Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to his reply to parliamentary answer 97104 if he will set out his CDEL allocation in a table, programme by programme for each year for which budgets are available.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The detailed allocation of the Department’s Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (CDEL) budget is currently being finalised as part of the annual business planning process. The allocations will be confirmed through the Main Supply Estimates which are usually presented to Parliament in Spring of the financial year to which they relate.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
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 policy papers entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 30 June 2025, and Budget 2025, published on 28 November 2025, what their Department’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be in each year of the Spending Review period; how much capital funding has been allocated to each of their Department’s programmes; and how much and what proportion of the capital DEL allocation remains unallocated in each year.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Budget document, published on 28 November 2025, set out the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Capital Departmental Expenditure Limits for 2025-26 to 2029-30 (the Spending Review period) in table C.2.
2025-26 budgets are fully allocated. For future years of the Spending Review, allocations will be subject to the departmental business planning process in advance of the start of each financial year.
We have announced a number of key programmes for the Spending Review period, including £39bn for a 10-year Social and Affordable Homes Programme and £5bn grant funding for infrastructure and land from the new National Housing Delivery Fund. This will complement £4.8bn capital investment from 2026-27 to 2029-30, including £2.5bn in low-interest loans to support the building of social and affordable homes.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his proposed timetable is for establishing a West Midlands mayoral development company for east Birmingham.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I understand that the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) board has agreed on 17 October 2025, the intention to create Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) in East Birmingham by Autumn 2026. WMCA is planning to carry out public consultation in early 2026 ahead of submitting a formal notification to the Secretary of State to establish the MDC in summer 2026.
Under the Localism Act 2011, Mayors have the powers to designate Mayoral Development Areas (MDAs) and once the Secretary of State receives a notification per section 197(6) of the 2011 Act, he must by order establish an MDC for the area designated by the Mayor.
I look forward to working with the Mayor on this important growth initiative.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the planned funding allocations for (a) Birmingham City Council and (b) Solihull Borough Council are in each year for which figures are available.
Answered by Jim McMahon
As part of the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement on 18 December 2024 the government published the latest Core Spending Power figures which are available here.
Included within the tables are figures for allocations dating back to 2015. Due to changes in the function and financing of local government, comparable data is not available prior to 2015-16.
Funding allocations from future settlements are subject to the outcome of future Spending Reviews. The government is committed to providing a multi-year funding settlement starting in 2026-27.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what annual forecast she has made of the number of new social homes to be built in Birmingham and Solihull.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.
We will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review.
This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for Social Rent.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Communities Opportunities Fund has been abolished.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Chancellor’s July ‘Public Spending: Inheritance’ speech set out the state of the UK’s spending inheritance from the previous Government. In this context, the Chancellor has set out a path to confirming plans for this year and next at the forthcoming Budget on October 30th.
We understand that this may have caused uncertainty about the status of the Community Ownership Fund. The Government will seek to provide certainty wherever it can between now and conclusion of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has received the final report of the independent review of the Teesworks Joint Venture.
Answered by Simon Hoare
As set out in the oral statement delivered by the Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Building Safety on 29 January 2024, the department received the independent panel's report on 23 January 2024 and the report was published 29 January 2024. A copy is available at the following link.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's online guidance on Freeports, last updated on 6 December 2023, whether (a) HMRC and (b) Border Force is responsible for conducting annual audits of security measures introduced by Freeport operators to mitigate physical, personnel and cyber security risks.
Answered by Jacob Young
The annual audit which you reference has been superseded by a new approach, where the Freeport governing body will conduct the security audit and then report to the Freeport Security Forum (FSF) led by HMG. The FSF will be chaired by the Home Office and reviewed by experts within relevant departments, including HMT, Home Office and from Law Enforcement authorities. The Annual Freeport Security Audit (AFSA) complements but does not replace the standard UK customs and border security processes that apply to Freeports or similar facilities. Freeport Customs Site Operators are also required to obtain AEO(S) or equivalent authorisation from HMRC, an international gold standard for safety and security, and remain subject to robust ongoing oversight from HMRC.
For all English Freeports, the first AFSA is due to take place in the next couple of months. The online guidance on the Freeports webpage will be updated in line with the new process that is being followed in due course.
The report must be agreed and receive sign off by all local strategic security partners. If the FSF is not satisfied with a Freeport’s AFSA, they will work with the Freeport to agree improvement actions to be implemented. A Freeport will not pass annual review until the government is satisfied with the AFSA.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to publish the Independent Review of the Teesworks Joint Venture.
Answered by Simon Hoare
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN HL572 on 7 December 2023.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which spending programmes their Department devolves for administration to (a) local government in England and (b) other local spending bodies; and what the budget is of each such programme for each year for which budgets are agreed.
Answered by Jacob Young
Further to the announcement made at the Autumn Statement, the Government has confirmed that trailblazer devolution deals in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands will introduce a single department-style funding settlement at the next Spending Review.
Details of major funding programmes, including those administered by local government or other local bodies, are available on Gov.uk.