Written questions by Cleverly.

What estimate the Valuation Office Agency has made of the proportion of dwelling stock in England to be assessed for liability for the council tax surcharge.

The Valuation Office Agency estimates fewer than 1% of properties in England are expected to be liable for the High Value Council Tax surcharge.

Whether the Valuation Office Agency holds data on the number of dwellings in (a) England and (b) Wales with an electric vehicle chargepoint.

The Valuation Office Agency does not hold this data.

Communities and Local Government, whether he is taking steps to prevent above-inflation increases to town and parish council precepts as a consequence of local government restructuring.

Parish councils decide the level of their council tax precept. This will reflect the service needs of each area having taken account of their other sources of income. To date no referendum principles have been set for these types of authority but the government expects them to consider carefully the pressure they place on taxpayers. The government keep this position under review, taking into account the increases set by the sector.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89460 on Housing: Greater Manchester, if he will publish that independent evaluation.

The independent evaluation in question was commissioned by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and a decision on whether to publish it is therefore for the GMCA not my Department.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Chief Planner letter of 24 November 2025, whether councils are required to report (a) interest accrued from unspent funds, (b) interest collected from late payment charges and (c) how interest accrued is spent for Infrastructure Funding Statements.

Schedule 2 of the CIL Regulations 2010 (as amended) requires authorities to report on the total amount of developer contributions received, spent, allocated and retained through CIL and section 106 at the end of the reported year. CIL receipts collected, which includes any late payment interest and surcharges paid by a developer, 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. Further to the answers provided to Questions UIN 84954 and 54059 on 4 November 2025 and 6 June 2025 respectively, the Planning Advisory Service has recently published additional resources on its website to support local planning authorities in their infrastructure planning and delivery.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the (a) higher empty homes council tax premium from April 2025 and (b) abolition of the New Homes Bonus on the number of empty homes.

The Government does not make assessments of the housing market based on council tax premiums. It is for individual councils to decide whether to make use of council tax premiums based on their own local circumstances. In regard to the New Homes Bonus, I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 73762 on 9 September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has issued guidance to local authorities on second homes council tax premiums on empty dwellings which are (a) furnished, (b) not occupied by any resident and (c) not long-term empty.

The Government has published guidance on the application of council tax premiums. This is available here. Councils have the discretionary power to charge a council tax premium on second homes (dwellings which are substantially furnished but no one’s main residence) and long-term empty homes (dwellings which have been substantially unfurnished and unoccupied for one or more years).

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2025 to Question 66201 on Council Tax, whether the non-police element of the (a) GLA precept and (b) combined authority mayoral precepts are included in the £2,000 assessments.

The updated distribution proposed in the Fair Funding Review 2.0 includes a resource adjustment to take account of a local authority's ability to raise income locally when allocating funding as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. As set out in the response to Question UIN 66201, the notional council tax used in this adjustment is set at the average Band D level of Council Tax in England. This includes the social care precept and the fire precept but does not include police or parish precepts. Mayoral precepts are not included, except for the fire element.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the publication entitled MHCLG: spending over £25,000, November 2025, of 31 December 2025, what the topic and terms of reference were for the Employment Rights Bill Research by Verian Group UK Limited with reference 5105606902; and what the timetable is for the publication of that research.

The government’s Plan to Make Work Pay will improve living standards, support economic growth, and provide more security for people in work. The research, developed with Department for Business and Trade (DBT), was a survey of precariously employed people, such as those on zero hours contracts. The survey aimed to understand the hidden, out-of-pocket costs faced by those with uncertain working hours, such as paying for last minute childcare or travel changes. The work has been shared with DBT to support the government’s ongoing work and will be published in line with Government Social Research protocols.

Pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2026 to Question 99156 on Retail Trade: Business Rates, how many large distribution warehouse hereditaments are liable for the higher value surcharge in 2025-26.

Statistics detailing the number of properties with a Rateable Value over £500,000 in the draft 2026 Rating List can be found on GOV.UK. They can be sorted by specific property types, such as large distribution warehouses. Information relating to your request can be found here.

With reference to the policy paper entitled Outcome of the exploratory discussions on the possible participation of the United Kingdom in the European Union’s internal electricity market, published on 22 December 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the new EU-UK understanding on proposed planning reforms in relation to nuclear power stations.

The detail of commitments for a future agreement for the UK’s participation in the EU’s internal electricity market is a matter for negotiations. As the Chancellor set out at Budget, the government will present a full response to the Nuclear Regulatory Review within three months, taking account of our international obligations, national security considerations, and planning, environmental and court processes. The government will complete implementation of the Nuclear Regulatory Review within two years, subject to legislative timelines on elements requiring primary legislation.

Whether (a) HMRC and (b) the Valuation Office Agency plan to hire more staff to levy the council tax surcharge.

The Valuation Office Agency is developing its approach to administering the High Value Council Tax Surcharge and will set out more details in due course, alongside the government’s consultation.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to Table 1 of the Commissioner for Public Appointment’s annual report 2024-25, published in December 2025, for what reason his Department took an average of 267 days to make a public appointment.

