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 will put forward proposals for increasing local government transparency under the next round of the UK National Action Plan for Open Government.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department keeps this issue under review. A wide range of mechanisms exist to ensure transparency and accountability of local authorities. The Local Government Transparency Code 2015 requires authorities to publish a range of information about their activities including spending, procurement and assets. Authorities are also required to produce annual accounts which are independently assured by an external auditor. The Ministry is working to improve transparency through reforms to the local audit system which will establish the Local Audit Office to oversee the system. The Local Outcomes Framework will provide outcomes based performance measurement against key national priorities delivered at the local level.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the command paper, Protecting What Matters, CP 1540, 9 March 2026, page 38, when the first State of Extremism report will be published.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
We will seek to publish the first report later this year. It will set out the threat picture, and will include information around specific ideologies including Islamism, the Extreme Right and Extreme Left. It will provide an overview of extremist groups as well as the action taken by government and partners to counter extremism.
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 11 March 2026, to Question 107992, on Lichfields, whether their work was awarded by open competition, or via direct award.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The contract in question was awarded directly following failed competitions. This information was published within the contract award notice which can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff are assigned to work in the Government’s Darlington Campus, by department; and whether workplace attendance is monitored.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) will comprise of two buildings Feethams House (open and in operation) and Brunswick St (in construction). These form part of a wider Darlington Portfolio - currently 8 buildings (excluding Brunswick St.). Of the 8 buildings, Bishopsgate House may yet form part of the DEC, but this is still undetermined.
The GPA cannot confirm how many staff are assigned to work at the Darlington Economic Campus (in effect Feethams House at this time) as this information is held by individual departments. The GPA does not monitor attendance. However we do receive data for Feethams for the purpose of reporting to Departments on building utilisation, i.e. number of people occupying a building by department. This data is captured via building Access Control Systems.
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 25 March 2026 to Question HL15625 on Islamophobia, if he will place a copy of the Equalities Impact Assessment on the definition of anti-Muslim hostility in the Library.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.
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 guidance, A Definition of Anti-Muslim Hostility, section 6, of 9 March 2026, which body or authority will determine or interpret the public interest test.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.
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 provide a breakdown of the £63 million of funding to support local elections; which local authorities will receive it; what is the methodology; and whether the funding is being taken from any other programme at 2025-26 year end.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.
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, when he plans to reply to the correspondence from the Rt hon. Member for Braintree of 18 February 2026.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.
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 16 January 2026, to Question 104169, on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Darlington, why the Darlington office has a 40% office attendance rate requirement rather than the Civil Service expectation of 60%.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The office attendance expectation for the Darlington office is set at 40% due to building capacity constraints. This has been determined by assessing the number of staff based at the site against the desks available, while ensuring compliance with health and safety requirements.
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 local authorities considering the Government’s letter on putting evidence to cancel local elections were (a) offering additional funding or (b) advised they may lose funding, by his Department, if the local authority (i) did or (ii) did not, make a request respectively.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.