Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

I refer the Rt hon. and hon. Members to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 23 February 2026 (HCWS1349).

It is a longstanding principle that Government does not comment on or publish legal advice. The Government has no plans to publish individual correspondence from councils.

Councils are being supported to deliver elections. The administration and cost of running local elections remain matters for local authorities, with wider costs handled in the usual way.

We are also making available up to £63 million in new capacity funding for reorganisation areas.

I refer the Rt hon. and hon. Members to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 23 February 2026 (HCWS1349).

It is a longstanding principle that Government does not comment on or publish legal advice. The Government has no plans to publish individual correspondence from councils.

Councils are being supported to deliver elections. The administration and cost of running local elections remain matters for local authorities, with wider costs handled in the usual way.

We are also making available up to £63 million in new capacity funding for reorganisation areas.

The Flexible Use of Capital Receipts general direction was introduced in 2016 by the previous government and remains substantively unchanged.

This government has not changed the rules on use of capital receipts; not all capital receipts are eligible for use under the general flexibility. For example, under the direction, eligible capital receipts must be genuine disposals outside of the local authorities’ group structure. Nor does the flexibility override any statutory restrictions that may exist on certain types of assets.

The government does not collect specific data on eligible capital receipts held by local authorities.

Use of the flexibility is at the discretion of local authorities but must be compliant with the conditions of the general flexibility and their wider statutory duties. The government is clear that its use should represent value for money and be in the best interests of local residents.

Use of the flexibility is reported annually. The data for 2024/25 can be found here.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 23 February 2026 (HCWS1349).

It is a longstanding principle that government does not comment on or publish legal advice. The case the Rt Hon. Member refers to has now been concluded and the Court did not make any judgement against the government.

Through our National Plan to End Homelessness the government is putting prevention at the heart of public services, alongside with actions to address the root causes of homelessness through building more homes, reforming renters’ rights, and tackling poverty.

Local councils are at the front line of the response to homelessness and must lead the way in putting prevention at the core of their services. The government has increased funding for homelessness services this year to over £1 billion, including a £50 million top-up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant announced on 11 December 2025. You can find allocations here.

We are also investing £3.6 billion in homelessness and rough sleeping services over the next three years, through more flexible multi-year funding arrangements that enable councils to invest more in prevention. This includes over £2.2 billion funding for homelessness and rough sleeping through the Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant. Allocations are published on gov.uk here.

Government has introduced caps for most leaseholders to limit their exposure to building safety costs and worked with industry such that fifty-three developers have, as of 31 October 2025, agreed to fix or pay to fix 2,497 buildings in England with life-critical fire safety defects, at an estimated cost of £4.2bn. When a developer cannot be identified or has not yet agreed to pay for its own buildings, funding has been made directly available to pay for life-threatening fire risks associated with cladding on residential buildings over 11m in height.

To support resident management companies, the Building Safety Act introduced remediation contribution orders (RCOs), allowing interested persons (including RMCs) to compel responsible entities to meet remediation costs. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 allowed RMCs to recover the legal costs of raising an RCO from residents where they may otherwise struggle to raise funds.

The Government remains committed to strengthening protections for leaseholders from current and future building safety issues and is exploring options to support RMCs in meeting their building safety compliance requirements.

There are several existing disqualification criteria for standing as a candidate in elections in the UK which relate to criminal offences. For example, the Elections Act 2022 introduced a disqualification order for those convicted of intimidation or abuse of candidates, campaigners or elected office holders. The effect of the disqualification order is a five-year ban from standing for, or holding, elective office, in addition to any standard punishment for the underlying criminal offence. The Government has introduced the Representation of the People Bill, which will extend the disqualification order to offences motivated by hostility towards electoral staff.

The Representation of the People Act 1983 also defines corrupt and illegal election practices, for which a convicted person is disqualified for up to five years. Additionally, someone cannot be a Police and Crime Commissioner if they have ever been convicted of an imprisonable offence.

