Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support and encouragement the Government is giving to local authorities to fast-track planning applications for developments on brownfield sites.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that substantial weight should be given to the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements to meet the need for homes and other uses.
The revised Framework published on 12 December 2024 broadened the definition of brownfield land, set a strengthened expectation that applications on brownfield land will be approved, and made clear that plans should promote an uplift in density in urban areas. The definition in question can be found in the NPPF glossary on gov.uk here.
The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making. For further details about the proposed changes to national planning policy and wider funding and support, I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 16 December 2025 (HCWS1187). The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
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 an assessment of the potential public safety considerations of detailed internal residential plans remaining publicly accessible online after development has been completed.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Plans and drawings of proposed residential development, including any plans for internal arrangements, submitted with a planning application must be maintained and published by local planning authorities on their planning registers.
Local planning authorities should not publish information on their register which they consider to be ‘sensitive’, including information relating to the physical security of a property.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
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 removing the Gardens Trust's status as a statutory consultee on protecting registered parks and gardens.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 103649 on 14 January 2026.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
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 removing the Gardens Trust as a statutory consultee on local planning authorities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 103649 on 14 January 2026.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
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 the Gardens Trust to discuss plans to remove the organisation as a statutory consultee.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 103649 on 14 January 2026.
Asked by: Alex Ballinger (Labour - Halesowen)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what (a) financial and (b) any other support (i) is and (ii) will be available to Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, in the context of improvement notice and auditor evaluations.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My department continues to work closely with Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council to ensure strong oversight of progress against the requirements of the best value notice issued in July 2025. The council is leading its own improvement journey and has secured independent challenge and support through its Improvement and Assurance Board, the Local Government Association and other sector bodies.
Through the multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement, Dudley will see an increase in Core Spending Power of 12% by 2028-29 compared to 2025-26, worth £44 million. We will also be maintaining their £5 million Recovery Grant allocation across the multi-year Settlement and they will benefit from the Recovery Grant Guarantee next year.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities follow best practice in commissioning domestic abuse services, including recognising the potential role of specialist community-based organisations.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to support victims of domestic abuse. This is part of the government’s wider mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade as set out in the Freedom from Violence and Abuse strategy published on 18 December.
Since 2021, local authorities in England have a statutory duty to assess local need and commission safe accommodation-based support for victims and their children. To support delivery of this duty, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provided local authorities in England £160 million in 2025/26, a £30 million uplift from the previous year, and £499 million funding will be allocated to local authorities over the next three years.
Statutory guidance to local authorities is available on gov.uk here providing further details on how the duty should be delivered.
MHCLG continues to work closely with local authorities, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and sector partners to promote best practice, support delivery and drive continuous improvement in the commissioning of safe accommodation services.
Ensuring victims receive the right and timely support is also central to the Government’s mission. The Ministry of Justice will be investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years, and together with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) has published guidance here to help local commissioners in their role of supporting victims of all crime, including domestic abuse, focusing on sharing best practice and effective collaboration.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
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 will conduct an impact assessment of the transition from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to the Local Growth Fund in Northern Ireland, including on the loss of community and voluntary sector services in areas of deprivation.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government is working in close partnership with the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Executive designing an Investment Plan for delivery of the new Local Growth Fund. The Local Growth Fund represents a significant step change in UK investment strategy, supporting each nation and region to deliver long-term infrastructure for sustained economic growth.
The devolved governments, including the Northern Ireland Executive have also received substantial budget increases through the Barnett formula as a result of greater funding for English local authorities. This provides the devolved governments with additional flexibility enabling them to target resource to their priorities.
We appreciate the urgency of providing certainty about Local Growth Fund delivery and acknowledge the pressures facing the voluntary and community sector. The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has therefore agreed with the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Executive to commission economic inactivity delivery for 2026-27, and engagement with project deliverers is already underway. In addition, MHCLG are also providing additional flexibility to projects to use any UK Shared Prosperity Fund budget that remains unspent at the end of March 2026, for activities up to September 2026.
The Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Executive are also planning engagement from early 2026 to collaborate with the sector to design economic inactivity support from 2027 onwards.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help address changes to the level of funding for community and voluntary sector organisations in Northern Ireland during the transition from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to the Local Growth Fund.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government is working in close partnership with the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Executive designing an Investment Plan for delivery of the new Local Growth Fund. The Local Growth Fund represents a significant step change in UK investment strategy, supporting each nation and region to deliver long-term infrastructure for sustained economic growth.
The devolved governments, including the Northern Ireland Executive have also received substantial budget increases through the Barnett formula as a result of greater funding for English local authorities. This provides the devolved governments with additional flexibility enabling them to target resource to their priorities.
We appreciate the urgency of providing certainty about Local Growth Fund delivery and acknowledge the pressures facing the voluntary and community sector. The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has therefore agreed with the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Executive to commission economic inactivity delivery for 2026-27, and engagement with project deliverers is already underway. In addition, MHCLG are also providing additional flexibility to projects to use any UK Shared Prosperity Fund budget that remains unspent at the end of March 2026, for activities up to September 2026.
The Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Executive are also planning engagement from early 2026 to collaborate with the sector to design economic inactivity support from 2027 onwards.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
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 outline how community and voluntary sector organisations in Northern Ireland will be formally involved in the design of the Local Growth Fund delivery model.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government is working in close partnership with the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Executive designing an Investment Plan for delivery of the new Local Growth Fund. The Local Growth Fund represents a significant step change in UK investment strategy, supporting each nation and region to deliver long-term infrastructure for sustained economic growth.
The devolved governments, including the Northern Ireland Executive have also received substantial budget increases through the Barnett formula as a result of greater funding for English local authorities. This provides the devolved governments with additional flexibility enabling them to target resource to their priorities.
We appreciate the urgency of providing certainty about Local Growth Fund delivery and acknowledge the pressures facing the voluntary and community sector. The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has therefore agreed with the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Executive to commission economic inactivity delivery for 2026-27, and engagement with project deliverers is already underway. In addition, MHCLG are also providing additional flexibility to projects to use any UK Shared Prosperity Fund budget that remains unspent at the end of March 2026, for activities up to September 2026.
The Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Executive are also planning engagement from early 2026 to collaborate with the sector to design economic inactivity support from 2027 onwards.