Asked by: Lord Jamieson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 28 September (HL3483), what public interest reason there is for not publishing in full the presentations received from councils, elected representatives, and political groups regarding the planned cancellation of the May 2026 local elections.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government considers that councils and other stakeholders should be able to provide their frank views and local perspectives to inform decision-making, and routine publication of individual representations could affect the willingness of stakeholders to do so. A summary of the representations received was published, and the Government also published the former Secretary of State's correspondence setting out his responses to councils. The Government currently has no plans to publish individual representations.
Asked by: Lord Jamieson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 15 September (HL2868), whether, where an authority can demonstrate a five-year housing land supply and has achieved a Housing Delivery Test result of at least 75%, the presumption in favour of sustainable development would not be engaged even where there is an identified need for additional social housing.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published in August 2026, introduces a revised presumption in favour of sustainable development which, in combination with new policies on development inside and outside of development boundaries, promotes a sustainable pattern of development.
It does this by steering proposals to appropriate locations: maximising the use of suitable land within urban areas and taking a more selective approach to the types and locations of development outside settlements.
The Housing Delivery Test (HDT) and five-year housing land supply (5YHLS) policies are important mechanisms within the planning system to ensure homes are delivered in line with needs. While failing against either HDT or 5YHLS is one of the circumstances in which housing outside settlements may be allowed, it does not mean that planning permission for housing will be automatically granted, and local planning authorities must consider a range of factors when determining planning applications.
Equally, while the presence of a 5YHLS and an HDT score above 75% are not in themselves circumstances in which development outside settlements may be acceptable under policy S5, there may be case-specific circumstances which support approval.
As set out in the government response to the NPPF consultation, the government will publish updated guidance in due course to assist local authorities in assessing the housing needs of different groups. This will include how unmet for housing should be considered for the purposes of policy S5 in the new NPPF.
You can find the full government response and new NPPF on gov.uk here (and attached).
Asked by: Lord Jamieson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Prime Minister's reply to a question in the Commons Chamber on 1 September (HC Deb col. 40), what is the evidential basis for the assertion that he was previously elected as Mayor of Greater Manchester under a proportional voting system.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Prime Minister was first elected Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017. That election was conducted using the supplementary vote system, which requires the winning candidate to receive the majority of votes counted, rather than the First Past the Post system used for Westminster elections.
Asked by: Lord Jamieson (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 potential impact of (1) the new profit test and the company ownership provisions in the Representation of the People Bill, and (2) the latest Electoral Commission guidance on sponsorship, on the income of political parties.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out in Representation of the People Bill Impact Assessment, Table 9, we estimate that around 31% - 34% of donations from companies made in the year prior to the 2024 General Election would not meet the permissibility criteria. All businesses, including small businesses, will need to meet strict new criteria in order to make political donations. Requiring donors to demonstrate a genuine UK connection is key in protecting against foreign actors from using shell companies to channel foreign or illicit money into UK politics.
The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) sets out the framework governing political donations and controls on permissible sources of funding. This includes provisions relevant to sponsorship and other forms of support provided to political parties. The Electoral Commission is independent from the Government and is responsible for assisting in compliance with electoral law, including the political donations framework, and provides guidance and support to those subject to it.
Asked by: Lord Jamieson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil servants previously assigned in (1) London, (2) Greater Manchester, and (3) regional offices outside Greater Manchester, have been required to work on a (a) permanent, and (b) temporary basis in No. 10 North in Manchester.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
No10 North exists to get power out of Westminster, into the hands of people at a local level. The initial team includes people loaned from a range of government departments and secondees from local government.
Asked by: Lord Jamieson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the council tax surcharge (1) bands, (2) multipliers, and (3) thresholds, from those previously announced in November 2025.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
As has always been the case, decisions on tax are a matter for the Chancellor to set out at fiscal events, rather than routinely commenting on rumour, speculation or proposals.
Asked by: Lord Jamieson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of social homes that will be delivered and occupied through the £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme by July 2029.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We announced initial allocations under the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) in August 2026. We confirmed that £9.58 billion is being allocated to 33 Strategic Partners outside of London, including councils, housing associations and other providers to support the delivery of 73,600 new social and affordable homes across England over the next ten years.
Nearly two-thirds of homes delivered through these partnerships are expected to be for Social Rent.
This is the first major wave of funding allocations under the programme. Further funding will be allocated over the lifetime of the programme.
Asked by: Lord Jamieson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the constitutional status of Cornwall within the United Kingdom, other than as a (1) unitary council, and (2) a potential strategic authority area.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government recognised the Cornish as a national minority under the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in 2014, recognising this unique culture and heritage. This status does not prevent it from accessing devolution and Government would ensure that this status would be preserved in any future devolution arrangement.
The Government’s ambition is that every area in England has, or is in the process of establishing, a Strategic Authority by the end of 2027, with Strategic Authorities in place everywhere by the end of 2028. The Government recently wrote to all areas without a Strategic Authority seeking confirmation of their devolution ambitions, including their preferences regarding mayoral or non-mayoral devolution. Cornwall Council has set out their preference and we will be confirming next steps to areas soon.
Asked by: Lord Jamieson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 6 August (HL2668), what public interest reason there is for not publishing the presentations received from councils, elected representatives, and political groups regarding the planned cancellation of the May 2026 local elections.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
A summary of the representations received was published here. The Government currently has no plans to publish the individual representations received.
Asked by: Lord Jamieson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 13 July (HL1406), whether they intend to publish the technical specification of the data that is requested from local housing authorities on local authority housing waiting lists via continuous recording of lettings by local authorities data; and whether they have reviewed the data collection in this regard given its accredited official statistics status of the social housing lettings in England publication.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Data on the number of households on the housing register (waiting lists) is collected as a snapshot at 31 March each year via the Local Authority Housing Statistics (LAHS). While commentary on the findings is included in the Social Housing Lettings statistical release, no data on housing registers is collected via the Continuous Recordings of Social Housing Lettings.
The latest guidance for the LAHS is published on gov.uk here. The LAHS data is quality assured by my department’s statisticians, as per the publication’s technical notes and in line with Code of Practice for statistics. The latest available are the 2024-25 technical notes which can be found on gov.uk here.