Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the financial sustainability of local authorities projecting significant drawdowns from reserves within the next three years.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government considers reserves to be an important part of the resources available to local authorities.

We encourage local authorities to consider how they can use their reserves to maintain services in the face of pressures, taking account, of course, of the need to maintain appropriate levels of reserves to support their financial sustainability and future investment.

Data from the 2024-5 financial year can be found on gov.uk here.

Further information about an individual local authority's reserves can be found in the financial accounts published by that authority. The government will continue to monitor the level of local authority reserves.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the written statement of 4 December 2025, HCWS1128, on Devolution Priority Programme, whether delays to scheduled combined authority mayoral elections will impact the implementation of the overnight visitors levy.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government will set out its legislative priorities for the second session in the King's speech. We expect that local leaders will be able to introduce a levy before the end of this Parliament. It will be for Mayors, once elected, to decide whether a visitor levy is right for their area.

The government intends to establish Mayoral Strategic Authorities in all the Devolution Priority Programme areas as soon as possible, to ensure sufficient time for meaningful preparatory work and continue to build local collaboration. We will work closely with each Devolution Priority Programme area to ensure they can start delivering on key local priorities and deliver the benefits of devolution on the ground ahead of the mayors taking office.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to the press release of 25 November 2025, Levy on overnight trips will help mayors invest in local growth, on what date mayors were informed of that policy.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government received representations from Mayors for a new visitor levy power earlier this year. Following consideration of these representations, Mayors were informed of the policy on 25 November.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Base Liability for business rate transitional relief calculations from which the transitional cap applies in 2026/27 is based on the 2025-26 bill (a) after or (b) before the 40% Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief was applied.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Support for those facing increases in business rates bills at the 2026 revaluation is provided by the Transitional Relief Scheme and the Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme.

Transitional Relief is calculated from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill before all other reliefs. However, the Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme calculates support from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill including eligible reliefs. For the 2026 scheme, those ratepayers losing some or all of their Small Business Rate Relief, Rural Rate Relief, 2025/26 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief, or 2023 Supporting Small Business Rate Relief will be eligible for the 2026 Supporting Small Business Scheme.

The statutory instrument to take forward the 2026 Transitional Relief scheme was laid on 15 December 2025. The Department issued the guidance for local authorities to implement the 2026 Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme on 15 December. The Treasury has also published a factsheet, Budget 2025: Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Factsheet, which includes case studies and example rates bills.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the calculation of transitional relief for business rates is based on bills before the application of transitional relief in a previous revaluation cycle.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Support for those facing increases in business rates bills at the 2026 revaluation is provided by the Transitional Relief Scheme and the Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme.

Transitional Relief is calculated from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill before all other reliefs. However, the Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme calculates support from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill including eligible reliefs. For the 2026 scheme, those ratepayers losing some or all of their Small Business Rate Relief, Rural Rate Relief, 2025/26 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief, or 2023 Supporting Small Business Rate Relief will be eligible for the 2026 Supporting Small Business Scheme.

The statutory instrument to take forward the 2026 Transitional Relief scheme was laid on 15 December 2025. The Department issued the guidance for local authorities to implement the 2026 Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme on 15 December. The Treasury has also published a factsheet, Budget 2025: Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Factsheet, which includes case studies and example rates bills.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the additional cost of including Police and Crime Commissioners in the elections of (1) 2016, (2) 2021 and (3) 2024.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The cost of the 2016 Police and Crime Commissioner elections was £49.6m. A detailed report on the cost of that election can be found at (attached) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-costs-of-the-2016-police-and-crime-commissioner-elections.

The cost of the 2021 Police and Crime Commissioner election was £49.3m and a detailed report will be published shortly.

The final cost of the 2024 PCC election will not be known until all the Returning Officer claims have been scrutinised and settled. However, the estimated cost is approximately £87m as set out in the (attached) The Police and Crime Commissioner Elections (Local Returning Officers’ and Police Area Returning Officers’ Charges) Order 2024.

These figures represent the total cost of running the PCC elections. Where PCC elections were combined with other polls, some costs – such as for polling stations – were shared across all polls. This reduced the overall cost for each election compared to running them separately. The cost of PCC elections is met from the Consolidated Fund.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to procure 1 million extra rental properties that are estimated by the National Residential Landlords Association to be required by 2031.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

In our Plan for Change, we have set an ambitious milestone of building 1.5 million new homes across all tenures in England in this Parliament. At the Spending Review, we announced £39 billion for a successor to the Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36. For further information, I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement published on 2 July (HLWS770).

The government is committed to supporting the Build to Rent sector. We are unlocking nearly £2 billion in additional lending through the Private Rented Sector Guarantee Scheme and have announced a £700 million extension to the Home Building Fund to help deliver more homes alongside institutional investors, including those provided by Build to Rent operators.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to work with the environmental horticulture sector to review challenges around planning to incentivise growers and garden centres to install more onsite reservoirs and rainwater harvesting systems.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The government is currently reviewing recommendations to enable the adoption of water reuse in the Independent Water Commission and will respond to these via a White Paper. We recognise the potential of the horticultural sector to take advantage of available rainwater and will review engagement opportunities with representatives as part of our policy development.

The government will also clarify the Planning Practice Guidance for the permitted development right that grants planning permission for the development of agricultural reservoirs.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that gardens and green spaces included in new developments are of a (1) high quality, and (2) minimum size.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that local plans should make sufficient provision for and maintain and enhance networks of green infrastructure, which includes both gardens and green spaces. Green infrastructure is a network of multi-functional green and blue spaces and other natural features, urban and rural, which is capable of delivering a wide range of environmental, economic, health and wellbeing benefits.

Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework helps to define what good green infrastructure ‘looks like’ for local planners, developers and communities. The Green Infrastructure Framework includes a standard on accessible greenspace which sets criteria on size, proximity and quality.

The government is consulting on changes to the NPPF, which include a new requirement for local plans to set out standards for green infrastructure, drawing upon Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Standards. The consultation on changes to the NPPF is available here (attached): National Planning Policy Framework: proposed reforms and other changes to the planning system - GOV and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether local authority selective licensing for residential properties will duplicate the private rented sector database in the Renters' Rights Act 2025; and what assessment they have made of the impact of each of those schemes on costs for landlords and tenants.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Selective licensing and the Private Rented Sector Database have different purposes. Unlike the Database, selective licensing schemes aim to target specific local issues by enabling more intensive proactive enforcement strategies.

We recognise the need to keep requirements for landlords proportionate and fair. While Database registration brings some additional requirements, we are committed to ensuring these remain reasonable.

We will continue to review the use of selective licensing as we develop the Private Rented Sector Database – refining the way the two systems work together.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of staff in his Department were promoted (a) in-grade and (b) to a higher grade in the last year broken down by (i) performance marking in the previous year and (ii) grade.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The information is not held centrally in the format requested and could only be provided at a disproportionate time and cost.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of his Department's staff in each grade were rated in the top performance category in the last year.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The department operates a rating-less system for Performance & Development and as such the information requested is not available.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of post-planning early- and late-stage reviews on development viability in London.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Planning practice guidance on viability states that plans should set out circumstances where review mechanisms may be appropriate and how they will operate. The application of this and wider guidance in London is a matter for local planning authorities and the Greater London Authority.

While viability pressures are impacting residential development in many parts of the country, we know they are particularly acute in London. Those pressures were already resulting in proportions of affordable housing being reduced on schemes following viability assessment. According to Greater London Authority (GLA) monitoring data, the average affordable housing level of referable applications that have been approved through their viability tested route was 20 per cent between 2022-2024.

To address this, the Secretary of State and the Mayor of London announced a new package of support for housebuilding in London that included developers to access a new, time-limited planning route to incentivise build out. This will sit alongside the existing Fast Track and Viability Tested routes and will enable developers to secure planning permission without a viability assessment on private land within certain conditions.

The GLA opened a consultation for this time-limited measure, and the proposal of the targeted withdrawal of guidance that limits density, on Thursday 27 November which can be found at Support for Housebuilding LPG | London City Hall (attached).

My Department also launched a consultation on the temporary relief from the Community Infrastructure Levy and changes to Mayoral planning powers which can be found at Support for housebuilding in London - GOV.UK (attached). These consultations close on 22 January 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of developers’ ability under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to support apprenticeships and upskilling across local authorities as well as in specified developments, and to that end provide wage support as well as direct training costs.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Section 106 planning obligations are legally binding agreements made to mitigate the impacts of a proposed development. These obligations are an essential part of the planning system, ensuring that developments contribute positively to their surrounding area and address specific concerns that arise as a result of their implementation.

All contributions under Section 106 must adhere to the three statutory tests set out in regulation 122 of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) regulations. Any contribution must be:

• Necessary to make the development acceptable in planning terms;
• Directly related to the development; and
• Reasonable in scale and kind.

Ultimately, the responsibility for determining whether a planning obligation is necessary to make a development acceptable lies with the local planning authority – including any obligation around to apprenticeships and skills.

Current planning practice guidance encourages local planning authorities to facilitate the process of agreeing planning obligations by using and publishing standard forms and templates. These resources may include model agreements and clauses, some of which have already been published by other organisations. Making these documents publicly available assists both authorities and applicants during the planning application process.

Guidance additionally states that policies regarding planning obligations should be clearly set out in local plans and subject to public examination, ensuring transparency and consistency in their application.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance, if any, they provide to local authorities on the content and drafting of agreements made under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Section 106 planning obligations are legally binding agreements made to mitigate the impacts of a proposed development. These obligations are an essential part of the planning system, ensuring that developments contribute positively to their surrounding area and address specific concerns that arise as a result of their implementation.

All contributions under Section 106 must adhere to the three statutory tests set out in regulation 122 of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) regulations. Any contribution must be:

• Necessary to make the development acceptable in planning terms;
• Directly related to the development; and
• Reasonable in scale and kind.

Ultimately, the responsibility for determining whether a planning obligation is necessary to make a development acceptable lies with the local planning authority – including any obligation around to apprenticeships and skills.

Current planning practice guidance encourages local planning authorities to facilitate the process of agreeing planning obligations by using and publishing standard forms and templates. These resources may include model agreements and clauses, some of which have already been published by other organisations. Making these documents publicly available assists both authorities and applicants during the planning application process.

Guidance additionally states that policies regarding planning obligations should be clearly set out in local plans and subject to public examination, ensuring transparency and consistency in their application.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that empty properties on high streets and in town centres are brought back into use.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

This government is committed to tackling high street vacancy. In December 2024, we introduced High Street Rental Auction powers which enable local authorities to auction the lease of persistently vacant properties so they can be brought back into use. We are working with 12 early adopter councils who are prioritising implementation of the powers, and initial results suggest the powers can be effective at reoccupying vacant units.

