Written questions by Cleverly.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department will put forward proposals for increasing local government transparency under the next round of the UK National Action Plan for Open Government.

The Department keeps this issue under review. A wide range of mechanisms exist to ensure transparency and accountability of local authorities. The Local Government Transparency Code 2015 requires authorities to publish a range of information about their activities including spending, procurement and assets. Authorities are also required to produce annual accounts which are independently assured by an external auditor. The Ministry is working to improve transparency through reforms to the local audit system which will establish the Local Audit Office to oversee the system. The Local Outcomes Framework will provide outcomes based performance measurement against key national priorities delivered at the local level.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the oral statement of 23 February 2026, Official Report, Column 78, on Local Government Reorganisation, how much of the £63 million in funding for councils is to be allocated to Retuning Officers to assist them with the cancelled, but then re-affirmed, local elections.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2026, to Question 113631, on West Yorkshire Combined Authority: Lexington Communications, and of 12 March 2026, to Question 117739, on Local Government: Lobbying, if the departmental Accounting Officer will undertake an assessment of whether departmental funding to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority is being spent in a manner which is compliant with HM Treasury guidance of Managing Public Money by hiring a lobbying firm to lobby the government.

MHCLG is not aware of West Yorkshire Combined Authority breaching any grant conditions in relation to funds it provides. Mayoral Strategic Authorities are expected to follow the existing principles and processes described in the English Devolution Accountability Framework and Scrutiny Protocol, which sets out how Mayors will be held to account by central government, at local level and by the public. This includes a duty to ensure value for money.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026, to Question 120055, on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Flexible Working, whether time taken for lunch counts towards the 37 hour limit; and whether a full-time civil servant would be permitted to work from 9am to 6.15pm from Monday to Thursday under a compressed four day week.

Staff who work full-time, have the following conditioned hours per week:36 hours net – if their normal place of work is in London and if appointed before 1 June 201337 hours net – if their normal place of work is elsewhereIf they were appointed to the Civil Service within the department on or after 1 June 2013:37 hours net – in all locations (including London) Net hours do not include meal breaks. Staff working a compressed four-day week have the flexibility to agree their daily working pattern to reach the required conditioned hours per week. As provided, the example hours would not be suitable owing to the reasons given.

Communities and Local Government, whether local authorities considering the Government’s letter on putting evidence to cancel local elections were (a) offering additional funding or (b) advised they may lose funding, by his Department, if the local authority (i) did or (ii) did not, make a request respectively.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his department's press release of 22 March 2026 entitled Seven new towns proposed to kickstart housebuilding push, whether the (a) chair of the National Housing Bank and (b) four interim advisers are (i) civil servants, (ii) regulated public appointments, (iii) special advisers or (iv) direct ministerial appointments; what their remuneration is; and whether they have made declarations of political activity.

The role of National Housing Bank Chair is not a civil servant, regulated public appointment, special adviser, or a direct ministerial appointment.The Chair is a non-executive director on the Board of Homes England and was appointed by that Agency, with the approval of the Secretary of State through a regulated public appointment.The Chair’s remuneration is currently £60,000 per annum inclusive of their role on both the Board of Homes England and the National Housing Bank.A declaration of interest was made by the Chair during their appointment to the Homes England Board. No declarations of political activity have been made.The four interim advisers supporting the New Towns programme are independent advisers, engaged on a time limited basis through the Public Sector Resourcing (PSR) framework to provide specialist advice, challenge, and engagement support to the programme.The roles are not civil servants, regulated public appointments, special advisers, or direct ministerial appointments.The advisers are remunerated at a rate of £135 per hour and have been appointed for a fixed period of up to nine months.As these advisers are not regulated public appointees or special advisers, they are not required to make formal declarations of political activity, and therefore such declarations are not held by the Department.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2026, to Question 116483, on MHCLG: Publicity, if he will list each supplier who have undertaken translation activities for the department since July 2024; and the amount of expenditure on each supplier.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his plans to revoke the Electoral Commission Strategy and Policy Statement, what assessment has been made of the consequences of repealing its provisions on (a) electoral fraud and (b) the secrecy of the ballot inside polling stations.

The government is taking decisive action to strengthen and protect UK democracy. We recognise how vital it is that the Electoral Commission is fearlessly independent, commands trust across the political spectrum and operates free from political influence. That is why we are bringing forward amendments to repeal the government’s powers to designate a Strategy and Policy Statement for the Electoral Commission. This will put beyond doubt the foundational principle of the Commission’s independence and further strengthen its ability to oversee elections into the future without fear or favour. Electoral law already provides robust protections against personation, bribery, and other forms of electoral fraud, all of which are a matter for the police. For example, it is a criminal offence under the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023 to pressure someone to vote in a certain way in the polling station. The revocation of the Strategy and Policy Statement will not have any impact on the enforcement of electoral fraud.

Communities and Local Government, if he will provide a breakdown of the £63 million of funding to support local elections; which local authorities will receive it; what is the methodology; and whether the funding is being taken from any other programme at 2025-26 year end.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2026, to Question 118190, on Local Government Finance, what proportion of the £740 million of funding was comprised of unallocated MHCLG budgets for the Spending Review period; and what is the allocation over each year of SR2025.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2026, to Question 120664, on Travellers: Caravan sites, how the changes to the National Planning Policy Framework on traveller sites are a material consideration in the application for a possession order in relation to land that the travellers do not own but are residing on without the landowner’s permission.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals to incorporate policies relating to traveller sites, currently set out in Planning Policy for Traveller Sites, within relevant chapters of the draft NPPF. The consultation also included a proposed policy on retrospective planning applications and unauthorised development which sets out that if it is concluded, based on evidence, that the unauthorised development was intentional, that fact should be given substantial weight in considering whether to grant planning permission. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

Communities and Local Government, whether special advisers have met or corresponded with (a) Criterion Capital or (b) Asif Aziz since July 2024.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2026, to Question 99537, on Ministers: Official Residences, who holds the registered legal title of the Ministerial residence of 1 Carlton Gardens, according to information held by the Land Registry.

