Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
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, CP1336, of 11 June 2025, how much (a) capital and (b) revenue funding is being allocated to the Affordable Housing Programme, in each of the 10 years of that programme.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Spending Review 2025 policy paper (which can be found on gov.uk here) makes clear that spending on the Social and Affordable Homes Programme will reach £4 billion per year in 2029-30 and rise in line with inflation subsequently.
Government does not usually publish year-by-year spend on specific programmes in advance.
We have announced the overall funding commitment for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme and will continue to publish departmental capital spend figures on an annual basis.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
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 paragraph 4.39 of HM Treasury's document entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 12 June 2025, if she will set out the methodology used to select the 350 deprived communities for intervention funding.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has announced communities funding for up to 350 places, including the 75 places named in the Plan for Neighbourhoods in March 2025 and the 25 trailblazer neighbourhoods that will receive up to £20 million over the next decade. We will share further details on the methodology for how places were selected in due course.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
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 table B.3 of HM Treasury's document entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 12 June 2025, whether her Department's average annual real growth in capital expenditure during 2025-26 to 2029-30 includes the Affordable Housing Programme.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The calculations showing MHCLG’s average annual real growth in capital expenditure during 2025-26 to 2029-30 in table B.3 of the HM Treasury’s Spending Review 2025 publication includes the funding allocated to the Affordable Housing Programme.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
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 paragraph 4.19 of HM Treasury's document entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 12 June 2025, what her Department's target is for the (a) total number and (b) proportion by tenure type of additional new build homes funded by the Affordable Housing Programme.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme that was announced at the Spending Review will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent. We will confirm further details in due course.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her policy is on the Affordable Housing Programme funding the purchase by social housing providers of affordable homes already obligated by developers under Section 106 during the Spending Review period.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Affordable Homes Programme supports the delivery of social and affordable homes additional to those that developers have committed to delivering through Section 106 agreement. We have no plans to change these arrangements.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
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 Government announces 25 trailblazer neighbourhoods to receive long-term investment - details, published on 11 June 2025, what the evidential basis was for the selection of the trailblazer areas.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We have announced 25 trailblazer areas that will benefit from funding. These 25 areas were selected through a robust metric-based methodology which assessed the most in need communities across the UK, further details will be published in due course.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
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 paragraph 2.59 of HM Treasury's document entitled Spending Review 2025: departmental efficiency delivery plans, published on 11 June 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of insourcing services on levels of efficiency in her Department.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The department is committed to improving efficiency by reducing reliance on external suppliers and consultants, having already achieved a 50% reduction in consultancy use since 2023/24. Consultants are only engaged for time-limited, specific needs where internal expertise is not available, ensuring that costs remain tightly controlled. As part of our ongoing invest-to-save initiative, we are actively replacing contractors and professional services with permanent civil servants. This approach has already delivered substantial savings and is expected to generate further annual efficiencies. By building in-house capability, the department is not only reducing costs but also enhancing the skills and sustainability of the civil service workforce, which in turn supports more effective and efficient delivery of our objectives.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
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 core spending power budget line in table B.2 of HM Treasury's document entitled, Spending Review 2025, published on 12 June 2025, what is the estimated total revenue from council tax in each year from 2024-25 to 2028-29 in England.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Projected overall local government Core Spending Power within Resource Departmental Expenditure Limits is set out at table B.2 of the Spending Review document. This includes estimated funding from council tax. However, this remains subject to final decisions on the referendum principles set by government with the approval of the House of Commons, and the council tax levels set by individual authorities. Referendum principles will be set out as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement in the usual way.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
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, CP 1336, whether the £39 billion for a new 10‑year Affordable Homes Programme is (a) in cash terms and (b) takes into account inflation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As under the existing Affordable Homes Programme, registered providers will need to bid for the grant funding announced at the Spending Review. The government will confirm further details, including the timing and process for bids to the new fund, in due course.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 4.15 of HM Treasury's document entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 12 June 2025, if she will list the congestion improvement measures her Department will fund; and whether these will include (a) Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, (b) traffic filters, (c) congestion charging and (d) workplace parking taxes.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Section 16 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 places a Network Management Duty on all traffic authorities in England to manage their road networks as efficiently as possible for the benefit of all traffic (including pedestrians), with a view to reducing congestion.
Local authorities have a wide range of traffic management measures available to them, and it is for them to determine what measures may be required to help meet this duty.