Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Communities and Local Government, what her planned timetable is for the extension of the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds.

The government is committed to delivering on the manifesto commitment to give 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all elections during this Parliament, strengthening our democracy, empowering young people to participate and building an informed and empowered electorate. Legislation will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows during the lifetime of this Parliament.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an estimate of the changes to elector numbers in each constituency following the reduction of the voting age.

In June 2025, the House of Commons Library published constituency-level estimates of the number of 16 and 17-year-olds across the UK, based on Office for National Statistics data from 2022 for Great Britain and 2023 for Northern Ireland.These figures provide indicative estimates of the 16 and 17-year-old population and should be treated as approximations rather than precise counts.The government will publish an Impact Assessment of the proposed policy change alongside forthcoming legislation.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 62328 on Unitary Councils, when will the statutory consultation period for proposed unitary councils in Cambridgeshire begin.

The exact timings and detail will depend on the proposals received. Our working assumption, however, is that following final proposals being submitted at the end of November, a consultation could be launched in early 2026, likely closing at some point after the May local elections.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the suitability of the (a) substation connection and (b) grid capacity to support capacity of up to 4,500 homes at the MOD Trailblazer site at RAF Wyton.

Development proposals for new housing at Wyton Airfield are at an early stage and therefore no such assessments have yet been made. The Ministry of Defence and Homes England will work closely with relevant infrastructure providers as detailed proposals are developed.

Communities and Local Government, what evidence she will use to decide on the composition of unitary councils in Cambridgeshire.

New unitary councils must be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks. The population size of 500,000 or more – as set out in the invitation and in the English Devolution White Paper – is a guiding principle, not a target. We understand that there should be flexibility, especially given our ambition to build out devolution and take account of housing growth, alongside Local Government Reorganisation, and have asked that all proposals, whether they are at the guided level, above it, or below it, should set out the rationale for the proposed approach clearly.All proposals will be assessed against all the criteria in the invitation. Decisions on the most appropriate option for each area will be judgements in the round, having regard to the statutory guidance and the available evidence. That evidence will include information provided by the councils as part of their proposals, representations received during the statutory consultation, and other relevant information available.

Communities and Local Government, what the minimum population size is that a unitary council can consist of within the local government reform framework.

New unitary councils must be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks. The population size of 500,000 or more – as set out in the invitation and in the English Devolution White Paper – is a guiding principle, not a target. We understand that there should be flexibility, especially given our ambition to build out devolution and take account of housing growth, alongside Local Government Reorganisation, and have asked that all proposals, whether they are at the guided level, above it, or below it, should set out the rationale for the proposed approach clearly.All proposals will be assessed against all the criteria in the invitation. Decisions on the most appropriate option for each area will be judgements in the round, having regard to the statutory guidance and the available evidence. That evidence will include information provided by the councils as part of their proposals, representations received during the statutory consultation, and other relevant information available.

Communities and Local Government, what consideration she will give to the findings of district councils public consultations in determining the structure of new unitary councils in Cambridgeshire.

On 5 February 2025 councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were invited to submit proposals for unitary local government by 28 November 2025. Once a proposal has been submitted it will be for the government to decide on taking a proposal forward and to consult as required by statute. The exact timings and detail will depend on the proposals received and the decision taken on which proposal, if any, to implement.Decisions on the most appropriate option for each area will be judgements in the round, having regard to the statutory guidance and the available evidence. One of the criteria is that proposals should show how councils in the area have sought to work together in coming to a view that meets local needs and is informed by local views. We expect there to be wide engagement with local partners and stakeholders, residents, workforce and their representatives, and businesses on a proposal. The engagement that is undertaken should both inform the development of robust proposals and should also build a shared understanding of the improvements expected through reorganisation.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the policy paper entitled English Devolution White Paper​: Power and partnership: Foundations for growth, published on 16 December 2024, what process will be used to decide on the new unitary councils in Cambridgeshire; and what his planned timeline is for making that decision.

On 5 February 2025 councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were invited to submit proposals for unitary local government by 28 November 2025. Once a proposal has been submitted it will be for the government to decide on taking a proposal forward and to consult as required by statute. The exact timings and detail will depend on the proposals received and the decision taken on which proposal, if any, to implement.Decisions on the most appropriate option for each area will be judgements in the round, having regard to the statutory guidance and the available evidence. One of the criteria is that proposals should show how councils in the area have sought to work together in coming to a view that meets local needs and is informed by local views. We expect there to be wide engagement with local partners and stakeholders, residents, workforce and their representatives, and businesses on a proposal. The engagement that is undertaken should both inform the development of robust proposals and should also build a shared understanding of the improvements expected through reorganisation.

Communities and Local Government, what progress she has made in updating all relevant National Policy Statements by this summer.

Consultation on proposed amendments to the Energy National Policy Statements (NPSs) 1, 3 and 5 closed on 29 May, with the relevant period for parliamentary scrutiny of these NPSs closing on 22 July 2025.Consultation on a draft revised Ports NPS began on 4 June and will close on 29 July. The relevant period for parliamentary scrutiny of this NPS will close on 14 November 2025.Completion of the updates to these NPSs is subject to the outcome and timings of these consultation and parliamentary scrutiny processes.The NPS for Water Resources Infrastructure was designated in September 2023. The Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs are considering whether the NPS needs to be reviewed at this time.Consultation on the draft new nuclear NPS EN-7, which will be applicable to nuclear power stations expected to deploy beyond 2025, closed on 3 April. Parliamentary scrutiny of the draft NPS is expected to be completed by 23 June. Depending on the completion and outcome of these processes, the government aims to designate this new NPS before the end of the year.We are introducing legislation through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to require National Policy Statements to be updated every five years. This will include a transitional period, which will require any NPS that is more than 5 years old at the time of Royal Assent to be updated within 2 years of the Bill being enacted.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 May 2025 to Question 53289 on RAF Wyton: Housing, when she expects the trailblazer site at RAF Wyton to (a) start and (b) complete development.

