Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department is making with West Midlands Railway to restore the number of passenger train services to six trains per hour on the Cross-City line between Kings Norton, Bournville and Selly Oak.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department is working with West Midlands Trains, Network Rail and regional partners on options to increase Cross-City line frequencies while maintaining wider network performance and reliability. In parallel, longer-term interventions through the Midlands Rail Hub are being considered. The Department will assess these proposals against operational, capacity and value for money considerations before making any decisions on future service levels.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help ensure that residents of exempt accommodation and HMOs receive sufficient support and local infrastructure to enable them to integrate into their communities.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This government implementing the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, which will introduce licensing and national support standards across England to ensure supported housing residents receive support tailored to their individual needs. I will publish a consultation on the draft licensing regulations later this year.

Alongside this, the department has issued guidance and provided new burdens funding to support local authorities in developing supported housing strategies, which will assess the supply and demand for different types of supported housing in their areas.

While these reforms are being implemented, my officials continue to work closely with Birmingham City Council to address concerns about supported exempt accommodation.

Local authorities already have a range of powers to tackle poor-quality accommodation. Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing schemes play an important role in ensuring properties are safe, well maintained and properly managed, and councils have robust enforcement powers where landlords fail to comply.

Local planning authorities also have a wide range of enforcement powers, backed by strong penalties for non-compliance with planning regulations. However, it is for individual authorities to determine whether enforcement action is appropriate in the circumstances of each case.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help ensure that HMOs and exempt accommodation are distributed evenly at both the local and national level to help support community cohesion.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This government implementing the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, which will introduce licensing and national support standards across England to ensure supported housing residents receive support tailored to their individual needs. I will publish a consultation on the draft licensing regulations later this year.

Alongside this, the department has issued guidance and provided new burdens funding to support local authorities in developing supported housing strategies, which will assess the supply and demand for different types of supported housing in their areas.

While these reforms are being implemented, my officials continue to work closely with Birmingham City Council to address concerns about supported exempt accommodation.

Local authorities already have a range of powers to tackle poor-quality accommodation. Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing schemes play an important role in ensuring properties are safe, well maintained and properly managed, and councils have robust enforcement powers where landlords fail to comply.

Local planning authorities also have a wide range of enforcement powers, backed by strong penalties for non-compliance with planning regulations. However, it is for individual authorities to determine whether enforcement action is appropriate in the circumstances of each case.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that HMOs and exempt accommodation are appropriately licensed and comply with local planning regulations in Birmingham.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This government implementing the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, which will introduce licensing and national support standards across England to ensure supported housing residents receive support tailored to their individual needs. I will publish a consultation on the draft licensing regulations later this year.

Alongside this, the department has issued guidance and provided new burdens funding to support local authorities in developing supported housing strategies, which will assess the supply and demand for different types of supported housing in their areas.

While these reforms are being implemented, my officials continue to work closely with Birmingham City Council to address concerns about supported exempt accommodation.

Local authorities already have a range of powers to tackle poor-quality accommodation. Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing schemes play an important role in ensuring properties are safe, well maintained and properly managed, and councils have robust enforcement powers where landlords fail to comply.

Local planning authorities also have a wide range of enforcement powers, backed by strong penalties for non-compliance with planning regulations. However, it is for individual authorities to determine whether enforcement action is appropriate in the circumstances of each case.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with Birmingham City Council on the ongoing bin workers' dispute; and what steps she is taking to help support the resumption of regular waste collection services for residents.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

During the acute phase of the waste dispute last year, the Government took decisive action in lock step with the Council to ensure waste in the city was safely and sustainably managed. The result was to establish a regular, reliable waste collection service despite industrial action.

The ongoing waste dispute is damaging for the residents and reputation of the great city of Birmingham. It is disappointing that a resolution has not yet been achieved, but this matter remains a local issue and is between Birmingham City Council, as the employer, and Unite, representing employees. The Government is not a party to this dispute, but we continue to urge both parties to work together to bring about a sustainable solution to end the strike, in the interests of the people of Birmingham.

We take the progress made across Birmingham City Council very seriously. A successful and prospering Birmingham is a priority for this government, and the department regularly engages with the Council in line with standard practice for statutory interventions. This is alongside receiving regular updates on progress from Commissioners, including on the waste dispute.

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