Asked by: Michelle Scrogham (Labour - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria will be used to select areas for the Community Power Pilots.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan
We will publish more information on Community Power Pilots, including the places we will be working with and the criteria that will be used, in due course.
Asked by: Michelle Scrogham (Labour - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what measures will be used to assess the effectiveness of the Community Right to Buy Fund in sustaining community assets at risk of closure; and whether the Department will publish regular data on the number and location of assets acquired through the Fund.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan
The newly announced Pride in Place Community Right to Buy Fund, backed by £61 million, will help communities buy and run the buildings and spaces they value most, including pubs, shops, community centres, sports facilities and cultural venues.
The Fund will be a targeted and strategic offer, designed to support the new Community Right to Buy and focusing on communities in the most deprived areas. The funding is part of the £301m earmarked to support our high streets and community spaces, and builds on our wider package of investment in communities including the £5.8 billion Pride in Place Programme.
The details of this Fund, including timelines, eligibility criteria and monitoring and evaluation will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Michelle Scrogham (Labour - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how the Community Right to Buy Fund will interact with the wider Pride in Place programme and associated high street funding streams.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan
The newly announced Pride in Place Community Right to Buy Fund, backed by £61 million, will help communities buy and run the buildings and spaces they value most, including pubs, shops, community centres, sports facilities and cultural venues.
The Fund will be a targeted and strategic offer, designed to support the new Community Right to Buy and focusing on communities in the most deprived areas. The funding is part of the £301m earmarked to support our high streets and community spaces, and builds on our wider package of investment in communities including the £5.8 billion Pride in Place Programme.
The details of this Fund, including timelines, eligibility criteria and monitoring and evaluation will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Michelle Scrogham (Labour - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria will be used to identify areas with historically low levels of investment for the purposes of allocating Community Right to Buy Fund support.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan
The newly announced Pride in Place Community Right to Buy Fund, backed by £61 million, will help communities buy and run the buildings and spaces they value most, including pubs, shops, community centres, sports facilities and cultural venues.
The Fund will be a targeted and strategic offer, designed to support the new Community Right to Buy and focusing on communities in the most deprived areas. The funding is part of the £301m earmarked to support our high streets and community spaces, and builds on our wider package of investment in communities including the £5.8 billion Pride in Place Programme.
The details of this Fund, including timelines, eligibility criteria and monitoring and evaluation will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Michelle Scrogham (Labour - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Community Right to Buy Fund will open for applications; and what the timetable is for allocating the £61 million announced on 16 June 2026.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan
The newly announced Pride in Place Community Right to Buy Fund, backed by £61 million, will help communities buy and run the buildings and spaces they value most, including pubs, shops, community centres, sports facilities and cultural venues.
The Fund will be a targeted and strategic offer, designed to support the new Community Right to Buy and focusing on communities in the most deprived areas. The funding is part of the £301m earmarked to support our high streets and community spaces, and builds on our wider package of investment in communities including the £5.8 billion Pride in Place Programme.
The details of this Fund, including timelines, eligibility criteria and monitoring and evaluation will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Michelle Scrogham (Labour - Barrow and Furness)
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 ensure that the Valuation Office Agency is applying the statutory requirement to base Council Tax bandings on 1 April 1991 property values; and whether he will review the consistency and transparency of the Agency’s banding decisions to reassure residents they are not being overcharged due to incorrect or inflated banding decisions.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Valuation Office will assess the council tax bands of all domestic properties in England based on their capital value in 1991. Information on how the Valuation Office assesses the banding of individual properties is available here. They continue to carry out their work independently of central government.
Where residents believe banding may be inaccurate there is a process to challenge these bandings. The government has committed to consult further on improving the process for challenging bands.
The Valuation Office has been integrated into HMRC from 1 April 2026 and therefore no longer exist as an executive agency.