to ensure these changes are delivered successfully.