Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Leaseholders involved in disputes may contact the government-funded Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) which provides free initial legal advice and information on leasehold, building safety, commonhold and park home issues for consumers.

The government is committed to ensuring that those living in the rented and leasehold sectors are protected from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents.

Property agents must already belong to a government-approved redress scheme. This legislative requirement is currently enforced by local authorities and by the National Trading Standards’ Lettings and Estate Agency Team, who have the power to issue warnings and banning orders to rogue estate and letting agents.

The redress schemes publish data on the number of complaints they receive, the amount awarded to consumers, and maintain a public list of agents that have been expelled from their respective schemes.

Many leaseholders face persistent delays and high costs when trying to sell their properties. Currently, freeholders and managing agents are responsible for providing essential sales information, but they often have little incentive to do so efficiently. Homeowners living on private or mixed tenure estates, who contribute to the maintenance and upkeep of communal areas, can face similar challenges when trying to obtain relevant information from their estate manager. The government will take forward measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 (LFRA) which will speed up the provision of information for leaseholders and homeowners on private or mixed tenure estates who wish to sell their property, and protect sellers from unreasonable fees when requesting this information.

The previous government committed to regulate the property agent sector in 2018 and asked a working group Chaired by Lord Best to advise them how to do it, yet it failed to respond to their findings from 2019. Managing agents play a key role in the maintenance of multi-occupancy buildings and freehold estates, and their importance will only increase as we transition toward a commonhold future, and so we are looking again at Lord Best’s 2019 report on regulating the property agent sector, particularly in light of the recommendations in the final Grenfell Inquiry report.

On 4 July 2025, we launched a wide-ranging consultation on proposals to hold landlords and managing agents to account for the services they provide and the charges and fees they levy. This included a number of proposals recommended by Lord Best, including the introduction of mandatory qualifications for managing agents and estate managers on freehold estates. We are clear that this consultation is not the final step in the regulation of managing agents and we will continue to reflect on the various other recommendations made in the 2019 report.

We will set out our full position on regulation of estate, letting and managing agents in due course.

The government is committed to ensuring that those living in the rented and leasehold sectors are protected from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents.

Property agents must already belong to a government-approved redress scheme. This legislative requirement is currently enforced by local authorities and by the National Trading Standards’ Lettings and Estate Agency Team, who have the power to issue warnings and banning orders to rogue estate and letting agents.

The redress schemes publish data on the number of complaints they receive, the amount awarded to consumers, and maintain a public list of agents that have been expelled from their respective schemes.

Many leaseholders face persistent delays and high costs when trying to sell their properties. Currently, freeholders and managing agents are responsible for providing essential sales information, but they often have little incentive to do so efficiently. Homeowners living on private or mixed tenure estates, who contribute to the maintenance and upkeep of communal areas, can face similar challenges when trying to obtain relevant information from their estate manager. The government will take forward measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 (LFRA) which will speed up the provision of information for leaseholders and homeowners on private or mixed tenure estates who wish to sell their property, and protect sellers from unreasonable fees when requesting this information.

The previous government committed to regulate the property agent sector in 2018 and asked a working group Chaired by Lord Best to advise them how to do it, yet it failed to respond to their findings from 2019. Managing agents play a key role in the maintenance of multi-occupancy buildings and freehold estates, and their importance will only increase as we transition toward a commonhold future, and so we are looking again at Lord Best’s 2019 report on regulating the property agent sector, particularly in light of the recommendations in the final Grenfell Inquiry report.

On 4 July 2025, we launched a wide-ranging consultation on proposals to hold landlords and managing agents to account for the services they provide and the charges and fees they levy. This included a number of proposals recommended by Lord Best, including the introduction of mandatory qualifications for managing agents and estate managers on freehold estates. We are clear that this consultation is not the final step in the regulation of managing agents and we will continue to reflect on the various other recommendations made in the 2019 report.

We will set out our full position on regulation of estate, letting and managing agents in due course.

The English Devolution White Paper and the Statutory Invitation set a guiding principle that new unitary councils should have a population size of 500,000 or more. We have been clear on the need for flexibility and there may be exceptions to ensure new structures make sense for an area. For the areas going through local government reorganisation, decisions will therefore be taken individually and proposals will be carefully considered against the criteria set out in the invitation letter of 5 February, alongside the responses to the consultation, all representations and all other relevant information to assess the proposals.

