theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with animal welfare organisations on the potential merits of phasing out the use of enriched cages for laying hens. \p Daniel Zeichner: We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully.

The Department has initiated a series of meetings with key stakeholders, including animal welfare organisations, as part of the development of an animal welfare strategy to be published later this year.
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Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to mandate the update the UK Food Security Report annually. \p Daniel Zeichner: The UK Food Security Report is published once every three years, fulfilling the duty in the Agriculture Act 2020. The next one will be published in 2027.

On 15 July 2025 the Government announced that it is committing to a new annual food security statistics publication to be published in the years between the triennial UK Food Security Report, starting this year. It will be a more frequent and focused publication, designed to ensure that key UK food security analysis is made public in order to capture emerging trends, and to support both policymakers and the public.

This new annual publication is a separate product to the UK Food Security Report and is not fulfilling the legislative duty.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reservoir levels at Grafham Water on available water resources. \p Emma Hardy: The Environment Agency (EA) has confirmed with Anglian Water that Grafham Water reservoir is 76% full as of the 19th of August, lower than preferred for this time of year. Rainfall in July saw previous high consumer demand return to more normal levels. Anglian Water are best placed to comment on their ability to service their customers but have assured the EA that they are following their Drought Plan actions, including sharing water efficiency messages and preparing for potential restrictions (for example, Temporary Use Bans) if required. The EA is working with Anglian Water to consider options for refilling the reservoir over the winter months. Due to low river water levels within some of the river systems in East Anglia, some private abstractors are currently unable to abstract water, as set out within their individual licenses. However, Grafham Water operates to supply only Anglian Water consumers and is not subject to the same license restrictions.
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Robin Swann:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he is taking steps to introduce Equine Establishment Numbers for (a) horse and (b) other equine-based establishments. \p Daniel Zeichner: This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The SPS agreement, outlined at the UK-EU Leader’s Summit on 19 May 2025, will establish a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, aimed at facilitating the safe and efficient movement of trade. The SPS Agreement will cover sanitary rules and the regulation of live animals, including animal health conditions governing the movement and importation of Equidae. The SPS Agreement is built on a commitment for the UK to regulate consistently with the EU on specific SPS rules. Defra is currently working to establish what implementation of the SPS Agreement will involve for equines.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many vehicles were seized in relation to waste crime offences in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire in each of the last five years. \p Mary Creagh: 0 vehicles have been seized in relation to waste crime offences by the Environment Agency (EA) within the Fylde region over the last five years.

Within Lancashire a total of 12 vehicles were seized within the last five years. This included 7 vehicles seized and crushed in 2022, with an additional 1 vehicle seized and returned to its owner in 2022. In 2023 a further 3 vehicles were seized, followed by another 1 vehicle in 2024.

Please note this response is based on EA data and does not include local authority data on vehicles crushed
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April to Question 46551 on Thames Water, what recent progress Ofwat has made in its enforcement case investigation into Thames Water's potential breach of its Water Industry National Environmental Programme obligations. \p Emma Hardy: It is not appropriate for the Government to comment on an ongoing investigation.

We have a system of independent environmental and economic regulation, and the recently introduced Water (Special Measures) Act provides the most significant increase in enforcement powers for the regulators in a decade, giving them the teeth they need to take tougher action against water companies in the next investment period.  This includes powers for Ofwat to set rules on remuneration, governance, and financial reporting.

We expect Ofwat to proceed swiftly with ongoing investigations to hold water companies to account on poor performance and to drive improvements which benefit customers and the environment.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the introduction of bans on enriched cages for laying hens in European countries. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government is committed to upholding our high animal welfare standards as part of wider trade policy.

We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The use of cages for laying hens is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve the monitoring of marine mammal strandings. \p Emma Hardy: The UK Government funds the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP), operating since 1990, it annually reports upon threats facing marine mammals through carrying out post-mortems on stranded animals: CSIP.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department have made of the effectiveness of local authorities in enforcing the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra has completed a post-implementation review (PIR) of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, including consideration of enforcement, which can be found here.

The Government is considering the findings of the PIR and will be outlining more detail on next steps in due course.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve soil health. \p Mary Creagh: We are actively working to improve soil health across England by measuring and monitoring the national condition of soil, encouraging the uptake of sustainable soil management practices and protecting soil to be resilient to climate change impacts.

