theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to take steps to avoid postponement of scheduled local elections during future reorganisation processes. \p Alison McGovern: The Government’s starting point is for all elections to go ahead unless there is strong justification.

The Government will work with areas to hold elections for new unitary councils as soon as possible, as is the usual arrangement in the process of local government reorganisation.

Legislation to implement proposals for unitary councils replaces any planned elections with elections for the new councils. This avoid the cost and disruption of elections to short-term posts in councils which will shortly be abolished.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Essex county council elections will take place in May 2026. \p Alison McGovern: I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 60731 on 24 June 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce disparities in the number of people from ethnic minority communities experiencing (a) homelessness and (B) rough sleeping. \p Alison McGovern: No one should be discriminated against when trying to access a safe, secure and affordable home. Councils should ensure that homelessness accommodation and support services are inclusive, culturally sensitive, and responsive to the specific needs of different communities, helping to build trust and improve engagement.

The Government is committed to getting back on track to ending homelessness, and our cross-Government strategy will set out the actions needed across central and local government and the homelessness sector to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. We have already taken the first steps, investing more than £1 billion in homelessness and rough sleeping services this year, a £316 million increase on the previous year. Councils can use this funding flexibly to meet the needs of people in their communities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Patrick Hurley:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of furniture provision on people who have experienced rough sleeping; and what steps his Department is taking to assist people who have experienced rough sleeping to (a) settle into a new home and (b) become active members of their community. \p Alison McGovern: The Government has allocated £255.5 million through the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant this year. This includes the £69.9 million uplift that we announced on 10 October 2025. Local authorities can use this money flexibly to prevent and reduce rough sleeping, including through sustainable accommodation and support solutions. This can include the provision of furniture or specialist services, such as employment support.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of funding for local authorities to support homelessness (a) prevention and (b) relief. \p Alison McGovern: The Government inherited a homelessness crisis. In response we are providing over £1 billion for homelessness services this year, a £316 million increase on the previous year. The 2025 Spending Review has protected this record level of investment for the next three years.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Ben Coleman:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking with (a) local councils and (b) housing associations to help tackle homelessness in Chelsea and Fulham constituency. \p Alison McGovern: The Government is committed to getting back on track to ending all forms of homelessness across the country. Our cross-Government homelessness strategy will set out the actions needed across central and local government and the homelessness sector to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.

The Government is supporting people at risk of and experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping across the country with more than £1 billion funding, a £316 million increase on last year. This includes £84 million new funding announced on 10 October 2025. Councils are able to use this funding to meet the needs of people in their area, and local authority allocations are published on gov.uk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the value for money of local authorities pursuing repeated appeals against employment tribunal decisions. \p Alison McGovern: The Department does not collect this information. Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management and organisation of their own workforces, including on whether to appeal against employment tribunals. It is the responsibility of individual councils to ensure that value for money is considered.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has issued guidance on the length of time over which Council Tax equalisation can take place. \p Alison McGovern: The government set out the process for council tax equalisation in The Local Government (Structural Changes) (Finance) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/3022). These regulations set out equalisation must be completed no later than the beginning of the eighth financial year after restructuring. Councils are responsible for setting their own level of council tax, including how quickly council tax levels are equalised within this timeframe. While the government does not currently issue guidance on this, we will continue to review the FAQs published on the Local Government Association website regarding devolution and local government reorganisation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve the provision of supported accommodation for (a) young people and (b) adults with special needs and disabilities in (i) Stratford-on-Avon constituency and (ii) Warwickshire. \p Alison McGovern: The government recognises the important role played by supported housing in helping disabled young people and adults, as well as other vulnerable people, to live safely, well and independently. The Affordable Housing Programme 2021-26 includes delivery of supported housing. At the Spending Review, the government announced £39 billion for a new Social and Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36. In particular, the government recognises some types of homes that are much needed can often cost more to deliver. The new programme is designed to be flexible to support the greater diversity of supply needed, and we are asking providers, including supported housing providers, to come forward with ambitious bids that reflect this diversity.

In addition, social housing rent policy exempts ‘specialised supported housing’ - serving those with the most complex needs, including people with learning disabilities and or autism, and mental health issues – from the Rent standard. This means providers can set rents that enable them to finance and bring forward high cost, high-specification housing to meet the needs of this cohort.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support Somerset Council with the provision of the Disabled Facilities Grant in Yeovil constituency. \p Alison McGovern: The government recognises the importance of home adaptations, to enable older and disabled people to live as independently as possible in a safe and suitable environment. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test, and have powers to agree a more generous local policy. To support this duty, government have boosted funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) by £86 million per year to £711 million for both 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Government provides guidance to local authorities on the effective delivery of the grant, which can be found on gov.uk here. This guidance also outlines how councils can develop a local housing assistance policy to improve efficiency and better address the needs of their local communities.

