Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle (a) delays, (b) administrative burdens and (c) the availability of approved contractors to improve the operation of the Disabled Facilities Grant.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government recognises the importance of timely and efficient delivery of home adaptations, including through the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), to help enable older and disabled people to live as independently as possible in a safe and suitable environment. Local Authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test, and have powers to agree a more generous local policy. To support this duty, government have boosted funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) to £711 million for both 2024-25 and 2025-26.
Government guidance Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) delivery: guidance for local authorities in England on the effective delivery of the grant, sets out best practice delivery to meet statutory timescales. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide a decision on a DFG application within 6 months of receipt, and the works must usually be completed within 12 months of the approval date. This guidance also outlines how councils can develop a local housing assistance policy to improve efficiency and better address the needs of their local communities.
Government also funds a national body for DFGs and home improvement agencies, currently Foundations, to provide support and advice to local authorities to help them deliver the DFG as efficiently as possible. In December 2024 Foundations launched the Home Adaptations Installer Network, Introducing the Home Adaptations Installer Network: Raising the Bar for Quality and Trust a tool for engaging with TrustMark registered contractors to deliver home adaptations.
Government continues to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. As part of this, government is consulting until 16 September 2025 on a new approach to the way government allocates capital DFG funding to local authorities in England to ensure funding for the grant is better aligned with local needs. The consultation can be accessed here.
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) reopening or (b) replacing the Community Ownership Fund to support communities seeking to take local assets into community ownership.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Although the Community Ownership Fund is now closed, this Government remains committed to the communities’ sector and to community empowerment.
Through the English Devolution Bill, we will introduce a new Community Right to Buy to help local people to acquire valued community spaces, such as pubs, if they come up for sale. These powers will help to keep these assets in the hands of the community, bringing more spaces back into use and rejuvenating local high streets across the country.
We have no current plans to replace the Community Ownership Fund. However, at Spending Review 2025, the Chancellor announced that up to 350 of the most deprived places will receive support from government. That includes the 75 places named in the Plan for Neighbourhoods in March 2025. Further information will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the £39 billion allocated for affordable housing delivery will be spent in rural areas; and whether her Department plans to ringfence funding to support the development of social housing in rural communities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771).
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed Ground 4A in the Renters’ Rights Bill on landlords who rent (a) one and (b) two-bedroom properties to students.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The proposed new ground for possession (Ground 4A) in the Renters’ Rights Bill is intended to facilitate the maintenance of the annual cycle of student letting for most typical students, namely groups of full-time students living together in Houses in Multiple Occupancy.
Less typical students who may require greater security of tenure, for example postgraduate couples who have put down roots in their area, will be able to enjoy the benefits of the new tenancy system the Bill introduces.
The Renters’ Rights Bill Impact Assessment looked across the package of reforms and received a ‘green’ rating from the Regulatory Policy Committee, meaning it is ‘fit for purpose’.
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many planning inspectors are qualified to run local planning examinations; and whether her Department plans to increase staffing at the Planning Inspectorate in the context of the timeframes proposed in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) currently has 60 Inspectors (55FTE) trained to carry out Local Plan Examinations.
The government is committed to achieving a more efficient and consistent local plans examination process. This includes ensuring there is sufficient resourcing in PINS to support such activity.