Monitoring soil health is essential for evaluating changes to soil and identifying improvements to soil health. Through the Natural Capital Ecosystem Assessment Programme we are gathering data to build a robust national baseline of soil health in England and to develop a Healthy Soil Indicator under the Outcome Indicator Framework – this indicator will assess and monitor soil health.

Through our agri-environment schemes we are paying farmers for actions that protect and improve soil health and promote sustainable soil management, for example the use of herbal leys, planting cover crops, and no-till farming.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve the monitoring of marine mammal bycatch incidents. \p Emma Hardy: The UK Government funds a comprehensive bycatch monitoring programme which provides essential observer data on incidents of sensitive species bycatch, including marine mammals. This programme reports annually on estimated rates of sensitive species bycatch in fisheries around the UK and will continue to collect and report this data.

The Government also funds Clean Catch which is a collaborative research programme dedicated to better monitoring, reducing, and, where possible, eliminating bycatch of sensitive species in UK fisheries. Clean Catch run several projects to improve monitoring of marine mammal bycatch. These include a self-reporting app for fishermen to record bycatch, trials of Remote Electronic Monitoring, and a recent report on fishermen’s views on barriers to, and opportunities for, improved engagement in addressing sensitive species bycatch.

Links:

Bycatch Monitoring Programme

Clean Catch REM

Clean Catch app

Clean Catch report
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 in reducing the number of dangerous wild animals being kept in private homes. \p Daniel Zeichner: The main purpose of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 (the DWAA) is to ensure that where private individuals keep such animals, including on a farm, they do so in circumstances which create no risk to the public.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether zoo animals being transferred between the UK and EU countries will be covered by the new sanitary and phytosanitary agreement. \p Daniel Zeichner: Our priority is to secure a long-term UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement aimed at reducing trade barriers to enable the safe and efficient movement of goods, including zoo animals. As announced at the UK-EU Leaders’ Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area. With the principles and framework of a deal agreed, we will now negotiate the detail of an agreement that reduces administrative burden by streamlining SPS checks and certification, while upholding the UK’s commitment to ensure its biosecurity is protected within this future framework.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to produce updated public guidance on the ban on primates from April 2026. \p Daniel Zeichner: Accompanying guidance to the Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2024 was published on 10 July 2025.

The guidance can be found at:
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of primates being kept as pets in the UK. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Department does not collect or hold data on the number of primates being kept in the UK.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the capacity of local authorities to enforce regulations on zoo licensing. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government published new Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain on 24 May 2025, which will come into force from May 2027.

One of the objectives of updating the Standards has been to make requirements clearer to aid local authority enforcement of the zoo licensing system. The Department will continue to work with the UK Zoos Expert Committee (ZEC), the Animal and Plant Health Agency and local authorities to ensure the Standards are effectively implemented.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to conduct a consultation on the potential impacts of the Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023 coming into force. \p Daniel Zeichner: I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Newport West and Islwyn, Ruth Jones, on 10 July, PQ UIN 65379.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many employees in his Department earn (a) £100,000 and (b) £166,000 or more per year. \p Hilary Benn: Information on employees who earn over £100,000 can be found in the annual report and accounts. The most recent report can be found here. The 2024/5 annual report and accounts will be published later in the year.
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Mims Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to her oral answer in response to the question from the hon. Member for Lichfield of 16 July 2025, Official Report, Column 282, what the evidential basis is for her statement on historic underfunding. \p Jo Stevens: I regret that the Hon. Member seems to refuse to accept or acknowledge the historic underfunding. When I gave evidence to the Welsh Affairs Committee in January, there was widespread agreement that this was the case and many others have expressed similar sentiments.

The low levels of enhancement spending we have seen in recent years makes it more difficult to realise the modal shift needed to sustain a continuous enhancements pipeline. Denying that there has been underfunding is not the way address the problem. This government prefers to tackle the issue head on, starting with at least £445m of spending, front-loaded to support delivery of Wales' priorities for rail infrastructure during this next Spending Review period.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many employees in her Department earn (a) £100,000 and (b) £166,000 or more per year. \p Jo Stevens: My Department publishes an Annual Report on GOV.UK which contains salary details for senior officials in the Wales Office.
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Katie Lam:To ask the Leader of the House, whether any (a) arm’s-length bodies, (b) agencies and (c) public bodies are being administered under the Privy Council. \p Lucy Powell: The Privy Council does not directly administer any (a) arm’s-length bodies, (b) agencies or (c) public bodies. Certain functions fall to Ministers as Privy Counsellors, either because they arise under the Royal Prerogative or because an Act of Parliament specifies that delegated legislation is to be made by Order in Council, or by the Privy Council. This is usually limited to the approval of governance changes, or appointments, to independent statutory regulators.
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Katie Lam:To ask the Leader of the House, what recent discussions she has had with IPSA on the (a) promotion and (b) procurement of British-made goods through Members’ parliamentary budgets. \p Lucy Powell: No such discussions have taken place. IPSA is independent of Parliament and Government.