Through the Pride in Place strategy, we are equipping councils with a wider range of new tools to support the high street, including streamlined compulsory purchase powers and a new Community Right to Buy.

We are also supporting high street businesses with permanently lower business rates multipliers from 2026/27, and by banning upwards only rent reviews in commercial leases.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to publish a plain English guide to transitional relief and supporting small business relief.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Support for those facing increases in business rates bills at the 2026 revaluation is provided by the Transitional Relief Scheme and the Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme.

Transitional Relief is calculated from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill before all other reliefs. However, the Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme calculates support from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill including eligible reliefs. For the 2026 scheme, those ratepayers losing some or all of their Small Business Rate Relief, Rural Rate Relief, 2025/26 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief, or 2023 Supporting Small Business Rate Relief will be eligible for the 2026 Supporting Small Business Scheme.

The statutory instrument to take forward the 2026 Transitional Relief scheme was laid on 15 December 2025. The Department issued the guidance for local authorities to implement the 2026 Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme on 15 December. The Treasury has also published a factsheet, Budget 2025: Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Factsheet, which includes case studies and example rates bills.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2025, to Question 46110, on Waste Disposal: Birmingham, whether he plans to request further support from military personnel in relation to this strike.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Currently, there is no build-up of waste in Birmingham and collection rates remain consistently high. A small number of office-based military personnel with logistical expertise were made available to the Council when it was dealing with a Major Incident earlier in the year but they returned to normal duties after a short period. We are in close contact with Commissioners and the Council as we continue to monitor the situation. The government’s priority is Birmingham’s residents, and we will continue to support the Council to keep streets clean during any disputes.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the written statement on 19 November 2025, HCWS1071, on Local Government Reorganisation, by when legislation is needed to cancel local elections that were scheduled to take place in May 2026.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As set out in my statement of 18 December, councils are in the best position to judge their local capacity and the impact of potential postponements of local elections in their area. In the spirit of devolution and trusting local leaders, this government will listen to them.

We have therefore written to council leaders in the councils going through reorganisation with elections scheduled for May 2026, inviting them to set out their views by 15 January.

If any legislation is required, it will be brought forward as soon as possible.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) homelessness and (b) temporary accommodation on (i) families and (ii) children in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Homelessness is one of the deepest forms of poverty. A stay in temporary accommodation is linked to worse outcomes for children’s education, health and future.

Through our Child Poverty Strategy and National Plan to End Homelessness, this government is focussing on delivering long-term solutions to tackle poverty, boost living standards, and address the lack of affordable housing supply, whilst also taking immediate action to end the unlawful use of Bed and Breakfasts for families, improve the quality of temporary accommodation and reduce the costs for councils.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the letter from the Minister for Local Government and Homelessness to council leaders on the local government publicity code, dated 19 November 2025, whether local authorities may fund public affairs consultants and public relations firms for statutory consultations on unitary local government restructuring.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Publicity Code provision at paragraph 26 under the heading of the “appropriate use of publicity” principle states local authorities should not incur any expenditure in retaining the services of lobbyists for the purpose of the publication of any material designed to influence public officials, Members of Parliament, political parties or the government to take a particular view on any issue.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what oversight his Department will provide to ensure that (a) borough and (b) district councils do not take on significant costs during local government reorganisation in Surrey.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 99016 on 19 December 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of funding for new unitary authorities in Surrey, including in (a) statutory services and (b) wider local infrastructure and housing provision.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 99016 on 19 December 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with (a) Surrey County Council and (b) borough councils in west Surrey on the financial arrangements for a proposed unitary authority.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 99016 on 19 December 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to help ensure that local elections take place in Devon in May 2027.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We received final proposals from the Devon, Plymouth and Torbay invitation area on 28 November 2025. Government will consult in the new year on proposals that meet the terms of the invitation letter of 5 February 2025 before deciding which, if any, to implement.

The government will work with areas to hold elections for new unitary councils as soon as possible as is the usual arrangement in the process of local government reorganisation. Our expectation is that elections will be held to new councils in May 2027 ahead of “go live” for the new structures in 2028.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will meet with the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon and their constituents to discuss how to improve access to appropriate accommodation for families with significant medical needs.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Government recognises how important the right home environment is in enabling disabled people to live as safely, well and independently as possible.

As part of the legislative framework for social housing allocations, Local Housing Authorities are required to give reasonable preference (priority) to people who need to move on medical or welfare grounds, including grounds relating to a disability. This is to ensure that social housing goes to those who need it most.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, requires local planning authorities to assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including those of disabled people, and to reflect this in planning policies. Where an identified need exists, plans are expected to help bring forward an adequate supply of accessible housing. This can include setting out the proportion of new homes to be delivered to accessibility standards. The government will shortly set out its policies on accessible new build housing, reinforcing our commitment to ensuring everyone has access to a safe, suitable home.

The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is a capital grant administered by local authorities in England that can help meet the cost of adaptations for people of all ages and tenures to make their home safe and suitable for their needs.

The DFG is there to enable all eligible disabled people to access vital home adaptations, subject to a needs assessment and means test. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test, and have powers to agree a more generous local policy. To support this duty, government have boosted funding for the DFG to £711 million for both 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Government continues to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. We have consulted on a new approach to allocating DFG funding to local authorities in England to ensure funding for the grant is better aligned with local needs. Responses have been carefully analysed and we are now considering next steps.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to help families in which at least one person has a serious medical condition to access appropriate housing.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Government recognises how important the right home environment is in enabling disabled people to live as safely, well and independently as possible.

