Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether councillors in England are required to register unredacted (a) business and (b) commercial interests held (i) directly or (ii) through limited companies on their register of interests.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Under the Localism Act 2011, councillors must declare certain business and wider financial interests they might have, including all employment and any beneficial interest in companies if the interest is within the local authority area or if it exceeds a specified value.
These details are published in full on the local authority’s register of interests unless the councillor and monitoring officer agree disclosure could expose the councillor or a connected person to violence or intimidation and class it is a ‘sensitive interest’.
Government guidance on councillor interests is published online.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of housing conditions in the (a) private rented, (b) social housing and (c) co-operative housing sector in England.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government monitors housing conditions through the English Housing Survey and the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
The latest English Housing Survey figures show that 21% of private rented sector properties are classed as non-decent, and 10% have a Category 1 hazard under the HHSRS.
In the social rented sector, 10% of homes are non-decent, and 4% have a Category 1 hazard. Co-operative housing is not treated as a separate sector and is included within these figures.
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 will extend Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector and introduce a Decent Homes Standard for privately rented homes for the first time. Social housing already operates under the Decent Homes Standard, and enforcement is being strengthened through the Social Housing Regulation Act, under which the first phase of Awaab’s Law has come into force.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department plans to provide for (a) affordable and (b) social housing in (i) England, (ii) Greater Manchester and (iii) Oldham in each of the next five years.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme 2026-2036: MHCLG policy statement to accompany guidance to bidders from Homes England and the Greater London Authority published on 7 November. It can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of (a) rent arrears and (b) tenant to landlord debt in the social housing sector in England.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The number of social rented households self-reporting that they had been in arrears can be found in the English Housing Survey on gov.uk here.
The total amount due in arrears by local authority tenants, both current and previous, can be found in Section H of the Local Authority Housing Statistics (LAHS) available on gov.uk here.
Information on rent arrears owed to Private Registered Providers of social housing can be found in the quarterly surveys published by the Regulator of Social Housing on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
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 help increase the number of co-operative housing units.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognises that the community-led housing sector delivers a wide range of benefits including strengthening community participation in local decision-making, engendering community cohesion, achieving high quality design and strengthening the co-operative economy.
In March, we announced a £20m 10-year social finance investment to provide capital finance for community-led housing, which is expected to directly support the construction of more than 2,500 new homes over the next decade. These housebuilding projects will be led by communities to specifically address local needs in their area.
The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December strengthened support for community-led housing, including through changes to the size limit on community-led exception sites and a broadening of the definition of organisations able to deliver community-led housing.
The government is also considering opportunities to legislate to establish a legal framework for a co-operative housing tenure, which would help formalise the rights and responsibilities of both co-operatives and their tenants, and make co-operative housing a more attractive option.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has taken recent steps to designate football club grounds as assets of community value.
Answered by Jacob Young
The Assets of Community Value scheme has successfully helped community groups to take ownership of the publicly and privately-owned local assets of community value which would otherwise be at risk of loss.
The £150 million Community Ownership Fund helps communities across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to take ownership of assets at risk of closure.
The Community Ownership Fund has provided £550,000 to the Oldham Boxing Club, to assist the club to carry out essential repair works, keeping the historic building open to the whole community.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) steps taken to safeguard of local arts and cultural venues and (b) the benefits of protection as Assets of Community value.
Answered by Jacob Young
The Assets of Community Value scheme has successfully helped community groups to take ownership of the publicly and privately-owned local assets of community value which would otherwise be at risk of loss.
The £150 million Community Ownership Fund helps communities across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to take ownership of assets at risk of closure.
The Community Ownership Fund has provided £550,000 to the Oldham Boxing Club, to assist the club to carry out essential repair works, keeping the historic building open to the whole community.