Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 12 January 2026 to Question 101474, whether (a) his Department and (b) its arm's length-bodies have adopted any environmental targets.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 101474 answered on 12 January 2026.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of extending the statutory override for local authorities until the end of 2027/28 on the financial security of those local authorities.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognises that local authorities are continuing to face significant pressure from Dedicated Schools Grant deficits on their accounts. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government engages regularly with local authorities and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy on the impact of the Dedicated Schools Grant deficits, and in June 2025, we announced a two-year extension to the Dedicated Schools Grant Statutory Override to support local authorities to manage these impacts. We recognise that the size of deficits that some councils may accrue while the Dedicated Schools Grant Statutory Override is in place may not be manageable with local resources alone. We will provide further detail on our plans to support local authorities with historic and accruing deficits and conditions for accessing such support later in the Local Government Finance Settlement process.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 27 November 2025 to Question 87779, on MHCLG: Standards, if he will list each of the data sources that are provided under licence by third parties.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As per the department’s response to PQ 78227 on 20 October, the “Rolling annual number of first-time buyers with a mortgage” and “New Lets (Zoopla)” metrics listed draw from data provided by third parties.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
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 table SoPS 1.2 of his Department's annual report and accounts 2024 to 2025, if he will publish a breakdown of the Gross Outturn and Income of CDEL in the Local Growth and Devolution Estimate Line in financial year 2024-25.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Please see table below for a breakdown of the gross outturn and income expenditure streams of the requested estimate row for CDEL.
Estimate Row | Main Expenditure Streams | Gross | Income | Net |
Communities DEL Estimate Rows | 24/25 | £k | £k | £k |
C: Local Growth and Devolution CDEL |
| 787,168 | - | 787,168 |
| 503,113 | - | 503,113 | |
| 431,579 | - | 431,579 | |
| 343,438 | - | 343,438 | |
| 246,760 | -246,760 | 0 | |
| 152,500 | - | 152,500 | |
| 143,610 | - | 143,610 | |
| 141,676 | - | 141,676 | |
| 103,286 | - | 103,286 | |
| 84,083 | - | 84,083 | |
| 81,266 | - | 81,266 | |
| 99,839 | -1,719 | 98,120 | |
Total | 3,118,318 | -248,479 | 2,869,839 |
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will consider adopting the recommendations set out in Refugee Action’s report Laying the Foundations: Making asylum housing work by investing in communities, published in November 2025.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We are actively working with local authorities to develop several potential accommodation models that could ‘pilot’ a more sustainable, flexible and collaborative outcome. These ‘pilot’ models will examine potential alternative accommodation sources – in collaboration with councils – promoting community cohesion and joint initiatives.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), in partnership with the Home Office, is investing millions in a new locally led accommodation model. This funding will support local authorities to make available basic alternative accommodation to be used on a temporary basis to house asylum seekers waiting for their cases to be processed. The ambition is that this investment will leave a lasting legacy of housing for local communities and reduce pressure on local housing markets. MHCLG and the Home Office are committed to continue working closely with devolved governments and local government to co-design this new model, building on the work undertaken to date.
This new funding will complement ongoing Home Office reforms to the asylum accommodation estate, including pilot schemes to repurpose derelict buildings and to develop other community-led alternatives to the use of hotels.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many hectares of English countryside have been burnt by wildfires in the last twelve months; and what the cost was of (a) fighting the fires, (b) loss of economic activity, (c) restoring the landscape and (d) NHS treatment of the effects of smoke pollution from those wildfires.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) has responsibility for land management and environmental policy, which includes environmental restoration. As outlined in the departments’ response to the Member’s question UIN 95122 on 14 January 2026, Defra does not hold details on how many hectares of the English countryside have been burnt by wildfires in the last twelve months.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has made no assessment as to the total cost of wildfires in England over the last 12 months.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has not made any estimates of deaths attributable to wildfire smoke in the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years. While there is extensive evidence of health impacts from other countries linked to wildfires, there is relatively limited, but growing, evidence specific to the UK. The UKHSA monitors the broader impact of ambient air pollution on mortality in the UK.
Departments are working closely to develop the evidence base on wildfires, including assessing the risk and impacts. In 2025 Defra commissioned a two year research project, Wildfire and Peatland: Studies to Support Delivery of the Third National Adaptation Programme. The six sub-projects will address wildfire risks to English peatlands through evidence reviews, economic analysis, risk mapping, and stakeholder engagement.
Asked by: Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the Defending Democracy Taskforce has had with (1) the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and (2) the devolved administrations, about the risks of foreign interference in UK elections.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Taskforce brings Ministers and senior officials from across government together with operational partners to deliver a whole-of-government response to the threats our democracy faces. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is a core member of the Taskforce.
On 16 December 2025, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced an independent review into countering foreign influence and interference in UK politics, chaired by Phillip Rycroft. This will report into both MHCLG and the Security Minister in his role as Chair of the Taskforce.
The Taskforce regularly engages with the Devolved Governments on its works. This engagement by the Taskforce and the Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit (JESP), which leads on election security, will increase in run up to May’s elections.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 10 October 2025 to Question 76268 on MHCLG: Travel, how much was spent in each of the last six months.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Spend on ministerial travel in taxis and private hire vehicles between June and November 2025 is listed below:
June 2025 £4,443.03
July 2025 £3,610.92
August 2025 £1,885.79
September 2025 £1,861.51
October 2025 £114.44
November 2025 £746.16
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2025, to Question 95866, on Business Rates, how many and what proportion of hereditaments have seen their bills (a) increase, (b) remain the same and (c) fall following the revaluation and revised multipliers in England.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.
At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties.
To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years to protect ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. Government support also means that most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.
The new, permanently lower tax rates for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since COVID. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government publishes data on the number of properties receiving business rates relief. This data can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-non-domestic-rates-collected-by-councils-in-england-forecast-2025-to-2026
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost to the Department.