Every parliamentary written question tabled by James Cleverly this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1,041–1,060 of 1,474 · this parliament
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2025 to Question 81951 on Affordable Housing: Construction, whether grant funding will be provided under the Affordable Housing Programme for (a) unsold and (b) uncontracted homes provided under section 106 agreements.
The Social and Affordable Homes Programme will support the delivery of social and affordable housing additional to those that developers have committed to delivering through Section 106 agreements.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the written statement of 28 October 2025, HCWS998, on Local government reorganisation, and with reference to the debt write-off of Woking Borough Council, whether he plans to do the same for any other councils following restructuring.
In general, as with previous rounds of local government reorganisation, there is no proposal for council debt to be addressed centrally or written off as part of reorganisation. Alongside Woking Borough Council, and as I set out on 13 October, Thurrock Council holds significant unsupported and exceptional debt that cannot be managed locally in its entirety as a result of historic capital practices. The Government has committed to providing debt repayment support. Any support will need to consider value for money for the taxpayer and what can be done locally to reduce debt. We will continue to work with the Council and Commissioners and provide further details in due course.
How many people have received a Lifetime ISA 25% withdrawal charge in the last 12 months for which figures are available.
In the latest year 2024-25, 129,200 individuals made unauthorised withdrawals from their Lifetime ISA, resulting in 25% withdrawal charges.
Pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2025 to Question 78960 on Hospitals and Schools: Solar Power, how many (a) schools and (b) hospitals have had their Rateable Values amended by the Valuation Office Agency due to the installation of solar panels since July 2024.
The Valuation Office Agency does not maintain records that specifically identify properties, including schools and hospitals, whose Rateable Value has been amended solely due to the installation of solar panels.
Communities and Local Government, whether (a) his Department and (b) the Valuation Tribunal Service has issued (i) guidance and (ii) advice to local billing authorities on the changing of designations of secondary residences to primary occupation.
The government has not issued guidance to councils on this. It is for individual councils to assess whether a dwelling is a sole/main residence or if it is a second or empty home. In doing this councils will consider a range of factors including; where the liable person is registered with a GP, where they vote, where their family home is etc.
Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to allow local referendums on (a) local government restructuring, (b) changes to the governance model of local councils and (c) the establishment of combined authority mayors and strategic authorities.
Parliament has set out in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 the process for establishing unitary councils in two-tier areas, and a referendum is not part of the statutory process that has already begun. The process requires statutory consultation, and we will welcome responses from anyone interested in the proposals for unitary local government, including local residents, town and parish councils, businesses and the voluntary and community sector. As set out in the invitation letter, areas must demonstrate how the local community has been engaged in developing proposals.The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill includes provisions to change the available governance arrangements for councils in England. Councils currently operating the committee system will be required to move to the leader and cabinet model within one year of the relevant provision commencing, without holding a referendum. The Bill also prevents the creation of any new local authority mayoralties operating the mayor and cabinet executive governance arrangement. Councils already operating this model will remain able to hold referendums on whether or not to move to the leader and cabinet model.Referendums will not be required when establishing future strategic authorities. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill will see Government working in partnership with leaders of the constituent local authorities, as elected representatives, to set up new Strategic Authorities.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 83343 on Elections: Pilot Schemes, what his planned timetable is for announcing which local authority areas will be selected for election pilots in May 2026; how many will be selected; what the budget is for that programme; and how many bids were submitted by the deadline.
We are currently reviewing applications from local authorities wishing to pilot at the May 2026 elections and we will share further details in due course.
Pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2025 to Question 32153 on Airports: Business Rates, whether the Valuation Office Agency has made other changes to the methodology of airport valuations since the last revaluation.
There have been no changes to the method of assessing airports since the last revaluation.
With reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Business Rates: Interim Report, updated 17 September 2025, whether the proposed reforms on moving from a slab to slice system will be implemented for the introduction of the new surcharge for hereditaments over £500,000 Rateable Value.
The Transforming Business Rates: Interim Report, published on 11 September, sets out the Government’s next steps to deliver a fairer business rates system. The Interim Report brings together extensive feedback from a broad range of stakeholders and outlines the Government’s next steps to delivery a fairer business rates system, that supports investment and is fit for the 21st century. Stakeholders told us that the business rates system can discourage expansion into bigger properties. The Government will explore the case to move to a marginal tax rate, similar to income tax, to support investment and expansion. The Government will provide a further update at the Budget. Transforming the business rates system is a multi-year process. The Government will consider reforms beyond Budget 2025, and any reforms taken forward will be phased over the course of the Parliament.
Pursuant to the Answer of 29 August 2025 to Question 68418 on Business Rates: Valuation, how many hereditaments in the flexible workplace and serviced office sector have had their rateable values increased following the changes to the Valuation Office Agency’s practice on how such properties should be valued for business rates; and whether such amendments have been applied retrospectively.
