Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will assess the potential merits of establishing a Government body to coordinate Government policy for disadvantaged neighbourhoods; and whether he plans to implement a National Strategy for Neighbourhood Recovery.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My department has launched the Pride in Place Programme, which demonstrates this Government’s firm commitment to backing neighbourhoods that have for too long been left behind and overlooked. This flagship programme will deliver up to £5.8 billion funding and support up to 284 of the most deprived places across Britain over the next decade. On top of this, our Pride in Place Strategy set out a broader plan for giving communities across the country the tools and powers they need to bring people together and drive change in their neighbourhood.
We will work across government departments to maximise the benefits of this programme for these neighbourhoods.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she will hold discussions with the Secretaries of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and Business and Trade on the conclusions of the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods on how to achieve private sector growth in mission critical neighbourhoods.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
We acknowledge the work of the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods and its recommendations for how to invest in deprived communities.
The Pride in Place Programme, announced in September, demonstrates this Government’s firm commitment to backing neighbourhoods that have for too long been left behind and overlooked. This flagship programme will deliver up to £5bn funding and support to 244 of the most deprived places across Britain over the next decade, and the accompanying Pride in Place Strategy set out a broader plan for giving communities across the country the tools and powers they need to drive change in their neighbourhood.
We will carefully consider the Commission’s findings, engaging with relevant departments and stakeholders as appropriate to understand how we can further deliver for neighbourhoods across the country.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will convene a meeting of ministers from relevant Departments to discuss the final report of the Independent Commission for neighbourhoods.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We continue to closely follow the work of the Commission which continues to make a strong case for investment in our most deprived neighbourhoods.
The Pride in Place Programme, announced in September, demonstrates this Government’s firm commitment to backing neighbourhoods that have for too long been left behind and overlooked. This flagship programme will deliver up to £5bn funding and support to 244 of the most deprived places across Britain over the next decade, and our accompanying Pride in Place Strategy set out a broader plan for giving communities across the country the tools and powers they need to drive change in their neighbourhood.
We will carefully consider the Commission’s findings once the final report is published which will inform our response on how we can build on this agenda to support the most in need neighbourhoods.
Asked by: Patrick Hurley (Labour - Southport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make alternative funding available for community organisations after the UK Shared Prosperity Fund comes to an end in March 2026.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is taking a new approach to local funding, replacing multiple funding pots with long-term certainty for places. This will be led by sustained and predictable support for local authorities through the Local Government Finance Settlement and complemented by targeted interventions designed to drive local growth and strengthen communities.
Strong communities are vital to drive growth, yet many communities have been left behind and let down by years of decline and systemic under-investment. While there are no current plans to directly replace the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Government has announced a new local growth fund for specific mayoral city regions in the North and Midlands as part of its strategy for regional investment, supporting areas with the highest productivity catch-up and agglomeration potential’
On top of this, every part of the country will benefit from our whole of government Pride in Place strategy, which focuses on three overarching objectives: building stronger communities; creating thriving places; and helping communities to take back control of their own lives and areas. You can find the strategy here: Pride in Place Strategy - GOV.UK
As part of the strategy the Government announced, the Pride in Place programme and Pride in Place Impact Fund, both have been designed to target the most in-need places. We have used metrics that identify ‘double-disadvantaged’ neighbourhoods – those suffering from a combination of material deprivation and low social capital.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 bring people into high streets.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government is taking several steps to regenerate high streets to make them attractive to businesses, communities and visitors.
The Government has announced communities funding for up to 350 places, including the 75 places named in the Plan for Neighbourhoods in March 2025. The Plan for Neighbourhoods will provide £1.5bn to some of the most left-behind communities in the United Kingdom over ten years – including Kirkby-in-Ashfield. Places will be able to use their £20m to enrich their town centre offering and revive footfall in their high streets.
