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 June 2026 to Question HL325 on Local Government: Elections, if he will make it his policy to bring the other new combined authority mayoral elections forward to May 2027.

Answered by Nesil Caliskan

There are currently no plans to bring forward the mayoral elections in Greater Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, or Sussex and Brighton.

As previously stated, the government remains committed to the indicative timetable for local government reorganisation set out in July 2025, which will see new unitary authorities created in April 2028. We intend to hold inaugural mayoral elections in the four new combined authority areas in May 2028 to allow them to first complete the reorganisation process and ensure there are firm institutional foundations in place before the mayor takes office.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the the term limits for the positions unitary authorities elected in May 2027.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

If the Secretary of State decides to implement a proposal for unitary local government, secondary legislation, which will be subject to Parliamentary approval, will be required to abolish existing councils, establish new structures and make transitional arrangements. Those transitional arrangements, consistent with precedent, would include replacing scheduled local elections in May 2027 with elections for the new councils.

Those councillors elected to new councils in May 2027 will operate initially as councillors for shadow unitary authorities, before the new councils take on full responsibilities and go live in April 2028. The councillors serving in the existing councils being abolished that would ordinarily have had elections in May 2027 will have their terms extended for 11 months to the end of March 2028 to cover the transition period. Term lengths for councillors elected to the new councils will be provided for in the secondary legislation required to implement any proposal.

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 answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 113737 on Council Tax: City of Westminster and Wandsworth, what is the level of core spending power in cash terms in each of the six councils for the next two financial years without the £150 increase in Band D council tax.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Council tax levels are decided by councils. The government does not intend to set council tax referendum principles for six local authorities (Westminster, Windsor and Maidenhead, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, City of London, and Wandsworth) in financial years 2027-28 and 2028-29. For these authorities, the estimate made by the government assumes a 3% core principle, a 2% adult social care precept and a £150 increase in Band D council tax.

Core Spending Power allocations for individual local authorities through the final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2026-27 and 2028-29 can be found here. The government does not publish alternative council tax scenarios for Core Spending Power.

The final 2026-27 Local Government Finance Settlement makes available £78 billion in CSP for local authorities in England in 2026-27, a 6.1% cash-terms increase compared to 2025–26.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to approve new unitary council structures where new unitary council wards cross and split existing (a) district wards, (b) unitary wards and (c) county divisions.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Secretary of State's consideration of local government reorganisation proposals is based on information provided by councils, representations received through the statutory consultation process, and official advice and analysis drawing on published sources and sector data. Decisions on individual proposals are taken on their merits, having regard to all relevant information available.

The Government has been clear that local suggestions may be built from existing district wards, unitary wards, county divisions, parish boundaries or parish wards, including a mix of these electoral areas where appropriate.

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 an estimate on the average unit cost of a local government by-election.

Answered by Samantha Dixon

The funding of costs necessarily incurred for the delivery of local government by-elections is a matter for local authorities. The Government does not hold information on the average unit cost of a local government by-election.

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 answer of 21 April 2026 to Question 124762 on Political Parties: Finance, whether the new Section 54A requirement will be in addition to a requirement for an overseas elector to make a declaration on their donations.

Answered by Samantha Dixon

Under our amendment to the Representation of the People Bill, an overseas elector will be required to provide a declaration for their donation to be permissible. A declaration from an overseas elector must include the individual’s full name and address; whether they are an overseas contributor, the value of the main donation, and the date on which the declaration is made.

In addition to this, the Government will seek to introduce a requirement for all donors making donations with above a certain threshold to submit a declaration with their donation. The information in this declaration will include the requirements set out under Section 54A.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether under the proposed Know You Donor regime for political donations, donations to local accounting units may be aggregated with parallel donations to other local accounting units in the same calendar year, for the purposes of the due diligence checks before a donation is accepted.