Government also funds a national body for DFGs and home improvement agencies, currently Foundations, to provide support and advice to local authorities to help them deliver the DFG as efficiently as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2025 to Question 76124 on Planning: Empty Property, if his Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of existing national planning policy and guidance in relation to meanwhile use. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department has no plans to make such an assessment.

The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987, as amended, groups common uses of land and buildings into classes. The uses within each class are, for planning purposes, considered to be broadly similar to one another, providing flexibility to change use within a use class.

There are also a range of nationally set permitted development rights which allow for the temporary change of use of buildings between different use classes. Guidance on these is set out at gov.uk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of processing times at HM Land Registry. \p Matthew Pennycook: Improving speed of service remains a top priority for HM Land Registry (HMLR). Plans to achieve this will be outlined in its forthcoming Strategy 2025+ being published shortly.

As its sponsor department, MHCLG holds HMLR to account for performance and operational delivery and are in regular communication with HMLR about their processing times.

HMLR has been making improvements in this area through hiring and training more staff and by improving the efficiency of the services its customers use. The introduction of new pre-submission validation checks will speed up processes and reduce staff time spent on dealing with errors or mistakes. The age of outstanding post-completion applications is now under 12 months across all service lines, from a peak of 20 months in February 2023.

HMLR processing times are publicly available on gov.uk here.

Anyone who is concerned that a delay to their application may cause financial, legal or personal problems or put a property sale at risk, can apply to have their application expedited free of charge. HMLR processes nearly 1,400 expedited applications every day, with more than 95% actioned within 10 working days.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Mary Glindon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of rental properties with an EPC rating of (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D and (e) E in Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Department publishes data through the English Housing Survey (EHS) on the EPC rating of properties by tenure for all of England (DA7101), and the EPC rating of properties across all tenures for the North East (DA7102). However, the English Housing Survey does not hold the data at the constituency level.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to allow local authorities to reject planning applications from developers on the basis of previous failures to (a) build and (b) maintain sustainable drainage infrastructure. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government is committed to securing the delivery of high-quality sustainable drainage systems to help manage flood risk and adapt to the effects of climate change.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that developments of all sizes should use sustainable drainage techniques where the development could have drainage impacts, and that appropriate maintenance arrangements should be in place to ensure an acceptable standard of operation for the lifetime of the development.

By law, planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan for the area unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Each application is judged on its own individual merits and the weight given to these considerations is a matter for the local planning authority as the decision taker in the first instance.

Local planning authorities should consider the use of conditions or planning obligations to make development acceptable, which may include flood mitigation works, and have a broad range of powers to take enforcement action against breaches of planning control.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of pre-examination checklists on the time taken to (a) examine and (b) adopt local plans. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government is committed to achieving a more efficient and consistent local plan examination process. The pre-examination checklist was introduced this month to assist Local Planning Authorities in identifying and resolving potential problems with emerging plans at an earlier stage. This reduces the risk of protracted examinations that result in local plans that cannot be adopted because they cannot be found sound.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Jack Rankin:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Councils are able to use money from the Community Infrastructure Levy to refresh neighbourhood plans. \p Matthew Pennycook: Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) receipts must be used for the purposes which are set out in section 216 of the Planning Act 2008 and Part 7 of the CIL regulations.

Local authorities must spend the levy on infrastructure needed to support the development of their area Where charging authorities collect the levy, they can use up to 5% of funds from the levy to recover the costs of administering the levy.

Where all or part of a chargeable development is within the area of a parish council, the charging authority must pass a proportion of the CIL receipts from the development to the parish council. The ‘neighbourhood portion’ of CIL can be spent on infrastructure or anything else that is concerned with addressing the demands that development places on an area.

Further information on spending the levy is set out in CIL guidance which can be found on gov.uk here.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to strengthen the collective rights of (a) leaseholders and (b) residents’ associations to (i) access information, (ii) influence management decisions, and (iii) protect shared funds. \p Matthew Pennycook: On 4 July, the government published a consultation on strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services. It can be found on gov.uk here.

For an overview of the proposals set out in the consultation, I refer the hon. Member to the associated Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS780).

The consultation closed on 26 September and we are analysing responses.

