theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Josh Babarinde:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the planned reduction in international aid on (a) global poverty and (b) international relationships. \p Stephen Doughty: The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and official development assistance. Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review on the basis of various factors including the likely impact on the UK's international partnerships with developing nations.

The government remains fully committed to the UK playing a globally significant role on development; it is both in our national interest and in the interest of our partners. Our mission remains to help create a world free from poverty on a liveable planet.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on ending the Ukraine-Russia war. \p Stephen Doughty: We share President Trump's desire to bring this barbaric war to an end and remain in close touch with the US at every level. Following talks between the US and Ukraine on 11 March, and the US and Russia on 13 March, the Foreign Secretary spoke to Secretary of State Rubio. The Foreign Secretary also spoke to the Secretary of State on 22 April prior to the peace talks between the US, Ukraine, France, Germany and the UK.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using UK microbiology expertise to build capacity in Ukraine for countering antimicrobial resistance. \p Stephen Doughty: In February, the Defence Secretary announced that we would double our funding to £40 million for Project Renovator, which draws on the UK's leading defence medical expertise to expand Ukraine's military rehabilitation and medical services. Through a partnership with the Unbroken Rehabilitation Centre, Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust have launched an infection control programme which aims to strengthen capacity and capability of medical personnel in both the UK and Ukraine to manage the healthcare burden created by anti-microbial resistance.
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Mark Pritchard:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) NGOs and (b) charities in receipt of funding from his Department that have issued legal proceedings against the Government. \p Stephen Doughty: There is no on-going litigation against the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (the Department) in respect of claims issued directly by NGOs or charities currently in receipt of funding from the Department.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of using the International Finance Facility for immunisation on delivering development projects. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK is one of the largest donors to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. We have committed £1.65 billion to the current strategic period covering 2021-2025, including £590 million through the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm). The UK is working to ensure a successful replenishment of Gavi's 2026-2030 programme through our diplomatic and development network. Following the difficult decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5 per cent of GNI to 0.3 per cent by 2027 we are taking a rigorous approach to ensure all ODA delivers value for money and we are considering all financial instruments available. Announcements on individual investments will be made following the completion of the Spending Review process.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of using forecasts of Gross National Income to determine future levels of official development assistance on actual future levels of official development assistance. \p Stephen Doughty: Official Development Assistance (ODA) budgets from 2025/26 onwards are set in cash terms based on Gross National Income (GNI) forecasts. This change means that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's ODA budgets will no longer be exposed to the volatility of ODA spending by other departments, including asylum costs.

As the Minister of State for International Development set out in her 27 March letter to the International Development Committee, this is a significant and positive change to the way the FCDO manages its ODA budget, increasing the predictability of our budgets and allowing us to plan with more certainty.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to the level of funding for official development assistance on the potential implementation of recommendations within the review of international development undertaken by Baroness Minouche Shafik. \p Stephen Doughty: The review recommendations are now being considered as part of the Foreign Secretary's wider work to reform the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), including how the FCDO approaches the reduction in the Official Development Assistance budget.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle gender-specific religious persecution. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. Working with the Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith MP, we are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work, and our programme funding.

We recognise that women and girls from religious or belief minority communities can suffer disproportionally because of both their gender and faith. That is why we continue to ensure our human rights policy work considers the multiple ways in which human rights interact. For example, the importance of addressing specific issues experienced by women and girls from religious or belief minority communities. We are clear, too, that we will work to advance gender equality and empower women and girls through our international action. We focus on those with intersecting forms of disadvantage where the risks are extreme.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many (a) phones, (b) laptops and (c) other electronic devices have been lost by their Department since 5 July 2024. \p Catherine West: The following table includes the number of lost department-issued devices by The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office since 5 July 2024.

