Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities have adequate resources to provide safe public spaces for transgender people.

The Government is clear that all forms of hatred are unacceptable and will be tackled. We have one of the strongest legislative frameworks in the world to protect communities from hostility, violence and bigotry, and to deal with the perpetrators of hate crime. Hate crime policy and legislation is designed to protect all victims equally and there is no form of hate crime that is given higher priority than any other.

The Government is now considering a range of options to tackle hate crime beyond the current action plan, we will ensure a range of views from civil society partners and communities are taken into consideration.

Depending on local decisions, Core Spending Power in England may rise from £49 billion in 2020-21 to up to £51.3 billion in 2021-22, a 4.6% increase in cash terms. If councils do decide to take up the entirety of the increase on offer, they will see an increase in line with last years. This recognises the resources councils need to meet their pressures and maintain current service levels

The Settlement is unringfenced to ensure local areas can prioritise based on their own understanding of the needs of their local communities.