Written questions by Hollinrake.

What funding is being made available to local authorities across government to support councils with the cost of (a) asylum seekers and (b) their children in 2024-25.

The Home Office has had various grants through which we provide funds to support local authorities housing asylum seekers.• Grant 7 was launched in April 2024 to facilitate local authority support of increased dispersal accommodation (DA) accommodation. The £3500 payment will be made for the net growth of occupancy in each quarter for Home Office Supported Asylum Seeker accommodation within the geographical bounds of the local authority under the following categories; DA, overflow dispersal accommodation (ODA) and initial accommodation (IA).• Grant 6 was launched in April 2024 to acknowledge the contribution of Local Authorities to supporting asylum seekers. A payment of £750 was made for each occupied bedspaces as of 01 April 2024 and a subsequent payment will be made for the net growth of occupancy in each quarter for Home Office Supported Asylum Seeker accommodation within the geographical bounds of the local authority under the following categories; DA, ODA and IA and contingency accommodation (CA).All local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales who support asylum seekers are eligible for payment. Similar arrangements are in place for Northern Ireland.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 24225 on Conditions of Employment: Departmental Responsibilities, whether her Department has plans to recruit individuals to advise on (a) employment law and (b) industrial relations.

Strengthening employment rights is a key priority across Government. The Deputy Prime Minister is the Chair of the Future of Work Cabinet Committee, which is responsible for considering and taking decisions on matters related to the Make Work Pay package of reforms to the Employment Law framework. The department, alongside the Department for Business and Trade, and other Government departments will ensure the Deputy Prime Minister has the necessary support to carry out that role.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 23786 on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, if she will place in the Library a copy of (a) the minutes and (b) any handouts or presentations from each of those meetings with representatives of the People’s Republic of China.

The government does not routinely publish details of meetings between officials and external organisations or place copies of such meeting records in the Library.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has conducted opinion research on default payment options for council tax bills.

I refer the hon Member to my statement made on 18 December 2024 (Official Report HC, Volume 759, Column, 47WS), which set out the government’s planned consultation on council tax billing.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2025 to Question 26034 on Local Government: Reorganisation, if she will place a copy of the report entitled Population size and local authority performance, published by the Department for Communities and Local Government in 2006, in the Library of the House.

A House of Commons Library Research Briefing (https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9056/CBP-9056.pdf) published on 11 February 2025 includes information on the 2006 report commissioned by the Department; ‘population size and local authority performance’. This briefing also includes access to the published report.I have also made arrangements for a copy of the report to be made directly available within the House of Commons Library.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 24794 on Local Government: Reorganisation, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of breaking up a county council social care department into multiple unitary councils on economies of scale.

The case for unitarisation in the English Devolution White Paper set out the opportunities available to areas for local government reorganisation. We will prioritise the delivery of high quality and sustainable public services to citizens and communities above all other issues. Unitary councils bring lower and upper tier services together, creating opportunities for service transformation which can support improvements in delivery.The potential impact of local government reorganisation on individual areas will be a matter for local councils to consider as they develop their proposals for reorganisation. As set out in the published criteria for proposals, unitary structures must prioritise the delivery of high quality and sustainable public services to citizens; proposals should show how new structures will improve local government and service delivery and should avoid unnecessary fragmentation of services.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the letter from the Permanent Secretary to the hon. Member for Hamble Valley of 3 February 2025, what the cost to the public purse was of logistical support for the Deputy Prime Minister to move into Admiralty House; and at what stage in the process of the provision of support the Permanent Secretary was consulted by the Deputy Prime Minister.

There was no cost to the department as a result of the Deputy Prime Minister’s move to her official residence. Professional removal and cleaning services were hired and paid for personally by the Deputy Prime Minister. The Permanent Secretary is regularly engaged in discussions about support provided for the Deputy Prime Minister and the same was the case in this instance.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 22 January 2025 on Local Government Best Value, HCWS378, whether councillors from each of the opposition parties represented on London Borough of Tower Hamlets council have been invited to (a) attend and (b) participate in meetings of the Transformation Advisory Board.

The Council has been directed to work with and to the satisfaction of the Ministerial Envoys to reconfigure the Council’s existing Transformation Advisory Board into a Transformation and Assurance Board. This includes deciding which two Opposition Councillors are invited to sit on its Transformation and Assurance Board, and whether Opposition party representation on this Board should increase.

What assessment she has made of the potential cumulative impact of the 2026 business rates revaluation on the plans for a new surcharge on hereditaments with a Rateable Value above £500,000; and whether the £500,000 threshold will be uprated to reflect the changes to average Rateable Values following the 2026 revaluation.

The Government will confirm the rates for the new multipliers at Budget 2025, taking account of the outcomes of the 2026 revaluation as well as the broader economic and fiscal context. Tax policy and legislation is not subject to the Better Regulation Framework Guidance which requires an Impact Assessment to accompany policy decisions. Nevertheless, when the new multipliers are set at Budget 2025 – to take effect in the 2026-27 billing year – HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 21621 on Unitary Councils, what was the (a) research or (b) methodological basis for the population figure of 500,000.

