Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 24 June (HLWS735), what assessment they have made of the administrative and financial implications for councils that will be mandated to move from a committee model to a cabinet model.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

In the statement of 24 June, we set out the Government’s intention to bring forward primary legislation when Parliamentary time allows to ensure all local authorities in England operate an executive model of governance. If Parliament agrees this legislation, councils operating the committee system will have one year following commencement of the new legislation within which to change to the leader and cabinet model. Councils which are to be abolished under local government reorganisation in their area will be exempt. This timeline gives councils which need to make the change time to prepare.

Going forward, simplifying executive governance models across the sector, and preventing the establishment of new mayoral councils, will avoid further such costs arising to local taxpayers and will provide certainty to councils as to their governance arrangements as unbudgeted costs of responding to petitions and hosting referendums will be prevented, ultimately saving councils time and taxpayers money.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of uncontracted and unsold affordable homes across England; and how many housebuilders have been supported since the Section 106 Affordable Housing Clearance Service was launched in 2024.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The government does not collect or publish data on uncontracted and unsold affordable homes in England.

The Homes England clearance service launched in December 2024 to help improve the functioning of the market for affordable housing, by supporting buyers and sellers to find each other more effectively - with developers able to share details of unsold section 106 affordable homes for registered providers and local authorities to search.  Since its launch, as of March 2025, 411 organisations have registered. This includes:

• 113 housebuilders;

• 184 Registered Providers of social housing;

• 114 Local Planning Authorities.

The government calls on all developers with uncontracted Section 106 affordable homes, as well as registered providers and local planning authorities, to engage proactively with the service.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the decision to stop funding the Neighbourhood Planning Support Programme on the creation of new neighbourhood plans, and why that decision was taken.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Following the Spending Review, my Department has announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards.

Technical support which has already been awarded will continue to be provided but must be completed before the end of March 2026.

The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests.

Found: Atkinson Juliet Campbell Tom Collins The Earl of Cork and Orrery Jonathan Davies Marsha De Cordova Baroness Eaton