The White Paper also set out that the default assumption is for Strategic Authorities to have a combined population of 1.5 million or above, but we accept that in some places, smaller authorities may be necessary. Decisions on strategic authorities will also be on a case-by-case basis. Instead of presenting a top-down solution for each area, our starting point is to support and empower local leaders and to respect their knowledge, expertise and insight.

The Flexible Use of Capital Receipts general direction was introduced in 2016 by the previous government and remains substantively unchanged.

As set out in the general direction and guidance, local authorities intending to use the discretionary freedoms must provide the government with details of their planned use of the flexibility. This is to make sure that the government is adequately sighted on the use of the flexibility and can monitor how it is used. Government does not, however, approve the plans or any specific use of the flexibility. Local authorities remain responsible for appropriately complying with the direction and guidance, and ensuring their decisions are in the best interests of local residents.

Since 4 July 2025, MHCLG has received new and updated plans from 16 local authorities.

The government does not publish a list of authorities that have submitted plans or details that authorities have provided on the intended use of the flexibility – in some cases authorities may have chosen not to make this information public for reasons such as commercial sensitivity.

I refer the Rt. hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN: 77631 on 13 October 2025.

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill makes provision to prevent the creation of any new directly elected local authority mayors, whilst allowing for the continuation of 13 existing ‘legacy’ directly elected council mayors. The English Devolution White Paper made clear that single foundation strategic authorities will be non-mayoral. The Government will consider non-mayoral devolution arrangements for a single local authorities by exception. The Government’s preference remains for strategic authorities which bring together more than one local authority over a larger, strategic geography.

The Government regularly engages with small business representative organisations to garner their views. The ongoing Law Commission work, as set out in my answer to PQ UIN(s): 77535, has already involved a formal consultation with the commercial sector and is likely to include more engagement. There are currently no plans to require commercial landlords to publish standardised information on rent or service charges.

The Government regularly engages with small business representative organisations to garner their views. The ongoing Law Commission work, as set out in my answer to PQ UIN(s): 77535, has already involved a formal consultation with the commercial sector and is likely to include more engagement. There are currently no plans to require commercial landlords to publish standardised information on rent or service charges.

My Department does not hold the requested information.

It is for individual local planning authorities to undertake the necessary assessments to identify if land is grey belt, either through plan making or through considering specific applications that come forward.

Similarly, it is for authorities to determine whether and how to evidence, justify, amend, and set out Green Belt boundaries through the preparation or updating of statutory plans.

The individual factors affecting changes in quarterly planning statistics are complex and difficult to disentangle.

My Department’s initial assessment is that a combination of structural, economic, and operational factors best explain the Q2 2025 results. These include a rise in financing costs, which particularly impacts SME developers, and capacity constraints within local planning authorities which affect decision-making timescales.

It should be noted that the planning statistics in question do not separately identify outline planning applications.

It is also the case that other data sources indicate a more positive position. For example, TerraQuest figures on residential planning applications outside of London suggest a 68% increase in the number of new homes included in residential applications in Q3 this calendar year.

The government expect that the changes made to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in December 2024, alongside other reforms to the planning system enacted since, will feed through into a higher level of planning applications and decisions.

In its March 2025 outlook, the OBR estimated that the revised NPPF alone would increase net additions by 170,000 over the forecast period 2024/25 to 2029/30, or 120,000 in the Parliament – delivering the highest level of UK housebuilding in 40 years.

Once it receives Royal Assent, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will further streamline planning processes, improve certainty for applicants, and unlock and accelerate more housing and infrastructure delivery.

Through our capacity and capability programme, we are giving local planning authorities the resources needed to provide a more efficient and responsive planning service, including in respect of making timelier decisions.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that access to high-quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity is important for the health and well-being of communities. The Framework sets out that planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities and opportunities for new provision, which plans should then seek to accommodate.

