Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 20 September 2024 to Question 5409 on Recycling and to Question 5225 on Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal, whether it is her policy that the minimum residual frequency for household waste collections should be two weeks.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Simpler Recycling will mean that people across England will be able to recycle the same materials at home, work or school, ending the confusion over what can or cannot be recycled in different parts of the country.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department issues to local authorities on the rights householders have to plant a tree (a) within the curtilage of and (b) on a green space immediately adjacent to their property without the consent of their local authority.

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

The department has not issued any such guidance.

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 written Ministerial Statement of 28 October 2024 on Social and Affordable Housing: Next Steps, HCWS169, what methodology will be used to allocate the £47 million in relation to nutrient neutrality; and what the eligibility requirement for receiving the funds will be.

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

At the Budget on 30 October, the Chancellor announced £45 million for seven local authority areas for Round 2 of the Local Nutrient Mitigation fund. The allocations were awarded to authorities affected by nutrient neutrality on the basis of bids submitted by them for mitigation schemes. A further £2 million was divided between the largest catchments affected by nutrient neutrality to support cross-boundary work on this issue. The authorities affected by nutrient neutrality were listed in the expression of interest for the fund, published on gov.uk on 23 May 2023.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2024 to Question 5417 on Housing: Construction, if she will list the 60 local authorities affected by nutrient neutrality rules.

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

At the Budget on 30 October, the Chancellor announced £45 million for seven local authority areas for Round 2 of the Local Nutrient Mitigation fund. The allocations were awarded to authorities affected by nutrient neutrality on the basis of bids submitted by them for mitigation schemes. A further £2 million was divided between the largest catchments affected by nutrient neutrality to support cross-boundary work on this issue. The authorities affected by nutrient neutrality were listed in the expression of interest for the fund, published on gov.uk on 23 May 2023.

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 written Ministerial Statement of 28 October 2024 on Social and Affordable Housing: Next Steps, HCWS169, whether the fund with Muse Places Limited and Pension Insurance Corporation is (a) grant funding, (b) a loan, (c) a financial guarantee or (d) a financial transaction.

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

The government’s investment into a joint venture with Muse Places and Pension Insurance Corporation, publicly branded as Habiko, is an equity stake into an investment vehicle – which can be classified as a financial transaction – owned equally between PIC, Muse & Homes England.

Homes England's investment was funded through the Levelling Up Home Building Fund and this partnership plans to deliver 3,000 low-carbon, low-energy affordable homes.

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 written Ministerial Statement of 28 October 2024 on Social and Affordable Housing: Next Steps, HCWS169, whether the funding at Liverpool Central Docks is (a) grant funding, (b) a loan, (c) a financial guarantee and (d) a financial transaction.

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

This scheme will be supported through a £55.8 million grant from the Brownfield Infrastructure and Land fund to Liverpool City Council.

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 targets to reduce the number of people (a) homeless, (b) rough sleeping and (c) on social housing waiting lists.

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

The Government recognises that homelessness levels are far too high, and this can have a devastating impact on those affected. We will look at these issues carefully, including issues around hidden homelessness, to make sure we put in place services that meet people’s needs.

The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness. This includes chairing a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, bringing together ministers from across government to develop a long-term strategy. We have also established an Expert Group to bring together representatives from across the homelessness and rough sleeping sector, local and combined authorities and wider experts. We have no plans to appoint an external champion.

We recognise England is in an acute housing crisis and there is insufficient social housing to meet demand. This Government will deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, and has already set out a number of steps: Housing targets increased to get Britain building again - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Local authorities have the freedom to manage their own social housing waiting lists, so they can decide who should qualify for social housing in their area and develop solutions that make best use of the social housing stock.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October, to Question 5413, on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Remote Working, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of 40% in-person attendance levels on public sector productivity levels.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We remain committed to maximising the benefits of hybrid working through fostering the best of time in offices, work with partners and stakeholders, and working from home. At MHCLG we see that spending more time together in person brings benefits to the work we do and our departmental culture.

Those benefits include sharing ideas more easily, collaborating effectively, solving problems and learning from each other, all of which are vital factors in delivering positive outcomes for the communities we serve.

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 her Department's guidance entitled New burdens doctrine: guidance for government departments, updated on 29 July 2022, whether proposed changes to (a) employers National Insurance contributions and (b) the minimum wage are new burdens.

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

We have announced £1.3 billion of new grant funding in 2025/26 for local government to deliver core services. Together with local income from council tax and locally-retained business rates, this will provide a real-terms increase in total core spending power of around 3.2%, which can be used to address the range of pressures facing local government.

The Government has committed to provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional employer NICs costs. This applies to those directly employed by the public sector, including local government.

The New Burdens Doctrine does not apply to policies which apply the same rules to local authorities and to private sector bodies (for example changes in general taxation, or employment legislation that applies to all organisations), unless these have a disproportionate effect on local government.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 7690 on Local Government: Standards, what her Department's timetable is for consultation with stakeholders.

