Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Future standards next year will set our new homes and buildings on a path that moves away from relying on volatile fossil fuels and ensures they are fit for a net zero future. These homes will be future proofed with low carbon heating and high levels of energy efficiency. No further energy efficiency retrofit work will be necessary to enable them to become zero-carbon over time as the electricity grid continues to decarbonise.

For existing homes, the Government’s position is not to force anyone to rip out a working boiler and will incentivise moves to cleaner, affordable heating. The Government has started delivery of the Warm Homes Plan which will support investment in heat pumps and other home improvements to cut bills. More detail will be set out in due course.

The Government has made £15 million available to the places most severely affected by disorder through the Community Recovery Fund to support the immediate recovery. Officials from my department have also carried out an extensive engagement process with these places to understand and address the underlying causes of the unrest.

The disorder that affected communities across the UK following the Southport tragedy this summer has made clear that a new approach to community cohesion is urgently needed. This is a priority for the Government and I have stood up a cross-government Communities & Recovery Steering Group to oversee this work.

We are listening to communities across the country to understand the challenges they face and this will inform how this government works to empower communities and build greater cohesion.

This Government is committed to tackling the horrendous crime of domestic abuse, in line with our manifesto commitment to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, with improved support for victims.

Since 2021, councils in England have a duty to ensure that all victims, including their children, have access to support within safe accommodation when they need it.

This is a locally led duty. Each council must work closely with their Local Partnership Board to assess the needs of victims locally and commission the right safe accommodation support services needed to meet the identified need. MHCLG statutory guidance makes clear that all support provided under the duty should meet appropriate quality standards, such as the MHCLG Quality Standards, which state that victims should be assessed and offered trauma informed services on the basis of their individual need for safety and support.

MHCLG also leads the cross-government Changing Futures programme which works with 15 local partnerships in England to improve outcomes for people facing multiple disadvantages, including domestic abuse, using trauma informed approaches.

Government guidance is available here on help available to domestic abuse victims.

The Government has confirmed that it will not increase council tax referendum principles above the current 3% core council tax principle and the 2% principle for the adult social care precept, in line with the OBR forecasting. This is a continuation of the previous government’s policy, and informs the Core Spending Power figures for both 2024-25 and 2025-26. Further details will be set out at the Local Government Finance settlement.

The Government has published an explanatory note on the methodology used to calculate Core Spending Power for the 2024-25 Local Government Finance Settlement. The note is available on the Gov.UK website here.

The Government has confirmed that it will not increase council tax referendum principles above the current 3% core council tax principle and the 2% principle for the adult social care precept, in line with the OBR forecasting. This is a continuation of the previous government’s policy, and informs the Core Spending Power figures for both 2024-25 and 2025-26. Further details will be set out at the Local Government Finance settlement.

The Government has published an explanatory note on the methodology used to calculate Core Spending Power for the 2024-25 Local Government Finance Settlement. The note is available on the Gov.UK website here.

I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave to Question UIN 7465 on 15 October 2024.

I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave to Question UIN 7465 on 15 October 2024.

I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave to Question UIN 7465 on 15 October 2024.

The Government recognises the importance of town and parish councils for the role they play in empowering the communities they represent. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is involved in regular engagement with the sector.

This government is committed to the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.

Local authorities are responsible for managing the adequacy of social housing with disability access. Local authorities also have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test.

Disabled people of all ages and tenures, including social housing, can apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) to help meet the cost of home adaptations so they can live safely and independently. An additional £86 million for the DFG for 2025-26 was announced in the Budget, bringing the total to £711 million.

In areas with no Parish Council, Parish Meetings can make representations in relation to planning appeals and wider planning consultations.

Beyond this, residents in these areas can engage directly with the various decision-making processes. Those that have already made representations to the local planning authority about a planning application or a local plan consultation, will have their representations forwarded direct to the Planning Inspectorate if there is an appeal or in advance of a local plan examination.

They will also be notified of the appeal or examination, so that they can make further responses or appear at a hearing or inquiry to give evidence. Indeed, residents appear regularly at public hearings and inquiries, where they are afforded time to speak in front of the Planning Inspector.

Community or action groups may also ask to have so-called “Rule 6” status, which entitles them to appear as a formal party to a public inquiry and to cross-examine witnesses.

In the case of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, residents can also register to become “interested parties”. This allows them to make representations to the examining panel. They may also ask to speak at the public examination before the examining panel and to attend site visits.

Special Development Orders are a long-established part of the planning system. Each case is considered on its individual merits. The government have no plans to change the current arrangements.

Restoring stability and fixing the foundations of our economy are the best things we can do to support growth. Tax rises need to play a part to fund public services and to invest in rebuilding Britain – and this includes investment in much needed new social and affordable housing.

At the Budget, the Chancellor set out details of an immediate one-year cash injection of £500 million to top up the existing Affordable Homes Programme which will deliver up to 5,000 new social and affordable homes. This comes ahead of the multi-year Spending Review next spring, where the government will set out details of new investment to succeed the current Affordable Homes Programme.

