Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
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 is taking to help support community cohesion in Hexham constituency.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
MHCLG's Community Cohesion Unit works to support and promote cohesion across England, through working closely with local authorities, voluntary and community sector and faith organisations, and other government departments.
The Government's new £2.87m Common Ground Resilience Fund is supporting community connection and cohesion by funding locally led interventions to build community resilience. As part of this, the Common Ground Award is investing capital funding into VCSE sector organisations that are bringing people together from different backgrounds, supporting the cost of constructing or renovating facilities, or the purchasing of equipment to deliver services.
Furthermore, MHCLG is co-ordinating cross-Government efforts to develop a longer-term, more strategic approach to social cohesion - working in partnership with local government, communities and local stakeholders to rebuild, renew and address the deep-seated issues.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions his Department has had with relevant stakeholders on the use of the Community Recovery Fund in the North East.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
MHCLG has maintained proactive engagement with stakeholders across the North East to ensure effective deployment of the Community Recovery Fund. In particular, the Department continues to work in close partnership with Hartlepool Borough Council, Middlesbrough Borough Council, and Sunderland City Council, the three areas awarded funding, to ensure alignment with local priorities and the delivery of community - led initiatives.
In the North East, the Community Recovery Fund has been strategically utilised at the local authority level to support the recovery and resilience of affected communities. This includes investment in the repair of physical infrastructure, targeted support for vulnerable groups and local businesses, and initiatives designed to foster social cohesion and rebuild trust within communities.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Department is taking to reduce the number of families in temporary accommodation in the North East.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 86837 on 10 November 2025.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Department is taking to reduce the number of families in temporary accommodation in the Hexham constituency.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 86837 on 10 November 2025.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Department is taking to reduce the number of families in temporary accommodation in Northumberland.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 86837 on 10 November 2025.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Community Ownership Fund on Hexham constituency.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Looking ahead the Department commissioned an evaluation of the Community Ownership Fund in May 2023 to measure the social and economic impacts of different kinds of asset ownership, and will conclude in March 2026.
Interim findings will be published in the coming months highlighting the impact of the funding. A final report will be published in Spring 2026.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Community Ownership Fund on the North East.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Looking ahead the Department commissioned an evaluation of the Community Ownership Fund in May 2023 to measure the social and economic impacts of different kinds of asset ownership, and will conclude in March 2026.
Interim findings will be published in the coming months highlighting the impact of the funding. A final report will be published in Spring 2026.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Community Ownership Fund on rural areas.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Looking ahead the Department commissioned an evaluation of the Community Ownership Fund in May 2023 to measure the social and economic impacts of different kinds of asset ownership, and will conclude in March 2026.
Interim findings will be published in the coming months highlighting the impact of the funding. A final report will be published in Spring 2026.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the demand for housing in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland and (c) Newcastle.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 includes a new Standard Method for assessing housing needs that is aligned to our Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million new safe and decent homes in England by the end of this Parliament.
Indicative local housing need figures both for local authorities and regions under the revised standard method can be found on gov.uk here. Indicative figures have not been provided for Hexham constituency, as it falls under Northumberland County Council.
The standard method is used by local authorities to inform the preparation of their local plans. Once local housing need has been assessed, authorities should then make an assessment of the number of new homes that can be provided in their area. This should be justified by evidence on land availability, constraints on development, such as National Landscapes and areas at risk of flooding, and any other relevant matters. The approach taken is then tested by the Planning Inspector during the examination of the Local Plan.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
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 the 19 March 2025 to Question 38424 on Sleeping Rough: North East, whether his Department has had further discussions with relevant stakeholders on the extension of the (a) Rough Sleeping Initiative and (b) Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant in the North East.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government has set out our proposal for consolidating funding across all forms of homelessness, through the first multi-year settlement in a decade, in the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation on gov.uk here.
For 2025-26, we consolidated our main rough sleeping and single homelessness focused grants (Rough Sleeping Initiative, which includes Housing First funding, and Accommodation for Ex Offenders) into a single Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant. In 2025-26, the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant will provide over £255 million in funding across England, including over £4.9 million for Local Authorities in the North East.
From 2026-27, the Fair Funding Review 2.0 includes proposals to roll the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant into a consolidated Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Grant, alongside the Homelessness Prevention Grant and the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme. Funding for temporary accommodation, currently part of Homelessness Prevention Grant, is proposed to be consolidated into the Local Government Finance Settlement Revenue Support Grant.