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

The Government will be launching the consultation on the local government standards regime, referred to in my previous response, at the earliest opportunity.

We are committed to working with local and regional government to establish partnerships built on mutual respect, genuine collaboration, and meaningful engagement. The measures outlined in the upcoming consultation reflect our ambition to create a rigorous standards framework that will actively contribute to ensuring local government throughout the country is fit, legal, and decent.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2024, to Question 5299, on Devolution: Local Government, whether council (a) leaders and (b) mayors were invited to attend the Council of the Nations and Regions.

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

The Council of the Nations and Regions on 11 October brought together the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, and the Mayors of Combined Authorities and County Combined Authorities in England.

The following Mayors from English regions are invited to attend the Council of Nations and Regions: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the East Midlands, Greater London, Greater Manchester, the Liverpool City Region, the North East, South Yorkshire, Tees Valley, the West Midlands, the West of England, West Yorkshire, and York and North Yorkshire.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local authority core funding will include funding for proposed changes to (a) employers National Insurance contributions and (b) the minimum wage.

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

We have announced £1.3 billion of new grant funding in 2025/26 for local government to deliver core services. Together with local income from council tax and locally-retained business rates, this will provide a real-terms increase in total core spending power of around 3.2%, which can be used to address the range of pressures facing local government.

The Government has committed to provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional employer NICs costs. This applies to those directly employed by the public sector, including local government.

The New Burdens Doctrine does not apply to policies which apply the same rules to local authorities and to private sector bodies (for example changes in general taxation, or employment legislation that applies to all organisations), unless these have a disproportionate effect on local government.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2024 to Question 5414 on Local Government: Elections, whether she plans to lay the associated legislation to allow the combined authority mayoral elections to take place in May 2025; and in which other areas combined authority mayoral elections will take place in May 2025 for the first time.

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

There are two scheduled combined authority mayoral elections in 2025: the Mayor for West of England Combined Authority, which includes the local authority areas of Bristol City, Bath and North East Somerset, and South Gloucestershire; and the Mayor for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, which includes the local authority area of Peterborough City Council and the local authorities in Cambridgeshire.

Legislation to establish a new Mayoral Combined Authority covering Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council was laid in Parliament on 26 November and, subject to parliamentary approval of the legislation, their first mayoral election will also take place in 2025. There are no scheduled mayoral elections in combined authority areas in 2026 currently.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 7872 on Local Government: Elections, in which combined authority areas are mayoral elections expected to take place in (a) 2025 and (b) 2026.

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

There are two scheduled combined authority mayoral elections in 2025: the Mayor for West of England Combined Authority, which includes the local authority areas of Bristol City, Bath and North East Somerset, and South Gloucestershire; and the Mayor for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, which includes the local authority area of Peterborough City Council and the local authorities in Cambridgeshire.

Legislation to establish a new Mayoral Combined Authority covering Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council was laid in Parliament on 26 November and, subject to parliamentary approval of the legislation, their first mayoral election will also take place in 2025. There are no scheduled mayoral elections in combined authority areas in 2026 currently.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her planned timetable is to consult on changes to Energy Performance Certificate methodology.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Energy Performance Certificates provide homeowners and renters with valuable information about the energy performance of their homes.

However, it is now widely recognised that improvements need to be made to the EPC system to improve their accuracy and reliability, whilst ensuring they are giving people a wider range of information. We are developing plans to address this and will shortly launch a consultation with more detail.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2024 to Question 5674 on National Security, if she will list the key stakeholders who her Department is working with; and whether this includes (a) the Parliamentary Parties Panel and (b) political parties directly.

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

As set out in our manifesto, the Government is committed to strengthening our democracy, upholding the integrity of elections and widening participation in the democratic process.

The department will work closely with key stakeholders, including local authorities, the Electoral Commission, and where relevant the Parliamentary Parties Panel and political parties, to develop proposals which give effect to these commitments.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to remove the requirement for councillor’s home addresses to be published.

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

Primary legislation is needed to remove the requirement for local government members’ home addresses to be included in published versions of registers of interests. We intend to legislate at the first available opportunity.

There are also limited circumstances where those local government candidates acting as their own election agent may need to disclose their home address during an election, when they do not provide an office address. We are considering whether to amend this requirement, whilst ensuring that agents continue to provide a correspondence address for enforcement and legal purposes.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her (a) housing and (b) planning policy is on encouraging councils to turn (i) empty and (ii) redundant office space into residential accommodation.

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

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that substantial weight should be given to the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements, including the development of under-utilised land and buildings to meet the need for homes and other uses.

As part of our recent consultation on proposed reforms to the Framework, we set out proposals to broaden the existing definition of brownfield land, set a strengthened expectation that applications on brownfield land will be approved, and make clear that plans should promote an uplift in density in urban areas.