The government recognises that housing associations and councils need support to build their capacity and make a greater contribution to affordable housing supply. We are consulting on a new 5-year social housing rent settlement to give housing associations and other providers the certainty they need to invest in new social housing. We will be carefully considering all responses to that consultation.

The different relative strengths of the tax bases of councils in England are taken into account in the Local Government Finance Settlement through the Settlement Funding Assessment (SFA) formula, which is used to calculate the SFA allocation that each authority is given.

When the Settlement Funding Assessment was last calculated in 2013/14, Class P exemptions (meaning that the property will be exempt where members and their dependants of visiting forces would be liable for council tax if property is occupied or unoccupied) were considered within the calculation.

This led to West Suffolk receiving an increased share of grant and retained business rates to account for the loss in council tax income. From our assessment in 2013 to 2024, the number of Class P exempt dwellings in West Suffolk has increased by 171 to 4,872, an increase of 2%.The Government has committed to updating the approach to funding allocations within the Local Government Finance Settlement.

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November (HCWS244) which sets out further detail on the steps the government intends to take to implement the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 and to progress the wider set of reforms necessary to end the feudal leasehold system for good.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 6686 on 14 October 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November (HCWS244) which sets out further detail on implementation of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. It also clarifies government's plans to reform leasehold and commonhold.

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November (HCWS244) which sets out further detail on implementation of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. It also clarifies government's plans to reform leasehold and commonhold.

We have announced £1.3 billion of new grant funding in 2025/26 for local government to deliver core services, of which at least £600 million is for social care. Further details will be included in the upcoming Policy Statement and Local Government Finance Settlement.

In regard to whether funding will be made available for changes to:

(a) the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions, English local authorities will be fully compensated for the loss of income and administration costs resulting from administering 40 per cent Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief and freezing the small business multiplier for 2025-26.

(b) the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions, I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 11851 on 8 November 2024.

We have announced £1.3 billion of new grant funding in 2025/26 for local government to deliver core services, of which at least £600 million is for social care. Further details will be included in the upcoming Policy Statement and Local Government Finance Settlement.

In regard to whether funding will be made available for changes to:

(a) the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions, English local authorities will be fully compensated for the loss of income and administration costs resulting from administering 40 per cent Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief and freezing the small business multiplier for 2025-26.

(b) the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions, I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 11851 on 8 November 2024.

The Autumn Statement announced at least £600 million of new grant funding for social care. This funding, alongside income from unringfenced sources including council tax, can be used to address the range of pressures facing the social care sector. Further details will be included in the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement.

Pursuant to the answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 24 October 2024 (HoL Deb col 743), the Government ensures that GOV.UK website pages are kept up to date to accurately reflect any changes to voter registration and voting rights in the UK.

Legislation passed by the previous Government changed the eligibility requirements for EU citizens for certain elections. Those changes took effect on 7 May 2024.

The Register to vote page on GOV.UK, which includes information on the voting rights of individuals from the European Union, was updated on 7 May 2024 to reflect the requirements.

Those pages are regularly reviewed to ensure clarity and accuracy. The Register to vote page has recently been reviewed to improve clarity, and an updated version of the page was published on 4 November 2024.

It is the role of the Electoral Commission to provide guidance to political parties and independent candidates standing in elections. The Electoral Commission updated its online guidance to reflect updated candidacy rights introduced by the Elections Act 2022 for EU citizens in English local elections.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 11562 on 6 November 2024.

The government annually publishes data on the collection of council tax. Data on uncollected council tax up to 2023-24 is below:

(a) I refer the honourable member to the answer to Question UIN 8195 on 22 October 2024. (b) I refer the honourable member to the answer to Question UIN 12772 on 15 November 2024.

The Government has no plans to conduct a council tax revaluation in England. The Government is committed to keeping taxes on working people as low as possible.

As the Housing and Planning Minister said in his written statement on 12 November ‘We want exemplary development to be the norm not the exception so that more communities feel the benefits of new development and welcome it. As we act to boost housing supply, we are therefore determined to take steps to improve the design and quality of the homes and neighbourhoods being built.’

The National Design Guide and National Model Design Code set out ten characteristics of well-designed places and how to achieve good design in the planning system. The department intends to update this guidance in Spring 2025 and will test this with urban design experts and practitioners from local authorities and the private sector. We also intend to establish quarterly Steering Boards on design and placemaking, ensuring that our work is guided by those with relevant professional and practical expertise.

We will continue to bolster design skills and capacity through the £46 million package of capacity and capability support provided to local planning authorities. This will be used to fund the recruitment and training of 300 graduate and apprentice planners, along with the £1 million funding to Public Practice for the recruitment of planners, architects and urban designers. Together, this framework provides a clear basis for the delivery of more high-quality, well-designed homes.

My department intends to update the National Design Guide and National Model Design Code in Spring 2025, and we will continue to bolster design skills and capacity through the £46 million package of capacity and capability support provided to local planning authorities. This will be used to fund the recruitment and training of 300 graduate and apprentice planners, along with £1 million of funding to Public Practice for the recruitment of planners, architects and urban designers.