Breakdown of department-issued equipment type

Number of lost items

Mobile phones

177

Laptops

27

Other electronic devices - please specify (Tablets)

2
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has conducted investigations into the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu. \p Stephen Doughty: As a close friend and ally of Turkey, the Government is closely monitoring the situation following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu and protests. Ekrem Imamoğlu is subject to an ongoing domestic Turkish legal process. The UK expects Turkey to uphold its international commitments and the rule of law, including through ensuring a swift and transparent judicial process. The Government has been engaging with the Turkish Government and the Foreign Secretary spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on 29 March and raised our expectation that Turkey upholds its international commitments and the rule of law, and that it protects the fundamental rights to free speech, peaceful assembly, and media freedom. I have also raised these matters with counterparts. The UK is a staunch supporter of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law across the world and will always support these fundamental rights.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an estimate of (a) the size of his Department's workforce and (b) the cost of his Department's workforce in the (i) 2025-26, (ii) 2026-27, (iii) 2027-28, (iv) 2028-29 and (v) 2029-30 financial years. \p Catherine West: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has a workforce budget of £1.02 billion for Financial Year 2025-26, which currently supports a workforce of 17,300, inclusive of 5900 UK based staff in the UK, 2,200 UK based staff overseas and 9,200 non-civil servant country-based staff employed in-country.

The FCDO is working through our Spending Review settlement with HM Treasury, which will enable detailed workforce projections for the Spending Review period to be made. Overall, our expectation is that the size of the workforce will reduce in the coming years, but spending decisions will need to be balanced against investment in technology, estate, and capability to ensure the FCDO can continue to deliver the government's priorities.
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Sarah Edwards:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Peruvian counterpart on investigations into the responsibilities of (a) senior police officers and (b) other civilian authorities in the killings in Juliaca in 2023. \p Catherine West: We hold regular discussions on human rights at senior levels with the Peruvian Government including the Foreign Minister, the Minister for Women and Vulnerable Populations, and other stakeholders and have raised concerns about threats to human rights defenders. The Minister of State for International Development, Latin America and Caribbean met a group of Peruvian human rights defenders in November 2024 to discuss the 2022-23 political protests. We will continue to work with the government and wider civil society groups to support the protection of human rights in Peru. Alongside raising the importance of accountability, in the aftermath of the protests, through the UN High Commissioner's Office for Human Rights, the UK funded technical assistance to the Public Prosecutor's Office, forensic capacity building, and training within the judiciary.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much (a) funding is available for voluntary exit schemes in (i) his Department and (ii) non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department and (b) his Department has forecast will be spent expenditure on voluntary exits in each financial year until 2029-30; and what estimate he has made of the number of voluntary exits from his Department in each financial year until 2029-30. \p Catherine West: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office agreed a voluntary exit scheme settlement for Financial Year 2025/2026 with His Majesty's Treasury of £35 million. The current scheme does not include any non-departmental bodies. Exits must be completed by the end of the financial year and will total around 500 exits. This is an estimated figure as applicants may withdraw from the scheme. There are no plans for a further scheme at this time. Voluntary exit schemes are a helpful and commonly used process by most large organisations, and future schemes will vary in scale and scope to meet business need. All future plans will be subject to the outcome of Phase 2 of the Spending Review.
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Sarah Edwards:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Peruvian counterpart on the provision of assistance to indigenous people after the 2022-23 political protests. \p Catherine West: The UK is closely monitoring the human rights situation in Peru, including the specific challenges faced by indigenous communities. Our Ambassador to Peru and his team regularly meet representatives of indigenous communities to understand the challenges faced by these groups. The Minister of State for International Development, Latin America and Caribbean also met a group of Peruvian human rights defenders in November 2024 to discuss the 2022-23 political protests. We hold regular discussions on human rights at senior levels with the Peruvian Government and have raised concerns about threats to human rights defenders. In the aftermath of the protests, through the UN High Commissioner's Office for Human Rights, the UK has funded technical assistance to the Public Prosecutor's Office, forensic capacity building and training within the judiciary.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 26627 on Gulf of Mexico: Politics and Government, what terminology his Department plans to use in international documents when referring to the Gulf of Mexico. \p Catherine West: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will continue to follow the guidance of the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (PCGN) who advises His Majesty's Government on policies and procedures for the representation of geographical names for places and features outside the UK, excluding those of the Antarctic. For names of international maritime features beyond any sovereignty, PCGN usually advises reflecting the common English conventional name, which for this body of water is the 'Gulf of Mexico'.
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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many posts there are for (a) press, (b) media and (c) other communications staff in her Department; and what the salary band is for each post. \p Alex Norris: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department collates local authority-level data on service usage by foreign nationals. \p Jim McMahon: This information is not held centrally.
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Rebecca Paul:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to provide additional funding to offset the closure of the Community Ownership Fund. \p Alex Norris: This Government remains committed to the communities’ sector and to community empowerment.  The Devolution White Paper, which was published on 16 December 2024, set out plans which demonstrate our commitment.

