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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the exceptional financial support regime for local authorities.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is under no illusion about the fragile state of the sector and the pressures that some councils are facing to deliver for residents. We also recognise the potential for continued instability as we work to fix the foundations of local government. That is why we confirmed in the autumn that we will continue to have a framework in place to support councils in the most difficult financial positions.

However, this government has been clear that we will take a different approach to supporting councils in financial difficulty, to ensure it is effective, collaborative and delivers value for money – while still protecting the interests of taxpayers. For example, we have been clear that we do not believe in punishing councils and have removed the punitive approach of making borrowing more expensive where a council seeking additional financial support has no other choice.

On council tax flexibility for areas seeking exceptional financial support, we have put taxpayers at the forefront by avoiding excessively high increases and only agreeing increases where councils have comparatively low existing levels of tax and plans to protect the lowest income residents.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the merits of introducing a separate needs formula for homelessness.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The previous government committed to improving and updating the way in which local authorities are funded through the “fair funding review” - but this was not delivered. We will make good on this commitment and implement long-awaited reforms through a multi-year settlement in 2026-27.

We invited views from the local government sector through the “local authority funding reform objectives and principles consultation”, which was open from 18 December 2024 to 12 February 2025. It sought views on the approach to local authority funding reform to be implemented via the Local Government Finance Settlement from 2026-27.

We will be consulting on more detailed proposals, including our proposed relative needs formulae, following the Spending Review in June.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of reliability of the Index of Multiple Deprivation to accurately reflect levels of deprivation and need.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The English Indices for Deprivation are a designated National Statistic. They have demonstrated, through assessment, that they meet the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value, set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics by the Office for Statistics Regulation.

Building on the measures in the 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement, the Government is committed to introducing an improved and updated approach to funding local authorities from 2026-27.

We sought views on our principles and objectives for funding reform through a consultation which ran from 18 December 2024 - 12 February 2025. This consultation and engagement will inform the development of our detailed proposals, which will follow the multi-year Spending Review concluding later this year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to account for housing costs when measuring deprivation as part of local government funding reform.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The English Indices for Deprivation are a designated National Statistic. They have demonstrated, through assessment, that they meet the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value, set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics by the Office for Statistics Regulation.

Building on the measures in the 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement, the Government is committed to introducing an improved and updated approach to funding local authorities from 2026-27.

We sought views on our principles and objectives for funding reform through a consultation which ran from 18 December 2024 - 12 February 2025. This consultation and engagement will inform the development of our detailed proposals, which will follow the multi-year Spending Review concluding later this year.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the cap on the amount councils can claim to meet temporary accommodation costs on local authority finances.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We continue to keep the rates used for Housing Benefit subsidy under review and are working closely with MHCLG and the Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping to explore the impacts of subsidy rates on local authorities.

Any future decisions on subsidy rates will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing and the current challenging financial environment at the appropriate fiscal event.

We recognise the financial pressures which local authorities are experiencing. MHCLG is increasing funding for homelessness services this year by an extra £233 million compared to last year (2024/25).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish representations received from (a) Hillingdon council, (b) Harrow council and (c) other local authorities on the cost of supporting asylum seekers.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office is in regular contact with local authorities throughout the country in relation to the accommodation and other support provided to asylum seekers in each area.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities in (a) London and (b) England on the adequacy of funding to support asylum seekers.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office is in regular contact with local authorities throughout the country in relation to the accommodation and other support provided to asylum seekers in each area.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of welfare reforms announced in the Spring Statement 2025 on local authority finances.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

No assessment has been made.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to replace the Exceptional Financial Support regime with long term debt-restructuring.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We are under no illusion about the fragile state of the sector and the pressures that some councils are facing, and recognise the potential for continued instability as we work to fix the foundations of local government. That is why we have a framework in place to support councils in the most difficult financial positions. On 20 February 2025 we wrote to thirty councils to confirm in-principle support, primarily in the form of capitalisation, through the Exceptional Financial Support process.

