Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is central to the mission-driven government, from fixing the foundations of an affordable home to handing power back to communities and rebuilding local governments.
Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Liberal Democrat
Baroness Thornhill (LD - Life peer)Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Housing)
Baroness Pinnock (LD - Life peer)
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Green Party
Ellie Chowns (Green - North Herefordshire)Green Spokesperson (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Conservative
James Cleverly (Con - Braintree)Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Liberal Democrat
Gideon Amos (LD - Taunton and Wellington)Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Housing and Communities)
Zöe Franklin (LD - Guildford)
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Local Government)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
David Simmonds (Con - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)Shadow Minister (Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con - Life peer)
Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Lord Jamieson (Con - Life peer)
Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Gareth Bacon (Con - Orpington)
Shadow Minister (Housing and Planning)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Paul Holmes (Con - Hamble Valley)Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Ministers of State
Matthew Pennycook (Lab - Greenwich and Woolwich)Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Alison McGovern (Lab - Birkenhead)
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab - Life peer)Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Samantha Dixon (Lab - Chester North and Neston)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Miatta Fahnbulleh (LAB - Peckham)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
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The Government has introduced the Representation of the People Bill, which includes its manifesto commitment to lower the voting age …
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his decision letter to council …
Regulation 2 of these Regulations makes a number of changes to the Allocation of Housing and Homelessness (Eligibility) (England) Regulations …
A Bill to Authorise the payment out of money provided by Parliament of expenditure incurred by the Secretary of State …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Commons Appearances
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:- Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
- Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
- Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.
Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
Most Recent Commons Appearances by Category
Bills currently before Parliament
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not have Bills currently before Parliament
Acts of Parliament created in the 2024 Parliament
A Bill to make provision for expenditure by the Secretary of State and the removal of restrictions in respect of certain land for or in connection with the construction of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 22nd January 2026 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision about infrastructure; to make provision about town and country planning; to make provision for a scheme, administered by Natural England, for a nature restoration levy payable by developers; to make provision about development corporations; to make provision about the compulsory purchase of land; to make provision about environmental outcomes reports; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 18th December 2025 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision changing the law about rented homes, including provision abolishing fixed term assured tenancies and assured shorthold tenancies; imposing obligations on landlords and others in relation to rented homes and temporary and supported accommodation; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 27th October 2025 and was enacted into law.
A Bill to make provision for, and in connection with, the introduction of higher non-domestic rating multipliers as regards large business hereditaments, and lower non-domestic rating multipliers as regards retail, hospitality and leisure hereditaments, in England and for the removal of charitable relief from non-domestic rates for private schools in England.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 3rd April 2025 and was enacted into law.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government - Secondary Legislation
Petitions
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
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Departmental Select Committee
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.
At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.
Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.
0 Members of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee: 9 Current Inquiries
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee: Previous Inquiries
50 most recent Written Questions
(View all written questions)I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the Representation of the People Bill 2026, which provides that bank cards must show either the elector’s first and last name or first initial and last name to be accepted as Voter ID. Bank cards will not be required to display an honorific to be accepted as Voter ID.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 113744 on 26 February 2026.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to supporting and strengthening community asset ownership and transfers. This includes wider reforms such as the new Community Right to Buy, introduced through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, which will apply across England.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Secretary of State’s conclusions in respect of the S106 Agreement are at Paragraphs 111-121 of the published decision letter, which can be found on gov.uk here.
Implementation of the said Agreement, in line with the Secretary of State's decision, is a matter for the parties to it.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Through our Moving to commonhold: banning leasehold for new flats consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, the government is seeking views from industry and consumers on questions relating to scope, exemptions, timings, transitional arrangements, and the wider commonhold legal framework.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government will introduce a moratorium on the acceptance of political donations made using cryptoassets to any regulated recipient, in order to safeguard the integrity of the UK’s political finance system.
This moratorium will apply to cryptoasset donations of any value, including those valued under existing donation thresholds in law of £500 (or £50 for candidates).
Further details on the operation of the moratorium will be set out in due course.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The sole aim of moving towards automated registration, as set out in the Representation of the People Bill, is to increase the completeness and accuracy of electoral registers. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will test automated registration in a range of different locations and settings, with different characteristics and challenges. We will be guided throughout by principles of fairness and open engagement.