More widely, the Government is committed to ensuring public procurement expenditure boosts British industry.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, representing the Church Commissioners, what financial support is available to retired clergy. \p Marsha De Cordova: Church of England stipendiary clergy are members of the Church of England defined benefit pension scheme, which provides a guaranteed income for the whole of their retirement, plus an at-retirement lump sum and benefits for surviving spouses or civil partners. In July 2025, the General Synod voted to increase the pension scheme's benefits.

In addition, stipendiary clergy households that do not own their own home have access to the Church’s retirement housing scheme, which provides a secure lifetime tenancy of a rental property, subsidised to circa 60% of equivalent market rent.

The Archbishops’ Council and Church Commissioners have committed £95.7m over the period 2026-28 to support and subsidise the retirement housing scheme and provide new services to clergy to assist them in making provision for their retirement.

In-retirement support includes access to specialist advice services and a charitable grant scheme to support those on the lowest incomes.

All the foregoing are provided by the Church’s national bodies. Additionally, support is available from other bodies, including the Churches Mutual Credit Union, the Clergy Support Trust, and other clergy charities.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the National Church Institutions have issued guidance on the use of sacred places of worship for secular purposes. \p Marsha De Cordova: Church of England parish churches are public spaces. Their primary use is for worship, but for centuries the church has welcomed appropriate use, alongside worship, for the benefit of the community and the church.

Currently the Church is the largest provider of space in local communities where amateur and professional art, culture, and music can be enjoyed. In addition churches run coffee mornings, warm spaces, food banks and credit unions. They are also used for election hustings, planning enquiries, emergency relief in floods or natural disasters, public community meetings, and official announcements such as the proclamations made at the Demise of the Crown.

Churches respond to local need, and other creative ideas include village shops, community banks, children’s social and holiday clubs, wellbeing and mental health support, libraries, nursery and play spaces, and flexible office space. In rural parts of the country, churches are also supporting their communities by using their buildings to broadcast internet and wifi to support and retain the viability of local businesses and schools.

The Church publishes case studies to share examples that inspire others, along with guidance and policies for initiatives such as ‘Support for struggling churches’ (found here: https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/church-buildings-council/how-we-manage-our-buildings/struggling-churches ) which recognises broader use alongside worship as part of a sustainable future for church buildings.

There is extensive guidance, including videos, about making changes to churches (which can be found here: https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/making-changes-your-building-and-churchyard/develop-your-vision ) and this guidance covers many non-worship uses of the space.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, how many Christians have been received from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of England in each year since 1993. \p Marsha De Cordova: The National Church Institutions do not hold this data centrally.

The NCIs collect more general information about baptism, confirmation and attendance and these figures can be found in the Statistics for Mission documents: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/data-services/key-areas-research
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, how many churches have closed in each year since 1997. \p Marsha De Cordova: Starting at 1990, the figures per decade are as follows:1990–1999: 274 2000–2009: 243 2010–2019: 210

In the current decade:2020: 15 2021: 26 2022: 11 2023: 17 2024: 15

Over this period the Pastoral and Closed Churches Committee of the Church Commissioners has received formal closure schemes for 811 churches in total.

To put this in context, the Church of England has stewardship of approximately 15,700 consecrated buildings. Church closures are occurring at their lowest rate since the 1970s, when 760 closures took place across the decade. The figure for the 1980s was 485. Since the 1990s annual closures have remained steady at approximately 20–25 per year, with no increase following the pandemic.

The Church also opens around 10 new churches annually, and has seen significant growth in worshipping communities in homes, schools, cafés, and digital spaces. Since 2020, dioceses have launched or are developing 3,500 new worshipping communities, contributing to the Church’s goal of 10,000 by 2030 under its Vision and Strategy.

Closure does not mean withdrawal. Every community remains covered by a Church of England parish, with continued access to worship, baptisms, marriages, and funerals. In many cases, ministry is reconfigured locally to maintain pastoral care.