As part of the English Devolution Bill, we will legislate to introduce a strong new ‘right to buy’ for valued community assets, such as empty shops, pubs and community spaces. This will empower local people to bring community spaces back into community ownership and end the blight of empty premises on our high streets.

Community Right to Buy will help local people acquire valued community spaces if they come up for sale, keeping these assets in the hands of the community.
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Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the number of complaints on the quality of construction from new home owners to developers. \p Alex Norris: The Building Regulations set out high-level functional requirements that most building work – including all new build housing – must meet. The regulations are supported by statutory guidance in the form of Approved Documents (ADs) which set out in more detail how to meet the functional requirements.

It is the responsibility of the building designer to comply with the requirements of the Building Regulations. The relevant building control authority will determine whether building work meets those requirements.

The Building Safety Act and the Government’s response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry set out how we will strengthen building control procedures, including establishing an independent panel to review the way in which building control is delivered in England. In October 2023, new procedures came into force which provide strengthened regulatory oversight of Building Regulations before, during, and on completion of higher-risk building work. This will ensure safer, better-quality buildings, without systemic defects.

To further reinforce standards, we remain committed to introducing a statutory New Homes Ombudsman scheme that developers will have to join, with an accompanying Code of Practice about the standards of conduct and standards of quality of work expected of members.
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Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of homeowners required to underpin their property due to construction faults within ten years after the date of completion of the purchase of a new home. \p Alex Norris: The Department does not hold information on the number of new-build homes that suffer structural collapse or require underpinning as a result of construction faults or malpractice by the developer.

Most new build warranties cover damages caused by structural defects for a 10-year term. The terms of warranty should give more detail on what developers would be expected to cover in this timeframe.

Where a homeowner is dissatisfied with the service given, warranty providers should have a clear complaints procedure for warranty holders to follow. This procedure should be followed in the first instance. If the complaint is about a developer in the first two years of warranty cover, providers may offer an alternate dispute resolution service. This may need to be followed as part of the complaints process. If this still does not resolve the issue, the next step would be to refer the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) for a decision.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the total cost to her Department was for her visit to Doncaster Airport on 10 April 2025. \p Alex Norris: The DPM was undertaking official and political business from multiple locations on 10 April and was accompanied by her security detail with costs accrued in the usual way. Costs of the DPM's protection arrangements are not disclosed for security reasons.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the value is of the baseline spending on (a) communications and (b) consultancy on which her Department's targets to reduce such spending is based. \p Alex Norris: Part A: The baseline for communications in 2024/25 was £8m. Part B on consultancy: The baseline against which reductions will be measured is £15.2m. This is based on the initial values included in the 24/25 Spending Review.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance she has issued on whether incumbent (a) councillors, (b) council mayors, (c) Police and Crime Commissioners and (d) combined authority mayors may (i) stand for election and (ii) continue to hold office as Members of Parliament; and whether she plans to change these provisions in relation to restrictions. \p Jim McMahon: Councillors, elected mayors of single authorities, combined authorities (‘CAs’) and combined county authorities (‘CCAs’) and Police and Crime Commissioners (‘PCCs’) are not disqualified from standing for election as Members of Parliament (‘MPs’). PCCs, including CA and CCA mayors who also hold the PCC function, if they are successfully elected, will need to stand down from their offices before accepting the office of MP. Currently, the remaining types of elected officials are not disqualified from holding both elected offices.

The English Devolution White Paper set out that government will introduce proposals limiting individuals from holding the office of MP and Mayor of a Strategic Authority (including CAs, CCAs and the Greater London Authority) simultaneously.

It is the role of the Electoral Commission to provide guidance for local government, PCC and Parliamentary candidates. Guidance on the disqualifications that apply to each can be found on their website.
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Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans her Department has to increase clarity in the process of allocating funding to local areas through (a) consultation on their development and (b) publication of detailed methodology. \p Jim McMahon: Building on the measures in the 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement, the Government is committed to introducing an improved and updated approach to funding local authorities from 2026-27.