It is the responsibility of councils to manage their budgets, and it is standard for councils to borrow and to hold debt in the normal course of business. There are councils currently under statutory Best Value intervention that hold exceptional levels of debt. As part of the Spending Review, we are working with those councils, particularly in the context of local government re-organisation to understand how these councils’ exceptional debt can be managed.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Mayor of London on the role of councils in London in integrated settlements for the Greater London Authority.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

At Autumn Budget 2024 the Government committed to exploring how the Integrated Settlement policy could be applied for the Greater London Authority from the 2026-27 financial year onwards, taking into account the capital’s unique devolution arrangements. This work is currently taking place and the Government plans to announce further details following the conclusion of Phase 2 of the Spending Review 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has had discussions with (a) London Councils and (b) individual councils in London on a joint decision-making role in integrated settlements for the Greater London Authority.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

At Autumn Budget 2024 the Government committed to exploring how the Integrated Settlement policy could be applied for the Greater London Authority from the 2026-27 financial year onwards, taking into account the capital’s unique devolution arrangements. This work is currently taking place and the Government plans to announce further details following the conclusion of Phase 2 of the Spending Review 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to give local authorities in London a joint decision-making role in integrated settlements for the Greater London Authority.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

At Autumn Budget 2024 the Government committed to exploring how the Integrated Settlement policy could be applied for the Greater London Authority from the 2026-27 financial year onwards, taking into account the capital’s unique devolution arrangements. This work is currently taking place and the Government plans to announce further details following the conclusion of Phase 2 of the Spending Review 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of former foreign national asylum seekers granted (a) refugee status and (b) settlement claiming (i) emergency homeless and (ii) temporary accommodation.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The most recent statutory homelessness statistics (July – September 2024) is available at: Homelessness statistics - GOV.UK, which includes former asylum seeker households that are owed a homelessness duty.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what type of public body the child protection authority will be; what powers it will have; how it will be funded; whether it will subsume existing (a) public bodies and (b) regulators; and what powers it will have over local government.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government has committed to consulting on a roadmap to establish a Child Protection Authority for England. The design and delivery of this Authority requires consultation, including with child protection experts and victim groups to ensure it has the right constitution and powers to make a tangible difference to child protection practice.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of local authority finances in London.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available up to £13.35 billion for London, including the GLA. This is a £726 million increase on 2024-25, representing a 5.8% cash terms increase.

The Department works closely with local government and other government departments to understand specific demand and cost pressures facing local government on an ongoing basis. This involves looking at a range of cost and demand data, as well as regular engagement with local authorities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when Baroness Casey will report on the national audit into grooming gangs.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 7 April to Question UIN 44574, and to the responses I gave in Parliament on 28 April.

The Home Secretary has commissioned Baroness Louise Casey to conduct an audit to improve national understanding of the scale, nature, and profile of group-based child sexual abuse. The audit is well underway and will report to the Home Secretary in the next month.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29611 on Offences against Children: Reviews, how many local inquiries will be supported; and at what average cost.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 7 April to Question UIN 44574, and to the responses I gave in Parliament on 28 April.

The Home Secretary has commissioned Baroness Louise Casey to conduct an audit to improve national understanding of the scale, nature, and profile of group-based child sexual abuse. The audit is well underway and will report to the Home Secretary in the next month.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish correspondence sent to local authorities on (a) accessing funding for locally-led work on grooming gangs and (b) the conditions of funding.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 7 April to Question UIN 44574, and to the responses I gave in Parliament on 28 April.

The Home Secretary has commissioned Baroness Louise Casey to conduct an audit to improve national understanding of the scale, nature, and profile of group-based child sexual abuse. The audit is well underway and will report to the Home Secretary in the next month.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's guidance entitled Terms of reference for VfM Study on procuring short-term residential accommodation, published on 11 March 2025, how much the Home Office spent on hotels for asylum support in 2024-25.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab).