It is not yet possible to identify an exact date for when development would start on site because the site is unallocated within the Local Plan and a planning application has not been submitted. The site has potential capacity for 4,500 homes and the timeframe for delivery of these will be determined when the development and planning application come forward.

Communities and Local Government, what area of land is defined as Greater Cambridge.

Greater Cambridge is comprised of the city of Cambridge and the surrounding South Cambridgeshire District Council.

Communities and Local Government, how many new homes have been (a) started and (b) completed since 5 July 2024.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 39650 on 25 March 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending a statutory duty on flood response to the Fire and Rescue Service.

Protecting communities from flooding is a key priority for this government. In Autumn 2024, as the minister previously responsible for fire, the Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson asked officials to undertake further work alongside Defra and other relevant partners to understand in more detail if there are gaps in the fire and rescue services flooding response and resilience system.Fire and Rescue Authorities have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) to prepare for emergencies, including major flooding. Fire Rescue Authorities also have discretionary powers to respond to incidents under their core functions in the Fire and Rescue Services Act (2004) and in response to the risks set out in their Community Risk Management Plans prepared under the National Framework. At this time, a clear rationale for introducing a statutory duty has not been determined.However, MHCLG officials and representatives of fire and rescue services will continue to work with Defra, as the lead government department for flooding, and its partners to understand the challenges that fire and rescue services face and consider how best to ensure that all partners involved in flood response have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking with fire and rescue services to help increase levels of (a) resilience and (b) preparedness in (i) central government, (ii) local authorities, (iii) local communities and (iv) emergency services.

Fire and Rescue Authorities have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) to prepare for emergencies, such as a major fire or flooding and extends to areas such as cyber security. Fire Rescue Authorities also have discretionary powers to respond to incidents under their core functions in the Fire and Rescue Services Act (2004) and in response to the risks set out in their Community Risk Management Plans prepared under the National Framework. These local plans identify and assess the full range of foreseeable fire and rescue-related risks and make provision for prevention and protection activities and appropriate response to incidents.The Government provide grants to Fire and Rescue Authorities to support and maintain the national resilience capabilities which are widely used in day-to-day operations by Fire and Rescue Services to enhance both local response and response to major and national scale catastrophic incidents. Central Government works with the National Fire Chiefs Council, Fire and Rescue Services and Authorities who play an active role in supporting the work of Local Resilience Forums which all contributes to ensure a multi-agency approach to prepare and respond, as well as recover from such incidents.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to establish national standards for fire and rescue services.

The Government funds the independent Fire Standards Board (FSB) to develop and maintain a comprehensive set of professional standards for fire and rescue services in England. The FSB has published 19 national standards for fire and rescue services: these cover a range of topics relating to operational management, leadership and ethics. The Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry’s phase two report recommended the establishment of a college of fire and rescue and suggested that it should have a role in the development and maintenance of national standards. The Government has accepted in principle the recommendation to establish a college, and we plan to hold a public consultation on the college and its proposed functions later in the year. Any future college function relating to national standards would build on the work already undertaken by the FSB.

Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of new (a) residential and (b) commercial properties that have been built in Cambridgeshire since 2001.

The Department publishes an annual release entitled ‘Housing supply: net additional dwellings, England’, which is the primary and most comprehensive measure of housing supply. This includes estimates of net additional homes in each local authority and county, including Cambridgeshire, in each financial year, from 2001-02 to 2023-24, as well as by component flows (including the number of new build homes) from 2012-13 to 2023-24. This data can be found in Live Table 122 and Live Table 123 on gov.uk here. The Department also publishes a quarterly release entitled ‘Housing supply: Indicators of New Supply, England’, which includes more timely estimates of new build starts and completions in England, and in each local authority district. Statistics from the quarter ending March 2005 to the quarter ending December 2024 can be found in Table 253a on gov.uk here. This dataset covers new build dwellings only and should be regarded as a leading indicator of overall housing supply. Data on the number of commercial properties built in any particular period is not held by the Department.

Communities and Local Government, what additional infrastructure is required to support the proposed development of residential housing at Wyton Airfield in Cambridgeshire.

Wyton Airfield is dependent on delivering A141 road improvement works. These are currently at preparation of outline business case stage with a proposed date for publication of November 2025.Following renewed engagement on the project as part of the new taskforce to support the release of surplus public sector land for housing, My Department is not aware of other project specific infrastructure requirements.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2025 to Question 34056 on Fire and Rescue Services: Finance, when will the population data be updated to include a population projection from the 2021 census data.

In reference to when any updates or changes may be made to the Fire Funding Formula, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 36212 on 11 March 2025.

Communities and Local Government, how many homes will be built on Wyton Airfield in Cambridgeshire.

It is not yet possible to indicate the exact number of new homes that will be delivered at Wyton Airfield. Huntingdonshire District Council are in the process of updating its Local Plan and the Wyton Airfield site has been submitted through the ‘call for sites’ with an indicative capacity of 4,500 homes. Any proposals for new housing will be the subject of planning applications in due course.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2025 to Question 34056 on Fire and Rescue Services: Finance, whether the Settlement Funding Assessment for Fire and Rescue Authorities includes the increase in rescue responsibilities since 2013-14.

On factors included in the current Fire Funding Formula, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 36212 on 11 March 2025.