With the UK Shared Prosperity Fund concluding in 2026, the government is moving away from short-term, uncertain funding cycles and towards a clearer, more stable long-term funding approach through the Local Government Finance Settlement, complemented by targeted interventions to support growth and strengthen communities. The new £902 million Local Growth Fund is just one component of this strategy; government support for local growth is broader than any single funding stream.

We acknowledge the pressures facing the voluntary and community sectors. By allocating the Local Growth Fund at the Mayoral Strategic Authority level, we are empowering regional leaders to take a more strategic, joined-up approach to investment – one that reflects the real economic geographies in which people live, work and do business. The fund is designed to equip mayors to boost regional productivity through investing in infrastructure, supporting businesses, and helping people find jobs and acquire new skills. Decisions about funding for specific organisations and interventions are for regional leaders to take in line with their local priorities.

With the UK Shared Prosperity Fund concluding in 2026, the government is moving away from short-term, uncertain funding cycles and towards a clearer, more stable long-term funding approach through the Local Government Finance Settlement, complemented by targeted interventions to support growth and strengthen communities. The new £902 million Local Growth Fund is just one component of this strategy; government support for local growth is broader than any single funding stream.

We acknowledge the pressures facing the voluntary and community sectors. By allocating the Local Growth Fund at the Mayoral Strategic Authority level, we are empowering regional leaders to take a more strategic, joined-up approach to investment – one that reflects the real economic geographies in which people live, work and do business. The fund is designed to equip mayors to boost regional productivity through investing in infrastructure, supporting businesses, and helping people find jobs and acquire new skills. Decisions about funding for specific organisations and interventions are for regional leaders to take in line with their local priorities.

With the UK Shared Prosperity Fund concluding in 2026, the government is moving away from short-term, uncertain funding cycles and towards a clearer, more stable long-term funding approach through the Local Government Finance Settlement, complemented by targeted interventions to support growth and strengthen communities. The new £902 million Local Growth Fund is just one component of this strategy; government support for local growth is broader than any single funding stream.

We acknowledge the pressures facing the voluntary and community sectors. By allocating the Local Growth Fund at the Mayoral Strategic Authority level, we are empowering regional leaders to take a more strategic, joined-up approach to investment – one that reflects the real economic geographies in which people live, work and do business. The fund is designed to equip mayors to boost regional productivity through investing in infrastructure, supporting businesses, and helping people find jobs and acquire new skills. Decisions about funding for specific organisations and interventions are for regional leaders to take in line with their local priorities.

With the UK Shared Prosperity Fund concluding in 2026, the government is moving away from short-term, uncertain funding cycles and towards a clearer, more stable long-term funding approach through the Local Government Finance Settlement, complemented by targeted interventions to support growth and strengthen communities. The new £902 million Local Growth Fund is just one component of this strategy; government support for local growth is broader than any single funding stream.

We acknowledge the pressures facing the voluntary and community sectors. By allocating the Local Growth Fund at the Mayoral Strategic Authority level, we are empowering regional leaders to take a more strategic, joined-up approach to investment – one that reflects the real economic geographies in which people live, work and do business. The fund is designed to equip mayors to boost regional productivity through investing in infrastructure, supporting businesses, and helping people find jobs and acquire new skills. Decisions about funding for specific organisations and interventions are for regional leaders to take in line with their local priorities.

Antisemitism has absolutely no place in our society, which is why we’re taking a strong lead in tackling it in all its forms, wherever it manifests.

We work closely with partners to ensure the safety and security of Jewish communities throughout the UK.

This includes working together with the Jewish community to monitor levels of religiously motivated hatred. We continue to closely observe rates of antisemitism across the country and will make the necessary interventions to combat antisemitism in all corners of our society.

Neighbourhood Boards are responsible for making decisions about how £20 million Pride in Place funding will be invested in their area over the next decade. Led by an Independent Chair, Neighbourhood Boards will bring together local people, including residents and community, faith and business leaders, along with the local MP and ward councillor. Further information on Neighbourhood Boards and funding arrangements is set out in our prospectus and supporting guidance.

