Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to give councils powers to seize or impound vehicles linked to unpaid penalty charge notices; and what discussions they have had with governments of foreign countries about sharing vehicle data for the payment of those notices.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Local authorities are required under the Traffic Management Act 2004 to ensure that their parking policies are proportionate, support town centre prosperity, and reconcile competing demands for space whilst ensuring traffic moves freely and quickly on their roads and the roads of nearby authorities.
In line with the need for proportionality, there are no plans to allow councils to seize or impound vehicles for unpaid penalty charges.
However, under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978,local authorities can remove abandoned vehicles on parking sites. Before a local authority can remove an abandoned vehicle, the authority must first give the landowner 15 days’ notice. This is done so the law protects individuals from having their property removed without due process.
Vehicle keeper data cannot be shared internationally for civil debt enforcement, and as such cannot be traced outside the UK. Where fines are due from foreign registered vehicles that have already left the country, parking companies and local authorities can and do use international debt collection agencies to pursue unpaid charges.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
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 post-planning early- and late-stage reviews on development viability in London.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Planning practice guidance on viability states that plans should set out circumstances where review mechanisms may be appropriate and how they will operate. The application of this and wider guidance in London is a matter for local planning authorities and the Greater London Authority.
While viability pressures are impacting residential development in many parts of the country, we know they are particularly acute in London. Those pressures were already resulting in proportions of affordable housing being reduced on schemes following viability assessment. According to Greater London Authority (GLA) monitoring data, the average affordable housing level of referable applications that have been approved through their viability tested route was 20 per cent between 2022-2024.
To address this, the Secretary of State and the Mayor of London announced a new package of support for housebuilding in London that included developers to access a new, time-limited planning route to incentivise build out. This will sit alongside the existing Fast Track and Viability Tested routes and will enable developers to secure planning permission without a viability assessment on private land within certain conditions.
The GLA opened a consultation for this time-limited measure, and the proposal of the targeted withdrawal of guidance that limits density, on Thursday 27 November which can be found at Support for Housebuilding LPG | London City Hall (attached).
My Department also launched a consultation on the temporary relief from the Community Infrastructure Levy and changes to Mayoral planning powers which can be found at Support for housebuilding in London - GOV.UK (attached). These consultations close on 22 January 2026.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that empty properties on high streets and in town centres are brought back into use.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This government is committed to tackling high street vacancy. In December 2024, we introduced High Street Rental Auction powers which enable local authorities to auction the lease of persistently vacant properties so they can be brought back into use. We are working with 12 early adopter councils who are prioritising implementation of the powers, and initial results suggest the powers can be effective at reoccupying vacant units.
Through the Pride in Place strategy, we are equipping councils with a wider range of new tools to support the high street, including streamlined compulsory purchase powers and a new Community Right to Buy.
We are also supporting high street businesses with permanently lower business rates multipliers from 2026/27, and by banning upwards only rent reviews in commercial leases.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to change the threshold for on-site affordable housing from 10 to 50 units.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government retains a strong preference for, and commitment to, on-site delivery of social and affordable housing, reflecting the benefits this provides in terms of the delivery of mixed communities, controlled land prices, and secure cash flow for developers of all sizes.
At the same time, the government also wishes to provide for a more proportionate and streamlined planning system for SME housebuilders, to help bring competition and diversity to the market, and support faster build out.
As such, the government has decided to explore further the potential benefits and drawbacks of enabling developers to discharge social and affordable housing requirements through cash contributions in lieu of direct delivery in the category of “medium” sites as part of the consultation on the draft National Planning Policy Framework, published on 16 December 2025.