As part of the legislative framework for social housing allocations, Local Housing Authorities are required to give reasonable preference (priority) to people who need to move on medical or welfare grounds, including grounds relating to a disability. This is to ensure that social housing goes to those who need it most.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, requires local planning authorities to assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including those of disabled people, and to reflect this in planning policies. Where an identified need exists, plans are expected to help bring forward an adequate supply of accessible housing. This can include setting out the proportion of new homes to be delivered to accessibility standards. The government will shortly set out its policies on accessible new build housing, reinforcing our commitment to ensuring everyone has access to a safe, suitable home.

The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is a capital grant administered by local authorities in England that can help meet the cost of adaptations for people of all ages and tenures to make their home safe and suitable for their needs.

The DFG is there to enable all eligible disabled people to access vital home adaptations, subject to a needs assessment and means test. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test, and have powers to agree a more generous local policy. To support this duty, government have boosted funding for the DFG to £711 million for both 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Government continues to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. We have consulted on a new approach to allocating DFG funding to local authorities in England to ensure funding for the grant is better aligned with local needs. Responses have been carefully analysed and we are now considering next steps.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will reform the Disabled Facilities Grant system to improve support for families who need to move to access an adaptable property.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Government recognises how important the right home environment is in enabling disabled people to live as safely, well and independently as possible.

As part of the legislative framework for social housing allocations, Local Housing Authorities are required to give reasonable preference (priority) to people who need to move on medical or welfare grounds, including grounds relating to a disability. This is to ensure that social housing goes to those who need it most.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, requires local planning authorities to assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including those of disabled people, and to reflect this in planning policies. Where an identified need exists, plans are expected to help bring forward an adequate supply of accessible housing. This can include setting out the proportion of new homes to be delivered to accessibility standards. The government will shortly set out its policies on accessible new build housing, reinforcing our commitment to ensuring everyone has access to a safe, suitable home.

The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is a capital grant administered by local authorities in England that can help meet the cost of adaptations for people of all ages and tenures to make their home safe and suitable for their needs.

The DFG is there to enable all eligible disabled people to access vital home adaptations, subject to a needs assessment and means test. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test, and have powers to agree a more generous local policy. To support this duty, government have boosted funding for the DFG to £711 million for both 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Government continues to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. We have consulted on a new approach to allocating DFG funding to local authorities in England to ensure funding for the grant is better aligned with local needs. Responses have been carefully analysed and we are now considering next steps.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department advises councils to undertake an economic or housing market impact assessment prior to implementing (a) empty or (b) second home premiums on council tax.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government does not prescribe any specific impact assessments that should be undertaken when councils decide to charge council tax premiums. However, we have published guidance setting out some of the steps they should take. This includes making an assessment of impacts on the local population, its communities, and the local economy. Councils are required to have regard to this guidance, which is available here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to strengthen national guidance on accessible housing provision within local plans.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Government recognises how important the right home environment is in enabling disabled people to live as safely, well and independently as possible.

As part of the legislative framework for social housing allocations, Local Housing Authorities are required to give reasonable preference (priority) to people who need to move on medical or welfare grounds, including grounds relating to a disability. This is to ensure that social housing goes to those who need it most.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, requires local planning authorities to assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including those of disabled people, and to reflect this in planning policies. Where an identified need exists, plans are expected to help bring forward an adequate supply of accessible housing. This can include setting out the proportion of new homes to be delivered to accessibility standards. The government will shortly set out its policies on accessible new build housing, reinforcing our commitment to ensuring everyone has access to a safe, suitable home.

The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is a capital grant administered by local authorities in England that can help meet the cost of adaptations for people of all ages and tenures to make their home safe and suitable for their needs.

The DFG is there to enable all eligible disabled people to access vital home adaptations, subject to a needs assessment and means test. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test, and have powers to agree a more generous local policy. To support this duty, government have boosted funding for the DFG to £711 million for both 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Government continues to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. We have consulted on a new approach to allocating DFG funding to local authorities in England to ensure funding for the grant is better aligned with local needs. Responses have been carefully analysed and we are now considering next steps.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 87 of the policy document entitled Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29, of 20 November 2025, what the maximum council tax percentage threshold is that his Department will except; and whether councils will be allowed to set a threshold above 5% over multiple years.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This week the government published the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement, which restated our commitment to review requests for additional flex. This aligns with precedent set by the previous government and is in recognition of the extremely difficult financial situation that many councils are facing.

We have not set out a maximum percentage threshold for each year, or set out limits on whether councils can request flexibility over multiple years. We encourage councils to provide this information when making requests to the Department, with detail on their financial position over multiple years.

It is for local authorities to decide the level of council tax they wish to request and set. This will reflect the service needs of each area having taken account of their other sources of income. The government is clear that in doing so, they should put taxpayers first.

Fairness for taxpayers is at the heart of this government’s decision making. We will not accept requests for additional flexibility where this would result in taxpayers paying bills above the average. For the vast majority of councils, the government intends to maintain a core referendum threshold of 3%, and a 2% adult social care precept over the multi-year Settlement.

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 above inflation council tax increases on the delivery of local public services in a) England and b) Leicester.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department has not made specific assessments on the impacts of council tax increases on the delivery of local public services. It is for individual councils to set their own level of council tax. The government intends to maintain a core 3% referendum principle and a 2% adult social care precept and will consult on this at the provisional local government finance settlement. Local authorities who wish to set their council tax level above the referendum threshold must obtain the approval of local voters.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to i) support local authorities in managing temporary accommodation costs and ii) ensure value for money in capital investment programmes.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government has increased funding for homelessness services to over £1 billion, including a £50 million top up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant announced in December 2025. We are also investing £3.5 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.

