Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the Future Homes Standard.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government understands the urgency of introducing new energy efficiency standards so that as many homes as possible are highly efficient and use low-carbon heating. We are carefully considering at what level to set the technical requirements of the Future Homes Standard to deliver an ambitious standard that is on track to achieve our net zero ambitions while also being achievable across the country. The Future Homes Standard will be published in early 2026.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to launch the Long-Term Rough Sleeping Innovation Programme; and whether that programme will include the expansion of Housing First.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We will launch our £15 million Long-Term Rough Sleeping Innovation Programme shortly. The funding will enable councils to trial and deliver new approaches to support people furthest away from resolving their rough sleeping.
The government will provide £3.5 billion funding for homelessness services from 2026/27 to 2028/29, of which over £3 billion will be allocated to local government through the Local Government Finance Settlement. Councils can use this funding flexibly to meet the needs of people in their areas, including by commissioning Housing First services which evidence has shown can transform the lives of people with complex needs.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing flood-related resources for fire and rescue services; and whether she plans to increase guaranteed resources.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Protecting communities from flooding is a key priority for this government. Fire and Rescue Authorities already have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to prepare for emergencies, including major flooding. However, we recognise the interest in creating a statutory duty for flood rescue and officials are working with DEFRA, as lead government department for flooding, to consider the wider implications of this.
MHCLG supports Fire and Rescue Authorities in responding to flood incidents by providing national resilience High Volume Pump (HVP) capabilities. These are available to be used by Fire & Rescue Services across the country during major flood incidents. Additionally, DEFRA hold the Flood Rescue National Asset Register, a list of teams or assets that voluntarily join the register and maintain availability for national deployment in England.
The 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement set out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs). Standalone FRAs will see an increase in core spending power of up to £69.1m in 2025/26.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to make flood rescue a statutory duty of the fire and rescue service.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Protecting communities from flooding is a key priority for this government. Fire and Rescue Authorities already have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to prepare for emergencies, including major flooding. However, we recognise the interest in creating a statutory duty for flood rescue and officials are working with DEFRA, as lead government department for flooding, to consider the wider implications of this.
MHCLG supports Fire and Rescue Authorities in responding to flood incidents by providing national resilience High Volume Pump (HVP) capabilities. These are available to be used by Fire & Rescue Services across the country during major flood incidents. Additionally, DEFRA hold the Flood Rescue National Asset Register, a list of teams or assets that voluntarily join the register and maintain availability for national deployment in England.
The 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement set out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs). Standalone FRAs will see an increase in core spending power of up to £69.1m in 2025/26.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the council tax.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The Deputy Prime Minister holds regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues about a range of issues, including their shared interests on local taxation. The government is focused on keeping taxes on working people as low as possible.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make a comparative assessment between the adequacy of his Department's funding for economic development in the Canary Wharf area and (a) Chesterfield Borough Council and (b) Derbyshire County Council.
Answered by Jacob Young
Homes England is tasked with accelerating house building and regeneration in all areas of the country.
Selection criteria include value for money for the taxpayer, the potential for early delivery, clear local support, and projects that support policy priorities such as brownfield development, diversification, and innovation. All investments are made following a thorough due diligence and approval process to ensure value for money for taxpayers. Fuller details of selection criteria can be found here.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, who will have access to information on the Privately Rented Property Portal; and whether he plans to take steps to protect the privacy of tenants’ information stored on the Privately Rented Property Portal from other Departments and enforcement agencies.
Answered by Jacob Young
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is working with the Ministry of Justice, His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) and the Judiciary to drive improvements to the county court possession process.
We will set out more details about our implementation plans in due course.
Local authorities are under a duty to record any banning orders against landlords or property agents on the Database; and are responsible for uploading and maintaining records. Guidance for local authorities on the use of the database can be found here.
Our latest data from the English Private Landlord Survey shows that in 2021, 57% of landlords had a buy-to-let mortgage. The impact assessment for the Renters (Reform) Bill is available online.
The Government publishes quarterly homelessness statistics, including causes of homelessness. This includes a breakdown of the reported reason for homelessness for households who are homeless or threatened with homelessness due to end of an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. The data is available here.
Local authorities will have access to the full range of information recorded on the Property Portal. We do not have plans to record Tenants’ information on the Property Portal.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps is he taking to (a) promote the use of the Database of Rogue Landlords and Property Agents and (b) remind local authorities of their responsibilities in respect of this tool.
Answered by Jacob Young
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is working with the Ministry of Justice, His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) and the Judiciary to drive improvements to the county court possession process.
We will set out more details about our implementation plans in due course.
Local authorities are under a duty to record any banning orders against landlords or property agents on the Database; and are responsible for uploading and maintaining records. Guidance for local authorities on the use of the database can be found here.
Our latest data from the English Private Landlord Survey shows that in 2021, 57% of landlords had a buy-to-let mortgage. The impact assessment for the Renters (Reform) Bill is available online.
The Government publishes quarterly homelessness statistics, including causes of homelessness. This includes a breakdown of the reported reason for homelessness for households who are homeless or threatened with homelessness due to end of an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. The data is available here.
Local authorities will have access to the full range of information recorded on the Property Portal. We do not have plans to record Tenants’ information on the Property Portal.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent estimate he has made of (a) the number of private rented sector properties with an outstanding mortgage and (b) the cost per landlord of measures in the Renters' Reform Bill in the (i) short, (ii) medium and (iii) long term.
Answered by Jacob Young
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is working with the Ministry of Justice, His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) and the Judiciary to drive improvements to the county court possession process.
We will set out more details about our implementation plans in due course.
Local authorities are under a duty to record any banning orders against landlords or property agents on the Database; and are responsible for uploading and maintaining records. Guidance for local authorities on the use of the database can be found here.
Our latest data from the English Private Landlord Survey shows that in 2021, 57% of landlords had a buy-to-let mortgage. The impact assessment for the Renters (Reform) Bill is available online.
The Government publishes quarterly homelessness statistics, including causes of homelessness. This includes a breakdown of the reported reason for homelessness for households who are homeless or threatened with homelessness due to end of an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. The data is available here.
Local authorities will have access to the full range of information recorded on the Property Portal. We do not have plans to record Tenants’ information on the Property Portal.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent estimate he has made of the timeframe for court digitisation being sufficiently progressed to allow for implementation of a ban on section 21 no fault evictions.
Answered by Jacob Young
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is working with the Ministry of Justice, His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) and the Judiciary to drive improvements to the county court possession process.
We will set out more details about our implementation plans in due course.
Local authorities are under a duty to record any banning orders against landlords or property agents on the Database; and are responsible for uploading and maintaining records. Guidance for local authorities on the use of the database can be found here.
Our latest data from the English Private Landlord Survey shows that in 2021, 57% of landlords had a buy-to-let mortgage. The impact assessment for the Renters (Reform) Bill is available online.
The Government publishes quarterly homelessness statistics, including causes of homelessness. This includes a breakdown of the reported reason for homelessness for households who are homeless or threatened with homelessness due to end of an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. The data is available here.
Local authorities will have access to the full range of information recorded on the Property Portal. We do not have plans to record Tenants’ information on the Property Portal.