The Church operates under the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011, which allows buildings no longer needed for pastoral use to be closed and repurposed. Closures are typically initiated by local parishes, often due to demographic shifts or challenges in sustaining leadership.

Further information can be found in the Church Commissioners’ annual reports, which are available on the Church of England website or in the House of Commons Library.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, how many rural parishes have a vacancy for (a) an incumbency and (b) a priest-in-charge; and how many (i) incumbent and (ii) priest-in-charge vacancies there have been in each of the last five years. \p Marsha De Cordova: The National Church Institutions do not hold information centrally about the number of vacancies in urban or rural parishes; the deployment of clergy to benefices is a matter for diocesan bishops and their leadership teams.

Data on benefice vacancies are only available at a diocesan level. However work is underway to update the national modelling of projected clergy populations, and the National Church Institutions are considering how they might gather and monitor data on vacancies.

To understand the local context in Romford or in the wider Chelmsford Diocese, it would be best to contact the Bishop of Barking, or the Archdeacon of West Ham. Contact details are available on the diocesan website.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, how many clergy of incumbent status have been dispossessed by diocese in each of the last five years; and how many (a) dispossession of office and (b) other schemes are being prepared. \p Marsha De Cordova: In the period 2020-2025 there have been 11 dispossession cases under the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011. There are 7,340 stipendiary clergy, meaning dispossession cases represent a very small (less than 1%) proportion of overall clergy numbers.

By diocese these break down as follows:• Portsmouth – 6 cases • St Albans – 2 cases (plus one in process)• Southwark – 1 case• York – 1 case• Leeds – 1 case
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2025 to Question 63010 on Church of England: Slavery, whether the £5 million to be spent on project Spire in the triennium spending plans 2026-28 remains the Church's forecast. \p Marsha De Cordova: £5 million is not a forecast figure the Church Commissioners recognises in relation to the Spire programme in the triennium spending plans for 2026-28. The Church Commissioners’ triennium spending plan process involves forecasting high-level commitments over a three-year period to provide strategic direction and flexibility, recognising that actual costs and timings may vary across a multi-year programme

As this is a figure the Hon. Member for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston has also mentioned in a prior question (UIN 63009) and during oral questions on 3 July 2025, I wish to clarify the Church Commissioners’ financing in relation to the Spire programme.  In response to historic links to African chattel enslavement, the Church Commissioners has committed £100 million for a new charitable fund, to enable grant funding and further research. As per the answer to question UIN 63010, the Church Commissioners requires Charity Commission authorisation to settle income from its general fund on a new charitable fund to enact this response. Until such regulatory authorisation may be obtained, the Church Commissioners will not deploy any of the £100 million, which therefore remains in its general fund. As mentioned in answer to question UIN 63009, expenditure on this work to date, therefore, has been limited to proportionate research into the Church Commissioners’ source of funds and consideration of its response to that history.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether at any stage of the local government reorganisation process she will bar the formation of new (a) town and (b) parish councils. \p Jim McMahon: The formation of new town and parish councils is devolved to principal local authorities through the Community Governance Review process. The government believes that these should remain local decisions.

Areas considering the establishment of new town and parish councils should think carefully about how these might be funded to avoid putting further pressure on local authority finances and/or new burdens on the taxpayer.

We encourage local authorities to consider local neighbourhood working arrangements in their own structures to empower local residents and frontline councillors to work together for positive change in their area.
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Ayoub Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government has funded any (a) local authorities and (b) arm’s length bodies for the purposes of waste management in the jurisdiction of Birmingham City Council from 11 March 2025. \p Jim McMahon: Councils in England, including Birmingham City Council, are funded for waste services via the Local Government Finance Settlement. In the Settlement for 2025-26, Birmingham City Council received an overall 9.8% increase in Core Spending Power from £1,337.5 million in 2024-25 to £1,468.8 million in 2025-26. Details of the 2025-26 Settlement can be found here. The Government also agreed Exceptional Financial Support in-principle for Birmingham City Council of £180 million for 2025-26.