Local planning authorities can use planning obligations, entered into under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended), to help mitigate the impact of a specific development to make it acceptable in planning terms. This could include, for example, requiring a developer to contribute towards the provision of public infrastructure such as sports facilities where this is necessary to make an otherwise unacceptable development acceptable. This will depend on the specifics of the development and is a matter for local decision makers.

The government is clear that developers must deliver on their planning obligations. Section 106 planning obligations are legal agreements, and a local planning authority may take enforcement action in respect of any breach of the obligations contained within them. Enforcement is at the discretion of the local planning authority, and therefore it is for the local planning authority to decide whether enforcement action is appropriate in each case.

The government is committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that access to high-quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity is important for the health and well-being of communities. The Framework sets out that planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities and opportunities for new provision, which plans should then seek to accommodate.

Local planning authorities can use planning obligations, entered into under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended), to help mitigate the impact of a specific development to make it acceptable in planning terms. This could include, for example, requiring a developer to contribute towards the provision of public infrastructure such as sports facilities where this is necessary to make an otherwise unacceptable development acceptable. This will depend on the specifics of the development and is a matter for local decision makers.

The government is clear that developers must deliver on their planning obligations. Section 106 planning obligations are legal agreements, and a local planning authority may take enforcement action in respect of any breach of the obligations contained within them. Enforcement is at the discretion of the local planning authority, and therefore it is for the local planning authority to decide whether enforcement action is appropriate in each case.

The government is committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.

In line with the terms of the Housing Investment Fund Facility Agreement, my Department is not obliged to monitor, verify, or check how funds provided by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) through the Fund are used. Management information set out in Schedule 3 of the said Agreement is collected by GMCA and provided to MHCLG upon request.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Ministry of Defence, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) have worked closely together on how best to unlock the development of up to 3 gigawatts of further onshore wind capability in the Eskdalemuir area. This would contribute up to £2 billion of investment in UK based companies.

Options to unlock this capacity – including through regulations pursuant to powers granted by the Planning and Infrastructure Bill – are subject to joint consultation due to be launched by the DESNZ and the Scottish Government.

My Department has made no such assessment.

The government is committed to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures and to supporting the Build to Rent sector.

The government recognises that the community-led housing sector delivers a wide range of benefits including strengthening community participation in local decision-making, engendering community cohesion, achieving high quality design and strengthening the co-operative economy.

In March, we announced a £20m 10-year social finance investment to provide capital finance for community-led housing, which is expected to directly support the construction of more than 2,500 new homes over the next decade. These housebuilding projects will be led by communities to specifically address local needs in their area.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December strengthened support for community-led housing, including through changes to the size limit on community-led exception sites and a broadening of the definition of organisations able to deliver community-led housing.

The government is also considering opportunities to legislate to establish a legal framework for a co-operative housing tenure, which would help formalise the rights and responsibilities of both co-operatives and their tenants, and make co-operative housing a more attractive option.

My Department does not hold data on derelict buildings.

The Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues regarding derelict buildings in rural areas

My Department does not hold data on derelict buildings.

The Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues regarding derelict buildings in rural areas

As set out in the Restoring Trust in our Democracy strategy, we will work with the Speaker and the Electoral Commission to develop a code which is fit for purpose. The code will not be mandatory; however, we will work closely with political parties and other stakeholders to ensure it is effective, proportionate and reflective of the needs of candidates and campaigners across the political spectrum.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the government’s initial response to the New Towns Taskforce’s final report which can be found on gov.uk here.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the government’s initial response to the New Towns Taskforce’s final report which can be found on gov.uk here.

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report recommended that the Government establish a system of mandatory accreditation to certify the competence of fire risk assessors (FRAs) by setting standards for qualification and continuing professional development and such other measures as may be considered necessary or desirable. The Government accepted this recommendation in full, committing to legislate to make it a mandatory requirement for FRAs to have the competence to perform this critical role. To support delivery of the Inquiry recommendation, we intend to consult shortly on proposals relating to the future of the FRA profession.

The Government is clear that all legitimate electors should be able and encouraged to participate in democracy. This includes overseas electors, who should be able to exercise their vote without unnecessary barriers. The Electoral Commission is responsible for raising awareness to facilitate democratic participation. The EC also undertakes communication campaigns to engage with citizens and promote awareness of, for example, how to register to vote.