As a result of case law developments, the VOA have concluded that, rather than each room within a serviced office being assessed separately, many serviced offices may need to be assessed as a single property, unless clear evidence demonstrates a need to have separate assessments. Each serviced office is looked at on a case-by-case basis, and the VOA are addressing properties where they have received legal advice, or where unit of assessment issues are brought to its attention. The VOA will continue to monitor legal developments and update its approach as needed.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78227 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Standards, if he will provide the data for each of those metrics from July 2024.
The metrics currently used in the dashboard are mainly derived from datasets available on the Office for National Statistics and GOV.UK websites, supported by both additional internal analysis and data sources provided under licence by third party organisations with restrictions on publication. This is used to support live policy development.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78232 on MHCLG: Remote Working, for what reason junior civil servants have a lower office workplace requirement than senior civil servants.
Senior Civil Servants in MHCLG have a higher expectation for Office Attendance than other employees as they have a key leadership role in the Department and have a responsibility to be visible and accessible to their colleagues. Office Attendance expectations within the Department reflect the available capacity across the MHCLG estate.
Communities and Local Government, whether the Affordable Housing Programme will have a funding stream for (a) renovating and (b) getting long-term empty homes back into use as affordable housing.
On 7 November 2025, my Department published a policy statement setting out the full details of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme as part of our plan to kickstart a decade of social and affordable housing renewal. It can be found on gov.uk here.The new programme is designed to be flexible to support the greater diversity of supply needed, and we are asking providers to come forward with ambitious bids that reflect this diversity.While the new programme will focus on the supply of new homes, it will also continue to support some regeneration schemes that provide a net increase in homes on a site. The programme will also allow for a limited number of acquisitions of existing housing stock, to support wider delivery while more rapidly increasing the supply of social and affordable homes.
Pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 75616 on Business Rates: Local Press, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of the relief for local newspapers in the 2024-25 financial year; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of ending the relief from April 2025 on local newspapers.
From April 2017 to 31 March 2025, Eligible newspapers received a £1,500 reduction in their business rates liabilities. This discount applied up to a maximum of one discount per local newspaper title and per property. The previous government took the decision for this relief to end in March 2025, and the current government has maintained that approach. The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government publishes data on the cost of business rates relief.
Communities and Local Government, what correspondence his Department has received from Cumbria Conservatives on the date of the Cumbria mayoral elections; when that correspondence was received; and whether each item of correspondence received a substantive reply.
The Department received a letter from the Cumbria Conservatives on 23 October 2025. I replied on 4 November 2025.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 78216 on Community Relations: Expenditure, what each of those 300 projects were; and what reporting requirements there were on how the money was spent.
The Community Cohesion and Resilience Programme (CCRP) funding was allocated to local authorities; those receiving funding and their allocations are set out in the response to PQ 87321. Local authorities were provided with monitoring and evaluation guidance, which included outputs and outcomes to be reported against which directly linked to the Programme’s objectives. Of the 300 projects funded via the CCRP, each local authority delivered their respective projects in line with the programme guidance, delivering a wide range of initiatives in local places to bring communities together.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 83816 on Devolution: Cornwall, whether he plans to require Cornwall to (a) join a combined authority with Devon and (b) have a mayor.
Decisions on future devolution beyond the areas on the Devolution Priority Programme, including Cornwall, will be confirmed in due course and will be subject to further local engagement and ministerial decisions.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 78194 on Affordable Housing: Expenditure, where this information can be found in the annual reports and accounts.
Within my Department’s Annual Report and Accounts – which can be found here on page 140, expenditure for the Affordable Homes Programme is set out in ‘Note 4 - Operating Expenditure’ under ‘Notes to the Departmental Accounts’, in addition to being included within MHCLG’s budget and outturn throughout.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 83810 on Pride in Place Programme: Finance, how much funding has been allocated to each nation in the Spending Review period.
Our Pride in Place programme will see up to £280 million shared among 14 places in Scotland, each receiving up to £20 million over 10 years. Up to £180m will be provided to a further 9 Welsh communities as part of the programme. These areas will join 10 areas in Scotland and 5 in Wales where work is already underway, taking the totals up to £480m over 10 years in Scotland and £280m over 10 years in Wales. For Northern Ireland, corresponding funding will be made available. MHCLG and the Northern Ireland Office are working in partnership with the Northern Ireland Executive to determine the appropriate delivery approach. Further details, including funding profiles, will be shared in guidance shortly.
Communities and Local Government, whether his Department consulted mayors on the proposed Supplementary Vote change for (a) mayors and (b) Police and Crime Commissioners prior to the announcement on 10 July 2025.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government engaged with a wide range of local stakeholders during the development of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. We engaged with Mayors on the measures in the Bill, including the Supplementary Vote change, ahead of the Bill’s introduction to Parliament.