Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
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 (a) trends in the level of demand for and (b) the adequacy of older people’s housing, including sheltered housing and care homes, for older LGBTIQA+ people.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 74681 on 12 September 2025.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on including locally manufactured materials such as natural stone in planning conditions and development frameworks.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
National design guidance, which supports the National Planning Policy Framework, states that well-designed places should be responsive to local history, culture and heritage. The guidance highlights the role of resources, including the careful selection of materials and construction techniques, to minimise any environmental impacts.
A local design code can introduce requirements on the use of materials for new development, if appropriate.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
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 ensure that local authorities recognise natural stone as a low-carbon material in planning guidance and local plan development.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
National design guidance, which supports the National Planning Policy Framework, states that well-designed places should be responsive to local history, culture and heritage. The guidance highlights the role of resources, including the careful selection of materials and construction techniques, to minimise any environmental impacts.
A local design code can introduce requirements on the use of materials for new development, if appropriate.
Asked by: Earl of Lytton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to their Research and Analysis Building Safety Remediation: monthly data release - June 2025, updated on 2 October, what are the reasons for the difference between (1) their new estimate as of January 2025 for the total number of mid-rise residential buildings with dwellings in England of 39,000–59,000, and (2) the previous estimate published in 2021 of 71,000–79,000, in the context of the margin of uncertainty increasing from 8,000 to 20,000.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
A description of the methodology for the revised estimate as of January 2025 can be found in the technical note that accompanies the monthly data release. It can be found here: Building Safety Technical Note June 2025
The revised estimates are based on the recently released Ordnance Survey National Geographic Database data which was not available when the original estimates were calculated. The key assumptions section of the Technical Note refers to the use of Ordnance Survey unique building identifiers in the higher building ranges and this was a key driver for the increase in the range of uncertainty.
Asked by: Baroness Northover (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 impact of changes to local planning authority agendas with regard to house building upon companies directly linked to the Industrial Strategy.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to building 1.5 million homes over this Parliament and delivering our modern Industrial Strategy.
Reforming the planning system is key to delivering on both of these commitments. The revised National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that planning policies should set out a clear economic vision and strategy which positively and proactively encourages sustainable economic growth, having regard to the national Industrial Strategy and any relevant Local Industrial Strategies. We will ensure that the planning system supports growth in our eight priority sectors, as reflected in the revised Framework. This prioritisation will be further embedded when we consult on a set of national policies for decision-making before the end of the year.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will also streamline the delivery of new homes and critical infrastructure – including infrastructure relevant to delivering the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.
The Government engages regularly with relevant stakeholders to understand and monitor the impacts of our proposed reforms.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of any overspend by local authorities in England in this financial year; and how much has been allocated to cover that overspend in the final local government finance settlement for this year.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the noble Lord to the statement made by my hon Friend the Minister for Local Government and Homelessness on 20 November 2025 (attached) (HCWS1080), which sets out our plans for the 2026-27 to 2028-29 multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement, which includes allocating £3.4 billion of new grant funding over the multi-year period.
Local authorities are required to set a balanced budget. Any council that has concerns about its ability to set or maintain a balanced budget should approach the department in the first instance. The government does not collect data on overspends of budgets, but Revenue Account Budgets and Revenue Outturn are published as official national statistics.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
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 made an assessment of the potential impact of the provision in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to remove public notices in local papers concerning changes to local authority governance arrangements on local democratic engagement.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Schedule 25 of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill makes provision to amend statutory notice requirements under the Local Government Act 2000, concerning changes to local authority governance arrangements.
In practice, this change will affect only a very small number of councils. Over 80% of councils already operate the leader and cabinet model of governance and provisions in the Bill will limit future changes to local authority governance.
The provision does not prevent local authorities from publishing notices in printed newspapers where this is considered the most appropriate way to inform residents. Instead, local authorities will be able to choose the most suitable communication channels for their area, including local newspapers.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 importance of initiatives such as furnished tenancies to reduce material deprivation amongst vulnerable groups.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 84054 on 3 November 2025.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many properties with EPC ratings of (a) F and (b) G rating are let by (i) Local Authorities and (ii) Housing Associations
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Information on the EPC ratings of social housing let by local authorities and housing associations, as well as other tenures, can be found in the latest English Housing Survey on gov.uk here. In the 2023-24 survey, 0.3% of homes let by local authorities and 0.4% of homes let by housing associations have an EPC rating of band F or G.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
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 introduce requirements for the installation of swift bricks in new housing developments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 62367 on 2 July 2025.