In addition to this, local government in England is expected to receive £1.1 billion of new funding in 2025-26 through the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) scheme to support local collection and disposal services, including recycling services.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is also providing transitional resource funding to councils in England, including Birmingham City Council, for weekly food waste collections. Councils will receive their allocations for this financial year in the coming weeks.
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Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether mayors in (a) mayoral and (b) county combined authorities will have rights of veto. \p Jim McMahon: The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, introduced to the House of Commons on 10 July 2025, makes provision to standardise voting arrangements for mayoral combined authorities and mayoral county combined authorities when making decisions. Unless prescribed otherwise, the standard voting arrangement will be a simple majority of the authority’s members voting and present, including the mayor. This means the mayor must be in the majority for a decision to pass.
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Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 65373 on Private Rented Housing: Licensing, whether the restrictions on using selective licensing revenues is in scope of the Fair Funding Review's consideration of flexibility on fees and charges. \p Jim McMahon: As stated in the answer to Question UIN 65367 on 14 July 2025, selective licensing fees paid by landlords to local authorities should only be used to cover the costs of running schemes, and local authorities are not expected to profit, nor should they use licensing revenues to fund other local authority services.

Through the Fair Funding Review 2.0, the government is consulting on proposals to review local authority fees and charges where they no longer recover the cost of delivery, and to consider where there is a case for updating or devolving the fee. We welcome views on this, including the scope of proposed reforms.
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Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which (a) existing and (b) new combined mayoral elections will take place in May (i) 2026 and (ii) 2027. \p Jim McMahon: The government announced on 17 July that we are taking forward all six places on the Devolution Priority Programme and establishing mayoral strategic authorities via secondary legislation. Subject to the consent of local councils, legislation will be brought before Parliament in order to establish institutions early in 2026. Inaugural Mayoral elections in Hampshire and the Solent, Greater Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk and Sussex and Brighton would be held in May 2026.

Following requests by the local authority leaders of Cheshire & Warrington and Cumbria, we’ve agreed the inaugural mayoral elections for those two areas will take place in May 2027.   No existing mayoral strategic authorities have elections in 2026 or 2027.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_238

David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department had with relevant stakeholders on the inclusion of measures on supplementary vote in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. \p Jim McMahon: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has engaged with a wide range of local government stakeholders during the development of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. On the measure regarding the supplementary vote, we have discussed this measure with both Mayors and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, given this measure will revert the voting system back to the supplementary vote system for both Mayors and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). We will continue to engage with Mayors and PCCs on this measure, and all other measures in the Bill, during the passage of the Bill through Parliament.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_239

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has produced guidance on the political restrictions of the deputy mayors of the (a) Greater London Authority and (b) combined authority mayors. \p Jim McMahon: The department has not published guidance on the political restrictions of the deputy mayors of the Greater London Authority, or the deputy mayors appointed by combined authority mayors.

Officers working in local government are subject to the Local Government Officers (Political Restrictions) Regulations 1990, which sets out the political restrictions they are subject to. For the deputy mayors of combined authorities it would not be necessary to publish guidance because the postholders are not officers. The deputy mayors appointed under 67(1)(b) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 are subject to political restriction, and the Greater London Authority published guidance on politically restricted posts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_240

David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether strategic authorities will have responsibilities for social care provision. \p Jim McMahon: Local Authorities will retain responsibility for social care provision. Strategic authorities will gain a new duty in relation to health improvement and inequalities through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, but this will not alter the duty for Local Authorities to deliver adult’s or children’s social care services.

Strategic Authorities have a key role to play in taking action, particularly on the social determinants of health, through the exercise of their functions in areas such as transport, housing, and planning. By working with other local leaders, they can move away from traditional forms of service delivery to a holistic approach organised around service users.

To support Strategic Authorities in being active leaders in this space and driving a “health in all policies” approach in line with our Mission government approach, the government is introducing a new bespoke duty in relation to health improvement and health inequalities. Additionally, the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill sets out a new standardised Devolution Framework, which positions Strategic Authorities as convenors on public service reform. They will work in partnership with Local Authorities to bring partners together to drive forward public service reform and prevention.

