Written questions by McMurdock.

Communities and Local Government, when local elections will take place in Essex.

Yes. Local elections in Essex will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to publish financial modelling for Essex devolution proposals, in the context of projected levels of funding gaps.

Combined County Authorities (CCA) do not replace the councils in the area – and services such as social care, libraries and education that are provided by the local authorities would continue to be provided by them. The finances of constituent members such as Essex County Council will remain separate from the proposed Greater Essex Combined County Authority.The CCA would instead benefit from devolution of both powers and funding in the areas of transport, housing and adult skills, as well as attracting a Mayoral Capacity Fund to assist with setting up and a thirty-year Investment Fund for both revenue and capital spending.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the ability of (a) county and (b) unitary councils to set balanced budgets for the next financial year.

We have delivered a Settlement for 2025-26 that begins to fix the foundations of local government by providing significant investment redirecting funding towards the services and places that need it most. The Settlement makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25.Councils are responsible for managing their budgets locally and setting a balanced budget. Any council that has concerns about its ability to set or maintain a balanced budget should approach the Ministry in the first instance where we will treat all discussions in confidence, with respect and determination to find a solution together.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with Essex County Council on the financial sustainability of local services under the proposed devolution deal.

Combined County Authorities (CCA) do not replace the councils in the area – and services such as social care, libraries and education that are provided by the local authorities would continue to be provided by them. The finances of constituent members such as Essex County Council will remain separate from the proposed Greater Essex Combined County Authority.The CCA would instead benefit from devolution of both powers and funding in the areas of transport, housing and adult skills, as well as attracting a Mayoral Capacity Fund to assist with setting up and a thirty-year Investment Fund for both revenue and capital spending.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure (a) transparency and (b) local accountability in areas where local elections have been cancelled as part of planned devolution arrangements.

Accountability for decisions in all local authorities whose elections were postponed remains with the elected members, whose terms of office were extended by one year.The government ran public consultations in the areas on the Devolution Priority Programme. We are now carefully considering the evidence collected, in order to decide whether statutory tests have been met to proceed with the legislation required to establish the proposed devolution institutions. Government will share conclusions from the consultation responses once a decision has been made.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to protect leaseholders from ground rent charges.

The government remains firmly committed to its manifesto commitment to tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, and we will deliver this in legislation.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support leaseholders who cannot (a) sell their properties and (b) re-mortgage due to ground rent charges.

The government remains firmly committed to its manifesto commitment to tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, and we will deliver this in legislation.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that vacant commercial properties owned by institutional landlords do not inhibit small businesses' access to affordable premises.

This Government is committed to revitalising our high streets and tackling vacancy. To that end, we have introduced High Street Rental Auctions, new powers for local authorities to bring vacant units back into use by auctioning the lease. We anticipate this will increase cooperation between landlords and local authorities regarding vacant units and make town centre tenancies more accessible and affordable for tenants, including SMEs and local businesses.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that infrastructure projects commissioned by public bodies prioritise local (a) employment and (b) contractors.

I refer the hon Member to the National Procurement Policy Statement published by the Cabinet Office on 13 February 2025, which states that in carrying out a procurement covered by the Procurement Act 2023, a contracting authority must have regard to the importance of maximising public benefit. Applying social and economic value requirements in procurement can have a significantly positive impact by broadening the public benefits that are delivered through the life of the contract.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has issued guidance on the meaning of local employment in the context of public infrastructure contracts.

I refer the hon Member to the National Procurement Policy Statement published by the Cabinet Office on 13 February 2025, which states that in carrying out a procurement covered by the Procurement Act 2023, a contracting authority must have regard to the importance of maximising public benefit. Applying social and economic value requirements in procurement can have a significantly positive impact by broadening the public benefits that are delivered through the life of the contract.

Communities and Local Government, what progress she has made on leasehold reform.

