Written questions by Morello.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the supply of nutrient neutrality credits for housing development in West Dorset constituency.

In December 2023, the previous government awarded Dorset council £4.63m in Round 1 of the Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund to support the delivery of local nutrient mitigation schemes that would provide mitigation and unblock stalled development.The present government awarded Poole Harbour a further £100,000 in Nutrient Support Funding in Autumn 2024.These funds are intended to be used and recycled locally in a way which helps to unlock housing while mitigating the effects of nutrient pollution.The government has not made an assessment of the potential impact of the scheme on affordability.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce regulations requiring the disclosure of future maintenance liabilities through asset management plans during property transactions.

Providing essential information upfront during the home buying and selling process is important in supporting potential buyers to make informed decisions about whether a property is suitable for them. There is already a requirement under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 that any property information that would help a prospective homebuyer to make an informed decision is not hidden or omitted. On 9 February, the government announced action to improve the availability of property information. Improving access to key home buying and selling data will help transactions run more smoothly by ensuring all parties are able to access the information they need at the right time. We recognise the benefits to leaseholders of Asset Management Plans. As per my Written Ministerial Statement of 21 November 2024 (HCWS2440), the government will consult on new reforms to the section 20 ‘major works’ procedure that leaseholders must go through when they face large bills for such works. We continue to work with stakeholders across industry, government, and the public sector to understand the most effective way of supporting buyers to make the right decisions.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of nutrient neutrality credits in the Poole Harbour catchment area.

In December 2023, the previous government awarded Dorset council £4.63m in Round 1 of the Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund to support the delivery of local nutrient mitigation schemes that would provide mitigation and unblock stalled development.The present government awarded Poole Harbour a further £100,000 in Nutrient Support Funding in Autumn 2024.These funds are intended to be used and recycled locally in a way which helps to unlock housing while mitigating the effects of nutrient pollution.The government has not made an assessment of the potential impact of the scheme on affordability.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of nutrient neutrality credit costs on the affordability of new housing developments in West Dorset.

In December 2023, the previous government awarded Dorset council £4.63m in Round 1 of the Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund to support the delivery of local nutrient mitigation schemes that would provide mitigation and unblock stalled development.The present government awarded Poole Harbour a further £100,000 in Nutrient Support Funding in Autumn 2024.These funds are intended to be used and recycled locally in a way which helps to unlock housing while mitigating the effects of nutrient pollution.The government has not made an assessment of the potential impact of the scheme on affordability.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of wastewater capacity in West Dorset for planned housing developments.

The government recognises the importance of water and wastewater provision on new developments.As set out in Paragraph 7 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of homes, commercial development and supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner. Sustainable development should be pursued both through the preparation and implementation of local development plans, and the application of policies in the framework.The government is clear that housing must come with appropriate infrastructure, including appropriate water infrastructure. We believe that strategic issues such as water capacity are best dealt with at a strategic level through the plan-making process, rather than through individual planning applications.A key function of local development plans is to guide development to the most suitable and sustainable locations and to ensure that the associated infrastructure requirements are addressed. Effective co-operation early in the plan-making process is essential to ensuring not only that housing and infrastructure need is appropriately planned for, but that they are aligned with each other. The NPPF makes it clear that local planning authorities should collaborate with each other and with other public bodies, including infrastructure providers, to identify relevant strategic matters to be addressed, including providing for sustainable water supplies.Water companies are under a statutory duty to provide new water and sewerage connections to residential properties, as well as planning to meet the needs of growth as part of water resource management plans, and drainage and wastewater management plans. The water resources planning guideline published by the Environment Agency and Ofwat, sets out how those companies should forecast demand for water based on existing customers and planned levels of household and non-household growth, with the number of planned developments being based on published local plans.Relevant planning practice guidance sets out that good design and mitigation measures should be secured during development, both through site-specific and non-site-specific policies on water infrastructure. The revised NPPF published on 12 December 2024 makes clear that developments of all sizes should use sustainable drainage techniques when the development could have drainage impacts and should have appropriate maintenance arrangements in place. We continue to explore whether more needs to be done to ensure sustainable drainage technologies are taken up more widely in new development, either through planning policy or by commencing schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, and a decision on the best way forward will be made in the coming months.Ensuring that we take a strategic spatial planning approach to the management of water, including tackling pollution and managing pressures on the water environment at a catchment, regional and national scale, is a core objective of the ongoing independent review into the regulatory system of the water sector, launched in October 2024 by the UK and Welsh Governments. The review is expected to report this summer, and we will carefully consider its findings.

Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to remove the one metre boundary rule for air source heat pumps in 2025.

The relevant regulations were laid on 8 May 2025 and came into force on 29 May 2025. Further details on the changes can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, when her Department plans to bring forward amended regulations on the permitted distance of air source heat pumps from property boundaries under the Warm Homes Plan.

The relevant regulations were laid on 8 May 2025 and came into force on 29 May 2025. Further details on the changes can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued on the classification of (a) annexes and (b) sculleries in listed buildings for council tax purposes.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is the organisation responsible for determining the council tax band of all domestic properties. In doing this they will make an assessment of whether a property consists of one dwelling or multiple dwellings. They will make this decision based on legislation and case law. The government does not have any plans to change this approach. Where part of a property is liable as a separate dwelling, it will be liable for the standard rate of council tax for that band set by local authorities in the area. The council tax system does contain a number of discounts and exemptions to reflect different types of annexes. The government’s guidance on how annexes are treated for council tax purposes can be found here.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an estimate of the potential impact of the classification of ancillary spaces as separate dwellings for council tax purposes on costs for owners of listed buildings.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is the organisation responsible for determining the council tax band of all domestic properties. In doing this they will make an assessment of whether a property consists of one dwelling or multiple dwellings. They will make this decision based on legislation and case law. The government does not have any plans to change this approach. Where part of a property is liable as a separate dwelling, it will be liable for the standard rate of council tax for that band set by local authorities in the area. The council tax system does contain a number of discounts and exemptions to reflect different types of annexes. The government’s guidance on how annexes are treated for council tax purposes can be found here.

Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of fire departments have inflatable crash mats.

MHCLG collects data through the Fire and Rescue Service Incident Recording System (IRS) on equipment used by Fire & Rescue Services at the scene of an incident. It does not include data for the specific equipment category of inflatable crash mat.This data is published in a variety of publications, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fire-statistics and data tables here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tables; though no statistics are published on the equipment used at incidents.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of crash mat availability in (a) Dorset and (b) other rural fire services.

It is the responsibility of fire and rescue authorities to ensure that firefighters receive the equipment and training they need to safely respond to incidents, and to do so in light of their individual areas’ risk profiles and Community Risk Management Plans. We work closely with the National Fire Chiefs Council to ensure that the fire and rescue sector has sufficient resource to keep the public safe. The government does not hold any data or publish any statistics on equipment used at incidents.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that fire and rescue services have the expertise required to meet the regulatory requirements on that sector.

It is the role of Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRA) to hold Fire and Rescue Services to account. There are a number of different FRA governance models (for example mayoral authorities, Police Fire and Crime Commissioners and standalone FRAs). However, all areas are required to comply and pay due regard to relevant legislation and guidance. All FRAs, are required to comply with including the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England and they are required annually to provide assurance to the government that they are meeting the requirements set out in the National Framework.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of new fire safety regulations on the workload of fire and rescue services.

The Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 are the main changes made to fire safety legislation in recent years, and both were subject to impact assessments which were published at the time of their introduction. We are providing £10 million Protection Uplift Grant to Fire and Rescue Services for 2025/26, with £5 million allocated for the first six months and a further £5 million to be confirmed later in the year. The Protection Uplift grant is ringfenced to fire protection and is used to bolster capability and capacity in protection departments. Decisions on future funding to Fire and Rescue Services to support the work of the Building Safety Regulator are under consideration and yet to be confirmed. Additionally, MHCLG’s Remediation Acceleration Plan sets out the Government’s intent to legislate to place stronger duties on landlords, including creating a legal duty on those responsible for buildings 11m and over to remediate their buildings within clear timescales, supplemented by further powers for regulators, including Fire and Rescue Authorities, to enforce. An impact assessment of any new legislation will be produced and published alongside this to capture the likely impact of the change including regulatory burden.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help improve the cyber security resilience of fire and rescue services.

The government is committed to enhancing the UK’s resilience to threats, crises and emergencies. Fire and Rescue Authorities are subject to the full set of civil protection duties under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004), to plan and prepare for disruptive incidents. This includes cyber security, and my department regularly engages with the National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) Digital Data and Technology Team and relevant service Cyber Leads. In addition, my department is working closely with all Fire and Rescue Services in England to support them to improve their cyber security and resilience. This includes:publication of a new Digital and Cyber Fire Standard, published in September 2024;understanding the landscape through FRS completion of the Cyber Assessment Framework for relevant ICT Systems;strengthening Capability, in partnership with NFCC including development of training materials and sharing of best practice; andincident Planning and Exercising, through delivery of Cyber Tabletop Exercises to FRSs aimed at improving skills and preparedness for responding to cyber incidents.

Communities and Local Government, what funding options are available to community land trusts for (a) site remediation and (b) preliminary infrastructure work following the abolition of the Derelict Land Grant.

The government recognises the value of Community Land Trusts in developing homes for local communities. Community Land Trusts can apply for funding through a range of existing programmes, including the Brownfield Land Release Fund and the Affordable Homes Programme. The Department continues to engage with the sector and keeps funding options under review to support community-led housing delivery.

Communities and Local Government, if her Department will consider extending existing site remediation funding to Community Land Trusts.

The government recognises the value of Community Land Trusts in developing homes for local communities. Community Land Trusts can apply for funding through a range of existing programmes, including the Brownfield Land Release Fund and the Affordable Homes Programme. The Department continues to engage with the sector and keeps funding options under review to support community-led housing delivery.

Communities and Local Government, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a statutory duty for fire and rescue services in England to respond to flooding.

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, whether she plans to introduce additional fire safety-related grant funding for fire and rescue services to meet changes in regulatory requirements.

We are providing £10 million Protection Uplift Grant to Fire and Rescue Services for 2025/26, with £5 million allocated for the first six months and a further £5 million to be confirmed later in the year. The Protection Uplift grant is ringfenced to fire protection and is used to bolster capability and capacity in protection departments. Decisions on future funding to Fire and Rescue Services to support the work of the Building Safety Regulator are under consideration and yet to be confirmed.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to increase protection for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty from development.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 21471 on 21 January 2025.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes in the number of firefighters on fire and rescue response times in Dorset and Wiltshire.

It is the responsibility of Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority (FRA) to decide how the authority’s resources, including staff, are best deployed to meet core functions. This includes determining crewing levels and appropriate targets for local response times. Decisions are based on analysis of risk and local circumstances within local Community Risk Management Plans. The Government is committed to ensuring FRAs have the resources they need to do their important work keeping the public safe. In 2024/25, fire and rescue authorities received around £2.87 billion. Standalone FRAs saw an increase in core spending power of £95.4m during 2024/25.