Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on the Code of Practice consultation.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I wish to assure the hon. Member that this government is determined to drive up standards in the private parking sector.
The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 places a duty on the Government to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities.
A consultation document outlining proposals to raise standard across the private parking industry was published on 11 July 2025.
All responses are now being analysed and the government will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Ministers from the Department are responsible for specific policy areas in different geographical regions in Devon.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Ministers from the Housing, Communities and Local Government Department do not have separate responsibility for Devon or any other council nationally, but Devon is included together with other councils for policy areas for which they are responsible. These are as follows;
Current MHCLG Ministers with Responsibilities Relevant to Devon
Minister | Position | Key Responsibilities |
|
Steve Reed MP | Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government | Leads MHCLG; overall strategic oversight of housing, planning, and local government policy in England |
|
Matthew Pennycook MP | Minister of State for Housing and Planning | Housing policy, planning reform, planning casework, Homes England, housing delivery, affordable housing programmes |
|
Alison McGovern MP | Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness | Local government finance, structural reform & reorganisation, homelessness, supported housing |
|
Miatta Fahnbulleh MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Devolution, Faith and Communities | English devolution (including Devon & Torbay CCA), regional growth, investment zones, faith-based engagement |
|
Samantha Dixon MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy | Building safety regulations, fire safety, cladding remediation, local democratic frameworks |
|
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage | Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Lords) | Local government and housing engagement; represents MHCLG interests in House of Lords |
|
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 oral answer to the hon. Member for Newton Abbot on 12 January, whether any weighting framework will be used to assess revised proposals for Local Government Reorganisation in Devon.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
All proposals must have regard to the statutory guidance that was part of the statutory invitation issued on 5 February 2025. This set out six criteria for unitary local government covering issues such as size, sensible geographies, efficiencies, financial sustainability, public service delivery, community engagement, and devolution.
The government plans to consult in early February on all proposals for unitary local government in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay that were submitted by 28 November 2025 and meet the terms of the statutory invitation. In making a decision on which proposals, if any, to implement Ministers will judge proposals in the round against the criteria, which are not weighted. They will have regard to all the representations that were received, including the consultation responses, and any other relevant information available to Ministers.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 oral answer to the hon. Member for Newton Abbot on 12 January, whether his Department will apply weighted criteria in the current phase of Local Government Reorganisation in Devon when assessing any revised or alternative proposals submitted in June.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
All proposals must have regard to the statutory guidance that was part of the statutory invitation issued on 5 February 2025. This set out six criteria for unitary local government covering issues such as size, sensible geographies, efficiencies, financial sustainability, public service delivery, community engagement, and devolution.
The government plans to consult in early February on all proposals for unitary local government in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay that were submitted by 28 November 2025 and meet the terms of the statutory invitation. In making a decision on which proposals, if any, to implement Ministers will judge proposals in the round against the criteria, which are not weighted. They will have regard to all the representations that were received, including the consultation responses, and any other relevant information available to Ministers.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans does the department have for future equivalent Shared Prosperity Funding for Devon.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In order to allow greater flexibility for local authorities and to maximise the spend on UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), the deadline for expenditure for 2025-26 allocations has been extended by six months to September 2026. Looking ahead, the government is introducing a long-term approach to local funding. This will be led by sustained and predictable support for local authorities through the Local Government Finance Settlement and complemented by targeted interventions designed to drive local growth and strengthen communities.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 table (a) new legislation and (b) amendments affecting (i) environmental-assessment requirements, (ii) biodiversity-related planning duties and (iii) the operation of Biodiversity Net Gain under the national planning infrastructure framework.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Questions UIN 74339 on 20 October 2025 and 84469 on 30 October 2025.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 assessment of the potential merits of increasing the single persons council tax discount to 50%.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The single person discount has been a feature of the council tax system since its introduction. Council tax contains both a property and a personal element. A full bill assumes that there are at least two adults living in a dwelling. Where there is only one liable adult resident in a property, the bill is reduced by 25%. This is effectively a 50% reduction in the personal element of the bill. The Government has no plans to change the single person discount.
The council tax system contains a wide range of discounts and exemptions to reflect personal circumstances. This includes Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) schemes which provide a council tax reduction for low-income households.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 potential merits of introducing a formal fast-track process for Disabled Facilities Grant applications for people with progressive and terminal conditions such as motor neuron disease.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 88803 on 10 November 2025
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans the Department has to provide transitional protection for rural local authorities expected to experience the largest funding reductions under the proposed local government reorganisation.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out the local government finance policy statement and response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on Thursday 20 November, we will support local authorities, including those undergoing reorganisation or in rural areas, to manage their updated funding positions through a package of transitional arrangements.
As a result of these changes, we expect the vast majority of local authorities with social care responsibilities will see their Core Spending Power increase in real terms over the multi-year Settlement, and most other authorities will see their income increase in cash terms.
Areas undergoing reorganisation will continue to benefit from this package of transitional support following reorganisation. We will not recalculate transitional support allocated to reorganised councils following reorganisation, which will further benefit these councils. Considering the efficiencies that are possible through reorganisation, we expect that areas will be able to meet any further one-off costs associated with reorganisation over time from existing budgets.
We will publish multi-year local authority allocations, including funding for transition and year-on-year Core Spending Power changes, at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this month.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government intends to ensure that no local authority sees a cash reduction in its core spending power as a result of upcoming funding changes during local government reorganisation.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out the local government finance policy statement and response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on Thursday 20 November, we will support local authorities, including those undergoing reorganisation or in rural areas, to manage their updated funding positions through a package of transitional arrangements.
As a result of these changes, we expect the vast majority of local authorities with social care responsibilities will see their Core Spending Power increase in real terms over the multi-year Settlement, and most other authorities will see their income increase in cash terms.
Areas undergoing reorganisation will continue to benefit from this package of transitional support following reorganisation. We will not recalculate transitional support allocated to reorganised councils following reorganisation, which will further benefit these councils. Considering the efficiencies that are possible through reorganisation, we expect that areas will be able to meet any further one-off costs associated with reorganisation over time from existing budgets.
We will publish multi-year local authority allocations, including funding for transition and year-on-year Core Spending Power changes, at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this month.