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 the potential impact of the (a) higher empty homes council tax premium from April 2025 and (b) abolition of the New Homes Bonus on the number of empty homes.

The Government does not make assessments of the housing market based on council tax premiums. It is for individual councils to decide whether to make use of council tax premiums based on their own local circumstances. In regard to the New Homes Bonus, I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 73762 on 9 September 2025.