Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen protections for nature through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 94311 on 4 December 2025.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of his Department's progress towards its target of delivering 1,500,000 new homes over the course of this Parliament.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Progress toward the government’s Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in England in this Parliament will be measured through the number of net additional dwellings, the latest data on which can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
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 publish his Department's plan to replace the New Homes Bonus.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has no plans to replace the New Homes Bonus.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
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 publish the total Revenue Support Grant provided to Telford and Wrekin Council for each year that data is available, including the provisional settlement for 2026/2027.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The total Revenue Support Grant provided to Telford and Wrekin Council has consistently been published as part of the annual Local Government Finance Settlement for each year. A full record of recent Local Government Finance Settlements can be found online on gov.uk.
Local Government Finance Settlements prior to 2014-15 are now stored on the National Archives here.
We have published provisional allocations of the Revenue Support Grant for the next three years at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
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 impact of increasing the cap for the number of homes that a council can own without the need for a housing revenue account from 200 to over 1000 on the number of council homes in England.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognise that the cost of opening a Housing Revenue Account (HRA) can deter non-HRA holding councils from increasing their current levels of housing delivery.
As a result, we are already exploring whether the current 200 social and affordable home threshold is set at the right level, or if a different threshold would enable councils to reach a level of housing provision that would better enable them to meet the costs of opening and managing an HRA.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to support wards receiving funding through the Pride in Place programme in (a) Telford, (b) West Midlands and (c) England.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 25 September, the Government launched its overarching Pride in Place Strategy, committing up to £5 billion in funding and support to 339 communities.
The flagship Pride in Place Programme will provide up to £20 million in flexible funding and support to 244 places over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities, incorporating the existing 25 trailblazer areas announced at Spending Review and the 75 Phase 1 Plan for Neighbourhoods programme areas that were announced in March.
The neighbourhoods selected to receive funding and support from the Pride in Place Programme include Woodside in Telford and 28 places in the West Midlands. In addition, 7 local authorities across the West Midlands have been awarded funding through the Pride in Place Impact Fund, with each receiving up to £1.5m over two years. In total, the Government is investing up to £570.5 million across the West Midlands through the Pride in Place Programme and the Pride in Place Impact Fund.
Each area selected through the Pride in Place Programme will receive dedicated delivery support from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure the successful delivery of the programme. This support will be provided by the Communities Delivery Unit, which will work in partnership with Neighbourhood Boards and local authorities, and will include access to place-specific data, guidance and capability support tailored to local needs.
The Communities Delivery Unit will establish a Network for Neighbourhoods across the UK to build connection and learning between community leaders, convene the partners that support and strengthen community organisations, groups and social clubs, and embed participatory approaches in how local decisions are made. With the Pride in Place Programme at its heart, the Network will share learning and best practice across the Neighbourhood Boards and beyond, to support strong, capable and empowered communities to lead change locally.
The Communities Delivery Unit in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government will also work with other government departments to identify relevant programmes, data and support that Pride in Place neighbourhoods can draw on as they develop their local plans.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many business pay business rates for each year that data is available in (a) Telford constituency and (b) Telford and Wrekin Local Authority area broken down by type of business rate charge.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department does not collect data on the number of businesses paying business rates from local authorities.
The Department does not collect business rates data for parliamentary constituencies.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what resources his department is directing to support those wards within the governments Pride in Place program in a) Telford, b) West Midlands and c) England.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 25 September, the Government launched its overarching Pride in Place Strategy, committing up to £5 billion in funding and support to 339 communities.
The flagship Pride in Place Programme will provide up to £20 million in flexible funding and support to 244 places over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities, incorporating the existing 25 trailblazer areas announced at Spending Review and the 75 Phase 1 Plan for Neighbourhoods programme areas that were announced in March.
The neighbourhoods selected to receive funding and support from the Pride in Place Programme include Woodside in Telford and 28 places in the West Midlands. In addition, 7 local authorities across the West Midlands have been awarded funding through the Pride in Place Impact Fund, with each receiving up to £1.5m over two years. In total, the Government is investing up to £570.5 million across the West Midlands through the Pride in Place Programme and the Pride in Place Impact Fund.
Each area selected through the Pride in Place Programme will receive dedicated delivery support from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure the successful delivery of the programme. This support will be provided by the Communities Delivery Unit, which will work in partnership with Pride in Place Boards and local authorities, and will include access to place-specific data, guidance and capability support tailored to local needs.
The Communities Delivery Unit in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government will also work with the Department for Work and Pensions and other government departments to identify relevant programmes, data and support that Pride in Place neighbourhoods can draw on as they develop their local plans.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what resources his department is providing to those wards within the government Pride in Place program in a) Telford, b) West Midlands and c) England.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 25 September, the Government launched its overarching Pride in Place Strategy, committing up to £5 billion in funding and support to 339 communities.
The flagship Pride in Place Programme will provide up to £20 million in flexible funding and support to 244 places over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities, incorporating the existing 25 trailblazer areas announced at Spending Review and the 75 Phase 1 Plan for Neighbourhoods programme areas that were announced in March.
The neighbourhoods selected to receive funding and support from the Pride in Place Programme include Woodside in Telford and 28 places in the West Midlands. In addition, 7 local authorities across the West Midlands have been awarded funding through the Pride in Place Impact Fund, with each receiving up to £1.5m over two years. In total, the Government is investing up to £570.5 million across the West Midlands through the Pride in Place Programme and the Pride in Place Impact Fund.
Each area selected through the Pride in Place Programme will receive dedicated delivery support from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure the successful delivery of the programme. This support will be provided by the Communities Delivery Unit, which will work in partnership with Pride in Place Boards and local authorities, and will include access to place-specific data, guidance and capability support tailored to local needs.
The Communities Delivery Unit in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government will also work with the Department for Work and Pensions and other government departments to identify relevant programmes, data and support that Pride in Place neighbourhoods can draw on as they develop their local plans.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what extra resource his department is providing those wards within the governments pride in place program.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 25 September, the Government launched its overarching Pride in Place Strategy, committing up to £5 billion in funding and support to 339 communities.
The flagship Pride in Place Programme will provide up to £20 million in flexible funding and support to 244 places over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities, incorporating the existing 25 trailblazer areas announced at Spending Review and the 75 Phase 1 Plan for Neighbourhoods programme areas that were announced in March.
The neighbourhoods selected to receive funding and support from the Pride in Place Programme include Woodside in Telford and 28 places in the West Midlands. In addition, 7 local authorities across the West Midlands have been awarded funding through the Pride in Place Impact Fund, with each receiving up to £1.5m over two years. In total, the Government is investing up to £570.5 million across the West Midlands through the Pride in Place Programme and the Pride in Place Impact Fund.
Each area selected through the Pride in Place Programme will receive dedicated delivery support from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure the successful delivery of the programme. This support will be provided by the Communities Delivery Unit, which will work in partnership with Pride in Place Boards and local authorities, and will include access to place-specific data, guidance and capability support tailored to local needs.
The Communities Delivery Unit in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government will also work with the Department for Work and Pensions and other government departments to identify relevant programmes, data and support that Pride in Place neighbourhoods can draw on as they develop their local plans.