Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the former Deputy Prime Minister’s official residence in Admiralty House will be allocated to another Cabinet Minister.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Prime Minister can allocate official residences gifted to the Government to support Ministers in their official duties. This has been the case under decades of successive governments.
An update on any new allocations will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
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 29 August 2025 to Question 69054 on Community Cohesion and Resilience Programme: Finance, for what reason the programme has been discontinued.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Community Cohesion and Resilience Programme was a 2024/25 funding stream, ending as scheduled in March 2025, after providing £3.6m of funding to build stronger, more integrated communities and reduce harmful division in 44 places.
The UK Government continues to work closely with community groups, charities, and public sector partners to strengthen communities. This includes our recent announcement at Spending Review, that we are investing in up to 350 deprived communities across the UK, to fund interventions including community cohesion, regeneration and improving the public realm. Future funding for communities will be announced in due course, to ensure places receive the support and resources they need to thrive.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
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 4 September 2025 to Question 69456 on British Muslim Trust, if he will publish the application submitted on 18 May 2025.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The prospectus for the Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund did not indicate that applications would be made public and were not submitted on that basis; publishing these would prejudice the commercial interests of applicants.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the departmental funding provided to Great South West pan-regional partnership has conditions on funding being used for lobbying activity.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following consultation, in March 2025 the government announced its intention to end funding for Pan-Regional Partnerships, with an exceptional, time-limited award of £281,250 for the Great South West Pan-Regional Partnership for the 2025/26 financial year.
Four key milestones were agreed for the 25/26 financial year, for which the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is responsible for monitoring performance against. These are:
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
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 provided to local authorities on whether individuals can have three entries on the electoral roll.
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.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
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 issued guidance on incumbent (a) district, (b) unitary and (c) county councillors standing for election for (i) combined authority and (ii) county combined authority mayorships; and whether people can serve as councillors and elected mayors simultaneously.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It is not for the Department to issue guidance for candidates standing in combined authority or combined county authority mayoral elections. Guidance for all candidates standing in these elections is published by the Electoral Commission: Guidance for Candidates and Agents at Combined Authority Mayoral elections | Electoral Commission and Guidance for Candidates and Agents at Combined County Authority Mayoral elections | Electoral Commission.
As set out in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 (schedule 2) for Combined County Authorities, and the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 (schedule 5B) for Combined Authorities, these Mayors cannot also serve as a constituent council member within their authority but there is nothing in legislation preventing them from serving as a councillor in an unrelated council simultaneously.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what research has been (a) commissioned or (b) undertaken since July 2024 on the cost of unitary local government restructuring.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We know unitarisation can unlock significant savings and efficiencies when councils are of appropriate size and structure to be sustainable, deliver efficiencies and provide high-quality public services.
Exact costs and savings will vary depending on the area and the final decisions on which proposals, if any, are implemented. Local areas are best placed to bring forward proposals that reflect their circumstances.
We will analyse and assess proposals against the criteria we have set out. This includes sustainability, and how they will deliver efficiencies and high-quality public services. We have specifically said that proposals should be supported by robust evidence, including of estimated costs/benefits.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
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 1 September 2025 to Question 69680 on English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, whether the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners supported changing the voting system to supplementary vote.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has engaged with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), on the proposals set out in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill.
The government firmly believes the Supplementary Vote system works better for electing people to single executive roles and ensures a wider range of support than First Past The Post.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
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 29 August 2025 to Question 69050 on Local Government Finance, whether his Department is informed of the type of asset being disposed of.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Flexible Use of Capital Receipts direction was introduced in 2016 by the previous government and remains substantively unchanged. It permits eligible councils to use the proceeds of asset sales to fund transformation and activities that produce ongoing savings and efficiencies. Use of the flexibility is at the discretion of councils, but the government is clear that its use should represent value for money and be in the best interests of local residents.
The direction requires that councils must send their plans to use the flexibility to the Secretary of State for MHCLG. The direction specifies minimum information requirements that must be provided, including the value and purpose of capitalisation, and details of relevant efficiency savings. It is not a requirement for councils to provide details of asset disposals, though councils may include these details in their plans. Further details on disposals may be included in councils’ annual accounts and capital strategies.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
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 25 February 2025 to Question 33500 on Eden Project: Morecambe, how much government funding has been spent on supporting the project to date; and on what date were the funds released.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The MHCLG Levelling Up Fund, Town Deals, and Simplification Pathfinder Pilot have been consolidated into the Local Regeneration Fund. This new fund will give local authorities more local control, reducing unnecessary administrative burdens and maximising freedom and flexibility to get on with delivery.
As of March 2025, £6,336,514 has been released to support the Eden project: Morecambe. Department officials contacted Lancaster City Council on 11 September to confirm details for a payment to cover forecasted activity for the remainder of the 2025/26 financial year. A further payment, of £10,814,457, is due to be paid in September 2025.