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department's guidance entitled Terms of reference for VfM Study on procuring short-term residential accommodation, published on 11 March 2025, how much local authorities have spent on procuring short term residential accommodation for asylum support in 2024-25.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The provision of asylum support, including accommodation, is the responsibility of the Home Office, not of local authorities. Local authorities do not provide any funding for asylum support. The Home Office’s total expenditure on asylum accommodation in 2024-25 will be confirmed in its Annual Report and Accounts in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025 to Question 28146 on Asylum: Local Government, what data her Department holds on funding to local councils in England for (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

Funding provided to Local Authorities by the Home Office in respect of asylum & resettlement is made in the form of grant payments.

As per the most recent published Cabinet Office grant data, in financial year 2023-24 these Home Office grants totalled approximately £500m - Government grants statistics 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of former foreign national asylum seekers granted (a) refugee status and (b) settlement claiming social housing.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department does not hold information on former foreign national asylum seekers claiming social housing who were formally granted refugee status and/or settlement.

The Department’s social housing lettings in England statistical series includes information based on self-reported status. It can be found on gov.uk here.

It shows that 2.0% of new social housing lettings in 2023/24 were to households who self-reported as refugees (4,100 households). There were 1,000 households who self-reported that they were housed by The National Asylum Support Service immediately before their new social letting (0.4% of new social lettings).

Care should be taken when considering figures for new social lettings to refugees and asylum seekers. CORE data is based on specific definitions and there may be overlaps and households missing from the statistics presented above.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 43097 on Asylum: Housing, how many dwellings have been procured via Cushman and Wakefield by local authority; and what the cost of those dwellings is.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office is working closely with a range of stakeholders to fulfil its statutory obligations, while seeking to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation for the taxpayer.

As part of this programme, the Home Office works with its contracted estates delivery partner, Cushman and Wakefield, to identify potential leasehold and freehold properties for the Home Office to acquire. The Home Office does not publish information on the location of asylum accommodation sites for safety and security reasons.

Overall asylum expenditure is published on a routine basis in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees are housed in accommodation procured by Clearsprings Ready Homes by local authority.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

Under the current Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts, Serco provides accommodation in the North West and Midlands and East of England regions; Mears provides accommodation in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber; and Clearsprings Ready Homes provides accommodation in Wales, the South East, the South East and London.

Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by region and by local authority. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) (opens in a new tab).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees are housed in accommodation procured by Mears by local authority.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

Under the current Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts, Serco provides accommodation in the North West and Midlands and East of England regions; Mears provides accommodation in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber; and Clearsprings Ready Homes provides accommodation in Wales, the South East, the South East and London.

Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by region and by local authority. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) (opens in a new tab).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees are housed in accommodation procured by Serco by local authority.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

Under the current Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts, Serco provides accommodation in the North West and Midlands and East of England regions; Mears provides accommodation in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber; and Clearsprings Ready Homes provides accommodation in Wales, the South East, the South East and London.

Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by region and by local authority. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) (opens in a new tab).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which contractors provide accommodation services for (a) asylum seekers and (b) refugees for her Department.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office’s asylum accommodation services are delivered under contracts by Serco, Mears, Clearsprings Ready Homes and Corporate Travel Management. These contracts were entered into by our predecessors.

The Home Office does not have any contractors providing accommodation for refugees under Resettlement schemes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average cost to the public purse is of an asylum seeker.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office’s publicly available transparency data sets out the annual costs of asylum support. The most recent data, covering the year 2023/24, can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-and-protection-data-q4-2024.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 40190, on Asylum: Hotels, if she will publish each letter sent to each local authority chief executive since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not routinely publish correspondence on operational matters.

In addition, it has been the longstanding policy of the Home Office under successive governments not to comment publicly on individual hotels which may or may not be utilised by the Home Office, nor do we provide details of those we accommodate at any site.

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