Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of postponing the 2026 local elections on Thurrock council's ability to tackle its financial issues.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 22 January 2026, the Secretary of State announced his intention to bring forward legislation to postpone for one year the May 2026 elections. This legislation will apply to 30 councils, including Thurrock.
Separately, the Government accepts that Thurrock Council holds significant and exceptional unsupported debt, related to capital practices, that cannot be managed locally in their entirety. The government has committed to providing debt repayment support. Thurrock Council remains in intervention and continues to improve and deliver its recovery agenda.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to prevent properties being incorrectly designated as short term lets.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
There is no single, consistently applied definition of a short-term let.
The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 defines a “short-term rental property” as (a) a dwelling, or part of a dwelling, which is provided by a person (“the host”) to another person (“the guest”) for use by the guest as accommodation other than the guest’s only or principal residence, in return for payment (whether or not by the guest), and in the course of a trade or business carried on by the host, and (b) any dwelling or premises, or part of a dwelling or premises, not falling within paragraph (a) which is specified for the purposes of this paragraph.
For local property taxation purposes, whether a short-term let is assessed for business rates or council tax will depend on how many nights the property is available to let each year and how many nights it was actually let. Properties must have been available for short-term letting for at least 140 days in the previous year and demonstrate at least 70 days of actual letting activity in the previous year before they can be assessed for business rates. The Valuation Office Agency has a duty to maintain accurate council tax and business rates lists.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of households on local authority housing waiting lists include at least one non-UK national.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Information on the nationality of all members of a household currently on local authority social housing waiting lists is not collected centrally. As such, it is not possible to determine the proportion of households on local authority social housing waiting lists containing at least one non-UK national.
Limited information on the nationality of lead tenants is collected on a voluntary basis and is presented and contextualised for data quality in Section 6.7 of the Social housing lettings in England, tenants: April 2024 to March 2025 statistical publication, which can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2026 to Question 103561 on Anti-social Behaviour, what steps her Department is taking to tackle barriers faced by county councils in using (a) closure notices and (b) closure orders under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 in areas where district councils exist.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Referring to the response to question 103561, county councils may already issue a closure notice and apply directly for closure orders in England and Wales providing that there is no district council in the area. Where there is a district council in the area, the county council would be expected to work with the relevant district council to issue the closure notice. Closure orders are made by Magistrates courts, not local councils.
We are taking steps, through the Crime and Policing Bill, to enhance the closure power. We are extending the timeframe that relevant agencies can apply to a magistrates’ court for a closure order from 48 hours after service of a closure notice to 72 hours. This will give agencies more time to progress an application for a closure order, protecting the victim and community in the interim while a closure order is sought.
We are also extending the power to issue closure notices to registered social housing providers. Currently only local authorities and police can issue closure notices. This is despite registered social housing providers often being the first agency to be aware of the ASB in question. Extending this power to social housing providers helps ensure that the right agencies have the right tools to tackle ASB quickly and effectively, saving police and local authorities time as housing providers will be able to make applications directly.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the judgment in Gladman Developments Limited v Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government and Lancaster City Council [2026] EWHC 51 (Admin), which sets aside the sequential test allowing planning authorities to disapply the national standards for sustainable drainage systems published in June 2025.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Due to ministers' role in the planning system, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the details of a specific legal case.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is however clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk (whether existing or in the future). Where development is necessary in such areas, it should be made safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere.
The Government is committed to securing the delivery of high-quality sustainable drainage systems to help manage flood risk and adapt to the effects of climate change. The NPPF sets out that developments of all sizes are expected to make use of sustainable drainage techniques where the development could have drainage impacts.
We are consulting on a new framework that includes clearer, more ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making, designed to make planning policy easier to use and underpin the delivery of faster and simpler local plans. The consultation includes a dedicated chapter on planning for flood risk and a proposed new requirement for SuDS to be designed in accordance with the National Standards for SuDS published last year.
The consultation on changes to the NPPF is available (attached) here: National Planning Policy Framework: proposed reforms and other changes to the planning system - GOV.UK and will remain open for responses until 10th March 2026.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much funding his Department plans to provide to (i) Milton Keynes City Council and (ii) Buckinghamshire Council to implement the Government's energy-efficiency programmes.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government recognises the essential role that local places will play in delivering the Warm Homes Plan. Low-income grant funding will continue to be delivered through the Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) and Warm Homes Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF), honouring existing funding agreements. From 2027/28 onwards, we intend to integrate the WH:LG and WH:SHF into a single low-income capital scheme which will shift towards area-based delivery. We will say more about the future of these schemes by Spring 2026.
The government will further support local government through:
Integrated settlements for some Mayoral Combined Authorities, including retrofit funding, by 2028.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking with social housing providers in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency to help reduce energy costs for tenants.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Warm Homes Plan will deliver £15bn of public investment and help lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty by 2030. This includes support for those on low-incomes and the introduction of minimum energy efficiency standards for the social rented sector, which will slash the cost of heating for families, making homes warmer and more comfortable. Previously, Milton Keynes City Council had received £3 million under SHDF Wave 1, £22.7 million under SHDF Wave 2.1, and now £2.5 million as part of the just under £1.15bn Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund. The funding will support energy efficiency and low‑carbon heating upgrades, helping raise properties below EPC Band C up to that standard.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Councils granted flexibility to finish reorganisation, published on 22 January 2026, whether he has received representations from residents of Basildon borough on postponing elections for Basildon Borough Council.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out to Parliament on 22 January, in reaching his decisions the Secretary of State carefully considered all the representations made, including those relating to elections in Basildon. The Secretary of State did not meet with the Leader of Basildon Council on the topic of 2026 local elections prior to the announcement of 22 January.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he had discussions with the Leader of Basildon Council before announcing the delay to the 2026 local elections in Basildon.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out to Parliament on 22 January, in reaching his decisions the Secretary of State carefully considered all the representations made, including those relating to elections in Basildon. The Secretary of State did not meet with the Leader of Basildon Council on the topic of 2026 local elections prior to the announcement of 22 January.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his letter to Essex County Council leader Kevin Bentley, dated 19 January 2026, whether he has received correspondence from (a) any Essex County Councillor and (b) any borough council in Essex requesting a postponement of the Essex County Council elections.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 29 January 2026, the Secretary of State wrote to the Leader of Essex County Council to confirm that he would not be including the election to Essex County Council in legislation to postpone local elections. A copy of that letter was deposited in the House library. In reaching his decisions on 2026 elections, as set out to the House on 22 January 2026, the Secretary of State adopted a locally led approach and carefully considered all the representations made, including those from the Leader of Essex County Council and other councils in Essex.