Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to increase social housing supply.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771).
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with social housing providers on the (a) Decent Homes Standard and (b) the provision of furnished tenancies in social housing, in the context of levels of furniture poverty.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department engages actively with registered providers of social housing on all issues facing social housing tenants and with a range of stakeholders on issues facing residents and has engaged with groups such as End Furniture Poverty to understand their research on this issue.
On 2 July, we opened a consultation on a reformed Decent Homes Standard (DHS) for the social and private rented sectors. It can be found on gov.uk here.
People in need may be able to get support from their local authorities via the ‘Household Support Fund’ and other services available locally.
The Deputy Prime Minister is also part of the ministerial Child Poverty Taskforce, which is considering the impacts of living in poor quality housing on children.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 monitors trends in levels of furniture poverty in (a) England and (b) the UK.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department engages actively with registered providers of social housing on all issues facing social housing tenants and with a range of stakeholders on issues facing residents and has engaged with groups such as End Furniture Poverty to understand their research on this issue.
On 2 July, we opened a consultation on a reformed Decent Homes Standard (DHS) for the social and private rented sectors. It can be found on gov.uk here.
People in need may be able to get support from their local authorities via the ‘Household Support Fund’ and other services available locally.
The Deputy Prime Minister is also part of the ministerial Child Poverty Taskforce, which is considering the impacts of living in poor quality housing on children.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help ensure that all new housing developments have adequate access to infrastructure.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to Question UIN 26106 on 5 February 2025.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help ensure that local (a) planning committees and (b) communities are consulted as part of the planning process.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill does not change the consultation rules on local planning applications.
Representations can be made by interested parties, and these are considered by the relevant decision maker – whether that be a local planning officer or planning committee.
On 28 May, the government published a technical consultation on reform of planning committees. It can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 funding for fire and rescue services in Greater Manchester.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 3 February, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue.
These allocations, which include the National Insurance Contribution Grant, will see standalone fire and rescue authorities including Greater Manchester receiving an increase in core spending power of £69 million in 2025/26. This is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.
In 2025/26, Greater Manchester Combined Fire Authority will have core spending power of £142.3 million; an increase of 4.2 per cent on 2024/25.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an exemption for Council Tax on properties that are temporarily unoccupied due to probate.
Answered by Jim McMahon
When a property has been left empty following the death of its owner or occupant, it is exempt from council tax for as long as it remains unoccupied and until probate is granted. Following a grant of probate (or the signing of letters of administration), a further six months exemption is possible, so long as the property remains unoccupied and has not been sold or transferred to someone else.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to provide a multi-year funding settlement for early intervention services in local government.
Answered by Jim McMahon
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 40059 on 27 March 2025.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 reinstating grant funding for Tell MAMA.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
In 2024/25, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government made funding of £1m available for Tell MAMA.
We remain steadfast in our dedication to delivering comprehensive monitoring of anti-Muslim Hatred, and providing support for victims of it. The government has announced a new fund to provide a comprehensive service to monitor anti-Muslim hatred and support victims with applications opening on Monday 7 April 2025.
With cases of anti-Muslim hatred on the rise, up-to-date and detailed information on incidents and drivers of this hatred will play a fundamental part in supporting the government to combat Islamophobia and ensure Muslim communities feel safe and supported. We would encourage Tell MAMA to apply.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support British Muslim communities.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the importance of supporting faith and belief groups.
The Secretary of State and the Minister for Faith, Communities and Resettlement work closely together to demonstrate support for Muslim communities nationwide, connecting with women, young people, and community leaders through extensive outreach efforts. This has included engagement with numerous Muslim leaders in the aftermath of the Southport incident and subsequent riots and attending numerous Iftars during Ramadan to emphasise the important contributions that Muslim communities make to our society.
The Secretary of State is also committed to tackling all forms of hate crime. She has recently committed to the new working group on an anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia definition which will advise government on how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims.