Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
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 19 February 2025 to Question 30628, on Local Government: Codes of Practice, and further to the consultation response entitled Strengthening the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England – consultation results and government response, published on 11 November 2025, if he will make it his policy to ensure that the new mandatory code of conduct has a free speech clause modelled on the Bromley code of conduct.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government response to the local government standards framework consultation published on 11 November 2025 confirmed our intention to legislate to prescribe a mandatory code of conduct. We are continuing to engage with the sector as we develop final detailed policies for implementation.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
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 Local Authority Housing Fund: Round 4 prospectus and guidance, of 19 November 2025, for what reason the funding can be used for the flipping of forthcoming shared ownership completions into social rented housing; and what the estimated grant per unit is.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities delivering the fourth round of the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF R4) can shape its delivery according to local circumstances.
Converting unsold shared ownership completions into social rented housing is included in a list of possible delivery routes and may be appropriate where there is insufficient demand for shared ownership homes and greater need for social rented housing.
There is not a fixed grant intervention rate for converting use from shared ownership homes. The amount of funding which can be applied depends on how the shared ownership scheme was originally funded.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Local Authority Housing Fund: Round 4 can be used to provide accommodation for asylum seekers and former asylum seekers other than those from Afghanistan.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Local Authority Housing Fund Round 4 (LAHF R4) funds local authorities to provide better quality temporary accommodation to those owed homelessness duties, as well as providing sustainable settled housing for families on the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP).
Asylum seekers are not eligible for LAHF accommodation, and they are not eligible for social housing.
Former asylum seekers who have been granted indefinite leave to remain (ILR), refugee status or humanitarian protection, or leave to remain with recourse to public funds, may be entitled to homelessness assistance and temporary accommodation.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding was allocated to the Affordable Housing Programmes in (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25, including funding provided to his Department, Homes England, the Greater London Authority, local councils, housing associations and combined authorities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 95055 on 5 December 2025.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, What plans he has to (a) publish the election pilots prospectus on gov.uk and (b) make it available to Hon Members.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Officials shared a prospectus detailing proposed flexible voting pilots with relevant local authorities in August 2025 and are currently engaging with local authorities wishing to pilot at the May 2026 elections. The government will share further details in due course.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what data his Department holds on the estimated level of council tax receipts in England from 2026-27 onwards, including police, combined authority, GLA and parish precepts.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department does not publish specific data on estimated levels of council tax receipts in England for Police, combined authorities, Greater London Authority and parish councils.
As part of the provisional settlement the Government has made estimates of changes to Core Spending power for 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29. This includes estimates of the council tax requirements councils will set for those years. These estimates are set out here. These estimates exclude parish precepts, police and crime commissioner precepts, and the High Value Council Tax Surcharge being introduced from 2028.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with (i) London Councils and (ii) Westminster City Council on second homes council tax premium (a) evasion and (b) avoidance since July 2024; and what representations his Department has received on that issue.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities are required to administer and enforce the council tax system. This includes managing and addressing any potential cases of avoidance or evasion in the system, including council tax premiums. The government does not advise local authorities on how they should handle potential cases of avoidance or evasion.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
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 holds information on the number of local authorities which offer rural rate relief and in which locations.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Rural rate relief is a mandatory business rates relief so can be offered to eligible businesses by all authorities in England.
In 2024-25, 159 local authorities reported that they gave some rural rate relief. The data on the amount of rural rate relief given by these authorities can be found in ‘DatasheetPart3’ tab here.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance has been given on whether a second home which is long-term unoccupied, but furnished, is liable for the empty homes council tax premium or the second homes council tax premium, where a local authority has introduced both such premiums.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has published guidance on when council tax premiums may apply and when a property is considered a second home or a long-term empty home. This is available here. A second home is defined, for council tax purposes, as dwelling which is substantially furnished but no one’s sole or main residence.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
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 official statistics entitled Count of Traveller Caravans, July 2025: England, published on 11 December 2025, what information his Department holds on the reasons for the 22% increase in unauthorised developments on land owned by travellers in the last year.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The July 2025 Traveller Caravan Count reported a 21% increase in unauthorised developments since July 2024. The reported increase in unauthorised developments is due in part to improved reporting in this category; data providers are encouraged to report the excess caravans on sites with planning permission as unauthorised developments where the planning permission has been breached or exceeded.
My Department does not systematically collect or hold the reasons for increases in figures of each site type, although some information may be provided by local authorities in order to assist with quality assuring the statistics. Comments provided as part of quality assurance include references to caravans in excess of planning permission on some sites, as well as sites where a planning decision is pending. Local authorities are best placed to provide information on reasons for increases in their area.