The overall case for local government reorganisation is set out the English Devolution White Paper. New unitary councils must be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks.On the 5 February, I formally invited unitary proposals from all the councils in two tier areas and their neighbouring small unitaries.The guidance provided with the letter sets out that: “As a guiding principle, new councils should aim for a population of 500,000 or more” and “There may be certain scenarios in which this 500,000 figure does not make sense for an area, including on devolution, and this rationale should be set out in a proposal”. It is for councils to develop and submit proposals that are in the best interests of the area.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 26038 on Local Government: Reorganisation, whether unitary local government restructuring will be introduced in two-tier areas where all the local district councils oppose the proposals.

On the 5 February, I formally invited unitary proposals from all the councils in two tier areas and their neighbouring small unitaries. We therefore expect local leaders to work collaboratively and proactively, including by sharing information, to develop robust and sustainable unitary proposals that are in the best interests of the whole area to which this invitation is issued, rather than developing competing proposals. Following the submission of proposals, I will consider any and all proposals carefully before taking decisions on how to proceed.

Communities and Local Government, whether the agent of change principle applies to (a) licensing and (b) statutory nuisance complaints against (i) pubs and (ii) nightclubs.

National planning policy is clear about the importance of ensuring that new development can be integrated effectively with existing businesses and community facilities.The ‘agent of change’ principle in the National Planning Policy Framework applies to all forms of existing businesses and community facilities that could be adversely affected by new development in their vicinity and requires the applicant to provide suitable mitigation if development is to be allowed.Planning Policy Guidance on noise advises how planning can manage potential noise impacts in new developments. Further guidance on noise and statutory nuisance is published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Home Office.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 25704 on Business Rates, what assessment she has made of the number of hereditaments which did not claim (a) any or (b) the full rate of (i) retail (ii) hospitality and (ii) leisure rate relief due to the £110,000 cap when costing the policy for (A) 2024-25 and (B) 2025-26.

The Government does not hold data on the number of hereditaments not claiming retail, hospitality and leisure relief due to the £110,000 relief cap in 2024-25 or 2025-26.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 22386 on Local Government: Code of Practice, if she will make it her policy to ensure any mandatory, minimum code includes the free speech protection for councillors introduced by the London Borough of Bromley.

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 22386 on 15 January 2025, which noted that the results of the ongoing consultation on a range of proposals to strengthen the local government standards regime, including views on the possible introduction of a mandatory minimum code of conduct for local authorities in England, will help to inform any policy or legislative change.The Government would likely set out any mandatory code in regulations to allow flexibility to review and amend in future. This would also provide the opportunity for further consultation on the detail.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's Local government transparency code 2015, last updated 29 January 2025, if she will make edits to the Code to support the consistent publication of local government data in accessible open data formats including via public application programming interfaces.

We are keeping the Code under review in the context of work to fix the foundations of local government and ensuring that it continues to support local accountability. Currently local authorities are expected to provide data in an open and reusable format – the Code states “Public data should be published in a format and under a licence that allows open reuse, including for commercial and research activities, in order to maximise value to the public”. Our approach to reforming local government is set out in the English Devolution White Paper. This includes fundamentally reforming the local audit system, rebuilding the vital early warning system to recover a key part of our assurance mechanisms, restoring local government standards, and ensuring transparency.

Communities and Local Government, whether (a) her Department and (b) the Planning Inspectorate has provided guidance to planning inspectors on planning representations subject to foreign interference.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 22643 on 27 January 2025

Communities and Local Government, what her Department's timetable is for the publication of a White Paper on Elections and Democracy; and whether she plans to consult with political parties before it is published.

We will be setting out the Government’s approach to elections and electoral reform for this Parliament in a published document before summer recess. This will include our approach to the delivery of our manifesto commitments and the outcomes of our review of electoral registration and conduct, in which we are consulting with various sector stakeholders.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question HL4145 on Local Government: Elections, for what reason her Department is using the provisions in the Local Government Act 2000 rather than the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.

Our use of the power under the Local Government Act 2000 to postpone local council elections is consistent with precedent in areas preparing for local government re-organisation, for example: Buckinghamshire (S.I. 2018/1355), Cumbria (S.I. 2021/174), North Yorkshire (S.I. 2021/175), Northamptonshire (S.I. 2018/1324), Somerset (S.I. 2021/176) and Weymouth and Portland (S.I. 2018/256).In contrast, the power in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 is for use in the context of a structural changes Order implementing a proposal for local government reorganisation.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her plans to give councils new powers to issue bye-laws, whether it is her intention that such bye-laws could regulate otherwise lawful activity on private land and property.

The government will work with councils to determine how and what byelaws can be made as set out in the English Devolution White Paper.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2025 to Question 22646 on MHCLG: Religion, if she will list each of the individual faith days or faith events recognised by her Department since 5 July 2024.

This department recognises that there are many different religious days and festivals throughout the year, and these can have different levels of significance for people of faith. For major religious festivals, the government aims to mark these appropriately through ministerial attendance at events, receptions or through the department’s social media channels.This department also recognises the importance of meaningful engagement as an opportunity to reach out to our faith communities and celebrate their invaluable contribution to life in our country. My ministerial colleague, Lord Khan of Burnley, in his first six months as Faith Minister, was proud to have engaged with all faith groups in the UK.