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 the letter Local government reorganisation: programme review and decisions withdrawal letter to council leaders, of 7 September 2026, whether she plans to publish another Devolution White Paper further to the publication of December 2024.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In July, the Cabinet published a statement on the Government’s plans for a fundamental rewiring of the state, and committed to publishing a White Paper to set out the plans to deliver on this vision. The White Paper will set out our plans for all tiers of government, including strategic and local authorities.
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 18 September 2026 to Question HL3255 on Unitary Councils, and with reference to the her Department's press release entitled Review of local government reorganisation launched, published on 7 September 2026, if she will take steps to ensure the Local Government Boundary Commission for England is consulted as part of the review on the processes by which the interim electoral arrangements are initially drawn, prior to a subsequent electoral review.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 29 October, the Government announced that the first phase of its review of local government reorganisation had concluded. The review confirmed that the basis of the programme remains robust and that the existing criteria continue to support the Government’s priorities.
The Government has set out minded-to positions in five areas, which remain subject to further representations and final decisions. The remaining 15 areas require further consideration.
Subject to final decisions, elections to new councils will take place in May 2028, followed by vesting on 1 April 2029 across the programme, apart from Surrey.
The Government continues to engage with the Local Government Boundary Commission for England on matters relating to local government reorganisation and electoral arrangements and will continue to do so as the programme progresses.
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 was the total cost to her Department of the legal action, including (a) legal advice, (b) legal fees and (c) claimant costs, in relation to the proposed cancellation of the May 2026 local elections and the subsequent decision not to cancel those elections.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The relevant payments associated with this matter have been recorded in the Department's published transparency data in accordance with the Government's transparency requirements.
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 press release entitled Review of local government reorganisation launched, published on 7 September 2026, and to her Department's guidance entitled Local authority, combined authority, and county combined authority election cycles in England, updated 22 July 2025, if she will publish an updated list of which local council, combined county authority and combined authority elections will take place in May 2027 in England.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department regularly publishes lists setting out local authority, combined authority and combined county authority election cycles in England which was last updated 22 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, if she will make it her policy to enhance councils' enforcement powers and penalties to stop unauthorised traveller development taking place on (a) weekends and (b) bank holiday weekends.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to tackling all types of unauthorised development and recently strengthened policy on intentional unauthorised development to ensure that decision makers give this significant weight when considering applications for retrospective applications and enforcement appeals.
Local planning authorities already have strong enforcement tools to enforce against breaches of planning control. These include the issuing of temporary stop notices requiring development to cease while the local planning authority considers whether further enforcement action is required; the issuing of enforcement notices to require breaches of planning control to be remedied; and the issuing of stop notices to require that the development ceases immediately.
The penalty for non-compliance with any of these enforcement actions is an unlimited fine on conviction.
Local planning authorities can also apply for planning injunctions against actual or apprehended breaches of planning control. Failure to comply with an injunction is contempt of court.
We continue to keep the matter of unauthorised development under review and are considering further action in this area.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 16 September 2026, to Question 28983, on Council Tax: City of Westminster and Wandsworth, whether the decision not to apply council tax referendum thresholds in the six councils was approved in a (a) Cabinet Committee meeting or (b) Cabinet Committee write-round.
Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, including correspondence, is not normally shared publicly.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Integrated Care Boards follow National Institute for Health and Care Excellence eligibility criteria for continuous glucose monitoring devices.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards must pay due regard to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance in making decisions about the commissioning of diabetes care.
The National Diabetes Audit provide comprehensive data on care processes and outcomes, including the patients who have a continuous glucose monitor, and is available at the following link:
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question
To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2026 to Question 7841 on Electoral Register, what guidance the Electoral Commission has provided on whether an individual can be registered as a domestic elector if their permanent residence is overseas.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The Commission publishes guidance for Electoral Registration Officers on the residency requirements for registration purposes in England, Scotland and Wales.
Residence has a particular meaning in electoral law and is not equivalent to residence for other purposes such as income tax or council tax. Normally a person is resident at an address for electoral purposes if it is their permanent home address
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question
To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what advice and guidance the Electoral Commission has provided in relation to whether a political party imprint is required on digital materials that are provided to third parties by a political party, but where the digital materials are subsequently edited or altered by the third party prior to publication by the third party.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The Commission has produced statutory guidance on digital imprints which covers sharing and republishing third-party material.
If a third-party shares digital material that has already been published with an imprint, but materially alters that material, it requires a new imprint identifying the person or organisation re-publishing that material.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question
To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Electoral Commission has issued guidance on whether asylum seekers, from Commonwealth countries, may be considered qualifying electors.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The Commission publishes guidance for Electoral Registration Officers on the nationality requirements to register to vote in England, Scotland and Wales.
It states that a Commonwealth citizen may qualify to register to vote, provided they meet the age and residence requirements, if they do not require permission to enter or remain in the United Kingdom, or have been granted such permission, including limited or conditional permission.