Together, this framework provides a clear basis for the delivery of more high-quality, well-designed homes.

Additionally, our commitment to recruit 300 additional planners, taken alongside wider planning policy changes, will help us to deliver the housing and economic growth this country desperately needs.

We are also developing a wider programme of support, working with partners across the planning sector, to ensure that local planning authorities have the skills, including around design, both now and in the future.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 2677 on 13 November 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 2676 on 13 November 2024.

The government is committed to supporting the effective planning and management of road works to mitigate disruption. Local highways departments play a crucial role in maintaining and managing the road network within their local areas during development to minimise disruption. As set out in national planning guidance, developers are encouraged to engage with local issues at the earliest opportunity during the application process for national and local infrastructure projects to identify potential impacts of road closures.

The consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework closed on the 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses with a view to publishing a government response before the end of the year.

As set out in my answer to Question UIN 13192, on 11 November 2024 the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to all local authority Chief Executives in England about out-of-area accommodation placements, including temporary accommodation and housing offers to end a homelessness duty.

The letter referred to section 208 of the Housing Act 1996, reminding local authorities that they are required by law to notify the receiving local authority of any out-of-area placement and that this should be happening in every case. It also highlighted the importance of considering safeguarding arrangements when placing households out of area, including relevant consultation with Children’s Services. The letter requested that Chief Executives personally assure themselves that these notifications are happening.

The Government considers that the current local government standards regime is broadly ineffectual, inconsistently applied, and lacking in adequate powers to effectively sanction members found in serious breach of their codes of conduct.

We are actively considering options to strengthen the standards regime for local government and provide councils with more effective means to address serious misconduct by elected members, including a proposal to allow for the suspension of members who violate codes of conduct. We will be consulting with local authorities, sector representative bodies, and other key stakeholders in due course to ensure a wide range of views are heard.

We have announced £1.3 billion of new grant funding in 2025/26 for local government to deliver core services, of which at least £600 million is for social care.

After years of delaying much needed fair funding reform, we will update and improve the approach to funding allocations within the Local Government Finance Settlement by redistributing funding to ensure that it reflects an up-to-date assessment of need and local resources.

This will start with a deprivation-based approach in 2025-26 with additional funding targeted to the places that need it most. Broader redistribution of funding will follow through a multi-year settlement from 2026-27.

We will be publishing a policy statement in late November, where we will set out our intentions for reform of the local government finance system.

From April 2025 councils will have the power to charge a discretionary premium of up to 100% on dwellings which are unoccupied and substantially furnished. The Government recognises there may be circumstances where it may not be appropriate for a premium to apply. That is why the Government is introducing exceptions to premiums from April 2025. Further information on these exceptions is available in: guidance.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today, and the planning system can play a powerful role in helping to mitigate and adapt to its effects. Our recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework consultation sought views on how best to reflect climate change adaptation and mitigation in strengthened planning policies. The consultation closed on the 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses with a view to publishing a government response before the end of the year.

There has been no specific discussion on this topic. The department is always open to hearing from councils about government in their local area.

After years of delaying much needed fair funding reform, we will update and improve the approach to funding allocations within the Local Government Finance Settlement by redistributing funding to ensure that it reflects an up-to-date assessment of need and local resources.

This will start with a deprivation-based approach in 2025-26 with additional funding targeted to the places that need it most. Broader redistribution of funding will follow through a multi-year settlement from 2026-27.

We will be publishing a policy statement in late November, where we will set out our intentions for reform of the local government finance system.

The Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation was published in December 2023 and closed in March 2024, and a government response has not yet been issued. We fully support the need for low carbon homes, fit for a net zero future. We are reviewing proposals and feedback from the Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation and will publish the government response in due course.

The Government has committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. At the Budget we said that at the multi-year Spending Review next spring, we will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and home-ownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for Social Rent. This funding will secure the pipeline of affordable homes and put us on the right path to delivering 1.5 million homes over this Parliament.

As part of the consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system, the Government is seeking views on implementing golden rules to ensure development in the Green Belt is in the public interest. These rules include a target of 50% affordable housing on land released from the Green Belt for residential development, which includes social housing. The consultation closed on the 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses.

South Holland and the Deepings constituency is part of Lincolnshire. Government provided the following Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding to South Holland, South Kesteven (which covers Deeping) and to Lincolnshire for each financial year since 2022-2023.

This information is publicly available on the Foundations website: Disabled Facilities Grant Annual Allocations.

The Written Ministerial Statement my honourable friend has asked about sets out that local authorities may set higher energy efficiency standards than the planned Building Regulations. Local authorities must, though, ensure that development remains viable and that the performance targets of increased standards are expressed in the same terms as are used in the Building Regulations.

The Written Ministerial Statement was recently the subject of a judicial review. The judgement from the High Court may be appealed and, while legal proceedings are ongoing, I cannot comment further.

The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 places a duty on the Government to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities. We will announce our plans for the new Code, including the position on debt recovery fees, in due course.