We are also providing £950 million capital for the fourth round of the Local Authority Housing Fund - the largest round of the fund to date - to support local authorities in England to increase the supply of better-quality temporary accommodation and to support resettlement.

At Autumn Budget 2025, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced he will work across government to improve the value for money of homelessness services and achieve better outcomes so that we can improve the supply of good-value-for-money and good-quality temporary accommodation and supported housing.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government has considered standardising the collection of nationality-grouped data at national level to ensure consistent oversight of local-election eligibility across the UK.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department does not hold data on the number of foreign nationals registered to vote in UK local elections. Electoral registers are managed at a local level by Electoral Registration Officers. The Electoral Commission already has access to information about nationality that is held on electoral registers and have published this data in the past, including most recently in 2023. The government has no plans to make any changes to these matters.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department holds aggregated data on the number of foreign nationals registered to vote in UK local elections, broken down by EU citizens, Irish citizens, and qualifying Commonwealth citizens.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department does not hold data on the number of foreign nationals registered to vote in UK local elections. Electoral registers are managed at a local level by Electoral Registration Officers. The Electoral Commission already has access to information about nationality that is held on electoral registers and have published this data in the past, including most recently in 2023. The government has no plans to make any changes to these matters.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to require the Electoral Commission to collect nationality data already held by EROs in order to improve transparency and electoral integrity.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department does not hold data on the number of foreign nationals registered to vote in UK local elections. Electoral registers are managed at a local level by Electoral Registration Officers. The Electoral Commission already has access to information about nationality that is held on electoral registers and have published this data in the past, including most recently in 2023. The government has no plans to make any changes to these matters.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy for either (a) his Department or (b) the Electoral Commission to centrally collect nationality data for registered electors.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department does not hold data on the number of foreign nationals registered to vote in UK local elections. Electoral registers are managed at a local level by Electoral Registration Officers. The Electoral Commission already has access to information about nationality that is held on electoral registers and have published this data in the past, including most recently in 2023. The government has no plans to make any changes to these matters.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether nationality data held by EROs is used in any national-security screening or analysis relating to electoral interference risk.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department does not hold data on the number of postal or proxy votes issued to foreign nationals eligible to vote in English local elections. The Department also does not hold data on the number of foreign nationals registered to vote in English local elections.

Electoral registers and the approval and issuing of postal and proxy votes are managed at a local level by Electoral Registration Officers.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government monitors the number of postal or proxy votes issued to non-UK nationals eligible to vote in local elections.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department does not hold data on the number of postal or proxy votes issued to foreign nationals eligible to vote in English local elections. The Department also does not hold data on the number of foreign nationals registered to vote in English local elections.

Electoral registers and the approval and issuing of postal and proxy votes are managed at a local level by Electoral Registration Officers.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer to Question 97399 on Local Government: Essex, what plans his Department has to help increase levels of public engagement with the local government reorganisation process for Greater Essex.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

When we launched the consultation on local government reorganisation in Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock, we asked councils to use their existing mechanisms and forums to seek to bring the consultation to the attention of people and organisations in their local area. This is to facilitate the widest possible awareness of the consultation.

The hon. Member’s constituents are able to respond to the consultation here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the consultation response entitled Strengthening the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England – consultation results and government response, of 11 November 2025, whether the mandatory code of conduct will extend to conduct in a personal capacity.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The mandatory code the government intends to introduce as part of the full reform of the local government standards and conduct framework will ensure that every elected member in England is clear what standard of conduct and behaviour is demanded of them in all aspects of their public office.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2025, to Question 90719, on Local Government Finance, further to the figures listed for 2024-25 and 2025-26, which local authorities have had disposal flexibility requests approved since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Flexible Use of Capital Receipts general direction was introduced in 2016 by the previous government and remains substantively unchanged. As in previous years, the government does not approve specific use of the flexibility.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether safeguards are in place to prevent newly established unitary authorities in Surrey from being required to dispose of local assets in order to manage financial liabilities.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 99016 on 19 December 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the letter entitled 5/2025: Confirmation of Budget package and the Non-Domestic Rating Multipliers for 2026/2027, of 26 November 2025, whether the calculation of the amount and capping of transitional relief is based on the previous business rates bill which includes the value of the previous Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief in 2025-26.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The 2026 Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme provides support for ratepayers losing certain reliefs including the current 40% relief for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

The Supporting Small Businesses Relief is calculated from a base liability that takes into account the effect of eligible reliefs – Small Business Rate Relief, Rural Rate Relief, 2025/26 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief, or 2023 Supporting Small Business Relief. The government published guidance for local authorities on the administration of the scheme on 15 December. This can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to WPQ 97762 answered on 15 Dec 2026, what is the (a) minimum and (b) maximum estimate of the (i) cost, and (ii) saving effects on the public purse of proposed local government reorganisation among the proposals he is considering, at their current stage of development for Hampshire in each of the next five years.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local Government Reorganisation is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to work together to put local government on a more sustainable footing, creating simpler structures that will deliver the services that local people and businesses need and deserve.

In our invitations to councils, we asked areas to set out in their proposals how they will seek to manage their transition costs up to vesting day in 2028, as well as the projected costs and savings for the new unitary councils. The financial cases for each proposal have been published online by those councils, and are signposted in the government’s consultation documents.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 75987 on Local Government: Reorganisation, whether he has a policy on the area that Charter Trustees should cover.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Government policy is to work with local leaders to ensure ceremonial rights are maintained through local government reorganisation.