The Parliamentary Boundary Commissions for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, are independent of Government. The timings of Parliamentary Boundary Reviews are set by legislation, which the Government has no plans to change.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 95245 on 5 December 2025.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The political finance measures set out in the government’s factsheet Political Donations Overview: existing rules and what is changing relate to donations regulated under electoral law, including donations to political parties, candidates and campaigners.
Donations rules under electoral law do not apply to ministers.
The acceptance and declaration of gifts and hospitality by Ministers continue to be governed by the Ministerial Code. No changes are being made to those rules as part of these reforms.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government does not comment on individual cases or the work of the UK statistics authority. Councils are responsible for administering council tax in line with the legislation. It is the government’s expectation that the information councils provide is clear and accurate for taxpayers.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department publishes guidance on gov.uk for residential and commercial leaseholders, including a ‘How to Lease’ guide for residential leaseholders.
The government-funded Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) provides extensive guidance and free initial legal advice for leaseholders on residential leasehold enfranchisement, including through its website here.
The government is committed to implementing measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 to make enfranchisement cheaper and easier.
The Act sets the method for calculating the price of a statutory lease extension or freehold acquisition, known as the valuation process. It removes the requirement for marriage value to be paid, caps the treatment of ground rents in the valuation calculation at 0.1% of the freehold value, and allows government to prescribe the rates used to calculate the enfranchisement premium.
Valuation rates used to calculate the enfranchisement premium will be set by the Secretary of State in secondary legislation. We will consult on valuation rates and commence the relevant provisions as soon as possible.
As per my Written Ministerial Statement of 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), primary legislation will be required to rectify a small number of specific flaws in the 2024 Act before the Act’s enfranchisement provisions are commenced.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Where local government reorganisation takes place, arrangements are made to preserve civic identity and city or borough status when a council is abolished. We are working with local councils in Surrey on these issues.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Sections 9F(2)(a) and 9F(4) of the Local Government Act 2000 set out how local authorities should make sure their respective scrutiny committees have the power to review and scrutinise decisions made by the executive, commonly referred to as ‘call-in’ procedures. Guidance on ‘call-in’ procedures was published in 2000 alongside the Act. More recent guidance funded by central government was published in 2023 by the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny.
The number of councillor questions permitted at Full Council is not prescribed by statute or central government guidance and is instead determined locally through each authority’s constitutional procedure rules.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the New Towns Draft Programme consultation launched on 23 March which can be found on gov.uk here.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the New Towns Draft Programme consultation launched on 23 March which can be found on gov.uk here.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the New Towns Draft Programme consultation launched on 23 March which can be found on gov.uk here.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the New Towns Draft Programme consultation launched on 23 March which can be found on gov.uk here.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the New Towns Draft Programme consultation launched on 23 March which can be found on gov.uk here.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Existing controls on political donations apply to Members of Parliament. The reforms we are making to political donation rules through the Representation of the People Bill will also apply to Members of Parliament.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Localism Act 2011 covers a broad range of local government and community empowerment matters, and the government keeps this legislative framework under review. The government is committed to widening and deepening devolution across England, rebuilding and reforming local government and giving communities stronger tools to shape their local areas. The government is delivering on this through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, by devolving powers to local leaders across areas such as transport, skills, housing and growth, and by enhancing community empowerment, including greater influence over local decision-making and control over local assets.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The housing supply estimates published in the Future Homes Standard Impact Assessment are for the purposes of appraisal only and do not represent an official forecast of housing supply.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
A new Consultation Direction was published on 31 March 2026, following the legislative change made by the Town and Country (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/595). The Direction can be found on gov.uk here.
A revised call-in and recovery policy will follow in due course. Until then, I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the policy set out in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 26 October 2012, which continues to apply and can be found here.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Published guidance on propriety in respect of planning casework decisions can be found here. The principles set out in the guidance apply to decisions to use the call-in and recovery process as well as to substantive decisions.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities are responsible for the administration of business rates, including decisions on the awarding of and eligibility for various reliefs. Guidance for local authorities on the administration of the pubs and live music venues relief 2026 to 2027 was published on 18 February 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here. It is for local authorities to determine whether individual properties meet the definitions contained within the guidance to be eligible for the Pubs and Live Music Venues relief.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are working with departments across Whitehall to explore the range of data-enabled opportunities available to supporting the overall objective of improving registration. This includes working with the Home Office to explore whether its data could help to identify individuals who are eligible to register.
We will work closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office to ensure that any use of data is supported by appropriate safeguards.