The government outlined its approach to leasehold and commonhold reform in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).We took swift action in the early months of the Parliament to implement provisions in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 relating to rent charge arrears, building safety legal costs and the work of professional insolvency practitioners.On 31 October 2024, the government commenced further building safety measures.On 31 January 2025, provisions to remove the two-year qualifying rule in relation to enfranchisement and lease extensions came into force.On 3 March 2025, the right to manage provisions (expanding access, reforming its costs, and voting rights) came into force and we published the Commonhold White Paper, which is a crucial first step in ensuring commonhold becomes the default tenure for flats.An ambitious draft Leasehold and Commonhold reform Bill will be published later this year.

Communities and Local Government, what data her Department holds on the proportion of domestic housing stock in England owned by foreign investors.

Data on property ownership by overseas companies in England and Wales is published by HM Land Registry and is publicly available on gov.uk. My Department has not conducted a specific assessment of the potential impact of foreign investment on housing affordability in the UK. We recognise concerns about the impact of overseas investment on housing affordability, particularly for first-time buyers. In response, and as part of our commitment to supporting first-time buyers, including giving them the first chance to buy homes, we have introduced fiscal measures to level the playing field. Non-UK residents already pay a 2% surcharge on top of the residential rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when purchasing a dwelling in England or Northern Ireland. In addition, at the Autumn Budget 2024, the government increased the higher rates of SDLT by two percentage points from 3% to 5%. The higher rates are also paid by non-UK residents purchasing additional property. Increasing the higher rates of SDLT helps to ensure that those looking to move home, or purchase their first property, have a greater advantage over second home buyers, landlords and companies purchasing residential property.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure transparency in the acquisition of domestic housing by foreign investors.

Data on property ownership by overseas companies in England and Wales is published by HM Land Registry and is publicly available on gov.uk. My Department has not conducted a specific assessment of the potential impact of foreign investment on housing affordability in the UK. We recognise concerns about the impact of overseas investment on housing affordability, particularly for first-time buyers. In response, and as part of our commitment to supporting first-time buyers, including giving them the first chance to buy homes, we have introduced fiscal measures to level the playing field. Non-UK residents already pay a 2% surcharge on top of the residential rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when purchasing a dwelling in England or Northern Ireland. In addition, at the Autumn Budget 2024, the government increased the higher rates of SDLT by two percentage points from 3% to 5%. The higher rates are also paid by non-UK residents purchasing additional property. Increasing the higher rates of SDLT helps to ensure that those looking to move home, or purchase their first property, have a greater advantage over second home buyers, landlords and companies purchasing residential property.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of foreign investment on housing affordability in the UK.

Data on property ownership by overseas companies in England and Wales is published by HM Land Registry and is publicly available on gov.uk. My Department has not conducted a specific assessment of the potential impact of foreign investment on housing affordability in the UK. We recognise concerns about the impact of overseas investment on housing affordability, particularly for first-time buyers. In response, and as part of our commitment to supporting first-time buyers, including giving them the first chance to buy homes, we have introduced fiscal measures to level the playing field. Non-UK residents already pay a 2% surcharge on top of the residential rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when purchasing a dwelling in England or Northern Ireland. In addition, at the Autumn Budget 2024, the government increased the higher rates of SDLT by two percentage points from 3% to 5%. The higher rates are also paid by non-UK residents purchasing additional property. Increasing the higher rates of SDLT helps to ensure that those looking to move home, or purchase their first property, have a greater advantage over second home buyers, landlords and companies purchasing residential property.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of new housing developments in Essex.