Charter trustees are one of the mechanisms available. Their role is simply to protect ceremonial rights and civic traditions, not to exercise wider powers. They may be established in unparished areas following the abolition of a council to ensure that historic property is maintained for an area where there is no parish or town council to take on those historic charters. Their area is therefore limited to the former chartered area.

Further detail on charter trustees and how they work is set out in the Charter Trustee Regulations 2009. We will continue to work with local councils throughout reorganisation to consider if these are an appropriate mechanism for each area at the appropriate time.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with [i] Local Councils and [ii] third party charities and advice organisations to understand the potential challenges faced with [a] supporting people with council tax debts and [b] using bailiffs to collect unpaid council tax.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government has recently consulted on the administration of council tax, including its collection and enforcement. As part of this consultation, my officials held direct engagement sessions with local councils and the debt advice sector on these issues. The government is currently considering all responses to the consultation and will publish its response in due course.

Separately, the Ministry of Justice has consulted on proposals to introduce independent statutory regulation of the enforcement sector. The government will publish its response to that consultation in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the London Plan 2021 on the number of houses built in London.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Section 346 of the Greater London Authority (GLA) Act 1999 places a duty on the Mayor to monitor the implementation of the Mayor’s London Plan. The second Annual Monitoring Report under the 2021 Plan, was published in September 2025 and showed that housing completions reduced in 2022-23. You can find the Annual Monitoring Report published by the Greater London Authority here: Monitoring the London Plan | London City Hall.

The Government recognises that London housing delivery is below the level of housing need in London and below the annual target set out in the London Plan 2021. To address this, the Secretary of State and the Mayor of London announced a new package of support for housebuilding in London in October 2025. I refer the Noble Baroness to the Written Ministerial Statement published on 23 October 2025 (HLWS989).

The Mayor is currently working on a new London Plan, with consultation on a draft expected in summer 2026. The Government will work with the Mayor to ensure that the next London Plan is ambitious and aligned with our priorities set out nationally through the National Planning Policy Framework.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of scrutiny involved in decisions by the Regulator of Social Housing to close investigations into regulatory or compliance issues; and what mechanisms exist to review such decisions.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Regulator of Social Housing operates independently of Government.

If the Regulator identifies serious failings in delivering the outcomes required by its standards, it engages intensively until the landlord provides evidence which gives assurance that the relevant weaknesses or failings have been addressed. Once the Regulator is satisfied that sufficient progress has been made, it may reflect this through removing or updating previous regulatory judgments. However, engagement may continue to ensure improvements continue.

Decisions of this nature are a matter for the Regulator. Ministers and the department do not intervene in the regulator’s operational decisions, including its engagement with providers or its approach to resolving non-compliance.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the European Commission's European Affordable Housing Plan, published on 16 December, specifically its proposals for empowering regional and local governments to regulate short-term rentals that contribute to housing shortages.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government recognises that excessive concentrations of short-term lets can impact on housing availability and affordability and place pressure on local services.

We have abolished the furnished holiday lets tax regime, meaning landlords will no longer be incentivised by the tax system to make their properties available as short-term holiday lets rather than longer-term homes. From 31 October 2024, higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax on additional dwellings increased from three to five percentage points above standard rates. The Renters’ Rights Act includes a provision to prevent landlords from evicting tenants simply to convert properties into holiday lets.

In addition, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is progressing a national registration scheme for short-term lets. We are also empowering Mayors to introduce a visitor levy on short-term overnight accommodation in their region and continue to consider whether further powers are needed for local authorities.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which local authorities have notional council tax below £2,000 on Band D in 2025-26; and what the value of the notional Band D figure is in each case including the assumptions made on the uniform split in two-tier areas.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As part of the Fair Funding Review 2.0’s reforms, the government will better enable all local authorities to provide the same level of service to their residents by equalising for local authorities’ differing abilities to raise income from council tax.

This includes accounting for the tax base in a local area, not the level of council tax set by each council – this is the same approach proposed by the previous government. The strength of the tax base comes from the number of homes in an area and the 1991 value of those homes. It is not generally a function of local government decision making.

As confirmed in the response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0, within the resources adjustment the government will set the notional council tax level at the national average.

The response also confirmed the government will split or allocate the resource adjustment in multi-tier areas by uniformly applying the average tier split. More detail can be found in the Technical Annex on the Resources Adjustment (measure of tax base).

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 13 November 2025 to Question 85168 on Council tax, whether he holds estimates for the change in precepts not in scope of his Department’s core spending power figures.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The level of Core Spending Power attributable to council tax for each local authority is available here. Explanations on how council tax and associated referendum principles are calculated as part of core spending power is set out here.

At the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement the government set out the planned approach on council tax principles for authorities, including the approach for authorities not subject to referendum principles. This is available here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether additional support will be given to coastal councils like Great Yarmouth facing above-average costs for waste and public space maintenance.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government recognises the significant pressures that councils are facing. This is why, alongside the additional £3.4 billion of grant funding announced at the Spending Review, the government is delivering fair funding reforms to ensure money goes to the places that need it most.

On 17 December, the government published the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement, the first multi-year Settlement in a decade. The provisional 2026-27 Settlement will make available almost £78 billion in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England, a 5.7% cash-terms increase compared to 2025-26. By the end of the multi-year period, we will have provided a 15.1% cash-terms increase, worth over £11 billion, compared to 2025-26.

