Asked by: Sean Woodcock (Labour - Banbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered the report published by TYI on 18 March 2026, titled ‘Small Changes, Big Rewards: Ensuring planning connects with mobile infrastructure ambitions’.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On December 18 2025, my Department, in conjunction with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, launched a joint Call for Evidence on reforming planning rules to accelerate deployment of digital infrastructure. This Call for Evidence closed on 26 February 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.
My officials are aware of the report in question, and it will be taken into account as part of the wider body of evidence submitted to the Call for Evidence.
Asked by: Sean Woodcock (Labour - Banbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her department has made of the potential economic impact of an increase in notifications to mobile telecommunications companies under the Notice to Quit regime.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Electronic Communications Code allows for site providers to serve Notices to Quit in specific limited circumstances, including if land is to be redeveloped and is no longer suitable to host telecommunications apparatus, or needs to be moved.
We recognise that mobile operators have raised concerns about the impact of Notices to Quit on the deployment of mobile infrastructure, particularly in more urban areas, as operators search for alternative sites to host equipment. To minimise the impact of this on mobile coverage and capacity, in its recent Call for Evidence on reforms to planning legislation, the government proposed to extend the period by which equipment can be deployed on an emergency basis without planning permission from 18 months to 36 months. This will ensure operators can continue to provide connectivity to local areas without planning permission while they identify new permanent sites. We are considering the responses to this Call for Evidence and will set out the next steps in due course.
Asked by: Sean Woodcock (Labour - Banbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reforming the Notice to Quit regime to reduce disruption to mobile data coverage and capacity.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Electronic Communications Code allows for site providers to serve Notices to Quit in specific limited circumstances, including if land is to be redeveloped and is no longer suitable to host telecommunications apparatus, or needs to be moved.
We recognise that mobile operators have raised concerns about the impact of Notices to Quit on the deployment of mobile infrastructure, particularly in more urban areas, as operators search for alternative sites to host equipment. To minimise the impact of this on mobile coverage and capacity, in its recent Call for Evidence on reforms to planning legislation, the government proposed to extend the period by which equipment can be deployed on an emergency basis without planning permission from 18 months to 36 months. This will ensure operators can continue to provide connectivity to local areas without planning permission while they identify new permanent sites. We are considering the responses to this Call for Evidence and will set out the next steps in due course.
Asked by: Sean Woodcock (Labour - Banbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many members of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel have been allocated to support the drafting of (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation in pursuit of planning reforms, in (i) total headcount and (ii) full-time equivalent.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Within the Office of Parliamentary Counsel (OPC) and Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) legal teams there are lawyers working on MHCLG related business, alongside members in the Government Legal Department. There is no group of Parliamentary Counsel within OPC that is assigned to work exclusively on planning reform for MHCLG.
Asked by: Sean Woodcock (Labour - Banbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase military support to Ukraine.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This year the UK will give more military support to Ukraine than ever before, with a £4.5 billion boost.
At the 27th Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting, we announced a rapid surge in support, valued at around £450 million. This follows the £2.26 billion loan agreement with Ukraine earmarked for military spending.
We are absolutely committed to securing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Asked by: Sean Woodcock (Labour - Banbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with Chiltern Railways to help prevent overcrowding.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Chiltern Railways periodically adjust their timetable in response to passenger demand. From the 18th May, Chiltern will introduce three new Saturday services between Banbury and London Marylebone.
We are engaging closely with Chiltern's fleet renewal programme seeking to procure additional trains to increase capacity, whilst ensuring it delivers value for money.
Asked by: Sean Woodcock (Labour - Banbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure the accessibility of Government digital services in Banbury.
Answered by Feryal Clark
The Government Digital Service (GDS) role is to ensure the delivery of digital services that work for all of our citizens. That includes monitoring the services each departments delivers online - to make sure they are providing support for citizens with low technical skills.
Additionally, there is strong regulation in place to provide technical specifications to improve the accessibility of websites and many other digital experiences to ensure that no citizen is left behind during this government's digital revolution.