Luton Borough Council reported their estimate of retained business rates for 2026-27 to the department here in the document ‘National non-domestic rates collected in England 2026 to 2027: local authority data’, in the ‘Part 1' tab and on line 14.

I refer the Rt.hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 107993 on 28 January 2026, regarding the interaction of the 2026 Revaluation with local authority income.

It is long-standing government policy intention that as far as is practicable, local authorities’ income should not be affected by changes to the underlying business rates tax, such as the introduction of the three additional multipliers from 1^st April 2026. The government intends to neutralise the impact of new multipliers on local government income from retained business rates from introduction of the three new multipliers from 1^st April 2026. More information on how it will do so was published in a policy paper in November which can be found here.

Consultations at MHCLG are published on GOV.UK using the ‘consultations’ content type. This page type has been designed by Government Digital Service (GDS) to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 standards.

Teams are supported to follow GDS guidelines for creating accessible web documents when creating consultations. Wherever possible, MHCLG publish consultation documents in HTML format to maximise accessibility.

Respondents can comment on a consultation via an online survey that is hosted on MHCLG’s consultation platform, Citizen Space. The Citizen Space platform has been developed to meet WCAG 2.2 accessibility standards and is commonly used by central and local government to conduct accessible consultation processes.

Most consultations at MHCLG also give users the opportunity to make enquiries and to respond to the consultation via email and/or by post.

We are investing in local government. The government will provide over £5.6 billion of new grant funding towards local government services over the next three years. By the end of the multi-year Settlement (2028-29), the government will have provided a 15.5% increase in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England, worth over £11.4 billion, compared to 2025-26. The government has also announced £4 billion investment over three years for new programmes to deliver improvements in SEND.

The government is introducing a fairer and evidence-based funding system. Our reforms ensure that this funding is allocated fairly, and that the places and services that need it most are supported. We are supporting all authorities to maintain services and manage their updated funding positions with transitional arrangements.

The government recognises that some councils remain in a challenging financial position as they continue to deal with the legacy of the previous system. Any council that has concerns about its financial sustainability should approach the department in the first instance where we will treat all discussions in confidence

The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.

MHCLG publishes quarterly HQ Occupancy Statistics for its headquarters at 2 Marsham Street, London (not proportional attendance). We do not intend to publish regional information or numeric staff attendances.

I refer the Rt.Hon. Member to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 23 February HCWS1349, updating the House on 2026 local elections.

I refer the Rt.Hon. Member to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 23 February HCWS1349, updating the House on 2026 local elections.

Over the multi-year Settlement, Core Spending Power is calculated by assuming that authorities increase their Band D council tax in line with the maximum allowable level set out by the council tax referendum principles; and each authority’s council tax base increases in line with the average annual growth in their council tax base between 2021-22 and 2025-26. This type of approach has been standard practice under successive governments. Explanations on how council tax and associated referendum principles are calculated as part of core spending power is set out here - Explanatory note on Core Spending Power: final local government finance settlement 2026-27 to 2028-29 - GOV.UK.

Local authorities are responsible for setting their own council tax levels. The way council tax in Core Spending Power is estimated is unchanged from previous Local Government Finance Settlements. In line with usual practice and in recognition of the views raised in response to this consultation, the government will continue to keep its methodology for calculating the Core Spending Power of local government under review in future years.

The second homes council tax premium provides local leaders with additional flexibility to address the impacts of second homes and improve the sustainability of local services. It is for individual councils to decide whether it is appropriate to apply the premium in their area. In doing so, councils will consider a range of factors, including local circumstances and the government’s guidance.

I refer the Rt. hon. Member to the answer provided on 4 February 2026 to UIN 109028.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 110704 on 9 February 2026, which applies to all councils. The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 specifies the type of councils which may resolve to move from holding whole council elections to electing by thirds, namely non-metropolitan district that have previously held elections by thirds.

As is usual the government has worked closely with local authorities and their software providers to ensure that billing systems can be updated to take into account the Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief business rates relief ahead of issuing bills for the 2026/27 financial year.

The government will undertake a new burdens assessment and fund the associated new burdens including the administrative and software costs of implementation.