Any permanent changes to the registration process will be informed by robust evidence, user research and careful testing before being implemented.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Valuation Tribunal for England (VTE) is an independent judicial body that hears council tax and business rates appeals. The Valuation Tribunal Service provides administrative services to the VTE and publishes the VTE’s appeal decisions on an online portal which can be found on their website here. The VTS does not issue guidance on Council Tax second home premiums.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following publication of the independent Rycroft Review on 25 March 2026, the Government set out steps to strengthen the UK’s political finance framework to address the risk of foreign financial interference, including through the Representation of the People Bill, which will introduce a cap on donations from overseas electors and a moratorium on donations via cryptoassets, and will strengthen donation rules across the regime, including for donations linked to Ireland, which remain subject to strict permissibility, transparency and enforcement requirements to ensure the true source of funds is identifiable and lawful.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Provision relating to the validity of petitions seeking to trigger a governance referendum is set out in Part 2 of the Local Authorities (Referendums)(Petitions)(England) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/ 2914).
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Through the Representation of the People Bill, the Government will allow all agents, including candidates acting as their own agent, to provide an alternative correspondence address instead of their home address.
Election agents may use a PO Box as a correspondence address. However, they are still required to provide an office address at which legal documents may be served. Under UK Civil Procedure Rules, this office address cannot be a PO Box. It is the responsibility of individual agents to ensure that they have a suitable office address.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following the publication of the independent Rycroft Review on 25 March 2026, the Government announced its intention to act upon two key recommendations from that Review, to introduce a cap on donations from overseas electors and a moratorium on donations via cryptoassets.
The review and its recommendations were informed by engagement with a range of stakeholders, including political parties.
The Government will be introducing these measures by amendment to the Representation of the People Bill where there will be sufficient opportunity to scrutinise and debate the proposals.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The current local authority standards and conduct regime is in certain key aspects ineffectual, inconsistently applied, and lacking in adequate powers to effectively sanction members found in serious breach of their codes of conduct. This is why, in November 2025, we announced our intention to legislate to introduce a clearer and consistently applied conduct system that will help local elected members to hold themselves and their colleagues to account. We will do this when Parliamentary time allows.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 117738 on 13 March 2026.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
No additional guidance has been issued.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Grant agreements with strategic partners under the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) are tracked by Homes England against delivery plans that incorporate particular milestones such as acquisitions, starts, and completions.
All delivery is required to be compliant with the terms of the grant agreement and capital funding guide and completed homes are checked for value for money in line with the agreed grant allocation parameters. The capital funding guide can be found on gov.uk here and example Homes England grant agreements for the 2021-26 AHP can be accessed here.
Delivery is also checked against the Programme's wider strategic objectives, including the use of Modern Methods of Construction, use of SME contractors, and improvement of the energy efficiency and sustainability of new affordable housing.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
James Cleverly
(Conservative - Braintree)
In December 2025, the Secretary of State commissioned former permanent secretary Philip Rycroft to lead an independent review into foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics. Individuals and organisations were able to submit evidence to the review. On the day the review was published, on 25 March 2026, the Secretary of State sent a letter to political party representatives setting out the government’s intention to immediately accept two of the recommendations via amendments to the Representation of the People Bill: (1) an annual £100,000 cap on total political donations and regulated transactions made by each overseas elector; and (2) a moratorium on political donations made using cryptoassets, of any amount. These changes are intended to strengthen protections against foreign financial interference in UK democracy and to maintain confidence in the transparency and integrity of political donations.
Regarding the other recommendations, the government supports the wider conclusions drawn by Mr Rycroft on the risks in our system and will reflect swiftly on how best to take these forward, given their more technical nature. We will respond, formally and in full, in advance of Commons report stage of the Representation of the People Bill.
The government will continue to engage with political parties and other stakeholders on the Representation of the People Bill.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As explained in my answer on 12 February, where business rate reliefs are implemented under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, Business Rates Supplements are adjusted to reflect the percentage relief provided by those schemes in line with the requirements of section 13(7) of the Business Rates Supplement Act 2009. The 2025/26 40% Retail Hospitality and Leisure Relief was such a relief implemented under section 47.