Asked by: Sean Woodcock (Labour - Banbury)
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 support veterans affected by homelessness.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
We have increased funding for homelessness services and supported veterans to access social housing by exempting them from local connection tests for social housing in England.
The Deputy Prime Minister is chairing an Interministerial Group, which includes the Veterans Minister, to develop a long-term cross-Government strategy to end homelessness.
Asked by: Sean Woodcock (Labour - Banbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will list every case in which Secretaries of State have granted consent under Section 128(1) of the 1972 Local Government Act for disposal of building for (a) less than best consideration and (b) where the undervalue exceeds £2,000,000 in the last ten years.
Answered by Jim McMahon
Information in respect of this question is only available from 2018 onwards. The requested information is provided below.
Address | County | Postcode | Local Authority | Date Consent Granted | |
| Greater London | SE14 5AE | London Borough of Lewisham | 10/05/2018 | |
Little Paxton Community Centre & Sports Pitch | Cambridgeshire | PE19 6QY | Huntingdonshire District Council | 06/08/2018 | |
Gunnersbury Park | Greater London | W3 8LQ | London Borough of Hounslow | 17/08/2018 | |
Land at Manor Road | Greater London | E16 4PA | London Borough of Newham | 10/09/2018 | |
The Laurels | Greater London | N15 5AZ | London Borough of Haringey | 07/11/2018 | |
Excalibur Estate Regeneration - Phase 3 | Greater London | SE6 1RN | London Borough of Lewisham | 07/11/2018 | |
Former Richard Cloudesley School | City of London | EC1Y 0TZ | City of London Council | 21/12/2018 | |
Land at Maple Drive | West Sussex | RH15 8DJ | Mid Sussex District Council | 11/01/2019 | |
Tithe Barn | Cambridgeshire | CB25 9FD | South Cambridgeshire District Council | 25/01/2019 | |
9, 11 and 13 Cairns Street | Merseyside | L8 | Liverpool City Council | 06/03/2019 | |
St Leonards Court | City of London | N1 6JA | London Borough of Hackney | 07/06/2019 | |
Kensington and Chelsea College | Greater London | W10 5QQ | Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea | 02/09/2019 | |
The Former Central Library | West Yorkshire | HX1 1UN | Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council | 28/01/2020 | |
New Campus City Learning Quarter | West Midlands | WV1 3AH | Wolverhampton City Council | 28/01/2020 | |
Phase 4 | Hertfordshire | NW9 7BS | London Borough of Barnet | 29/01/2020 | |
Former Clifton Hil Sports Centre | Devon | EX1 2DJ | Exeter City Council | 29/04/2020 | |
Fleet Street Estate | City of London | EC4N 4XY | City of London Council | 03/06/2020 | |
Seven Sisters Country Park | East Sussex | BN25 4AB | East Sussex County Council | 25/11/2020 | |
Land at Eastern Way | Northamptonshire | NN11 0QE | Daventry District Council | 01/12/2020 | |
St Ann’s Hospital site | Greater London | N15 3TH | London Borough of Haringey | 25/03/2021 | |
White Hills Park | Nottinghamshire | NG9 3HH | Nottinghamshire County Council | 27/04/2021 | |
Land at Grahame Park | Greater London | NW9 | London Borough of Barnet | 09/07/2021 | |
Sawyers Close | Berkshire | N/A | Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead | 01/02/2023 | |
South Mill Arts Centre | Hertfordshire | CM23 3JG | East Hertfordshire District Council | 05/06/2023 | |
16 and 24 China Street | Lancashire | N/A | Hyndburn Borough Council | 28/06/2023 | |
Grahame Park Estate (Regeneration Scheme - Stage B) | Greater London | NW9 | London Borough of Barnet | 14/03/2024 | |
St Josephs primary school caretakers house | Lancashire | NA | Kirklees Metropolitan Council | 03/04/2024 | |
Canadian Avenue Car Park | Greater London | SE6 2TX | London Borough of Lewisham | 21/06/2024 | |
Land South Hindley | Greater Manchester | NA | Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council | 09/08/2024 | |
North Middlesex University Hospital | Greater London | NA | Greater London Authority | 11/09/2024 |