The government is committed to enacting remaining Law Commission recommendations relating to the leasehold Right to Manage.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of staffing levels in local government on the financial sustainability of the Local Government Pension Scheme. \p Alison McGovern: The Local Government Pension Scheme is well funded, with a funding level of 107% at the 2022 fund valuation. The 2025 valuation is currently underway, which will value the assets and liabilities of each fund, and set employer contributions locally to ensure the long term sustainability of each fund.

The potential impacts of change in the number of active members and any redundancies will be taken into account as part of the valuation.

Member pensions and benefits are protected as they are guaranteed in statute and are not affected by the performance of investments or by the structural changes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2025 to Question 43483 on Local Government: Local Press, if he will make it his policy to maintain the requirement to place statutory notices in hard copy local newspapers. \p Alison McGovern: Government recognises that local press in print and online continues to play a valuable role in informing local communities, and that statutory notices can be important in helping inform the public of decisions made by their council which may affect their quality of life, local services or amenities, or their property.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce planning restrictions on the opening of (a) betting shops, (b) vaping shops and (c) Turkish barbers. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department currently has no plans to introduce such restrictions.

An application for planning permission will always be required for an additional betting office.

In the Pride in Place Strategy, we committed to introduce Cumulative Impact Assessments in gambling licensing, which will allow councils to take data-driven decisions on premises licences, particularly in areas that have been identified as being vulnerable to gambling-related harm.

Furthermore, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will provide powers for ministers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Jack Rankin:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the role of local plans in the planning system in the future. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 27 February 2025 (HCWS480).
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Jack Rankin:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether borough local plans have precedence over parish level neighbourhood plans. \p Matthew Pennycook: Once passed at referendum, neighbourhood plans form part of the development plan. Policies in a neighbourhood plan may become out of date, including if they conflict with policies in a local plan adopted after the making of the neighbourhood plan. In such cases, the more recent plan policy would take precedence.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to direct local authorities to always reject planning applications which the lead local flood authority deem would increase the risk of flooding for existing properties. \p Matthew Pennycook: The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk (whether existing or future). Where development is necessary in such areas, the development should be made safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere.

In addition, the National Planning Policy Framework is clear that sustainable drainage systems provided as part of proposals for major development should take account of advice from the Lead Local Flood Authority.

Planning practice guidance sets out that when considering proposals for major development the local planning authority will need to consult the lead local flood authority on surface water drainage.

The guidance is clear that local planning authorities may find it helpful to agree with lead local flood authorities the circumstances and locations where site specific flood risk assessments will be required due to surface water or other local flood risks and lead local flood authority advice can be sought on other planning applications which raise surface water or other local flood risk issues. This can be achieved by having regard to the available information on local flood risks, including the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment and the updated map of flood risk from surface water which can be found on gov.uk here.

To ensure a proportionate, pragmatic and constituents approach to surface flood risk, we published updated planning practice guidance to clarify how the sequential test should be applied in September 2025. We will consider whether any further changes are required to national planning policy for flooding as part of the new suite of national policies for decision making that we intend to consult on later this year.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to provide alternative financial support to communities in West Dorset following the removal of Government funding for neighbourhood plans. \p Matthew Pennycook: Following the Spending Review, my Department announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards.

Two neighbourhood planning groups in West Dorset are in receipt of technical support which has already been awarded but must be completed by March 2026.

The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests.

Parish and Town Councils have access to their own resources which they can choose to use for neighbourhood planning if they wish.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2025 to Question 71482 on Green Belt: Planning Permission, whether the Planning Inspectorate holds information on decisions made in relation to green belt land since December 2024. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Planning Inspectorate does hold information on decisions made in relation to green belt land.

This information is released under management information in our Casework Database which can be found on gov.uk here.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 44048 on Environmental Delivery Plans, whether measures that require permanent maintenance will be funded from the initial levy. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 44048 on 24 April 2025.
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Alex Ballinger:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of (a) the adequacy of funding for local trading standards and (b) the potential impact of this on their ability to respond promptly to complex and resource-intensive cases. \p Alison McGovern: Local Authorities are responsible for determining resourcing priorities in accordance with the needs of their local communities, and the members of those communities will differ according to the areas where they live.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Alberto Costa:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to apply (a) disqualification, (b) premises bans and (c) other sanctions to councillors found to have engaged in serious misconduct. \p Alison McGovern: In December 2024 the government launched a consultation seeking views on wide ranging reforms to the local government standards regime in England. The government response will be issued in due course. After its release, we will continue to work actively with local government on developing the detailed policies for implementation.
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Robin Swann:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he will announce the future funding allocation to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: As announced at the Spending Review, from 2026-27 the UK Government will provide targeted, long-term local growth funding to support growth across the UK, once the UK Shared Prosperity Fund ends in March 2026.

