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 make it her policy to implement part 10 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023.

The Government is fully committed to rejuvenating our high streets and tackling the issue of persistent vacancy. To achieve this, we will implement new High Street Rental Auctions as set out in Part 10 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. This will empower local authorities to require landlords to rent out persistently vacant commercial properties to new tenants. Secondary legislation will be introduced shortly to enable local authorities to exercise this power.