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, what data his Department collates on instances of electoral fraud.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Data on allegations and outcomes of electoral fraud is collected by police forces across the UK and provided to the Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission then publishes this information annually on its website. The Government continues to work closely with the Electoral Commission, the police and other partners to safeguard the integrity of elections and maintain public confidence in the democratic process.
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, what his Department's timetable is for consulting political parties on measures to be included in the Elections Bill.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
An Elections Bill will be introduced when parliamentary time allows. The Government will continue to work in partnership with key stakeholders to help ensure that proposed changes address the priorities of the sector. We have begun engagement with political parties on the detail of the proposals and will continue to do so in advance of introduction.
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 plans to bring Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government has no plans bring Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the marginal increase in business rates liability for a retail, hospitality and leisure hereditament moving from £500,000 to £501,000 Rateable Value under the new 2026-27 business rate system.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
In order to sustainably fund the permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000, the Government is introducing a higher tax rate for properties with RVs of £500,000 and above.
At the Budget, the Valuation Office Agency announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties.
While RVs have increased, the tax rates have decreased, so that all ratepayers, including those on the new high-value multiplier, will pay a lower tax rate than they do now. The Government appreciates that a lower tax rate does not necessarily mean a lower bill for everyone, which is why the Government has introduced a generous support package worth £4.3 billion over the next 3 years to help ratepayers to transition to their new bills.
As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down.
The ‘Business Rates and Investment: Call for Evidence’, published at Budget, builds on the findings of the Transforming Business Rates: Discussion Paper and asks stakeholders for more detailed evidence on how the business rates system influences investment decisions, including the impact of a ‘slab’ based structure where a higher multiplier applies to the entire RV once a threshold is crossed. The government believes there may be merit in moving to a ‘slice’ system for business rates, where the RV is split into slices (or brackets, bands) and each portion is taxed at its own, different rate.
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 written statement of 4 December 2025, HCWS1128, on Devolution Priority Programme, how much funding in each of the combined authorities in the devolution priority areas that was originally scheduled for (a) 2026-27 and (b) 2027-28 will be delayed as a consequence of the postponement of the 2026 mayoral elections.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We remain committed to the long-term funding offer announced on 4 December, confirming that once mayors are in post, the six mayoral strategic authorities on the Devolution Priority Programme will receive close to £200 million collectively per year for 30 years through their investment funds. Government will provide each area with a proportion of their investment funds to ensure they can start delivering on key local priorities and deliver the benefits of devolution on the ground, ahead of the mayors taking office.
The new mayoral strategic authorities will also be supported to build core capacity to ensure they can deliver for local people. All six areas will receive £3 million each as a minimum flat payment over the next three financial years, in addition to an initial payment of £1 million each when the statutory instruments are laid in Parliament, to help with the costs of establishing the new authorities.
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 his Department has issued guidance on charging travellers for using transit sites for caravans.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department has not issued guidance on charging travellers for using transit sites for caravans. This would be a decision for the local authority to make.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the introduction of the overnight visitors levy will be a (i) material consideration and (ii) national change in circumstances in the valuation of hereditaments for business rates.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government has published a consultation running until 18 February, so that the public, businesses, and local government can shape the design of the power to introduce an overnight visitor levy that will be devolved to local leaders. The precise design and scope of the levy is therefore still under development.
The introduction of the visitor levy will not constitute a material change of circumstances. It may be taken into account when setting property values for future revaluations, however this will depend on the final design which is subject to consultation and subsequent legislation.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the estimated annual cost is of the retail, hospitality and leisure multiplier in 2026-27; and how many hereditaments will be eligible in England.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic.
To support with bill increases, the Government has introduced a generous support package worth £4.3 billion over the next 3 years, including support to help ratepayers to transition to their new bill.
As a result, over half of all ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.
More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto.
The Government is doing this by introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties in England. The Government is paying for this tax cut through higher rates on the top one per cent of most expensive properties, including distribution warehouses used by online giants.
The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since Covid. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.
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, what is the timetable for the Islamophobia definition review to be published.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The group have now provided their advice to Ministers who are rightly taking the time to review and consider the advice carefully before confirming next steps in due course.
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 increasing income tax on income from rental property on the level of private sector rents.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The independent Office for Budget Responsibility does not expect that the reform to property income tax will have a significant impact on rental prices.