We sought views on our principles and objectives for funding reform through a consultation which ran from 18 December 2024 - 12 February 2025. The government set out its six key guiding principles for funding reform, of which one is transparency.

This consultation and engagement will inform the development of our detailed proposals, on which we will further consult following the multi-year Spending Review concluding later this year. We will publish and seek views on methodologies as part of this consultation.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press notice entitled Government calls last orders on red tape choking pubs, clubs, and restaurants in major boost to the British night out, published on 4 April 2025, whether her Department plans to give all combined authority mayors the power to call-in Licensing Act 2003 applications and premises reviews. \p Jim McMahon: The government will work with the Greater London Authority to review strategic licensing powers and explore a pilot scheme, providing the Mayor of London with new powers over strategic licensing. Following any pilot, the government will consider the case for rolling this out to other mayors across England.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed abolition of two-tier local government in Surrey on the debt held by Woking Borough Council. \p Jim McMahon: On 5th February, I wrote to all councils in Surrey to formally invite proposals for unitary local government. As set out in the criteria in the statutory guidance accompanying that invitation, it is for councils to develop robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of the whole area. For areas where there are exceptional circumstances where there has been failure linked to capital practices, such as in Woking Borough Council, proposals should reflect the extent to which the implications of this can be managed locally, including as part of efficiencies possible through reorganisation. We are working with Woking in the context of reorganisation in Surrey to understand what support may be required for the exceptional debt as part of the upcoming Spending Review.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of combined authority models of mayoral governance with council-led scrutiny on the Greater London Authority. \p Jim McMahon: The Government remains committed to engaging local authorities, including London Borough Councils, and the wider local government sector on the detail of our reforms set out in the English Devolution White Paper. As part of this process, it will be important to consider London’s unique devolution settlement, including drawing on existing ways of working between the Greater London Authority and London Boroughs.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether costs incurred by neighbouring local authorities from assisting Birmingham City Council (BCC) with waste collection will be met by (a) BCC and (b) her Department. \p Jim McMahon: This is a local issue and it is right that the response is led by the key public sector partners in Birmingham. We have been clear that if the local leaders on the ground in Birmingham feel tackling these issues goes beyond the resources available to them and they request national support, then we stand ready to consider any such ask. The Department is working with the Council on options to address further costs arising from industrial action.

More widely, the government is under no illusions about the scale of the wider financial challenge facing councils following more than a decade of cuts by successive Conservative governments. The government is therefore supporting the Leader and his team in Birmingham, directly and through the Commissioners, to move the council on from its historic issues. This includes providing an increase in Core Spending Power in Birmingham of up to 9.8%, or £131m for 2025-26, and £39.3 million of the new one-off Recovery Grant that illustrates this Government’s commitment to correcting unfairness in the funding system.
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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to provide urban nesting habitats for small birds within housebuilding targets. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 22080 on 15 January 2025.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the amount of developer contributions held unspent by local authorities. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 2673 on 6 September 2024.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to include local people in discussions on development in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government acknowledges the importance of engaging local communities in the planning process.

National planning policy and planning practice guidance is clear that when developing their local plan, local planning authorities should consult their local communities and ensure views are taken into account.

The guidance also makes clear that local planning authorities must publicise planning applications for a minimum of 21 days and must take any material matters raised into consideration when making a decision on the application.

As set out in the government’s response to plan-making reforms: consultation on implementation, which can be found on gov.uk here, we are committed to improving community engagement in plan-making. This will result in a more democratic plan-led system with planning decisions and local plans being informed by a larger and more diverse range of community views.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the amount of funding allocated to each local authority in the 2025-26 financial year to mitigate increases in employer National Insurance Contributions. \p Jim McMahon: This information has been published in the Core Spending Power tables for the 2025/26 Final Local Government Finance Settlement, which can be found on gov.uk here: Core Spending Power table: final local government finance settlement 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK.
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Sarah Olney:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the licensing criteria for Houses in Multiple Occupation. \p Matthew Pennycook: It is important that private rented properties are safe, well-maintained, and properly managed. Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing schemes play a crucial role in achieving this.