Further information is set out in the Government’s consultation ‘National Planning Policy Framework: proposed reforms and other changes to the planning system’ which can be found on gov.uk (attached) here.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the relevant councils following the cyber attacks on Westminster Council, Hammersmith and Fulham Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council, including in relation to the people or organisations behind the attacks.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the National Cyber Security Centre and law enforcement have been working closely with the impacted councils, to understand the risk to their services and to wider government, and to support effective remediation and restoration of services for the public. Councils have been working diligently with specialist support to validate the security of their networks and bring essential services back online. We are aware that some council data may have been stolen by criminal actors. The impacted councils, government and law enforcement are thoroughly investigating the accuracy and potential impact of any data loss. There is an ongoing law enforcement investigation which the councils and MHCLG are fully supporting.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of social housing tenants in London are not in work.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
My Department collects data on the economic activity of households by tenure in England, through the English Housing Survey, which can be found in Annex table 1.3 (attached) here English Housing Survey 2024 to 2025: headline findings on demographics and household resilience - GOV.UK.
In England, 59% of social rented households had a household reference person (HRP) who was not in work. Of all social rented households 1% of HRPs were in full-time education, 7% were unemployed, 26% were retired and 25% were ‘other inactive’, a group that includes those with a long-term illness or disability and those who were looking after the family or home.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they remain committed to delivering a modern 21st century estate at the Lancaster West Estate following the Grenfell Tower fire; and what plans they have to provide funding for its refurbishment.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government is committed to supporting the community affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy for the long term, and to working with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) so the vision of 21st century estate for the residents of the Lancaster West estate can be realised.
I understand how important and pressing this is. My officials are engaging with RBKC, who lead on the refurbishment of the estate, to fully understand the Council’s plans and timelines for delivery and explore potential funding options to determine whether government can further support the Council in refurbishing the estate.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
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 Fair Funding 2.0 review on the overall finances of (1) London and (2) the rest of the country.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
On Thursday 20 November, we published (attached) the government response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0, which sets out the government’s plan to introduce a fairer and evidence-led funding system.
These updates will account for local circumstances, including different ability to raise income locally from council tax, and the variation in cost of delivering services, including between rural and urban areas. In doing so, we will target a greater proportion of grant funding towards the places that need it most, ensuring the best value for money for government and taxpayers.
The vast majority of councils with social care responsibilities will see their Core Spending Power increase in real terms over the multi-year Settlement. We will also support local authorities to manage their updated funding positions through a package of transitional arrangements, which we set out in detail in the response.
We will publish provisional local authority allocations at the upcoming provisional multi-year Settlement in December. Proposals and allocations will be subject to consultation and the usual Parliamentary process.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the cost for delivering local government services is higher in rural or urban areas.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
On Thursday 20 November, we published (attached) the government response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0, which sets out the government’s plan to introduce a fairer and evidence-led funding system.
These updates will account for local circumstances, including different ability to raise income locally from council tax, and the variation in cost of delivering services, including between rural and urban areas. In doing so, we will target a greater proportion of grant funding towards the places that need it most, ensuring the best value for money for government and taxpayers.
The vast majority of councils with social care responsibilities will see their Core Spending Power increase in real terms over the multi-year Settlement. We will also support local authorities to manage their updated funding positions through a package of transitional arrangements, which we set out in detail in the response.
We will publish provisional local authority allocations at the upcoming provisional multi-year Settlement in December. Proposals and allocations will be subject to consultation and the usual Parliamentary process.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether costs associated with London's role as a capital city will be reflected in the Fair Funding 2.0 formula.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the noble Lord to the statement made by my hon friend the Minister for Local Government [Local government finance policy statement 2026-27 to 2028-29 - GOV.UK] (attached) which was published on Thursday 20 November, which sets out our plans for the 2026-27 to 2028-29 multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement. These proposals represent a fairer system for all authorities which recognises the variation in demand and the cost of providing services in different places.
We have always said we are committed to supporting public services and driving growth across the country, including London, as part of our Plan for Change. This includes recognising the additional strain that commuters and tourists can place on service provision in some authorities – including those in London - and taking account of need in specific service areas like temporary accommodation.
We have also used the latest data from the 2025 Indices of Deprivation in both the Foundation Formula and the Children’s and Young People’s Services formula. These include incorporating data on Universal Credit claimants, enabling the measure to account for income after housing costs. Incorporating this data in our updated assessment of need is consistent with the Fair Funding Review 2.0’s principle of using the most recent and most robust evidence available.