In Northern Ireland, we are working closely with the Northern Ireland Office to implement and develop the new Local Growth Fund, in collaboration with the Northern Ireland Executive. The Government is committed to engagement with key stakeholders in Northern Ireland to help implement a package of funding that meets local needs and delivers impact. More information on the development of the Local Growth Fund in Northern Ireland and engagement plans will be set out soon.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will amend the Localism Act 2011 to allow parish councillors to withhold personal contact details from open publication without the need to show threat. \p Alison McGovern: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 75866 on 16 September 2025. We intend to remove the requirement for home addresses to be published when parliamentary time allows. This would apply to all local government members, not just parish councillors.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provided to local authorities on parental eligibility for Neonatal Care Pay and Leave. \p Alison McGovern: Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management of their own workforces and compliance with all relevant employment legislation. The Department has not provided guidance to local authorities.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what data his Department holds on (a) which Local Authorities provide their staff with statutory paternity leave and pay, (b) which Local Authorities provide their staff with enhanced paternity leave and pay and (c) the levels of take up are of these across local government. \p Alison McGovern: The Department does not hold this data. Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management of their own workforces and compliance with all relevant employment legislation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Paul Holmes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the new socio-economic duty will apply to local authorities’ waste policies on household rubbish and recycling collections. \p Alison McGovern: I refer the Hon. Member to UIN 5411 answered on 7 October 2024.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential financial impact of Council Tax equalisation following local government reorganisation on low-income households. \p Alison McGovern: Council tax is managed by local authorities, who decide what level of council tax they wish to set. There is an established system for the locally-led harmonisation of council tax levels across the area of a restructured local authority area. The government will continue to set referendum principles each year and any authority which sets a council tax increase above the principles must have it approved by voters.

Councils are required to put in place local council tax support schemes to support low-income households. Pension-age council tax support is centrally prescribed and provides reductions of up to 100% for those on the lowest incomes,. Support for working age households is designed by councils in consultation with their residents, taking into account the needs and circumstances of their local communities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Leigh Ingham:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that new housing developments in (a) Stafford, (b) Eccleshall, (c) Loggerheads and (d) other villages in Stafford constituency are matched with timely investment in (i) GP capacity, (ii) local schools and (iii) transport infrastructure. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. member to the answer to Question UIN 65505 on 14 July 2025.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2025 to Question 66939 on Council Tax: Tax Yields, if he will publish the FOI disclosure reference FOI2025/22431. \p Alison McGovern: It is not MHCLG policy to routinely publish FOI responses. The Information Tribunal views disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 as a release into the public domain.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference the Written Statement of 24 June 2025 entitled Simplified Local Leadership Structures, HCWS736, whether he plans to abolish the committee-based governance system in the City of London Corporation. \p Alison McGovern: The government has no current plans to abolish the committee-based governance system in the City of London Corporation.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman's press release entitled Ombudsman writes to Secretary of State after council refuses to accept recommendation on abuse survivor’s complaint, published on 10 September 2025, what steps he is taking further to the letter from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman relating to Leicester City Council. \p Alison McGovern: The Department is aware of the concerns raised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. We continue to monitor Leicester City Council’s compliance with its Best Value Duty, in line with our wider oversight of local authority risk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in Essex who have been able to successfully utilise the help to buy scheme. \p Matthew Pennycook: A total of 14,665 have accessed Help to Buy in the county of Essex.

A breakdown of Help to Buy figures from April 2013 to May 2023 is as follows:

Total 14,665

Statistics for all Local Authorities can be found on gov.uk here.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Paul Holmes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 August 2025 to Question 69053 on Special Educational Needs: Finance, what recent estimate he has made of the aggregate, accumulated deficits that have been built up under the DSG Statutory Override system in each local authority. \p Alison McGovern: The Department for Education publishes outturn data on local authority-level Dedicated Schools Grant balances in the annual ‘LA and school expenditure' statistical release. The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government publishes outturn data on levels of Dedicated Schools Grant deficit held in local authority Dedicated Schools Grant adjustment accounts in the annual 'Local authority revenue expenditure and financing' statistical release. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government engages regularly with local authorities on the impact of these deficits and the extent to which they are expected to grow.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the amount of Section 106 funding that was not drawn down and subsequently lost in each of the past ten years. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 54059 on 6 June 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many dwellings in each local authority in England are classified as Class F under regulation 2 of the Council Tax (Liability for Owners) Regulations 1992. \p Alison McGovern: The Department publishes local authority level data on the number of dwellings receiving the Class F exemption as part of the Council Taxbase statistics. The latest data is based on a snapshot taken in October 2024 and can be found at the following link Council Taxbase Local Authority Level Data 2024 in the ‘Supplementary_Data’ tab.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_464

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to disapply the cap on council tax rises for 2026-27 as part of the fair funding review. \p Alison McGovern: The Spending Review confirmed the government intends to maintain the referendum threshold at 3%, with 2% for the adult social care precept. This is in line with the threshold set up by the previous government.