The Renters’ Rights Bill introduces reforms to drive-up standards within the private rented sector properties, including HMOs. This includes a Decent Homes Standard and new enforcement powers for local authorities.

We will keep the regulation of HMOs under review.
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David Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to include funding for home-to-school transport in the local government finance settlement in the 2026-27 financial year. \p Jim McMahon: Funding for home-to-school transport is allocated to local authorities via un-ringfenced funding through the Local Government Finance Settlement. In total, the Local Government Finance Settlement for financial year 2025-26 makes available £69 billion to local authorities.

We invited views from the local government sector through the “local authority funding reform objectives and principles consultation”, which was open from 18 December to 12 February. It sought views on the approach to local authority funding reform to be implemented via the Local Government Finance Settlement from 2026-27.

We will be consulting on more detailed proposals following the Spending Review in June.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 46451 on Birmingham City Council: Finance, what the estimated cost of providing central support to that intervention was in (a) 2023-2024, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26 to date. \p Jim McMahon: It is established practice for MHCLG to provide a Chief of Staff function to support Commissioners appointed to local authorities in statutory intervention. In line with normal practice, the Department does not comment on the detail of civil service staffing or pay arrangements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-30)

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David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of former foreign national asylum seekers granted (a) refugee status and (b) settlement claiming social housing. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department does not hold information on former foreign national asylum seekers claiming social housing who were formally granted refugee status and/or settlement.

The Department’s social housing lettings in England statistical series includes information based on self-reported status. It can be found on gov.uk here.

It shows that 2.0% of new social housing lettings in 2023/24 were to households who self-reported as refugees (4,100 households). There were 1,000 households who self-reported that they were housed by The National Asylum Support Service immediately before their new social letting (0.4% of new social lettings).

Care should be taken when considering figures for new social lettings to refugees and asylum seekers. CORE data is based on specific definitions and there may be overlaps and households missing from the statistics presented above.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-30 conversation_296

Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the benefit of including the Garden Trust as a statutory consultee to planning decisions. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Gardens Trust is currently a statutory consultee on “development likely to affect all registered gardens or parks”.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 10 March 2025 (HCWS510).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-30 conversation_297

Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to take into account non-resident population seasonal increases due to tourism when determining funding settlements for deprived areas. \p Jim McMahon: Building on the measures in the 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement, the Government is committed to introducing an improved and updated approach to funding local authorities from 2026-27.

We sought views on our principles and objectives for funding reform through a consultation which ran from 18 December 2024 - 12 February 2025. This consultation and engagement will inform the development of our detailed proposals, on which we will further consult following the multi-year Spending Review concluding later this year. We are keen to develop these reforms in partnership with the sector and to understand views from across local government on factors affecting the demand and need for services, including in rural areas like Cornwall.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-30 conversation_298

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2025 to Question 34056 on Fire and Rescue Services: Finance, how the Fair Funding Review will mean funding differs from the existing funding arrangements. \p Jim McMahon: The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement, including funding for Fire and Rescue Authorities, is distributed through the Settlement Funding Assessment (SFA).

The SFA uses a range of formulas to determine relative need of areas which when combined with a measure of tax base, determines their relative income. The formula used for Fire and Rescue Authorities includes variables such as population, coastline, population density, sparsity, deprivation, high-risk areas, property/societal factors, and a community fire safety top-up.

Further details on the current funding methodology for Fire and Rescue Authorities can be online, within the ‘Calculation of 2013/14 Formula Funding’ linked here.

The current system for funding local authorities, is out of date, does not represent best value for taxpayers, and without action this will get worse. That is why after years of delays, we will update the local government finance system.

We sought views on our principles and objectives for funding reform, including the approach to updating the data in the fire and rescue services Relative Needs Formula, through a consultation which ran from 18 December 2024 - 12 February 2025. A second consultation will run following the Spending Review which will seek views on a detailed approach to determining new funding allocations for local authorities, including fire and rescue services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-30 conversation_299

Neil Coyle:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans her Department has for regulation of the residential property management sector to improve standards and protect leaseholders and other residents. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 41307 on 2 April 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-30 conversation_300

Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reforming social housing eligibility criteria to include families local to the area being considered who cannot (a) afford to rent a property privately and (b) obtain a mortgage in (i) rural areas and (ii) Cornwall. \p Matthew Pennycook: Local authorities are responsible for designing and managing their own social housing allocations policies to meet local need, including setting qualification criteria appropriate to their local area. These schemes are governed by a legal framework set by central government.