Answered by Samantha Dixon

The proposed Know Your Donor regime requires aggregation of relevant donations and benefits from the same donor when determining whether the £11,180 threshold for a risk assessment has been reached. Once that threshold is met, a risk assessment is required before the donation may be accepted.

The threshold for conducting a risk assessment could be reached through a combination of donations from different accounting units and the central party in the same calendar year which, when aggregated together, exceed the £11,180 threshold.

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 17 June 2026 to Question 8094 on Polling Stations: Pilot schemes, who discussions are taking place with; and whether they include (a) councillors and (b) political parties.

Answered by Samantha Dixon

At this stage, discussions are primarily internal. The Government will engage with other relevant stakeholders as appropriate as future piloting proposals are developed further.

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 has had discussions with the House of Commons (a) Standards Committee, (b) Registrar and (c) Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards on proposed reforms on political donations to and reporting by hon. Members.

Answered by Samantha Dixon

The Government has engaged extensively with stakeholders on the political finance measures contained in the Representation of the People Bill, including the Electoral Commission, the National Crime Agency, political parties and parliamentary colleagues. Ministers have also engaged with Members of both Houses during the Bill's passage.

There will be further opportunities for parliamentary scrutiny and debate as the Bill continues through the House of Commons.

The measures in the Bill concern political finance law and do not alter the House of Commons Code of Conduct or rules on the registration and declaration of Members’ interests, which are matters for Parliament.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether new corporate donation rules will apply to Representation of the People Act candidate donations.

Answered by Samantha Dixon

The Government has tabled an amendment in the House of Commons at Report stage of the Representation of the People Bill to ensure that the new corporate donation rules introduced will also apply to donations made to candidates under the Representation of the People Act 1983, to ensure that these donations come from permissible sources.

This is consistent with our wider intent to tighten the rules governing company donations, improving transparency and strengthening trust in UK politics.

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 17 June 2026 to Question 8263 on Political Parties: Finance, how the ban on cryptocurrency donation will be enforced for donations made before the legislation commences.

Answered by Samantha Dixon

As announced by the Secretary of State on 25 March 2026, any donations in crypto assets accepted on or after 25 March will not be permitted. Following commencement of these provisions in the Bill, recipients will have 30 days to return or forfeit these donations. Following this, enforcement action may be taken.

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 17 June 2026 to Question 8252 on Election Pilot schemes, for what reason the applications were withdrawn; how much was spent on cancelled voting pilots; and whether any other local authorities had cancelled pilots and compensation.

Answered by Samantha Dixon

A number of local authorities withdrew their applications to participate in flexible voting pilots for the May 2026 elections following the planned postponement of their polls, which meant pilots could no longer be delivered as intended, despite the elections going ahead.

In addition, Plymouth City Council withdrew due to safety concerns arising from a planned protest outside the proposed pilot venue on the day of the pilot.

The total provided in respect of pilot delivery activity that could not proceed following a local authority's withdrawal from the May 2026 flexible voting pilots was £394,272. Funding was also provided for the development of wider pilot capability that was not deployed at the May 2026 elections but may be used to support potential future pilots.

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 22 June 2026 to Question 5340 on MHCLG: Darlington, what was the average percentage attendance rate of assigned Darlington staff in the most recent working week for which figures are available, expressed as percentage of assigned staff attending the workplace.

Answered by Samantha Dixon

In the most recent working week for which figures are available, 44% of staff assigned to the Darlington office attended the workplace. This equates to attendance by 74 staff from a total assigned workforce of 168 colleagues based in Darlington.

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 answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 124681 on Vistry Group: Affordable Housing, if he will publish the Vistry grant agreement with Homes England.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In relation to Homes England’s 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme, Vistry has successfully delivered against the milestones in their delivery plan. The delivery plan is not published and there are no plans currently to publish this.

The Department and Homes England hold information on the following funding provided through the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26 and the Home Building Fund.