Final referendum principles will be confirmed at the local government finance settlement, subject to approval by the House of Commons, in the usual way.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on the (a) use of Special Development Orders to obtain planning approval, (b) planning application call-in and (c) planning appeal recovery for asylum seeker accommodation. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Secretary of State’s powers relating to Special Development Orders are set out in section 60 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Policies on calling in planning applications and recovering appeals are set out in the Written Ministerial Statements of 26 October 2012 and 30 June 2008 respectively.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to tackle racial discrimination within local authorities. \p Alison McGovern: Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management of their own workforces. The Government is clear that racial discrimination has no place in our society and remains committed to promoting equality, fairness, and respect for all communities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 75617 on Homes England: Conferences, how many Homes England staff attended the MIPIM conference; and which hotel they stayed at. \p Matthew Pennycook: Seven Homes England colleagues attended MIPIM in April 2024. The delegation that attended MIPIM stayed at the Hotel Cannes Montfleury, 25 Av. Beauséjour, 06400 Cannes, France. Details of the travel and subsistence usage by Homes England staff is set out in their Annual Report.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to (a) amend planning policy and (b) issue guidance on how local planning authorities should frame enforceable planning conditions where delivery of critical drainage works depends on access to third-party land. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department’s Planning Practice Guidance already provides guidance on the use of negatively-worded planning conditions (often termed Grampian conditions) to deal with the delivery of infrastructure required for a development (such as drainage) which is on third party land.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of protections for equine welfare in relation to (a) temporary and (b) permanent construction projects on (i) agricultural and (ii) pasture land in (A) the National Planning Policy Framework and (B) other national planning policies. \p Matthew Pennycook: Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is an offence to cause any animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for its welfare. The Act is supported by the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Their Hybrids which provides guidance on the legal duty of care for horses. This guidance applies to any land where horses are kept, including land affected by construction activity.

Beyond these provisions for equine welfare, the National Planning Policy Framework sets out policy relating to the development of agricultural land. It makes clear that planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by recognising the intrinsic beauty and character of the countryside, including the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land. Where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of publishing the (a) lease length, (b) ground rent (c) service charges and (d) other relevant matters of leasehold tenures (i) online and (ii) on request from all property sales outlets. \p Matthew Pennycook: On 6 October 2025, the government published a consultation on proposals to improve to the home buying and selling process. It can be found on gov.uk here.

The consultation includes proposals to require sellers and estate agents to provide upfront property information. This might include information relating to leasehold terms, property condition, and purchasing chains.

Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, property listings must already not omit information that the average consumer needs to make an informed transactional decision.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on requiring (a) short-term lets and (b) second homes to have planning permission; and what plans he has to bring forward legislation on this matter. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 72633 on 15 September 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_472

Shockat Adam:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to ensure greater (a) transparency and (b) accountability in private parking enforcement. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: This government is determined to drive up standards in the private parking sector.

In accordance with the Private Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, the government has recently consulted on its proposals for a new code of practice for private parking operators to follow. The consultation closed on 26 September and the government will respond in due course.

This code will better protect and support motorists whilst balancing the legitimate needs of private parking operators.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in Essex who have a shared ownership property which are subject to ground rent escalator clauses. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to UIN 74455 on 15 September 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to amend the General Permitted Development Order to require an application for planning permission in all cases of repurposing a house in multiple occupation as accommodation for asylum seekers. \p Matthew Pennycook: Whether or not use of a hotel or a house in multiple occupation to accommodate asylum seekers would constitute a material change of use requiring planning permission is a matter of fact and degree and will be for the local planning authority to determine on the individual merits of a case.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many planning permissions for nationally significant infrastructure projects have been expedited through the (a) Crown Development and (b) Urgent Crown Development routes in Huntingdon constituency since 1 May 2025. \p Matthew Pennycook: There have been no applications for planning permission through either the Crown Development or Urgent Crown Development routes for nationally important projects in the Huntingdon constituency.