My Department publishes an annual release entitled ‘Housing supply: net additional dwellings, England’, which is the primary and most comprehensive measure of housing supply. This includes estimates of new homes built in each local authority, in each financial year, and can be found in Live Table 123 on gov.uk here. This is then used to inform the Housing Delivery Test, which measures this delivery against the number of homes required. The Department also publishes a quarterly release entitled ‘Housing supply: Indicators of New Supply, England’, which includes more timely estimates of new build starts and completions in England, and in each local authority and can be found in Table 253a on gov.uk here. This dataset covers new build dwellings only and should be regarded as a leading indicator of overall housing supply. Through the revised National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2024, we implemented a new standard method for assessing housing needs which aligns with the governments ambition for 1.5 million new homes over this parliament, and better directs new homes to where they are most needed and least affordable. The standard method provides a starting point for local councils to inform the preparation of their local plans. The indicative annual housing need figures for all local authorities under the new standard method can be found on gov.uk here. Whilst the standard method is used to identify the total number of homes needed in an area, the National Planning Policy Framework is clear that it is for local authorities to identify the size, type and tenure of homes needed for different groups in the community and reflect this in planning policies.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure transparency in the planning process for residents on new housing developments.

Planning law requires local planning authorities to undertake a statutory period of publicity of no less than 21 days prior to deciding a planning application. Local planning authorities are also required to keep a planning register of live and decided applications.

Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to ensure that all (a) newly constructed and (b) refurbished public (i) buildings and (ii) supermarkets meet accessibility standards for disabled people.

The government recognises the importance of ensuring that new buildings are accessible and adaptable to meet the diverse needs of individuals throughout their lives. The Building Regulations (Part M) set out requirements for people to gain access to and use a building and its facilities. The Building Regulations are not retrospective; they apply to new buildings or those undergoing major refurbishment. The Equality Act 2010 makes provisions for disabled people who may encounter difficulties in accessing commercial premises, so that disabled customers are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has considered setting targets for the development of retirement housing within her new homes target.

The government is committed to helping older people to live independently at home for as long as possible.The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that local planning authorities should assess the size, types and tenure of housing needed for different groups, including older people, and to reflect this in their planning policies. My Department has set out guidance for councils in preparing planning policies on housing for older and disabled people. This can be found on gov.uk here.The Affordable Homes Programme for 2021-26 includes delivery of specialist housing for older people. Councils which are registered providers can also bid into the programme, alongside private registered providers.At Spring statement, the government announced an immediate injection of £2 billion to support delivery of the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and contribute to our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 25 March 2025 (HCWS549).The investment made at Spring statement follows the £800 million in new in-year funding which has been made available for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme and that will support the delivery of up to 7,800 new homes, with more than half of them being Social Rent homes.We will set out set details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent.The government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations in the final report of the Older People’s Housing Taskforce and are committed to enhancing provision and choice for older people in the housing market. We will continue to consider this issue as we develop our long-term housing strategy.

Communities and Local Government, what support she is providing to local authorities to encourage the development of specialist retirement housing.

The government is committed to helping older people to live independently at home for as long as possible.The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that local planning authorities should assess the size, types and tenure of housing needed for different groups, including older people, and to reflect this in their planning policies. My Department has set out guidance for councils in preparing planning policies on housing for older and disabled people. This can be found on gov.uk here.The Affordable Homes Programme for 2021-26 includes delivery of specialist housing for older people. Councils which are registered providers can also bid into the programme, alongside private registered providers.At Spring statement, the government announced an immediate injection of £2 billion to support delivery of the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and contribute to our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 25 March 2025 (HCWS549).The investment made at Spring statement follows the £800 million in new in-year funding which has been made available for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme and that will support the delivery of up to 7,800 new homes, with more than half of them being Social Rent homes.We will set out set details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent.The government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations in the final report of the Older People’s Housing Taskforce and are committed to enhancing provision and choice for older people in the housing market. We will continue to consider this issue as we develop our long-term housing strategy.

Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Leader of Essex County Council and (b) the Leader of Thurrock council on the potential of Thurrock becoming a London Borough.

The Deputy Prime Minister has not had any meetings with either the Leader of Essex County Council or the Leader of Thurrock Council on the potential of Thurrock becoming a London Borough.