Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 policy is on local authorities who do not wish to engage in local government reorganisation.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 5 February 2025, the Government invited two-tier authorities and their neighbouring small unitary councils to develop proposals for unitary local government. All areas have engaged with their invitation although not all councils have submitted proposals. I am grateful for the vast amount of work undertaken by councils to develop proposals, which have now been received from every area invited, and expect local leaders to continue working collaboratively and proactively with each other as we go through the next stages of this process.
It was for councils to decide whether to submit a proposal in response to the invitation by the deadline that was specified. Whether they submitted a proposal or not, they will be a named consultee in the Government’s statutory consultations.
This Government is determined to streamline local government by replacing the current two-tier council system with new single-tier unitary councils. Empowered local government, based on unitary councils and strategic authorities, is the foundation for growth across the country – the government’s number one mission.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to make it easier for local planning authorities to decline repeat applications for development that has already been refused.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Under Sections 70A and 70B of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, local planning authorities already have powers to decline to determine applications if they have previously refused permission for two or more substantially similar applications on the same site, or if a substantially similar application has been rejected by the Secretary of State on appeal or following call-in, within the past two years.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether it is his Department's policy that neighbouring local authorities will be consulted before new towns are built.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 holds on the number of newly built homes purchased by non-UK nationals in each of the last five years.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not hold data on new built homes purchased by non-UK nationals.
Overseas entities who want to buy, sell, or transfer property or land in the UK, must register with Companies House and declare who their registrable beneficial owners or managing officers are.
Data on property ownership by overseas companies in England and Wales is published by HM Land Registry and is publicly available on gov.uk.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 made an assessment of the potential impact of offering publicly funded (a) services and (b) activities to asylum seekers on local community cohesion.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Home Office are responsible for asylum policy and the support provided to asylum seekers while they await the outcome of their asylum claim. The department has not carried out an assessment of the impact of providing publicly funded services and activities to asylum seekers.
On community cohesion more broadly, we are committed to bridging divisions between communities and challenging hatred, and we continue to work closely with community groups, charities, and public sector partners to achieve this. That is why MHCLG has launched a landmark £5 billion Pride in Place programme — backing the true patriots who build their communities up and choose unity over division.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether councillors and mayors will be able to sit on her Department's new social cohesion taskforce.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out in my response to UIN 78208, the Social Cohesion Taskforce is an internal Civil Service team comprised of civil servants. As part of our work, we have been engaging with a wide range of relevant stakeholders, including those with experience of delivering cohesion programmes within local government.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions the Government had with the US Government on the definition of Islamophobia.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government does not have an official definition of anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia and so it has not engaged with any foreign government on this. However, we have established a working group to advise government on a definition of anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, including on how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims. Alongside drawing on their own expertise, the working group have engaged widely to ensure the definition accounts for the variety of backgrounds and experiences of communities across the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with (a) Brighton and Hove council, (b) Tower Hamlets council and (c) Birmingham City Council on the taking down of St George’s flags.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Prime Minister has been clear that he supports the flying of flags across the country. Flags should be an embodiment of bringing our country and our communities together. Decisions about whether flags should be removed are devolved to local authorities and it is for them to assess the impacts of removing or allowing flags to remain.
My Department engages with local authorities on a regular basis across numerous meetings. Where the subject has been raised we have been clear that everyone can make their own decisions, including local councils, on flying flags and that guidance exists to support them, such as ‘Flying flags: a plain English guide” - as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 2007 (as amended in 2012 and 2021) – which outlines the regulations related to the flying of flags in England.
It is important that the decisions taken by local authorities reflect the character and values of the communities they serve. Where symbols are used in ways that threaten public safety, it is right that action is taken to address this.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help tackle fraudulent electoral registration.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to upholding the integrity of electoral registers. A robust system of identity verification forms part of the electoral registration process. This includes the ability to match an applicant’s data with Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) records, or to request documentary evidence to verify their identity.
The Electoral Commission, which is responsible for issuing guidance on electoral registration, has also published guidance for Electoral Registration Officers on identifying suspicious registration applications and working with local police to investigate any potential registration fraud.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has issued on whether an elector can register to vote in three different localities.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In the UK, citizens are entitled to be registered at more than one address in certain circumstances. It is the responsibility of the local Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) to consider each application to register to vote on its own merits and to be satisfied that a person meets the residence criteria for each address.
The Electoral Commission as the independent electoral regulator, holds responsibility for issuing guidance on electoral registration.