The Department is committed to continuing to uphold the highest standards of transparency and propriety in public appointments, in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. As the Commissioner’s 2024-25 annual report explains, the timeliness of public appointments campaigns were impacted by the 2024 General Election and panel member availability.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 69673 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Remote Working, what type of workplace attendance information is collated and held by his Department for its offices outside London.

The Department records workplace attendance data for staff based outside London and reviews this information on a quarterly basis.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the capacity of the Valuation Office Agency to deliver (a) a council tax revaluation in Wales, (b) appeals from that revaluation, (c) backlogs for business and council tax valuations and appeals in England and Wales, (d) the 2026 business rates revaluations in England and Wales, (e) appeals from those revaluations, (f) valuations for the new council tax surcharge in England and (g) appeals further to the council tax surcharge valuations.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) works closely with government partners to ensure it is adequately resourced and to develop delivery plans which align with planned consultation and legislative timelines. The VOA will receive additional funding and has resourcing plans in place to ensure it has capacity to deliver this work. The VOA is replacing IT systems with modern cloud-based platforms that will deliver efficiencies and make it easier for customers to self-serve. Work is also ongoing to upskill its workforce to ensure there is greater flexibility in managing a wide range of cases. The VOA will integrate into HMRC from 1 April 2026 which will provide further flexibility and support, including increased access to HMRC’s digital, data and technology expertise to deliver this work.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2025 to Question 98781 on Radicalism, what is her Department's policy on naming specific organisations which are (a) regarded as extremists and (b) subject to a policy of non-engagement.

Although The Home Office cannot comment on specific groups or individual cases, I would like to reassure you that we are committed to addressing the full range of threats that we currently face as a country and tackling anyone who spreads views that promote violence and hatred against individuals and communities.We have robust safeguards to tackle those who sow hatred and division in our communities and we make no apology for this.The government’s focus is to reduce and disrupt the influence of high-harm groups and individuals and the spread of extremist ideologies that can lead to community division and to radicalisation into terrorism. Where there is evidence of purposeful actions that are potentially radicalising others into terrorism or violence, proportionate legislative action will be considered.The Home Office is continually building our knowledge of potential threats, including information exchange and cooperation with partners on shared issues of concern. Each department must consider their own due diligence when choosing to engage with any organisation or individual and, if asked, we will advise and share information to help inform their decisions.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Electoral Commission statement entitled Electoral Commission responds to potential election postponements, published on 19 December 2025, what is the Government's evidence base that capacity constraints justify delaying scheduled elections.

This government takes democracy very seriously. In the spirit of devolution and trusting local leaders we have listened to councils telling us about the capacity constraints they are operating within and the work that reorganisation introduces on top of existing challenges. On 18 December I invited councils undergoing local government reorganisation with local elections in May 2026 to set out their views on the postponement of their local election and if they consider this could release essential capacity to deliver local government reorganisation and will consider all the representations we receive by the deadline of 15th January. The Secretary of State will consider the position of each council individually, weighing up the evidence received.

Communities and Local Government, whether the calculation of the base liability for the transitional relief in the 2026 business rates revaluation (a) includes and (b) excludes the application of Retail, Hospitality and Leisure rate relief in 2025-26.

At the Budget the Chancellor announced a support package for ratepayers seeing significant bill increases as a result of the 2026 revaluation. This includes two key reliefs, Transitional Relief and Supporting Small Business Relief. Transitional Relief is calculated from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill before all other reliefs. The Supporting Small Business Relief provides support for ratepayers losing certain reliefs including the current 40% relief for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure. The Supporting Small Businesses Relief is calculated from a base liability that takes into account the effect of eligible reliefs – Small Business Rate Relief, Rural Rate Relief, 2025/26 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief, or 2023 Supporting Small Business Relief. The government published guidance for local authorities on the administration of the scheme on 15 December. This can be found on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-rates-relief-2026-supporting-small-business-relief-local-authority-guidance).

Communities and Local Government, further to the revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 16 December 2025, what assessment has been made of the potential effect of the proposed changes on the number and size of residential gardens in suburban neighbourhoods.

The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation includes policies that will support development within residential curtilages, including gardens. The relevant policies make clear that new development within residential curtilages should not occupy more than twice the footprint of the existing building on the site and should retain at least half of the non-developed area within the building’s curtilage. These policies would safeguard residential gardens from being lost and prevent inappropriate development which would be out of scale with the existing dwelling(s) taking place, while also allowing gentle increases in density in suitable locations. Individual development decisions would be made by landowners/homeowners. The consultation will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance has his department given to local authorities on political restrictions on local authority staff running as candidates for election in other local authorities.

The Local Government Officers (Political Restrictions) Regulations 1990 continues to set out the specific restrictions that apply to holders of politically restricted posts in Local Authorities. As independent employers, Local authorities are responsible for complying with legislation.