The government is considering its approach and timetable for consultation on byelaws system reform.

The English Devolution White Paper was clear that our long-term ambition is for public service boundaries, including those of health and strategic authorities, to align. We remain committed to this goal, and the 10 Year Health Plan sets out our aim that Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) should be coterminous with one or more strategic authorities wherever feasibly possible.

The Department of Health and Social Care will work closely with NHS England and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to decide any further ICB mergers and boundary changes.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 78670 on 21 October 2025.

Worcester received £2.3 million funding for only some of the activity within its original programme. This amendment was determined on the basis of representations received to the consultation. Prioritisation of funding considered a series of factors including: significant progress of work to date, imminent delivery, and/or the wider strategic impact of withdrawing funding on local regeneration efforts, as well as potential to boost economic growth.

As set out in the Written Statement of 24 June 2025 (Simplified Local Leadership Structures, HCWS736), the Government is taking steps to prevent the creation of any further directly elected local authority mayors in England. In addition, the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill makes provision for the Secretary of State to designate a unitary council or county council, which is not covered by an existing strategic authority, as a single foundation strategic authority without a mayor, subject to the consent of the council involved. The English Devolution White Paper makes clear that non-mayoral devolution arrangements for single local authorities will only be considered by exception, and that the Government’s preference is for councils to combine with one or more neighbouring councils in order to be designated a strategic authority.

The Government remains committed to working in partnership with local government, including Cornwall Council, to explore how devolution can best be delivered in each area

Following a four week public consultation, in March 2025 the government announced its intention to end funding for Pan-Regional Partnerships, with an exceptional, time-limited award of £281,250 for the Great South West Pan-Regional Partnership for the 2025/26 financial year.

Pan-Regional Partnerships, including the Great South West, have made a valuable contribution, supporting collaboration between local authorities and government and taking forward a breadth of work on shared growth opportunities. However, as our English Devolution White Paper sets out, we are now moving to a different model of regional collaboration, where we are keen to support new models driven by local leaders.

Following a four week public consultation, in March 2025 the government announced its intention to end funding for Pan-Regional Partnerships, with an exceptional, time-limited award of £281,250 for the Great South West Pan-Regional Partnership for the 2025/26 financial year.

Pan-Regional Partnerships, including the Great South West, have made a valuable contribution, supporting collaboration between local authorities and government and taking forward a breadth of work on shared growth opportunities. However, as our English Devolution White Paper sets out, we are now moving to a different model of regional collaboration, where we are keen to support new models driven by local leaders.

Following a four week public consultation, in March 2025 the government announced its intention to end funding for Pan-Regional Partnerships, with an exceptional, time-limited award of £281,250 for the Great South West Pan-Regional Partnership for the 2025/26 financial year.

Pan-Regional Partnerships, including the Great South West, have made a valuable contribution, supporting collaboration between local authorities and government and taking forward a breadth of work on shared growth opportunities. However, as our English Devolution White Paper sets out, we are now moving to a different model of regional collaboration, where we are keen to support new models driven by local leaders.

Following a four week public consultation, in March 2025 the government announced its intention to end funding for Pan-Regional Partnerships, with an exceptional, time-limited award of £281,250 for the Great South West Pan-Regional Partnership for the 2025/26 financial year.

Pan-Regional Partnerships, including the Great South West, have made a valuable contribution, supporting collaboration between local authorities and government and taking forward a breadth of work on shared growth opportunities. However, as our English Devolution White Paper sets out, we are now moving to a different model of regional collaboration, where we are keen to support new models driven by local leaders.

On 28 September, the government published the independent New Towns Taskforce report as well as its initial response. The government welcomes all 12 of the potential new towns locations recommended by the Taskforce.

Ministers and officials will now begin work with local partners to develop detailed proposals and enhance our understanding of how different locations might meet the government’s expectations of what a future New Towns Programme can deliver, with all promising sites and reasonable alternatives assessed and considered through the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process. This will support final decisions on precisely which locations we take forward as well as the final approach to placemaking and delivery.

We also made clear that we support the placemaking approach recommended by the Taskforce and are encouraged by the aims of its recommended placemaking principles.