Additionally, the Government is tackling vacancy with High Street Rental Auctions, giving local authorities the power to auction rental rights of persistently vacant commercial properties. We are also legislating through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill for a new Community Right to Buy, enabling communities to acquire valued assets. These measures will help revive footfall, boost local economies, and empower communities.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 her Department's publication entitled Plan for Neighbourhoods: Regeneration Plan guidance, published on 9 June 2025, what estimate she has made of the (a) quantity and (b) length of the total paperwork required for participants to receive Plan for Neighbourhoods funding.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 9th June, the government published the Plan for Neighbourhoods Regeneration Plan Guidance which re-iterates our commitment for a light touch assessment process. The Plan for Neighbourhoods represents a break from the competitive bidding process and micromanaging of previous regeneration funds. Instead, this is a model whereby Neighbourhood Boards are provided with a list of pre-approved interventions and given the autonomy such that, if that activity can be evidenced as a clear priority of the community, it can be pursued without the need to provide a lengthy business case. The activities listed range from eye-catching new developments to the bread-and-butter issues raised by people on the doorstep.
The Plan for Neighbourhoods will transform “left behind” areas to deliver meaningful change in the day-to-day lives of local people.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
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 an assessment of the potential merits of establishing mission critical neighbourhoods, as defined by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods, on the effectiveness of the Government's policies on tackling (a) deprivation and (b) other issues.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government has recently announced the Plan for Neighbourhoods, a £1.5 billion programme to invest in 75 areas over the next decade, offering a long-term strategy to fix the foundations of places that have been left behind. This plan will help to tackle deprivation at the root cause, creating neighbourhoods where people can thrive, communities are stronger, and people have control over the things that matter to them. In each of these areas, we will help set up a Neighbourhood Board, bringing together residents, local businesses, and grassroots campaigners to draw up a new vision for their neighbourhood. I welcome the launch of the Independent Commission on Neighbourhood’s interim report and look forward to seeing, their insights on how we can build on this agenda to support the most in need neighbourhoods.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she expects to receive the final report of the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government has recently announced the Plan for Neighbourhoods, a £1.5 billion programme to invest in 75 areas over the next decade, offering a long-term strategy to fix the foundations of places that have been left behind. This plan will help to tackle deprivation at the root cause, creating neighbourhoods where people can thrive, communities are stronger, and people have control over the things that matter to them. In each of these areas, we will help set up a Neighbourhood Board, bringing together residents, local businesses, and grassroots campaigners to draw up a new vision for their neighbourhood. I welcome the launch of the Independent Commission on Neighbourhood’s interim report and look forward to seeing, their insights on how we can build on this agenda to support the most in need neighbourhoods.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he will take to prioritise investment for communities with areas of severe deprivation.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
The United Kingdom is one of the greatest countries in the world, but not everyone shares in its success. Pockets of deprivation exist and the Government’s central task is to level up the UK by spreading opportunity more equally across the country, addressing inequality and deprivation in those areas that have been left behind.
The Government’s Levelling Up Fund, of which we expect to launch a second round in spring, has focused on areas most in need of economic recovery, particularly where there is lower productivity, higher unemployment and a higher proportion of people without formal qualifications. Alongside the White Paper, we also set out how communities will be empowered through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which will invest in local priorities in places in need to help build pride in place and increase life chances.
The Levelling Up White Paper has also built on this: the missions and measures on schools and communities it announced, including Education Investment Areas and major investment in youth provision, will target areas of highest need, while the missions and actions to make neighbourhoods safer and ensure decent homes, including in the private rented sector, will address key barriers which contribute to and entrench deprivation.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Government's Levelling Up White Paper, what assessment his Department has made of the need to tackle poverty as part of that strategy.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
The United Kingdom is one of the greatest countries in the world, but not everyone shares in its success. Pockets of inequality and deprivation exist, with differentials both within and between regions. The Government’s central task is to level up the UK by spreading opportunity more equally across the country, addressing inequality and deprivation in those areas that have been left behind.
The Government’s levelling up missions will spread economic opportunity through investment in R&D, skills, connectivity and business finance. The missions and measures on schools and communities announced in the White Paper, including Education Investment Areas and major investment in youth provision, will target areas of highest need, while the missions and actions to make neighbourhoods safer and ensure decent homes, including in the private rented sector, will address key barriers which contribute to and entrench poverty.