The total amount of grant funding paid by Homes England to Vistry under the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme in each of the financial years requested was £54,636,334 for 2024-5 and £65,925,098 for 2025-6.

In addition, 2025-26 also saw Homes England enter into a Joint Venture with Vistry through the Home Building Fund, with Homes England committing c. £60m, of which c. £18.4m was drawn down in 2025-26.

Grant agreements with individual partners are not published because they contain commercially sensitive information. Homes England does, however, publish example grant agreements, which can be found on gov.uk here.

In London, the Greater London Authority publishes a delegated approvals log which shows allocations approved for housing providers, which can be found on gov.uk here.

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 answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 124681 on Vistry Group: Affordable Housing, if he will publish the Homes England Vistry delivery plan.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In relation to Homes England’s 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme, Vistry has successfully delivered against the milestones in their delivery plan. The delivery plan is not published and there are no plans currently to publish this.

The Department and Homes England hold information on the following funding provided through the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26 and the Home Building Fund.

The total amount of grant funding paid by Homes England to Vistry under the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme in each of the financial years requested was £54,636,334 for 2024-5 and £65,925,098 for 2025-6.

In addition, 2025-26 also saw Homes England enter into a Joint Venture with Vistry through the Home Building Fund, with Homes England committing c. £60m, of which c. £18.4m was drawn down in 2025-26.

Grant agreements with individual partners are not published because they contain commercially sensitive information. Homes England does, however, publish example grant agreements, which can be found on gov.uk here.

In London, the Greater London Authority publishes a delegated approvals log which shows allocations approved for housing providers, which can be found on gov.uk here.

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 24 June 2026 to Question 9578 on Vistry Group: Affordable Housing, whether Vistry Group is meeting its delivery targets according to information held by (a) Homes England and (b) his Department.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In relation to Homes England’s 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme, Vistry has successfully delivered against the milestones in their delivery plan. The delivery plan is not published and there are no plans currently to publish this.

The Department and Homes England hold information on the following funding provided through the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26 and the Home Building Fund.

The total amount of grant funding paid by Homes England to Vistry under the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme in each of the financial years requested was £54,636,334 for 2024-5 and £65,925,098 for 2025-6.

In addition, 2025-26 also saw Homes England enter into a Joint Venture with Vistry through the Home Building Fund, with Homes England committing c. £60m, of which c. £18.4m was drawn down in 2025-26.

Grant agreements with individual partners are not published because they contain commercially sensitive information. Homes England does, however, publish example grant agreements, which can be found on gov.uk here.

In London, the Greater London Authority publishes a delegated approvals log which shows allocations approved for housing providers, which can be found on gov.uk here.

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 amount of central government funding given to the Vistry Group in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In relation to Homes England’s 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme, Vistry has successfully delivered against the milestones in their delivery plan. The delivery plan is not published and there are no plans currently to publish this.

The Department and Homes England hold information on the following funding provided through the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26 and the Home Building Fund.

The total amount of grant funding paid by Homes England to Vistry under the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme in each of the financial years requested was £54,636,334 for 2024-5 and £65,925,098 for 2025-6.

In addition, 2025-26 also saw Homes England enter into a Joint Venture with Vistry through the Home Building Fund, with Homes England committing c. £60m, of which c. £18.4m was drawn down in 2025-26.

Grant agreements with individual partners are not published because they contain commercially sensitive information. Homes England does, however, publish example grant agreements, which can be found on gov.uk here.

In London, the Greater London Authority publishes a delegated approvals log which shows allocations approved for housing providers, which can be found on gov.uk here.

Richard Pengelly

Found: 4,479 4,479 Aaron Bell Assistant Government Whip (from 15/11/2023 to 05/07/2024) – – 4,479 4,479 Paul Holmes

Found: 4,479 4,479 Aaron Bell Assistant Government Whip (from 15/11/2023 to 05/07/2024) – – 4,479 4,479 Paul Holmes