Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to redistribute assets and wealth between different (a) local authorities, (b) communities and (c) local government through the Local Government Finance Settlement.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement in which we are engaged. The department will work with local government leaders to ensure they are better able to fulfil their statutory duties.
We want to hear from councils about the financial challenges they are facing and we are committed to stabilising the local government finance landscape in this Parliament.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of Buckinghamshire Council's financial planning, in the context of increases in levels of demand for services.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Councils are responsible for their own financial management, and the department does not monitor their day-to-day business.
The Government is under no illusions about the scale of the pressures that local authorities are facing. We recognise the vital work that local councils do for their communities and stand ready to speak to any council that is experiencing financial difficulties.
The Government will work closely with councils to provide more stability through multi-year funding settlements, ending competitive bidding for pots of money and reforming the local audit system. Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the financial health of Buckinghamshire council; and what steps her Department takes to support councils that may be at risk of financial difficulties.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Councils are responsible for their own financial management, and the department does not monitor their day-to-day business.
The Government is under no illusions about the scale of the pressures that local authorities are facing. We recognise the vital work that local councils do for their communities and stand ready to speak to any council that is experiencing financial difficulties.
The Government will work closely with councils to provide more stability through multi-year funding settlements, ending competitive bidding for pots of money and reforming the local audit system. Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions her Department has had with Buckinghamshire Council on that Council's (a) financial resilience and (b) long-term sustainability.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Councils are responsible for their own financial management, and the department does not monitor their day-to-day business.
The Government is under no illusions about the scale of the pressures that local authorities are facing. We recognise the vital work that local councils do for their communities and stand ready to speak to any council that is experiencing financial difficulties.
The Government will work closely with councils to provide more stability through multi-year funding settlements, ending competitive bidding for pots of money and reforming the local audit system. Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions her Department has had with Buckinghamshire Council on the adequacy of its financial reserves.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Councils are responsible for their own financial management, and the department does not monitor their day-to-day business.
The Government is under no illusions about the scale of the pressures that local authorities are facing. We recognise the vital work that local councils do for their communities and stand ready to speak to any council that is experiencing financial difficulties.
The Government will work closely with councils to provide more stability through multi-year funding settlements, ending competitive bidding for pots of money and reforming the local audit system. Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing district councils to be constituent members of Combined County Authorities.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Existing combined county authority legislation provides that only upper tier local authorities in the area of a combined county authority can be constituent members. District councils are an important part of local government, and as non-constituent members can play an active role in any combined county authority in their area, should they wish.
It is important that all local authorities are engaged and actively involved in improving their areas, working across all levels of government for the interests of the local community.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the financial sustainability of Buckinghamshire Council in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Councils are responsible for their own financial management, and the department does not monitor their day-to-day business.
The Government is under no illusions about the scale of the pressures that local authorities are facing. We recognise the vital work that local councils do for their communities and stand ready to speak to any council that is experiencing financial difficulties.
The Government will work closely with councils to provide more stability through multi-year funding settlements, ending competitive bidding for pots of money and reforming the local audit system. Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Building Safety Fund will cover the cost for thermal performance improvements associated with fire safety measures for the external cladding of buildings, where those improvements are (a) required to meet building regulation energy efficiency standards or (b) go over and above building regulation energy efficiency standards.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Safety Fund (BSF) was established to address life safety fire risks associated with cladding on high rise residential buildings. Remediation works must meet Building Regulations requirements, including minimum standards for energy efficiency. BSF applicants may choose to self-fund further energy efficiency measures.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities on using (a) the Public Sector Equality Duty and (b) equality impact assessments to ensure that (i) women and (ii) women with intersecting protected characteristics are treated equally in all decision-making processes.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It is each local authority's own responsibility to ensure it fulfils its obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on gov.uk.
Asked by: Lord Carrington (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how long landlords and letting agents will need to take to prepare for, and update processes, when section 21 repossessions end.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is delivering its manifesto commitment to transform the experience of private renting by levelling the playing field decisively between landlords and tenants. The Renters’ Rights Bill will replace section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions with a modern tenancy system, giving renters greater security and protections.
The Government welcomes private investment into housing, and new tenures in the private rented sector such as those offered by Build to Rent providers. These can provide tenants with greater stability and more choice. The Department will continue to engage – and work – with the Build to Rent sector to understand their needs in the process of designing any regulation.
The department will publish an impact assessment for the Renters' Rights Bill in due course. We will work closely with all parts of the sector to ensure a smooth transition to the new system and will provide sufficient notice ahead of implementation.