Aug. 05 2025
Source Page: Letter dated 09/06/2025 from Matthew Pennycook MP to members of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill Committee regarding points raised during the public bill committee debates: transport infrastructure, planning, nature and the Nature Restoration Fund, and compulsory purchase orders. 15p.Aug. 05 2025
Source Page: Letter dated 09/06/2025 from Matthew Pennycook MP to members of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill Committee regarding points raised during the public bill committee debates: transport infrastructure, planning, nature and the Nature Restoration Fund, and compulsory purchase orders. 15p.Asked by: Baroness Gohir (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Khan of Burnley on 13 March (HL Deb col 821), how they will allocate the remaining £350,000 of the £1 million committed to programmes to combat hatred against Muslims, following the allocation of £650,000 to the British Muslim Trust; and what plans they have to allocate these remaining funds to Muslim communities.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As per the Combatting Hate Against Muslims fund: prospectus - GOV.UK, the allocated funding for the Combatting Hate Against Muslims fund was £650,000 for financial year 2025/26.
The government will announce other measures to support community cohesion, including for Muslim communities, in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current number of rough sleepers.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Local authorities in England submit monthly management information on the number of people sleeping rough in their area. The Government publishes this information quarterly on Homelessness statistics - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Housing and Planning on 16 June (HC57265), whether the strengthened local authority powers to take over the management of vacant residential premises will be used to assist the housing of asylum seekers.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government committed to strengthening existing local authority powers to take over the management of vacant residential premises in the Devolution White Paper. It is for local authorities to decide how to use these powers and there is no requirement to use these powers to secure asylum accommodation. We are committed to empowering local authorities to continue using the range of powers and incentives that they have to tackle long-term empty homes, given that these properties can attract anti-social behaviour and exacerbate local housing shortages.
This government are committed to developing a long-term strategy for asylum accommodation which will deliver a better long-term model of accommodation supply to reduce the use of hotels and competition for affordable housing. As allocated through the Spending Review, the government will be investing £500 million in a more sustainable accommodation model, delivered by MHCLG in partnership with the Home Office and developed in consultation with local authorities in order to deliver better outcomes for communities and taxpayers.
Aug. 04 2025
Source Page: Interministerial Group for Elections and Registration Communiqué: 30 June 2025Asked by: Lord Harper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in relation to paragraph 15 of the policy paper "Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern & secure elections", published on 17 July, why it has been decided that (1) the data for children aged between 16–18 will be available on the open register, and (2) children aged between 16–18 will be included in the requirements for house-to-house visits as part of the annual canvass by electoral registration officers; and what safeguarding issues were considered in that decision making process.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As outlined in the recently published ‘Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections’, the Government recognises the importance of taking a particularly careful approach to the handling of data of under 18s who are on the electoral register and our plans reflect this. We are working closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office to ensure appropriate safeguards are put in place to protect young peoples’ data. We will ensure UK GDPR conditions are complied with, including a Data Protection Impact Assessment and providing a policy document setting out compliance and retention policies and we will ensure that any privacy notices are suitable for this age group.
We will also remove the presumption that citizens will be added to the open register unless they opt out. Citizens will need to opt in if they wish to appear on the open register. In line with guidance from Information Commissioner’s Office, we consider that an opt in arrangement is a more effective form of consent than the existing opt out process. This will mean those aged between 16 and 17, alongside those aged 18 and over, will be able to make an informed decision and their data will only appear on the open register if they actively decide that they want to allow it.
This government is committed to ensuring that everyone who is entitled to register to vote is able to. The primary purposes of the annual canvass are to ensure our electoral registers are kept up to date and to ensure those entitled to register are identified and invited to do so. 16- and 17-year-olds are already canvassed in the same way as other electors due to their inclusion on the electoral register as attainers. In extending the right to vote to 16- and 17-year-olds, it is vital they are given the same opportunities to be accurately registered as any other elector.
Our approach balances the need for adequate safeguards within our electoral system, without disadvantaging young voters from being able to participate in it. This mirrors the approaches taken in Scotland and Wales, where the right to vote has already been extended to those aged 16 and 17.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will provide any transition funding to councils in London facing financial cuts due to the implementation of Fair Funding 2.0; and if so, how much will be available to each London council.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The proposals in the Fair Funding Review 2.0 are subject to consultation and decisions have yet to be taken that will determine final allocations and the design of transitional arrangements. These proposals will target central government grant where it is needed most and we expect that the vast majority of councils with social care responsibilities will see their Core Spending Power increase in real terms over the multi-year Settlement.
We are also inviting views on a package of transitional arrangements available over the multi-year Spending Review period. For those councils who would see their funding fall as a result of these changes, our intention is to protect the vast majority of these councils’ income through a ‘flat cash’ (or 0%) funding floor. The consultation is live until 15th August. We will publish further information in the consultation response in autumn, followed by the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what financial assessment they have made of the impact of the Fair Funding Review 2.0, published on 20 June, on each London council.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The proposals in the Fair Funding Review 2.0 are subject to consultation and decisions have yet to be taken that will determine final allocations and the design of transitional arrangements. These proposals will target central government grant where it is needed most and we expect that the vast majority of councils with social care responsibilities will see their Core Spending Power increase in real terms over the multi-year Settlement.
We are also inviting views on a package of transitional arrangements available over the multi-year Spending Review period. For those councils who would see their funding fall as a result of these changes, our intention is to protect the vast majority of these councils’ income through a ‘flat cash’ (or 0%) funding floor. The consultation is live until 15th August. We will publish further information in the consultation response in autumn, followed by the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year.
Asked by: Lord Harper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in relation to the policy paper "Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern & secure elections", published on 17 July, which are the "legitimate smaller parties” referred to in paragraph 63.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The prohibition on dual registration has historically affected organisations which operated under formal electoral agreements and stood joint candidates with other parties. Despite their longstanding and legitimate arrangements, these restrictions meant legitimate smaller parties were excluded from participating fully, effectively barring these parties from our democracy.
These reforms now plan to correct this issue in limited circumstances, which will allow legitimate campaigning, while still preventing parties from gaming the system.
These measures support the broader democratic objective of enabling a diverse range of campaigners to participate in political debate. It is vital that voters are able to hear a variety of voices and perspectives, and third-party campaigners play a critical role in fostering healthy democratic engagement.