The government is absolutely committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural and coastal communities. Our updated assessment of need will more effectively capture variations in demand for services within a local authority. We will continue to apply Area Cost Adjustments to account for the different costs faced in delivering services, including in coastal areas.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to the Local Authority Housing Fund: Round 4 prospectus and guidance, of 19 November 2025, what is the profile of the spending in each year; and what is the profile of competition of the units.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The £950 million fourth round of Local Authority Housing Fund will primarily support local authorities in England to increase the supply of better-quality temporary accommodation and drive down the use of Bed and Breakfasts for families with children.

It will also provide safe and suitable housing for those on the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP), to fulfil the UK’s humanitarian duties to assist those who assisted British efforts in Afghanistan and are at risk of homelessness.

The fund will run for four years (2026/27 - 2029/30) and it will support delivery of up to 5,000 homes.

We have written to councils to inform them of their initial allocation offers. We will agree allocations and delivery profiles ahead of delivery commencing in April 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to implement the recommendations set out in the Social Impact Investment Advisory Group’s final report; and what steps he is taking to establish the proposed Temporary Accommodation Impact Investment Facility.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is carefully considering the full set of recommendations in the report, including moving swiftly with the launch of the new Office for the Impact Economy.

We are committed to considering the best way to sustainably fund good-quality temporary accommodation and drive down the use of poor-quality temporary accommodation.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer prior to the publication of the consultation on reforms to landfill tax.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

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 adequacy of warm hubs for local residents in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 79025 on 29 October 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans does the department have for future equivalent Shared Prosperity Funding for Devon.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In order to allow greater flexibility for local authorities and to maximise the spend on UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), the deadline for expenditure for 2025-26 allocations has been extended by six months to September 2026. Looking ahead, the government is introducing a long-term approach to local funding. This will be led by sustained and predictable support for local authorities through the Local Government Finance Settlement and complemented by targeted interventions designed to drive local growth and strengthen communities.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 3 November (HL Deb col 1768), what issues the review of the existing protections of open spaces will examine; and whether there will be a public consultation before changes are proposed to those protections.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Open and green spaces are an essential part of local social infrastructure and must be protected for future generations. The review of existing protections will examine the fragmented and outdated nature of current legislative protections for public recreational green spaces, assess how these protections complement those in the planning system, and consider the lack of central records on protected land.

We intend to analyse the effectiveness and usability of existing protections, to simplify the system, ensure consistency for developers and local authorities and empower communities to protect valued spaces.

We intend to engage widely to ensure stakeholder views are considered before recommending any changes are made to these protections.

Further details about the review will be released in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 3 November (HL Deb col 1768), what criteria they plan to use to decide which categories of open space should be included in the review of the existing protections of open spaces, and whether they will include covenanted land or land held in trust.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Open and green spaces are an essential part of local social infrastructure and must be protected for future generations. The review of existing protections will examine the fragmented and outdated nature of current legislative protections for public recreational green spaces, assess how these protections complement those in the planning system, and consider the lack of central records on protected land.

Further details on the review of protections for public recreational green spaces, and on the timetable of the review will be shared in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 3 November (HL Deb col 1768), what is the timetable for the review of the existing protections of open spaces.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Open and green spaces are an essential part of local social infrastructure and must be protected for future generations. The review of existing protections will examine the fragmented and outdated nature of current legislative protections for public recreational green spaces, assess how these protections complement those in the planning system, and consider the lack of central records on protected land.

Further details on the review of protections for public recreational green spaces, and on the timetable of the review will be shared in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department are (a) on temporary contract and (b) consultants.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department engages temporary workers and consultants where there is a business requirement that means it will be more beneficial to do so in order to provide the necessary expertise or a short-term resourcing solution where permanent capability is not required.

As of 30 November 2025, (a) 143 civil servants in the Department were employed on temporary contracts - approximately 4% of the Department’s full-time equivalent (FTE) workforce.

Information on the number of off-payroll engagements, including (b) consultants engaged by the Department, is published as part of the Department’s Workforce Management Information, which is available here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the total cost was for (a) settlement agreements and (b) special severance payments made to departing staff from his Department in the last year.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Any payments made in each Financial Year relating to settlement agreements, which includes special severance payments associated with settlement agreements where relevant, will be published in the relevant Annual Report and Accounts.

For the last financial year, these are published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mhclg-annual-report-and-accounts-2024-to-2025

A further update will be provided as part of the next set of published accounts for 2025-26.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many disciplinary cases were concluded against civil servants in (a) his Department and (b) his Department's agencies broken down by (i) outcome and (ii) whether the primary allegation related to (A) performance and (B) conduct in the last twelve months.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The department is not responsible for collecting or maintaining data on disciplinary action for staff in its executive agencies. We do hold information on concluded disciplinary cases within the core department; however, producing the requested information for both the core department and its executive agencies, and in the format specified, would incur disproportionate time and cost.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for the total spend on (i) LinkedIn membership fees (ii) other subscriptions by his Department in the last financial year.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The department does not hold information on LinkedIn membership fees and other subscriptions in the format requested, and this could only be collated at a disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to establish a cross-departmental office for green spaces.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The government does not plan to establish a new cross-departmental office for green spaces. Cross-government coordination will continue through the Parks Working Group, which brings together sector expertise with departmental representatives to improve parks and green spaces, with a focus on equality of access.