Business Improvement District (BID) levies are established under separate legislation from the business rates system and are payable in addition to non-domestic rates. Business rates reliefs granted under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, such as the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief, apply only to a ratepayer’s liability for non-domestic rates and do not apply to BID levies. These reliefs therefore reduce a ratepayer’s liability to non-domestic rates only. Individual BIDs may allow for a reduction in a levy in line with their own schemes but this is a matter for individual BIDs to determine.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Information on the range, type and value of reliefs available to ratepayers in England is already published on gov.uk and can be found here. The gov.uk pages are prepared to be accessible to all ratepayers and businesses.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Putting Surrey’s local authorities on a more sustainable footing is vital to safeguarding the services residents rely on, as well as investing in their futures. As set out in the invitation letter, and consistent with previous restructures, there is no proposal for council debt to be addressed centrally or written off as part of reorganisation.
The Government has committed to repay in‑principle £500 million of Woking Borough Council’s debt in 2026–27 as a first tranche of support. This is a significant and unprecedented commitment given historic capital practices at the Council. It reflects our acknowledgement that, even after the rationalisation of Woking’s historic assets, there remains significant unsupported debt that cannot be managed locally.
When issuing the statutory invitation for Reorganisation proposals, the Government was clear in criterion (2f) that: “For areas where there are exceptional circumstances where there has been failure linked to capital practices, proposals should reflect the extent to which the implications of this can be managed locally, including as part of efficiencies possible through reorganisation.”
The Government is committed to achieving the best value for money for the taxpayer in the rationalisation of Woking’s historic assets, which will contribute locally to the reduction of debt in Woking, and this process may continue past vesting day into the new unitary authority. It is crucial that any debt support must consider broader value for money considerations for both local and national taxpayers.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
There is an existing Permitted Development Right – Part 7 of Class M of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 – which allows colleges and universities to erect new buildings, extensions and make alterations without the submission of a planning application. The right is subject to limits and conditions to control local impacts.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that local planning authorities should take a proactive, positive, and collaborative approach to ensuring that a sufficient choice of post-16 places are available to meet the needs of existing and new communities.
Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to education facilities. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Guidance on planning and flood risk, including the role of the Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authorities in assessing planning applications can be found on gov.uk here.
The government recently consulted on reforms to the statutory consultee system to improve clarity, proportionality and public understanding of the planning process and the roles and responsibilities of statutory consultees, including the Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authorities.
The proposed reforms place greater emphasis on clearer, more accessible guidance and standing advice, reducing unnecessary referrals, and ensuring statutory consultees focus on matters where their expertise adds the greatest value. The consultation closed on 13 January 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish a response in due course.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
James Cleverly
(Conservative - Braintree)
Staff have a statutory right to apply for flexible working at any point during their employment.
The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 (Commencement) Regulations 2024 were brought into force on 6 April 2024 making flexible working requests a day one right and this has likely driven changes as well as individual employee circumstances.
Overall staffing levels in the Department have remained broadly stable and we are unable to comment on the decisions made by employees and managers throughout the flexible working application process.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The guidance which the Rt. Hon. Member references sets out what is considered a second home for council tax purposes and the conditions where a premium may be applied. Councils are responsible for assessing liability for council tax in line with the hierarchy of liability as set out in legislation.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
James Cleverly
(Conservative - Braintree)
The Department deals with a large variety of legal cases including judicial reviews, Information Tribunal cases and private law litigation. As explained in answer to Question UIN 113730 on 4 March 2026, the number and outcome of legal challenges and judicial reviews since July 2024 is not held centrally in the format requested.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has no such plans.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Apologies, the incorrect answer was uploaded in error. My Department has held discussions with councils in all 21 areas that are part of the local government reorganisation programme. Ministers meet regularly with representatives of the Local Government Association as part of the government’s engagement with the sector, including to discuss local government reorganisation.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government does not routinely collect or hold information on the number of complaints relating to private parking charges issued in Dorset or England.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the Towns Fund were time limited programmes with specific aims. No funding from these programmes has been diverted to the Pride in Place Programme.
The Pride in Place Programme is helping to deliver this government’s ambition targeting support to the most in-need communities to have the biggest impact. Full details of the methodologies used for place selection have been published on gov.uk.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has received no representations regarding enforcement against unauthorised development undertaken by travellers being frustrated by the subdivision of land into multiple small plots.
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Bloom Review on Faith Engagement is one of the many evidence bases that inform the work of my department, including in relation to supporting community cohesion.
This includes our commitment set out in Protecting What Matters to boost Faith and Belief literacy (informed by Colin Bloom’s recommendation to do so), in addition to our ongoing commitment to regular and consistent engagement with Faith and Belief groups. The insights of Faith and Belief groups continue to play an important role in shaping policies that promote inclusivity, understanding, and respect across our society.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)