Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the statement of 9 March 2026 on Protecting What Matters, what criteria he will use to determine the allocation of the £5.8 billion Pride in Place funding; which local authorities will receive the additional £800 million allocated on social cohesion; what metrics he will use to determine whether cohesion is under pressure; and what proportion of that funding will be new money.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On Friday 20 March we announced a major expansion of the landmark Pride in Place programme. This follows the government’s action plan for social cohesion, “Protecting What Matters” which confirmed a further £800 million over ten years to 40 more areas where social cohesion is under pressure. Full details of the methodology used to select places is published on gov.uk.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking with cabinet colleagues to improve the a) safety and b) provision of playgrounds for young people in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities work locally to support adults and children to lead more active lives through access to nature, parks, and play spaces. We are investing in local government. The Spending Review 2025 provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three years for local services that communities rely on. This includes £3.4 billion of new grant funding which will be delivered through the Settlement for 2026-27 to 2028-29.
Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to the provision of play space. The government has recently published a draft update to national design guidance, which emphasises that development proposals should maximise the potential for play in the layout, form and appearance of development. In terms of safety, owners and operators of playgrounds are required to comply with existing legal requirements as applicable.
Government also owns the Green Flag Award scheme, which helps to increase access to quality green spaces and parks; sets the standard for those spaces to meet the needs of the communities they serve and has helped to transform thousands of spaces across the country. This includes many parks across Newcastle-under-Lyme, such as Bathpool Park, Brampton Park and Lyme Valley Park.
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, what representations he has received from the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation on the new anti-Muslim hostility definition.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As is standard practice in government policy making, officials undertook limited and focused informal engagement with selected stakeholders as the government considered the advice submitted by the Working Group.
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, what was the cost of the Islamophobia definition working group, including staff costs.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Working Group members were not remunerated. A small amount of secretariat support was provided by staff in the department.
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, for what reason did Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority not qualify for the Mayoral Revolving Growth Fund.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Mayoral Revolving Growth Fund's place selection methodology is available online: Mayoral Revolving Growth Fund: policy statement - GOV.UK. This sets out that places were selected based on:
Based on those criteria, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority did not qualify for the fund.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
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 20 January 2026 to Question 105396 on Eden Project: Morecambe, whether he has had discussions with representatives from (a) Lancaster City Council and (b) any other sponsors of the Eden Project on (i) changes to the number of domes built as part of the project and (ii) any other potential development options since July 2024.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I have had no engagement. My officials have as part of regular monitoring as per the answer given to Question UIN 120470 on 19 March 2026.
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, what was the cost to the public purse of the Islamophobia definition working group, including staff costs.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group members were not remunerated. Secretariat support was provided by officials in the department.
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, with reference to the guidance entitled Business rates: Pubs and live music venues relief - local authority guidance, 18 February 2026, paragraph 11, whether (a) restaurants and (b) hotels with pub-style bars are eligible for the new pub relief on the full Rateable Value of the hereditament.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities are responsible for the administration of business rates, including decisions on the awarding of 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.
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 5 March 2026, to Question 116749, on Local Government: Elections, whether the Secretary of State was advised that he was pre-determined.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It is a longstanding principle that the government does not comment on or publish legal advice.
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, if he will publish the declared interests of each member of the Government's Working Group on Islamophobia.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As per their Terms of Reference, the members of the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition Working Group were required to disclose any conflicts of interests before they were appointed, and these were considered by the Department as part of the appointments process. Members were required to abide by the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies and follow the Seven Principles of Public Life. The principles include that holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.