The 2026-27 Local Government Finance Settlement will make available £78 billion in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England, a 6.1% increase compared to 2025-26. The majority of funding in the Settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.

The Department for Transport has also allocated £300 million in capital funding for highways maintenance to local authorities in the South West for the 2025/26 financial year.

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) receipts must be used for the purposes which are set out in section 216 of the Planning Act 2008 and Part 7 of the CIL Regulations.

My Department’s published guidance on the CIL includes detailed advice as to what the levy can be spent on. The guidance in question can be found on gov.uk here.

Resources published by the Planning Advisory Service are available on their website here. These include a guide to publishing an Infrastructure Funding Statement. Infrastructure Funding Statements should provide clarity and transparency for communities and developers on the infrastructure and affordable housing that is expected to be delivered through developer contributions.

On 23 February, the Secretary of State provided an update to the House on local elections: written statement HLWS1367 (attached).

Any decision regarding the headquarters of a strategic authority would be the responsibility of that strategic authority, and not central Government.

I refer hon. Members to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement made on 23 February (HCWS1349).

It is a longstanding principle that government does not comment on or publish legal advice.

I refer hon. Members to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement made on 23 February (HCWS1349).

It is a longstanding principle that government does not comment on or publish legal advice.

I refer hon. Members to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement made on 23 February (HCWS1349).

It is a longstanding principle that government does not comment on or publish legal advice.

It is for individual councils to decide their level of council tax based on their local circumstances and other sources of income. For East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the Government has set a core referendum principle of 3% and a 2% adult social care precept for 2026-27. Where referendum principles are in place, councils seeking to set an increase above this threshold must have it approved by voters.

By 2028-29, this government will have made available a 24.3% increase in Core Spending Power, worth £16.6 billion since coming into power in 2024-25. For Havering, the Settlement makes available up to £329.7 million, which is an increase of 33.5% compared to 2024-25.

Our local government finance reforms get money to where it is needed, but we recognise the challenging context for councils as they continue to deal with the legacy of the previous system. The government has announced a further £77m of Exceptional Financial Support to enable the Council to set a balanced budget in 2026-27 and continues to work closely with the Council.

On 23 February, the Secretary of State has now provided an update to the House on local elections: WMS HCWS1349.

I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 107021 on 20 January 2026.

The Government recognises that restructuring will involve some upfront costs, but experience from previous reorganisations shows that creating strong, sustainable unitary councils delivers long‑term savings and efficiencies.

By reducing duplication, cutting waste and saving back‑office money, unitarisation enables councils to reinvest resources into frontline public services, meaning better outcomes for local residents and better value for money for taxpayers. Exact costs and savings will vary depending on the area and the final decisions on which proposals, if any, are implemented.

Some levying of service charges in the event of a decant may be necessary to help pay for remediation. However, leaseholders with qualifying leases will still benefit from the caps on service charges for building safety defects, as set out at Schedule 8 of the Building Safety Act, irrespective of whether their building has been decanted.

Any service charges wrongfully raised from leaseholders for building safety defects can be recovered from building owners via Remediation Contribution Orders. RCOs can include associated costs of alternative accommodation when residents are decanted from relevant buildings on building safety grounds. This has been set out in extensive guidance on the UK Government website.

Local authorities can apply to the Court to recover their costs if they pay to rehouse residents in these circumstances. There is also limited scope for Resident Management Companies to recover the legal costs of raising an RCO from leaseholders where they might otherwise struggle to find the funds to do so. Relevant guidance can be found here: Amendments to the Building Safety Act introduced through the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 - GOV.UK.

MHCLG ministers are advised by civil servants employed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Details of all meetings with external stakeholders are published on a quarterly basis on gov.uk.

Data relating to the number of wheelchair accessible homes is not collected centrally, although the (attached) English Housing Survey collects occasional series on accessibility and adaptations within the home.

The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making.

The consultation includes proposals for local planning authorities to set requirements for the delivery of M4(2) and M4(3) housing that will meet or exceed their locally assessed need for these types of housing.