Improving access to green and blue spaces remains a priority. As part of the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025, the government has announced that it will bring forward an Access to Nature Green Paper to consult on proposals to improve and expand public access to the outdoors. Furthermore, the MHCLG-owned Green Flag Award sets the national standard for parks and green spaces aiming to meet the needs of the communities they serve.

Local authorities play an important role in improving local green space. The Spending Review 2025 provides over £5 billion of new grant funding, most of which is unringfenced, over the next three years for local services that communities rely on.

Finally, the Pride in Place strategy will deliver up to £5 billion over ten years to up to 350 deprived neighbourhoods, supporting a wide range of community assets, including community green spaces.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to give councils powers to seize or impound vehicles linked to unpaid penalty charge notices; and what discussions they have had with governments of foreign countries about sharing vehicle data for the payment of those notices.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Local authorities are required under the Traffic Management Act 2004 to ensure that their parking policies are proportionate, support town centre prosperity, and reconcile competing demands for space whilst ensuring traffic moves freely and quickly on their roads and the roads of nearby authorities.

In line with the need for proportionality, there are no plans to allow councils to seize or impound vehicles for unpaid penalty charges.

However, under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978,local authorities can remove abandoned vehicles on parking sites. Before a local authority can remove an abandoned vehicle, the authority must first give the landowner 15 days’ notice. This is done so the law protects individuals from having their property removed without due process.

Vehicle keeper data cannot be shared internationally for civil debt enforcement, and as such cannot be traced outside the UK. Where fines are due from foreign registered vehicles that have already left the country, parking companies and local authorities can and do use international debt collection agencies to pursue unpaid charges.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic impact of the 12 freeports in the UK; and what future impact they expect the freeports to achieve within the current Parliament.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

UK Freeports have played an important role in building the foundations for long-term regional and national growth and, alongside Investment Zones, they will be pivotal tools for delivering growth in the government’s priority sectors under the shared identity ‘Industrial Strategy Zones’.

As set out in the UK Freeports Programme Report (June 2025), Freeports have attracted £6.4 billion in private investment, with 89% of this total investment coming from overseas investors, demonstrating the international competitiveness of Freeports.

To assess the future economic impact of Freeports, MHCLG commissioned Arup to conduct analysis. This projected that the eight English Freeports would create around 60,000 net new jobs and support an additional 42,000 jobs across the supply chain, contributing approximately £6.6 billion per year in GVA. Further analysis is being undertaken, the results of which will be published in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has received representations from (a) the Welsh Government and (b) members of the Welsh Senedd over the use of the Internal Market Act 2020 to deliver the Pride in Place programme.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I recently wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government in the Welsh Government to express my commitment to greater collaboration between the UK and Welsh Governments on areas of shared interest.

In Wales, we have set out the requirement for Pride in Place Neighbourhood Boards to consider how their plans align with the objectives of the Welsh Government’s Programme for Government, the Well-being of Future Generations Act, the Transforming Towns programme, and the Future Wales: National Plan 2040 planning framework, as well as other relevant strategies. We believe the close collaboration within communities and across government will make these neighbourhood boards stronger and more effective.

Found: cross-government meetings including No10, the Cabinet Office, Home Office, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Found: planning decisions.11 Defra is leading this work in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the ancient woodland and ancient and veteran trees sections of her Department's Environmental Improvement Plan, published on 1 December 2025, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on maintaining the level of planning protections for protected landscapes in the forthcoming review of the National Planning Policy Framework.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has engaged with MHCLG on the forthcoming review of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This government is committed to the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 which includes an action to maintain current protections in the NPPF for ancient woodland and ancient and veteran trees and improve the implementation of the policy. The government is currently consulting on changes to the NPPF and the proposed wording, which maintains current protections for ancient woodland and ancient and veteran trees, is available to view here National Planning Policy Framework: proposed reforms and other changes to the planning system - GOV.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to ensure consumer protection and regulatory compliance in blockchain and AI-enabled tokenised deposit models in the home-buying and mortgage markets.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Financial Conduct Authority is responsible for the regulation of the mortgage market. All FCA-authorised firms are required to comply with the Consumer Duty, which sets high standards of consumer protections and requires firms to put their customers’ needs first.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is currently consulting on reforms to the home buying and selling process. The Government has made clear its objectives that reform should support faster, more reliable transactions and reduced fall throughs and risks.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has set a target date by which no veteran should be sleeping rough in England; and what resources have been allocated to achieve this objective.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

This Government is fully committed to ensuring that all veterans across the UK have access to the support they need on housing. That is why we have committed an additional £12 million to ensure the continuation of the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme. Op FORTITUDE will also be extended, putting the service that has already supported over 1,000 veterans on a sustainable footing. These programmes will deliver three years of support services across the UK for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

On 11 December 2025, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published A National Plan to End Homelessness. The Ministry of Defence contributed to this strategy including committing to ensuring that all councils are aware of service provision in their area to support veterans at risk of homelessness.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure veterans are not (a) homeless and (b) rough sleeping.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

This Government is fully committed to ensuring that all veterans across the UK have access to the support they need on housing. That is why we have committed an additional £12 million to ensure the continuation of the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme. Op FORTITUDE will also be extended, putting the service that has already supported over 1,000 veterans on a sustainable footing. These programmes will deliver three years of support services across the UK for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

On 11 December 2025, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published A National Plan to End Homelessness. The Ministry of Defence contributed to this strategy including committing to ensuring that all councils are aware of service provision in their area to support veterans at risk of homelessness.

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