Local authorities may (but are not obliged to) take an applicant’s financial resources into account when considering their application for social housing, including whether they can secure alternative accommodation at market rent.

Local authorities can also adopt a residency or local connection test for social housing which require a well-established local association or the individual(s) having lived in their area for a certain period before they can access the social housing waiting list.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-30 conversation_301

James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has issued recent guidance to housing associations on the level of contribution they should make to estate service management fees. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Department has not issued recent guidance around the level of contribution Housing Associations make to estate management fees.

Housing Associations may be responsible for managing communal areas on estates that they own, and the extent to which they can pass on the costs of such maintenance to leaseholders and tenants will depend on the terms of the lease and tenancy agreements.

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 includes measures designed to drive up the transparency of service charges to make them more easily challengeable if leaseholders consider them to be unreasonable.

The government is committed to acting quickly to implement the provisions of the Act. Further detail can be found in the written ministerial statement published on Thursday 21 November (HCWS244).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-30)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press notice entitled Public land unlocked for the next generation of home owners, published on 27 March 2025, when she expects the housing developments at (a) Newcastle Forth Yards, (b) Manchester Mayfield, (c) Cambridge, (d) Nottingham, (e) Ripon, (f) Chilwell and (g) Wyton airfield in Cambridgeshire to (i) start and (ii) be completed. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Secretary of State for Defence has identified the long-term opportunity to build over 100,000 homes on surplus defence land, improving opportunities for homeownership and creating jobs across the country. This includes a commitment to building and modernising family homes for the Armed Forces and Veterans, delivering on our commitments to British families and our Armed Forces.

Work is underway with HM Treasury, the Ministry of Defence, and Homes England (HE) to establish opportunities to accelerate delivery with trailblazer sites at Ripon, Chilwell and Wyton.

Deverell Barracks at Ripon has now transferred to HE with outline planning in place for 1,300 homes. Work will begin as soon as full planning approval has been received.

We are not able to give start and finish dates for Chilwell and Wyton due to the preliminary stage of these projects.

Network Rail has announced the establishment of a new property company to unlock up to 40,000 homes over the next decade, with the first homes set for development in Cambridge, Manchester, Nottingham and Newcastle:

Newcastle: it is not yet possible to provide clear start and finish dates, though Network Rail expect to release land for housing over the next 7 to 10 years.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-30 conversation_303

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to support housebuilding in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government’s Plan for Change includes a hugely ambitious milestone of building 1.5 million new homes in England in this Parliament.

We have already taken decisive steps to increase housing supply including publishing a revised National Planning Policy Framework and introducing a Planning and Infrastructure Bill that will streamline the delivery of new homes.

Our New Homes Accelerator will unblock and accelerate the delivery of housing developments that have for various reasons become delayed, or which are not progressing as quickly as they could be.

At Spring statement, the government announced an immediate injection of £2 billion to support delivery of the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and contribute to our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 25 March 2025 (HCWS549).

The investment made at Spring statement follows the £800 million in new in-year funding which has been made available for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme and that will support the delivery of up to 7,800 new homes, with more than half of them being Social Rent homes.

We will set out set details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent.

We also confirmed a range of new flexibilities for councils and housing associations, both within the Affordable Homes Programme and in relation to how councils can use their Right to Buy receipts. Having reduced Right to Buy discounts to their pre-2012 regional levels, we have allowed councils to retain 100% of the receipts generated by Right to Buy sales.

The government recognise that Registered Providers need support to build their capacity and make a greater contribution to affordable housing supply. Between 30 October 2024 and 23 December 2024, the government consulted on a new 5-year social housing rent settlement, to give Registered Providers the certainty they need to invest in new social and affordable housing.

In Lancashire and Fylde, and across the country, we are engaging closely with industry, including developers, housing associations and local authorities to build more houses. Blackpool has received £90 million of capital funding from Homes England for the first phase of housing regeneration in the city. This investment will create high quality homes and regenerate the town centre.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-30 conversation_304

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to increase protection for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty from development. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 21471 on 21 January 2025.