As at 23rd April 2026 the publicly available Land Registry records (https://www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry) for the Ministerial Residence at 1 Carlton Gardens shows both a Freehold Title (NGL849040) and Leasehold Title (NGL943358). The Registered Owner of the Freehold Title is The King's Most Excellent Majesty in Right of His Crown, 1 St. James's Market, London SW1Y 4AH and the Registered Owner of the Leasehold is The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Estates Directorate, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, King Charles Street, London, SW1A 2AH.The Crown Estate administer 1 Carlton Gardens on behalf of His Majesty and have granted a lease to The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for which the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office are responsible.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2026, to Question 108220, on Affordable Housing: Greater London, whether affordable housing starts in London are tracked from start on site to competition, to ascertain that they are (a) actually delivered and (b) not stalled.

The Affordable Housing Supply statistical release that my Department publishes is produced using a number of different sources. These include data from local authorities, Homes England and the Greater London Authority (GLA).The GLA and Homes England provide information in respect of individual developments, but this is only at the point they start or complete. As such, the data my Department publishes does not distinguish between developments where construction has started and is ongoing and developments where construction has started but has stalled or been abandoned.The GLA expect all schemes will continue to proceed. In instances where that does not prove possible, they will ensure that all grant is recouped and reinvested in social and affordable housing.

Communities and Local Government, further to his oral statement of 23 February 2026, Official Report, Col.80, on Local Government Reorganisation, on how many occasions since July 2024 have Ministers in his Department made a re-consideration of a Ministerial decision following legal advice or a legal challenge; and in how many cases was the decision made by a different Minister.

It is a longstanding principle that government does not comment on or publish legal advice.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the command paper, Protecting What Matters, CP 1540, 9 March 2026, page 28, whether the cross-government integration strategy will be published as a substantive policy or strategic document in its own right.

We will provide more detail of the cross-government integration strategy in due course.The Social Cohesion Taskforce is an internal Civil Service team comprised of civil servants. Following existing precedent, we will not be identifying members.

Communities and Local Government, whether revenues from the Overnight Visitor Levy will be subject to equalisation; and whether the Local Government Finance Settlement will assume that local authorities with powers to levy the charge will do so, when calculating central government grant to local authorities.

The new visitor levy will be a discretionary power for Mayors in England, and there are no plans for visitor levy revenue to be subject to equalisation. In the recent consultation, which closed on 18 February, the Government proposed that the levy would apply to short-term commercially let accommodation. Policy development is still ongoing, and the Government will publish its official response in due course.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 25 March 2026 on Local Government Reorganisation, HCWS1455, whether the Local Government Boundary Commission was consulted on the boundaries of the new local authorities, including the division of existing councils and the reallocation of parishes.

The Department is liaising closely with the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (the Commission). The Secretary of State invited the Commission to respond as a named consultee on all proposals received that involved boundary change requests splitting districts between new unitary councils. With regard to electoral boundaries within new councils, these will be reflected in the Structural Changes Order that establishes them, once Ministers have decided which proposals to implement. For the first elections, anticipated in May 2027, we ask councils to provide us with their suggested interim warding arrangements for inclusion in the structural changes order, based on existing wards, divisions or, where appropriate, parishes. The Commission can offer advice and guidance to councils as they draw up these boundaries. The Commission intend to undertake a full electoral review of all new councils after their first election and before their second.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 113631 on West Yorkshire Combined Authority: Lexington Communications, whether she will make an assessment of the compliance of the contract between West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Lexington Communications with the Recommended code of practice for local authority publicity published by his Department on 31 March 2011.

Local authorities are required to have regard to the Recommended Code of Practice on Local Authority Publicity when making decisions about publicity. Responsibility for compliance with the Code rests with individual authorities. Where the Secretary of State considers that an authority is not complying with the Code, he has powers under section 4 of the Local Government Act 1986 to issue a direction requiring the authority to comply. Any concerns regarding compliance should in the first instance be directed to the authority concerned. Following this, if the Rt Hon. Member still has concerns about West Yorkshire Combined Authority, he may wish to write to the Department setting out the relevant evidence.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's document entitled Political donations overview: existing rules and what is changing, published on 2 March 2026, and to the statement that if the company is majority owned by another company, it will not pass this requirement, whether such a provision would still apply if the other company was itself permissible.

The government’s position on political donation thresholds and donor permissibility is set out in legislation and in the Representation of the People Bill. The Electoral Commission will reflect any necessary changes in their guidance. In terms of unlimited companies, where statements are not available on Companies House the company must provide revenue statements to political parties in order to make a donation. The new rules will not exclude companies less than three years old. The reference in the factsheet to a three‑year period is intended as a window of time for assessing whether a company can demonstrate sufficient revenue. It does not operate as an age‑based restriction. Companies will be able to make political donations, provided they are able to demonstrate sufficient revenue and meet the other eligibility criteria set out in legislation. Where a company is majority‑owned or controlled by another company, the donating company must meet the eligibility criteria in its own right. A company that does not meet those criteria would be impermissible, regardless of whether the owning company itself is permissible.