Our programme of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) will unitarise the remaining 21 two-tier areas; LGR will bring upper and lower tier councils together so all social care services are delivered in one place. On 25 July, the Department published clarifying information for areas developing Local Government Reorganisation proposals, including reference to social care: Local government reorganisation: Considerations for partnership working in social care for new unitary authorities. This reiterated the point that ‘new unitary councils will take over statutory responsibility for service delivery, including social care responsibilities which will continue to sit with the Director of Children’s Services (DCS) and Director of Adult Social Services (DASS).’
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_241

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2025 to Question 64190 on Unitary Councils: Cambridgeshire, whether the same timetable will apply to other proposed new unitary councils with (a) November and (b) September response deadlines. \p Jim McMahon: The government is committed to ending two-tier local government in England and moving to a single tier of local government in all parts of the country as soon as practicable. This will create simpler structures for the public, strengthen disjointed services and help councils pursue efficiencies. We anticipate that for areas submitting final proposals at the end of September, a consultation could be launched in November, closing in the new year, and for areas submitting final proposals at the end of November a consultation could be launched in the new year closing after the local elections in May 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_242

Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 65428 on Local Government: Elections, if he will list the councils which could have their elections replaced with elections to new unitary councils in May 2026. \p Jim McMahon: Government is working with local leaders in Surrey to facilitate reorganisation to the most ambitious timeframe possible, meaning that Surrey could have elections to new unitary councils in May 2026, in advance of those councils going live in April 2027.

Elections are currently scheduled for May 2026 in Surrey are Elmbridge Borough Council, Mole Valley District Council, Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, Runnymede Borough Council, Tandridge District Council, Surrey County Council and Woking Borough Council.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_243

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the withdrawal of passporting to full Council Tax support for legacy benefit recipients on low-income households. \p Jim McMahon: Councils are required to provide a Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) scheme to support low-income households. Support for working age households, including the treatment of benefits, is designed by councils in consultation with their residents, taking into account the needs and circumstances of their local communities. Each year, councils must consider whether to revise or replace their scheme. For pension age households, councils administer a centrally prescribed LCTS scheme, which is reviewed annually. The Department for Work and Pensions provides data to councils for use in the administration of LCTS schemes in order to determine eligibility.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_244

David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on the electronic submission of governance petitions. \p Jim McMahon: My Department has not issued guidance to local authorities on the electronic submission of governance petitions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_245

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 24 June 2025 on Simplified Local Leadership Structures, HCWS736, through what legislative means the committee system will be abolished. \p Jim McMahon: The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, introduced to the House of Commons on 10 July 2025, makes provision to change the available governance arrangements for councils in England, by amending the Local Government Act 2000 to remove the committee system and require those currently operating the committee system to move to the leader and cabinet model.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_246

Mike Tapp:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have been subject to ransomware attacks in the last 12 months; and how much has been spent on recovering public data from those attacks. \p Jim McMahon: MHCLG have supported local authorities to respond to two ransomware incidents in the last 12 months. Historically, MHCLG has not collected data on local authority ransomware related expenditure but maintains a clear opposition to ransom payments. This government intends to introduce a targeted ban to prohibit public sector bodies and operators of critical national infrastructure, including local government, from paying ransom demands to criminals.

Since 2020, MHCLG has provided £23 million of cyber grant funding and technical support to local government. This includes support to deliver the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) for local government, which sets a clear cyber security standard for the sector.

MHCLG will also be launching a local government Cyber Incident Response service to support English local authorities respond to successful ransomware attacks, helping to limit the impact these have on data and services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_247

Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many (a) town and (b) parish councils have Band D council tax precepts above £100. \p Jim McMahon: The Department publishes data on council tax for all local precepting authorities (parish and town councils, charter trustees and the Temples of London) which can be found on gov.uk here

Of the 8,911 local precepting authorities that set a precept for 2025-26, 1,563 authorities set the average Band D council tax at £100 or above.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_248

David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister during the oral question on council tax of 9 July 2025, Official Report, Column 939, what the evidential basis for the level of council tax in this Parliament is. \p Jim McMahon: The government is not responsible for council tax levels, which are decided by local authorities, taking account of their local circumstances. The government does set referendum principles on these increases. Referendum principles strike a balance between giving councils the flexibility to generate income for local services and giving taxpayers the final say over excessive increases.

At this year’s Spending Review the government confirmed, in line with the previous government’s policy and OBR forecasts, that it intends to maintain the 3% threshold with an additional 2% for the adult social care precept. Final principles will be confirmed at the local government finance settlement and be subject to approval by the House of Commons in the usual way.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-01 conversation_249

David Simmonds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local government restructuring will split up district councils when creating new unitaries. \p Jim McMahon: Government has set an ambitious timetable for local government reorganisation, with three deadlines for submitting proposals for unitary local government set out in the invitation letters.

The invitation letter sets out that boundary changes are possible, but that existing district areas should be considered the building blocks for proposals. Any proposals that involve boundary changes or affect wider public services such as fire and rescue authorities will require a strong public services and financial sustainability related justification.