Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changing the eligibility for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure support on the monetary value of that support to individual firms.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties.
Since these new multipliers were announced at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government has been clear that the intention was for their scope to broadly reflect the scope of the current RHL relief.
In addition, the Government is providing a £4.3 billion support package to protect ratepayers from large overnight bill increases. This includes extending the supporting small business scheme to those losing RHL relief, which will cap bill increases at the higher of the relevant Transitional Relief cap or £800. As a result, the majority of those seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less, or £800 for the smallest, next year.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of EU non-regression agreements on the ability of the Government to implement planning reform for nuclear power infrastructure, including the implications of dynamic alignment with the EU single electricity market and ETS.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Regarding the Nuclear Regulatory Review, we will present a full implementation plan shortly, taking account of our international obligations, national security considerations, and planning, environmental and court processes.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 British High Commission Islamabad news story of 17 April 2025, which individuals and external organisations Lord Khan met during his visit to the (a) Overseas Pakistanis Convention, (b) Faisal Mosque and (c) St Joseph’s Cathedral whilst on his official Ministerial visit to Pakistan.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
A summary of the former Minister’s schedule will be placed in the Library of the House.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the full meeting, visit and event schedule for Lord Khan's visit to Pakistan from 13 to 17 April 2025.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
A summary of the former Minister’s schedule will be placed in the Library of the House.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 28 January 2026 to Question 107021 on Affordable Housing: Asylum, what types of accommodation, including (a) change of use, (b) HMOs, (c) hotels or communal accommodation and (d) new build will the new fund for local authorities support.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 107021 on 20 January 2026.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 estimate of the time taken for businesses to amend computer billing systems to implement the new pub relief.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As is usual the government has worked closely with local authorities and their software providers to ensure that billing systems can be updated to take into account the Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief business rates relief ahead of issuing bills for the 2026/27 financial year.
The government will undertake a new burdens assessment and fund the associated new burdens including the administrative and software costs of implementation.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to the statistics, Local authority Council Taxbase in England 2025 (revised), 21 January 2026, what assessment he has made of the figure of 71% of local authorities charging a second homes council tax premium, in light of the original policy intent of the policy.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The second homes council tax premium provides local leaders with additional flexibility to address the impacts of second homes and improve the sustainability of local services. It is for individual councils to decide whether it is appropriate to apply the premium in their area. In doing so, councils will consider a range of factors, including local circumstances and the government’s guidance.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 20 January 2026 to Question 104771 on MHCLG: Remote Working, if he will publish the recorded workplace attendance data for the last quarter, for each of the individual offices outside London.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
MHCLG publishes quarterly HQ Occupancy Statistics for its headquarters at 2 Marsham Street, London (not proportional attendance). We do not intend to publish regional information or numeric staff attendances.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 Plan for Neighbourhoods: governance and boundary guidance, published on 12 March 2025, what role will community leaders who are not elected representatives or council staff have in the allocation of funding.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Neighbourhood Boards are responsible for making decisions about how £20 million Pride in Place funding will be invested in their area over the next decade. Led by an Independent Chair, Neighbourhood Boards will bring together local people, including residents and community, faith and business leaders, along with the local MP and ward councillor. Further information on Neighbourhood Boards and funding arrangements is set out in our prospectus and supporting guidance.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 23 January 2026, to Question 106115, on Business Rates: Luton, what is his department's estimate of the amount of retained business rate income that Luton Borough Council will receive in 2026-27, and whether this amount is affected by the uplift in business rates from the 2026 revaluation of Luton Airport, and introduction of the high value surcharge for hereditaments.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Luton Borough Council reported their estimate of retained business rates for 2026-27 to the department here in the document ‘National non-domestic rates collected in England 2026 to 2027: local authority data’, in the ‘Part 1' tab and on line 14.
I refer the Rt.hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 107993 on 28 January 2026, regarding the interaction of the 2026 Revaluation with local authority income.
It is long-standing government policy intention that as far as is practicable, local authorities’ income should not be affected by changes to the underlying business rates tax, such as the introduction of the three additional multipliers from 1st April 2026. The government intends to neutralise the impact of new multipliers on local government income from retained business rates from introduction of the three new multipliers from 1st April 2026. More information on how it will do so was published in a policy paper in November which can be found here.