On 22 September we published a ‘brownfield passport’ policy paper inviting views on how we might further prioritise and fast-track building on previously used urban land.

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 her Department's policy paper, entitled Brownfield Passport: Making the Most of Urban Land, published in September 2024, whether it is her policy that planning approvals under the new brownfield passport regime would still require a substantive planning application.

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

The government’s planning reform working paper regarding a brownfield passport invites views on further action the government could take through the planning system to support the development of brownfield land in urban areas. It proposes options for a form of ‘brownfield passport’, which would be more specific about the development that should be regarded as acceptable, with the default answer to suitable proposals being a straightforward “yes”. The proposals relate to the principle, the scale, and the form of development, and to the potential wider use of Local Development Orders to grant area-wide permissions – all in a way that retains appropriate local oversight. A series of questions are posed at the end of the paper, to inform discussions with the sector before determining whether any of these proposals are taken forward. We continue to accept responses to the paper, and will set out further information on how we intend to respond in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has issued guidance on whether the embodied carbon of an existing building is a material consideration in the planning process.

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

The government’s Planning Practice Guidance on Climate Change, National Design Guide and National Model Design Code provide general guidance on how carbon impacts can be taken into account in the planning process.

In our recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system, we sought views on whether carbon can be accurately measured and accounted for in plan-making and planning decisions. The consultation closed on 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses with a view to publishing a government response before the end of the year

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which (a) individuals and (b) organisations attended the first meeting of the Council of the Nations and Regions.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The inaugural Council of the Nations and Regions met on 11 October in Edinburgh to discuss growth and investment. On 17 October the UK Government published a communique for the meeting on gov.uk which sets out the attendees and their organisations. The government also published the terms of reference which include the names and roles of the standing invitees.

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 page 23 of the King’s Speech Background Briefing Notes, published by the Prime Minister's Office on 17 July 2024, whether strategic planning will operate at the combined authority level.

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

Yes. The Government is proposing that all combined authorities will oversee the development and agreement of strategic plans for their areas. This will be formalised in legislation.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her planned timetable is for the publication of the new cladding remediation plan.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On Monday 2 November we announced a Remediation Acceleration Plan which sets out key measures to remove unsafe cladding from buildings faster, identify remaining buildings still at risk and ensure that residents are supported through the remediation process.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her planned timetable is for responding to the policy paper entitled Publication of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase 2 report, published on 4 September 2024.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We are considering the recommendations set out in the Grenfell Inquiry report. The Prime Minister has committed to respond in full to the Inquiry’s recommendations within six months.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure that vacant homes built under section 106 agreements are occupied.

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

The government is well aware of concerns about reduced appetite from Registered Providers of social housing to buy affordable homes delivered under Section 106 agreements. We will continue to work with housebuilders, local authorities, and Registered Providers to tackle this problem.

One of the main causes of the problem is a reduction in Registered Providers’ financial capacity over recent years. The government recognises that Registered Providers need support to build their capacity and make a greater contribution to affordable housing supply. We are currently consulting on a new 5-year social housing rent settlement, to give Registered Providers the certainty they need to invest in new social and affordable housing.

We have also announced that councils will be allowed to keep 100% of the receipts generated by Right to Buy sales, so that they are better able to build and buy new homes. We have provided flexibility for councils to combine Right to Buy receipts with Section 106 contributions (this flexibility will be in place for an initial 24 months and then subject to review).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 6190 on Permitted Development Rights, whether her Department has made an assessment of the extent to which that consultation met the Cabinet Office’s consultation principles guidance.

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

While we cannot comment on the actions of the previous government, the consultation document sets out how it was planned to adhere to the consultation principles issued by the Cabinet Office.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many homes (a) in total and (b) by type of tenure have been financed under the Levelling Up Home Building Fund.

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

Since the Levelling Up Home Building Fund launched in 2022, it has committed funding to support the delivery of 35,695 new homes against its target of 42,000.

Tenure breakdown information is only available once construction is started on site, so is not available against the total number of homes financed.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2024 to Question 3005 on Housing: Greater London, what discussions he has had with the Greater London Authority on the reasons for housing delivery being below below existing London Plan targets.

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

The Government is committed to working in partnership with the Mayor of London, boroughs and the sector to significantly increase housing delivery in the capital. My department, both ministers and officials, meet regularly with the Greater London Authority to discuss housing delivery.

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 Prime Minister’s Oral Statement of 21 November 2024 on G20 and COP29 Summits, Official Report, columns 371-373 and pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024, to Question 14996, on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, whether the Prime Minister has had discussions with her on the planning application for the proposed Chinese Embassy between 23 August and 18 October 2024.

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

The decision to call in the planning application for the proposed Chinese Embassy was made by the Deputy Prime Minister, in line with current policy on call-in.