The government will publish draft proposals and a final SEA for public consultation early next year, before confirming the locations that will be progressed as new towns later in the Spring alongside a full response to the New Towns Taskforce’s report, including further detail on delivery and funding models.

My Department has made no specific assessment of the potential impact of average house prices in the South East on (a) housing affordability and (b) access to home ownership.

Section 106 agreements are, and will remain, an essential mechanism for delivering social and affordable housing.

The government continues to progress work on a holistic policy package that will deal with the legacy problem of existing uncontracted S106 units and also prevent the problem recurring by laying the foundations for a simpler, more transparent, and more resilient S106 system.

Any local planning authority that receives a developer contribution through Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) or section 106 planning obligations is required to publish an Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS) at least annually, ensuring a transparent and accountable system.

The IFS must report on the total CIL sums demanded, received, and spent in the reported year, with details of how sums were spent and how sums are intended to be spent going forwards.

The IFS must also report on the CIL receipts retained unspent at the end of the reported year both in respect of sums received in the reported year and sums received in earlier years.

Further to this, my Department collects data on local authority revenue expenditure and financing in England, including income from the CIL. This can be found on gov.uk here.

Housing is a devolved matter, with each of the four nations of the UK developing their own policies and data collections to monitor the impact of them.

The English Housing Survey published by my Department, which can be found on gov.uk here, shows that households living in social housing in England with a non-UK national lead tenant comprised:

• 10.6% of all households living in social housing in England in 2023/24
• 10.0% of all households living in social housing in England in 2022/23
• 8.4% of all households living in social housing in England in 2021/22
• 7.0% of all households living in social housing in England in 2020/21
• 8.4% of all households living in social housing in England in 2019/20.

It is important to note that such households can contain UK nationals as well as non-UK national lead tenants.

My Department has no current plans to make such an assessment.

The Help to Build: Equity Loan scheme, targeted at those wanting to custom build, self build or shell build a home, opened in June 2022 and closed to new applications in March 2025. There are no plans to allocate further funding to it.

The government has introduced a new, permanent Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, available to support and sustain availability of low deposit mortgage products for prospective buyers. Additionally, the Bank of England is easing the loan-to-income limit, enabling up to 36,000 additional first-time buyers in the first year. The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) ongoing review of the mortgage market means many buyers can now borrow 10% more towards a property purchase. The government looks forward to ambitious proposals from the FCA’s paper. First-time buyers may also benefit from home ownership initiatives offered at the local level.

We have also provided £3 billion of additional support for SMEs and the Build to Rent sector, in the form of housing guarantee schemes.

My Department has regular discussions with HM Treasury on a range of issues including measures to support SMEs.

My Department has no current plans to make such an assessment.

The Help to Build: Equity Loan scheme, targeted at those wanting to custom build, self build or shell build a home, opened in June 2022 and closed to new applications in March 2025. There are no plans to allocate further funding to it.

The government has introduced a new, permanent Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, available to support and sustain availability of low deposit mortgage products for prospective buyers. Additionally, the Bank of England is easing the loan-to-income limit, enabling up to 36,000 additional first-time buyers in the first year. The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) ongoing review of the mortgage market means many buyers can now borrow 10% more towards a property purchase. The government looks forward to ambitious proposals from the FCA’s paper. First-time buyers may also benefit from home ownership initiatives offered at the local level.

We have also provided £3 billion of additional support for SMEs and the Build to Rent sector, in the form of housing guarantee schemes.

My Department has regular discussions with HM Treasury on a range of issues including measures to support SMEs.

I refer the hon. and Rt Hon. Members to the answer given to Question UIN 80700 on 20 October 2025.

I refer the hon. and Rt Hon. Members to the answer given to Question UIN 80700 on 20 October 2025.

I refer the hon. and Rt Hon. Members to the answer given to Question UIN 80700 on 20 October 2025.

My Department does not collect data on the number of first-time buyers.

The Office for National Statistics publishes data on first-time buyer mortgage sales by local authority in the UK. They can be found on its website here. Data covers the period between 2006 and 2024. Data for 2025 has not yet been published.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 80347 on 20 October 2025.