Oral Answers to Questions

Mike Martin Excerpts

Monday 2nd November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Matthew Pennycook]

I am really sorry to hear about the situation that Mr Welch and his sister find themselves in following the death of their mother last year. Our reforms to the leasehold system will make service charges more transparent and easier to challenge. I assure my hon. Friend that work is under way in the Department to better understand the market around poor resale values. I would be happy to meet her to discuss that.

[Mike Martin (Tunbridge Wells) (LD)]

T5. Recently, I visited Standing Joint Command in Aldershot, which is responsible for co-ordinating military support to the civil power, working through local resilience forums and councils. What conversations has the Secretary of State had with the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Defence to ensure that devolution and local government reorganisation strengthen the country’s resilience rather than weaken it?

[Jim McMahon]

The Department will support local councils going through local government reorganisation to ensure that those partnerships are maintained. The Local Government Association has a good toolkit available for councils to help them ensure that the transition is managed in the way that he describes.