Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria will be used to assess whether a train station is well-connected for the purposes of a planning application receiving a default yes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 102319 on 12 January 2026.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how distances from train stations are calculated for the purposes of a planning application receiving a default yes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 102319 on 12 January 2026.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on special measures for local authorities not meeting statutory requirements for vulnerable children on safeguarding matters.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government is in regular discussion with the Secretary of State for Education on a large number of issues, including on matters related to local authority performance. The Department for Education is responsible for policy on safeguarding and the statutory requirements local authorities must meet in relation to vulnerable children.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
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 following the publication of BDO’s audit report of Woking Borough Council’s accounts from 2019/20 to 2022/23, published on 8 December 2025.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Commissioners were appointed to Woking Borough Council in 2023 following historic commercial mismanagement and major governance failures. While Woking continues to undergo an extensive change programme to support the improvement of its financial position, Commissioners have reported significant improvements in the Council’s approach to financial management since 2023. As Commissioners set out in their Fifth Report, they continue to engage with Woking’s external auditors to rectify the Council’s historic issues with audit timeliness and support the rebuilding of assurance.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
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 tackle developers who bank land instead of building homes, such as the 2,000 new homes with planning permission in Woking where construction has not started.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In May 2025, the government published a Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out inviting views on further action the government should take to speed up homes being built. It can be found on gov.uk here.
On the same day, we launched a technical consultation on implementing measures to improve the transparency of build rates from new residential developments, which includes proposals to implement provisions in Section 113 of the LURA on the power to decline to determine applications. That consultation can be found on gov.uk here.
We are now analysing the responses to both consultations, and we will set out our next steps in due course.
The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including new policy designed to ensure major development proposals are capable of being implemented within a reasonable period – taking into account tenure mix, local market conditions and development history of the site.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
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 July 2025 to Question 69040 on Park Homes: Sales, when he plans to seek further evidence from the sector on the rationale for the commission.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognise that there are longstanding concerns about the requirement to pay site owners a commission upon sale of a park home. The previous government published a report in June 2022 on the impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission. It can be found on gov.uk here. We will set out plans in due course to seek further evidence from the sector on the rationale for the commission.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
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 consider consulting on increasing Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) which have not increased since their introduction in 2004.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The responsibility for local authority penalty charge notice caps is shared between my department and the Department for Transport. The Government will be looking at penalty charge notice caps outside London. The findings from the parking sector’s own research into this issue, as well as the recent trial of higher parking penalties in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole will inform that process.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
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 plans to review the requirement for park home residents to pay a 10 per cent commission to site owners upon the sale of their home.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 69040 on 24 July 2025.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
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 his Department has had with Woking Borough Council on the steps it has taken following his predecessor Department's report of its non-statutory review into Woking Borough Council’s finances, investments and related governance in 2023.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department regularly engages with both local authorities and Commissioner teams during interventions. Commissioners are required to regularly submit formal reports on progress and challenges in the local authority to the Department. The reports of the Woking Borough Council commissioners since their appointment in May 2023 are publicly available on gov.uk here.
Alongside the government's decision to establish two unitary authorities in Surrey, we have committed to repay in-principle £500 million of Woking Borough Council’s debt in 2026-27 as a first instalment. We will continue to explore what further debt support is required at a later point. Any support must take into account value for money for the local and national taxpayer.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the cost to the public purse of funds spent by local authorities on public persuasion on local government reorganisation.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government’s invitation to councils is clear on the importance of local engagement in the development of proposals. It is for councils to decide how to do this, including what resource is used, and the department does not hold information on this. Local authorities must have regard to the Recommended Code of Practice on Local Authority Publicity in coming to decisions on communications addressed to the public.