Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, if her Department will publish their methodology for (a) calculating and (b) allocation of funding from her'10-year local growth fund to the 350 deprived communities.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 11 June 2025, the government has announced communities funding for up to 350 places, including the 75 places named in the Plan for Neighbourhoods in March 2025. Within this, 25 trailblazer neighbourhoods will receive up to £20 million over the next decade. We will set out full place selection and methodology in due course.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether contracts agreed with the Prison Education Service will include provision for inflationary increases to budgets for each prison in each year.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The overall budget for the Prisoner Education Service is subject to the Ministry of Justice’s internal annual budget allocations process to set internal budgets following the Spending Review period, so it is not possible to comment on budgets at prison level for future years at present.
The indexation provisions in the circa. 70 service contracts within the Prisoner Education Service vary between the services to ensure they are proportionate and relevant to the services being delivered. The most significant contracts by value Core Education and Careers Information, Advice & Guidance currently include provision for an annual indexation of contract prices. The two indices that are used to calculate inflationary increases are as follows:
1) Average Weekly Earnings index for staff costs, and
2) Consumer Price Index for all non-staff costs.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of high-density retirement housing schemes in rural areas that do not have corresponding funding for local healthcare infrastructure on demand for (a) GPs, (b) ambulances and (c) other NHS services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and this means we require world class infrastructure across the NHS estate. We recognise the challenges that areas of significant housing and population growth can place on primary care infrastructure.
Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning, planning, securing, and monitoring health services within their system boundaries through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The NHS has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including general practices, in each local area. It should take account of population growth and demographic changes associated with new retirement developments, alongside other housing growth.
Integrated care systems’ estates infrastructure strategies have been developed to create a long-term plan for future estate requirements and investment for each local area and its needs. These strategies help manage existing estates and take any future requirements into account when considering how best to deliver local services.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, if she will publish the full list of the 350 deprived communities that will receive new investment.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The government is setting out a more targeted, long-term local growth funding model across the UK, completing the transition from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This is only one part of our wider regional growth strategy, including our support for devolution, local government funding reform, and significant investment in housing, transport and innovation, ensuring that benefits are felt across the country.
The government is investing in up to 350 deprived communities across the UK, to fund interventions including community cohesion, regeneration and improving the public realm.
MHCLG will set out more detail in due course.