21 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 77538 on East End Homes: Finance, what recent assessment the Regulator has made of the financial viability of East End Homes.
ReplyThe independent Regulator of Social Housing last issued East End Homes Limited with a regulatory judgement on 25 May 2023. It can be found ongov.uk here.
21 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77539 on Flags, whether the removal of national flags placed on lampposts was discussed.
ReplyMy department holds many routine meetings with local authorities and the subject of flags has been raised in some of these as a point of discussion.
21 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of provisions in the Renters’ Rights Bill on the number of empty homes, in the context of the ban on re-renting homes after a home has been vacated for sale.
ReplyMy Department has made no such assessment. Landlords making use of new mandatory possession ground 1A (sale of dwelling-house) will be expected to sell their property with vacant possession as intended. To prevent abuse of this ground, landlords will not be able to market or re-let their property for twelve months after using the selling ground. This will remove the financial incentive to landlords from misusing the grounds and evicting a tenant with the intention to re-let at a higher rent.
21 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2025 to Question 78195 on Housing: Greater London, whether his Department has had discussions with the Greater London Authority on the potential merits of (a) reducing the affordable housing quota in London to help encourage more housebuilding and (b) removing regulatory requirements in planning that only apply to London.
ReplyI refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by the Secretary of State on 23 October 2025 (HCWS991).
21 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of new council houses that have been built in Greater Manchester since May 2017.
ReplyData on new affordable housing completions since 1991-92 for Greater Manchester is available on the live tables on affordable housing supply which can be found on gov.uk here.
21 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, whether his Department has received the remaining unredacted internal drawings for the proposed development of the Chinese Embassy.
ReplyThe Planning Inspector's Report was received by the Department on 10 June. Following careful analysis of the report, the Secretary of State referred back to parties on a number of matters, including the redacted drawings, on 6 August. The reference back process is on-going. Full reasons for the decision and a list of post-inquiry representations will be set out in the final decision letter.
21 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support the construction of new build bungalows.
ReplyThe revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 includes a new Standard Method for assessing housing needs that is aligned to our Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million new safe and decent homes in England by the end of this Parliament. Indicative local housing need figures resulting from the new Standard Method do not specify the proportion or type of dwelling that should be provided. The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that local planning authorities should assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, and reflect this in their Local Plans. Each Local Plan is subject to a public examination in front of an independent inspector, who plays an important role in examining plans to ensure they are consistent with national policy, supported by evidence and take the views of local people into account.
21 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2025 to Question 76143, on Planning Permission: Multiple Occupation, what guidance his Department provides on whether local authorities are permitted to use an Article 4 Direction to remove permitted development rights for Houses in Multiple Occupation that are specifically occupied by asylum seekers.
ReplyWe have not issued any such guidance.
20 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, which Minister in his Department is the designated Planning Minister for the called-in Chinese Embassy planning application.
ReplyI refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 62966 on 7 July 2025.
20 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, whether his Department has had discussions with local authorities on running election pilots in the May 2026 local elections.
ReplyThe Government committed in its manifesto to encourage greater participation in democracy. To support this, the Government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors. Local authorities were invited to submit applications to pilot a range of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England, and these are being considered for approval.
13 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities 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.
ReplyGovernment 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.
13 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of its proposal to remove the dual registration rule from the Elections Act 2022 on the growth of super-PAC style campaigns in the UK.
ReplyThe prohibition on dual registration has affected organisations which operated under longstanding formal electoral agreements and stood joint candidates with other parties. These restrictions meant legitimate smaller parties were excluded from participating fully, effectively barring these parties from our democracy.We plan to correct this issue in limited circumstances while ensuring we protect the level playing-field for political campaigning. Our changes will not facilitate super-PAC campaigns.These measures support the broader democratic objective of enabling a diverse range of campaigners to participate in political debate. It is vital that voters are able to hear a variety of voices and perspectives, and third-party campaigners play a critical role in fostering healthy democratic engagement.
13 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage national pride among (a) individual people and (b) public sector organisations in (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) England.
ReplyOn 25 September, this Government published its Pride in Place Strategy, setting out a vision to restore national pride by empowering communities and revitalising local areas. It recognises that pride stems from what people see from their doorstep - safe streets, thriving high streets, and trusted public services.The strategy is a significant step change in how we support communities, a new way for government to work in partnership with people and neighbourhoods, empowering them with the tools and levers to drive meaningful change that reflects their priorities. Our flagship Pride in Place Programme will provide up to £20 million of flexible funding and support over 10-years to 244 neighbourhoods to unlock the potential of the place they call home.
13 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 11 October 2024, to Question 5687, on Housing: Construction, whether his Department's target to build 1.5 million new homes in this Parliament will be based on the number of housing (a) starts and (b) completions.
ReplyAs we have repeatedly made clear, progress toward the government’s Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in England in this Parliament will be measured through the number of net additional dwellings.
13 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, with reference to the dashboard accompanying the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Annual Report 2024-25, published on 11 August 2025, for what reason his Department's project entitled Digital Planning Programme was not included on the Government Evaluation Registry.
ReplyThe Digital Planning Programme is included in the Government Evaluation Registry.
13 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, with reference to the press notice entitled Government launches working group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia definition, published on 28 February 2025, whether he plans to produce guidance to public bodies on the definition of Islamophobia after the working group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia has delivered against its aims.
ReplyThe Working Group have now submitted their independent advice to Ministers who will take the time to review and consider the advice carefully before confirming next steps in due course.
13 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 62599 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Official Engagements, if he will publish his Department's Freedom of Information response with the reference FOI2025/22450 of 3 September 2025.
ReplyIt 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.
13 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 August 2025 to Question 69060 on Flats: Standards, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of allowing for different space standards for flats for occupation by single adult households on housing (a) stock and (b) affordability.
ReplyThe nationally described space standard in question is not mandatory, and it is at the discretion of local planning authorities to adopt those standards in their area where they believe there is a justified need to do so.
13 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons preventing local authorities from adopting (a) roads and (b) communal areas in new build developments.
ReplyLocal planning authorities already have powers to issue a completion notice under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, which requires a developer to complete their development if it is left uncompleted. If they fail to do so, the planning permission for the development will no longer be valid.As part of their responsibilities local authorities should consider how to mitigate risks around infrastructure delivery, including looking at the timing of infrastructure completion on site and considering whether it is appropriate to require developers to set aside bonds which can be used to complete infrastructure should the developer be unable to do so.The government is determined to end the injustice of 'fleecehold' and we have committed to consult this year on options to reduce the prevalence of private estate management arrangements, which are the root cause of the problems experienced by many residential freeholders. I refer the hon. Member to my Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS2440) I made on 21 November last year for further details.
13 Oct 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
AskedCommunities and Local Government, if he will publish the representations made to the Special Development Order planning inquiry for the Entertainment Resort Complex in Bedford.
ReplyOn 3 July 2025, my Department published a document titled ‘Request for planning permission: Entertainment Resort Complex, Bedford: Environmental Impact Assessment Handling, Publicity and Consultation Arrangements’. I refer the Rt Hon. Member to this document which sets out how the Department intends to conduct publication, notification and consultation in considering a request for planning permission for an Entertainment Resort Complex and associated development in Bedford. It includes how the public will be informed of the final decision.