Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 19 January 2026 to Question 104964 on Elections, whether there are any other (a) prospectus documents, (b) calls for evidence, (c) bidding documents, (d) consultations and (e) pilot invitations sent to local authorities that have not been published on in the last 6 months.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
There are no such documents relating to the flexible voting pilots that have not been published in the last six months.
The Government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors and the pilots are a part of this wider work. The Electoral Commission is responsible for carrying out an independent, statutory evaluation of the pilot schemes and will publish its findings.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 3 March 2026 to question 114906 on Police and Crime Commissioners: Elections, what is the total estimated cost of £87m set out in the relevant Charges Order comprised of.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The estimated £87 million represents the full range of necessary costs Returning Officers can claim for the efficient and effective delivery of the 2024 Police and Crime Commissioner elections, including staffing, polling stations, printing, postal voting, count operations, logistics and Returning Officer fees.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
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 considered moving mayoral combined authority elections that were delayed from May 2026 to May 2028, to May 2027; and what representations he has received on this matter.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government intends to hold inaugural mayoral elections for the four Devolution Priority Programme places that are also undertaking local government reorganisation in May 2028, so that areas can complete the reorganisation process before Mayors take office.
Devolution is strongest when it is built on firm foundations, and this extra time will allow these four areas to establish robust institutions ahead of their Mayors taking office in 2028. With the consent of the constituent councils, the government will establish the institutions as soon as possible and provide each area with a proportion of their investment funds to ensure they can start delivering on key local priorities and deliver the benefits of devolution on the ground.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of households spending more than 30% of income on rent in (a) Liverpool Walton constituency and (b) England.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department collects data on income in relation to housing costs through the English Housing Survey. This is published annually and can be found on gov.uk here.
Due to methodological limitations, the English Housing Survey cannot show robust estimates at a sub-regional level.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 merits of introducing a householder exemption to the Community Infrastructure Levy.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Householders building residential extensions and residential annexes to their homes can obtain an exemption from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), subject to completing the procedural process for obtaining the exemption within required timescales.
The CIL guidance, which can be found on gov.uk here, sets out all the criteria that must be met and procedures that must be followed to obtain an exemption.
I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 105228 on 21 January 2026.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 has considered introducing an exemption from the Community Infrastructure Levy for householders.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Householders building residential extensions and residential annexes to their homes can obtain an exemption from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), subject to completing the procedural process for obtaining the exemption within required timescales.
The CIL guidance, which can be found on gov.uk here, sets out all the criteria that must be met and procedures that must be followed to obtain an exemption.
I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 105228 on 21 January 2026.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
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 has considered the potential merits of linking rent increases to changes in the level of Consumer Prices Index or wages.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 78220 on 20 October 2025.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
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 has assessed the potential merits of restricting rent increases between tenancies in high-pressure areas.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 78220 on 20 October 2025.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
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 assessed the potential merits of piloting rent stabilisation in areas with persistently high levels of rent inflation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 78220 on 20 October 2025.
Asked by: Lord Pack (Liberal Democrat - 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 efficacy of the design of poll cards; and whether they have plans to improve the effectiveness of poll cards in communicating electoral information to voters.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government is committed to improving the voting experience for electors, helping ensure they have the information they need to participate confidently in the democratic process.
The 2024-25 strategic review of electoral registration and conduct highlighted the need to improve election documentation, including the content of forms sent to electors ahead of polls, such as poll cards. In response to this, and as part of our wider work to improve information for electors, the government intends in the future to consider how best to enhance the design and clarity of poll cards.
Any work in this area will be conducted in close collaboration with local authorities and the Electoral Commission.