In relation to M4(2) requirements, the government is proposing a national minimum that ensures at least 40% of new housing over the course of the plan period is delivered to M4(2) standards. This approach is intended to ensure that necessary levels of accessible housing are provided, while providing authorities with an appropriate degree of flexibility to maximise housebuilding overall.

Through the consultation we are seeking views on these proposals, including whether 40% is the right minimum proportion or whether an alternative requirement is preferable, and on the potential impacts of our proposals on protected groups under the Public Sector Equality Duty.

The consultation can be found on gov.uk here (attached) and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

At 31 January 2026 there were 760 active payroll staff who worked full‑time hours over a compressed period, meaning they received full pay. This figure includes a range of different compressed full‑time working arrangements.

We have made no central assessment on the impact of large-scale commercial events held in public parks in London. Whilst we recognise that open and green spaces are an essential part of local social infrastructure and must be protected for future generations, we also recognise that responsibility for funding, managing and maintaining urban parks lies mainly with local authorities. The government is committed to supporting Local Authorities in developing best practice to manage parks and green spaces.

We are consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including policies on areas of high biodiversity value, and a new requirement for local plans to set standards for green infrastructure drawing on the Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework. The consultation on changes to the NPPF will remain open for responses until 10th March 2026.

On protections for these spaces, last year we announced our intention to review existing protections for public recreational green spaces. We will seek to examine and understand the fragmented and outdated nature of current legislative protections, assess how these protections complement those in the planning system, and consider the lack of central records on protected land.

In the Remediation Acceleration Plan, we set a clear target that, by the end of 2029, every residential building over 11 metres with unsafe cladding will have either completed remediation works or have a firm completion date in place, otherwise the responsible entity will face enforcement action. To this end, we are legislating to give regulators access to new criminal and civil penalties to deal with those that are not doing all they can to remediate their buildings and any party that stands in their way.

The Remediation Acceleration Plan sets out the Government’s intentions to give regulators the power to identify beneficial owners and hold all relevant parties to account. We will also create a new Remediation Backstop, which grants the State step-in powers for remediation. No matter where the responsible entity is based and their responsiveness to enforcement, resident safety must be ensured.

In the Remediation Acceleration Plan, we set a clear target that, by the end of 2029, every residential building over 11 metres with unsafe cladding will have either completed remediation works or have a firm completion date in place, otherwise the responsible entity will face enforcement action. To this end, we are legislating to give regulators access to new criminal and civil penalties to deal with those that are not doing all they can to remediate their buildings and any party that stands in their way.

The Remediation Acceleration Plan sets out the Government’s intentions to give regulators the power to identify beneficial owners and hold all relevant parties to account. We will also create a new Remediation Backstop, which grants the State step-in powers for remediation. No matter where the responsible entity is based and their responsiveness to enforcement, resident safety must be ensured.

The Department is not actively investigating or taking enforcement action against Rockwell (FC100), nor to our knowledge are any of the Department’s arm’s length bodies.

The Government is working with local authorities and fire and rescue services to take enforcement action against building owners who are failing to get on with remediation.

Regulators are operationally independent and are subject to their own duties and regulatory regimes. As such it would be inappropriate for the department to comment on regulatory decision making.

Where remediation is not progressing, local authorities and fire and rescue services have a range of tools to compel building owners to fix their unsafe buildings.

Regulators have long-standing powers under the Housing Act 2004 and Fire Safety Order 2005 to make sure building owners fix their unsafe buildings.

The Building Safety Act 2022 bolstered these powers by introducing remediation orders and remediation contribution orders. These powers allow regulators to apply to the First-tier Tribunal for an order that requires a building owner to fix, or pay to fix, unsafe buildings. In addition, the Fire Safety Order has been strengthened through changes to Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022.

Section 116 of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 makes it clear that a Remediation Contribution Order, under section 124 of the Building Safety Act, can include associated costs of alternative accommodation when residents are decanted from relevant buildings on building safety grounds. There is also provision for local authorities to apply to the Courts, to recover their costs if they pay to rehouse residents in these circumstances.