Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has plans to review the legislation governing Class F council tax exemptions, specifically the treatment of inherited properties that were occupied at the time of death and vacated more than six weeks later; and whether he will consider extending exemptions to cover the probate process and up to 12 months after probate is granted, regardless of occupancy status at the time of death.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Properties which are unoccupied because the occupant has passed away, and probate has been granted on their estate, are exempt from council tax from the point of death until six months after the grant of probate or the signing of letters of administration (a class F exemption). Where the property remains occupied by another person, it is liable for council tax in the same way as any other property. The Government has no plans to amend class F council tax exemption.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to allocate funding to support the Great South West Partnership from April 2026.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following a four-week public consultation, in March 2025 the Government announced its intention to end funding for Pan-Regional Partnerships, with an exceptional, time-limited award of £281,250 for the Great South West Pan-Regional Partnership for the 2025/26 financial year.
Pan-Regional Partnerships, including the Great South West, have made a valuable contribution, supporting collaboration between local authorities and government and taking forward a breadth of work on shared growth opportunities. However, as our English Devolution White Paper sets out, we are now moving to a different model of regional collaboration, where we are keen to support new models driven by local leaders.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of clarifying whether regulation 25A of the Building Regulations that relates to Approved Document L includes extensions where the new wall or roof area adds 25% to the surface area of the building.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Regulation 25A of the Building Regulations 2010 concerns the use of high-efficiency alternative systems in new buildings and does not apply to extensions.
The energy efficiency standards that apply to extensions to existing dwellings are set out in Approved Document L: Conservation of fuel and power, Volume 1 (dwellings), Section 10.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to ensure that (a) high-quality (i) landscape design and (ii) green infrastructure proposed in planning applications are protected during construction and (b) long-term funding models for (A) management and (B) maintenance are provided through the planning process.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework emphasises the importance of a network of high-quality open spaces for the health and wellbeing of communities and the environment.
The National Design Guide, which supports the Framework, makes clear that well-designed places consider management and maintenance regimes from the early stages of the design process and document them in a management plan.
A Local Planning Authority (LPA) can attach conditions to the grant of planning permission. These could be used to secure the implementation and protection of landscape design and green infrastructure within a development.
LPAs can also use planning obligations to restrict or prescribe the use of land, require specific activities to be carried out in relation to a development, and require payment to a local authority. Planning obligations could include requiring a developer to make payments towards the management and maintenance of green infrastructure.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department plans to take to help ensure that new towns adopt approaches that incorporate (a) high-quality and (b) environmentally resilient green places.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has been clear that the next generation of new towns must be well-connected, well-designed, sustainable, and attractive places where people want to live and have all the infrastructure, amenities, and services necessary to sustain thriving communities.
On 28 September 2025, the government published the independent New Towns Taskforce report as well as its initial response to that report. Both can be found on gov.uk here. Chapter 3 of the Taskforce’s final report sets out placemaking principles. The government initial response welcomed the Taskforce’s emphasis on ensuring new towns are designed in line with a placemaking approach which should form the building blocks of any new towns, ensuring that they are places where people are proud to live and work.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether any respondents to the consultation on the Competence and Conduct Standard for Social Housing, updated on 30 September 2025, raised concerns about the reliance on continuous assessment in housing qualifications; and whether any respondents expressed concern about the absence of formal examinations as a means of assessing critical thinking and competence in key areas such as housing law and repairs.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This government carefully considered responses to the consultation led by the previous government in respect of the Competence and Conduct Standard and has now published its response which can be found on gov.uk here.
A small number of respondents raised concerns about assessment methods for qualifications and very few respondents raised concerns about artificial intelligence.
The government has not set prescriptive requirements on methods of assessment, and it will be for awarding organisations to determine how learning is assessed. We also expect awarding organisations to have policies in place to mitigate the risks posed by the use of artificial intelligence.
