Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 to help ensure that playing fields are not used for development in North Shropshire constituency.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) includes strong protections for existing open space, sports and recreational buildings, and land, including playing fields, setting out that they should not be built on unless they are no longer needed, equivalent or better provision is made, or the development is for alternative sports or recreational provision which offers benefits that clearly outweigh the loss of the current or former use.
The government is consulting on a new NPPF that includes clearer, more rules-based policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation includes updated policy on development affecting existing recreation facilities, including playing fields.
The consultation will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 the potential impact of directors being on the boards of housing developers and building management companies simultaneously on conflicts of interest.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Companies Act 2006 sets out the rules around conflicts of interests for the directors of boards.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the average turnaround time is for urgent and non-urgent repairs in social housing; and whether targets have been set for improvement.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
All registered providers of social housing are required to deliver the outcomes of the regulatory standards set by the independent Regulator of Social Housing. This includes providing an effective, efficient, and timely repairs service for the homes and communal areas they are responsible for, including setting timescales for completion, and communicating these to tenants.
The government has introduced additional safety legislation to protect tenants from health and safety hazards through the introduction of Awaab's Law which came into force for damp, mould, and all emergency hazards on 27 October 2025.
On the 28 January the government also announced further measures to support local authorities in building and maintaining safe and decent social and affordable homes, including a new, modernised Decent Homes Standard. Details can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1283).
Finally, my Department launched a call for evidence with the Ministry of Justice on 4 December to hear from tenants, landlords, legal professionals and claims management companies about their experiences of housing disrepair claims. It can be found on gov.uk here. The exercise will allow us to gather further evidence on how the current process works, including the roles of companies and solicitors in these cases. We want to understand what doesn't work or is unclear so that we can make sure the process is as effective as possible. The call for evidence will be open for 12 weeks and close on 12 February 2026.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
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 reduce the turnaround time for repairs in social housing managed by local authorities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
All registered providers of social housing are required to deliver the outcomes of the regulatory standards set by the independent Regulator of Social Housing. This includes providing an effective, efficient, and timely repairs service for the homes and communal areas they are responsible for, including setting timescales for completion, and communicating these to tenants.
The government has introduced additional safety legislation to protect tenants from health and safety hazards through the introduction of Awaab's Law which came into force for damp, mould, and all emergency hazards on 27 October 2025.
On the 28 January the government also announced further measures to support local authorities in building and maintaining safe and decent social and affordable homes, including a new, modernised Decent Homes Standard. Details can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1283).
Finally, my Department launched a call for evidence with the Ministry of Justice on 4 December to hear from tenants, landlords, legal professionals and claims management companies about their experiences of housing disrepair claims. It can be found on gov.uk here. The exercise will allow us to gather further evidence on how the current process works, including the roles of companies and solicitors in these cases. We want to understand what doesn't work or is unclear so that we can make sure the process is as effective as possible. The call for evidence will be open for 12 weeks and close on 12 February 2026.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what additional funding and resources he plans to allocate to local authorities to aid housing repairs.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
All registered providers of social housing are required to deliver the outcomes of the regulatory standards set by the independent Regulator of Social Housing. This includes providing an effective, efficient, and timely repairs service for the homes and communal areas they are responsible for, including setting timescales for completion, and communicating these to tenants.
The government has introduced additional safety legislation to protect tenants from health and safety hazards through the introduction of Awaab's Law which came into force for damp, mould, and all emergency hazards on 27 October 2025.
On the 28 January the government also announced further measures to support local authorities in building and maintaining safe and decent social and affordable homes, including a new, modernised Decent Homes Standard. Details can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1283).
Finally, my Department launched a call for evidence with the Ministry of Justice on 4 December to hear from tenants, landlords, legal professionals and claims management companies about their experiences of housing disrepair claims. It can be found on gov.uk here. The exercise will allow us to gather further evidence on how the current process works, including the roles of companies and solicitors in these cases. We want to understand what doesn't work or is unclear so that we can make sure the process is as effective as possible. The call for evidence will be open for 12 weeks and close on 12 February 2026.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
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 to help ensure that housing developers build an adequate amount of affordable housing in (a) Bolsover constituency and (b) other rural areas.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 101017 on 6 January 2026 and to the Written Ministerial Statements made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771) and 28 January (HCWS1283).
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support the Government is providing to local planning authorities to ensure they have the expertise to manage parks and gardens casework in the absence of guaranteed specialist input.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 18 November 2025, my Department published a consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, closed on 13 January 2026.
The consultation asked for views on the impact of removing consultee status in the planning application process from the Gardens Trust, The Theatres Trust and Sport England.
No final decisions will be taken on the role of these statutory consultees until all consultation feedback has been fully analysed and considered. A government response will be published in due course.
Regardless of consultation outcomes, these statutory consultees will continue to engage through public consultation and targeted notifications in the planning process.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 the potential impact on planning outcomes of the decision to remove statutory consultee status from certain bodies in the planning process.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 18 November 2025, my Department published a consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, closed on 13 January 2026.
The consultation asked for views on the impact of removing consultee status in the planning application process from the Gardens Trust, The Theatres Trust and Sport England.
No final decisions will be taken on the role of these statutory consultees until all consultation feedback has been fully analysed and considered. A government response will be published in due course.
Regardless of consultation outcomes, these statutory consultees will continue to engage through public consultation and targeted notifications in the planning process.
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 proposals to modernise planning committees and introduce a national scheme of delegation, whether applications affecting green belt land could be determined by officers rather than elected members; what criteria will determine whether such applications are considered strategic; and how he will ensure democratic accountability for decisions involving the loss of green space.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 28 May 2025, my Department published a technical consultation on proposals for reform of planning committees. It can be found on gov.uk here.
The consultation has now closed, and we are analysing the responses with a view to consulting on draft regulations for such a National Scheme of Delegation in the coming months.
Asked by: Rachel Blake (Labour (Co-op) - Cities of London and Westminster)
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 the proportionality of the requirement for planning permission to install double glazing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has not undertaken such an assessment, as in most cases the replacement of windows of similar appearance can be undertaken without the need for a planning application.
However, there may be some local exceptions, and other consents such as listed building consent may be required.