As set out in the final policy statement, qualifications must be equivalent to or higher than an Ofqual regulated level 4 qualification for senior housing managers and a level 5 qualification or foundation degree for senior housing executives. Ofqual ensures that regulated qualifications are robust and valid through the General Conditions of Recognition – the rules for all the qualifications and organisations Ofqual regulates which can be found on gov.uk here. All regulated awarding organisations have a legal obligation to comply with these rules on an ongoing basis.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether any respondents to the consultation on the Competence and Conduct Standard for Social Housing, updated on 30 September 2025, raised concerns about the potential implications of (a) artificial intelligence and (b) generative AI on the (i) integrity, (ii) assessment and (iii) delivery of housing qualifications; and what assessment his Department has made of any such concerns.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This government carefully considered responses to the consultation led by the previous government in respect of the Competence and Conduct Standard and has now published its response which can be found on gov.uk here.
A small number of respondents raised concerns about assessment methods for qualifications and very few respondents raised concerns about artificial intelligence.
The government has not set prescriptive requirements on methods of assessment, and it will be for awarding organisations to determine how learning is assessed. We also expect awarding organisations to have policies in place to mitigate the risks posed by the use of artificial intelligence.
As set out in the final policy statement, qualifications must be equivalent to or higher than an Ofqual regulated level 4 qualification for senior housing managers and a level 5 qualification or foundation degree for senior housing executives. Ofqual ensures that regulated qualifications are robust and valid through the General Conditions of Recognition – the rules for all the qualifications and organisations Ofqual regulates which can be found on gov.uk here. All regulated awarding organisations have a legal obligation to comply with these rules on an ongoing basis.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
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 families that have been living in emergency accommodation for longer than the six-week legal limit.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department publishes quarterly statistics on statutory homelessness in England, which can be found on gov.uk here. The latest quarterly data was published on 22 July 2025, covering January to March 2025.
The number of under 18s in temporary accommodation in English local authorities is included in the data (TA8), including by age on a local authority level. Councils must ensure that temporary accommodation is suitable for the needs of the household and should keep the suitability of accommodation under review. The Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities sets out the factors to be taken into account when determining the suitability of accommodation..
The latest quarterly statistics includes additional data tables on the English regions that out of area placements have been made to, by the local authority or region that they have been placed from (TA9). The data does not provide a breakdown of the number of households with children. The Department does not collect address level data that would allow the tracking of the distance households have moved
The number of households in B&B accommodation with children and resident more than six weeks is included in the data (TA1).
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of families in temporary accommodation were placed outside their own local authority area in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department publishes quarterly statistics on statutory homelessness in England, which can be found on gov.uk here. The latest quarterly data was published on 22 July 2025, covering January to March 2025.
The number of under 18s in temporary accommodation in English local authorities is included in the data (TA8), including by age on a local authority level. Councils must ensure that temporary accommodation is suitable for the needs of the household and should keep the suitability of accommodation under review. The Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities sets out the factors to be taken into account when determining the suitability of accommodation..
The latest quarterly statistics includes additional data tables on the English regions that out of area placements have been made to, by the local authority or region that they have been placed from (TA9). The data does not provide a breakdown of the number of households with children. The Department does not collect address level data that would allow the tracking of the distance households have moved
The number of households in B&B accommodation with children and resident more than six weeks is included in the data (TA1).
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
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 put in place a process to track the distance that families have moved when placed in temporary accommodation out of their local authority area.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department publishes quarterly statistics on statutory homelessness in England, which can be found on gov.uk here. The latest quarterly data was published on 22 July 2025, covering January to March 2025.
The number of under 18s in temporary accommodation in English local authorities is included in the data (TA8), including by age on a local authority level. Councils must ensure that temporary accommodation is suitable for the needs of the household and should keep the suitability of accommodation under review. The Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities sets out the factors to be taken into account when determining the suitability of accommodation..
The latest quarterly statistics includes additional data tables on the English regions that out of area placements have been made to, by the local authority or region that they have been placed from (TA9). The data does not provide a breakdown of the number of households with children. The Department does not collect address level data that would allow the tracking of the distance households have moved
The number of households in B&B accommodation with children and resident more than six weeks is included in the data (TA1).