Written questions by Hollinrake.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2024 to Question 7829 on Council Tax: Wales, what information the Valuation Office Agency plans to publish before April 2025.

As outlined in the response to PQ UIN 7829, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) will publish further information on the model and its use in supporting the Welsh Government’s Council Tax reform ambitions on its website before April 2025. In addition, the VOA will publish any related third-party reports on its website by April 2025.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2024 to Question 10847 on Leisure Centres: Government Assistance, whether she plans to hold further rounds of the Swimming Pool Support Fund.

The Government recognises that sports facilities in communities up and down the country help to support more people to get active wherever they live.The previous Swimming Pool Support Fund was a targeted, one-time, urgent package which has now closed, and further funding rounds were not built into the programme by the previous government.The responsibility of providing access to public swimming pools lies at Local Authority level. The Government continues to encourage Local Authorities to support swimming facilities.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to allow local authorities to impose local taxes on (a) hotel and (b) short-term let stays.

For the purposes of local taxation, all property is either domestic or non-domestic and is generally subject to either council tax or business rates. Whether any discounts or exemptions may apply will depend on the specific circumstances of each property.

What her Department’s definition of a working person is for the purposes of policy development.

A working person is someone who goes out to work and works for their income. The government has committed to not increase taxes on working people, protecting their payslips against higher taxes. This means no increase in the basic, higher or additional rates of Income Tax, Employee National Insurance contributions or VAT.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to create an elected mayor in Cheshire.

The Minister for Local Government and English Devolution met with Leaders from Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, and Warrington Councils on 3 September to discuss next steps for devolution in the area.The government will continue to work closely with the area to agree a way forward to deliver an ambitious devolution agreement for Cheshire and Warrington.This government believes that the benefits of devolution are best achieved through the establishment of combined authorities supported by a mayor with a strategic role across a wider geography, working closely with council leaders.The English Devolution White Paper will set an ambitious new framework for English devolution, moving power out of Westminster and back to those who know their areas best.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to reform the leasehold law on forfeiture.

Yes, the government is committed to removing the disproportionate and draconian threat of forfeiture as a means of ensuring compliance with a lease agreement.

Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to postpone local government elections due to be held in 2025.

We have no plans to postpone local government elections due to be held in 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the report entitled Summary of responses and government’s response to the consultation on proposals to exempt categories of dwellings from the council tax premiums in England, published on 11 March 2024, whether the exclusions for properties that are actively marketed for sale and let, apply for up to (a) 12 and (b) 24 months after the property first became unoccupied; and whether the sale and let exclusion can be applied and stack after the probate exemption expires if a home that has exited probate is then marketed for sale or rent.

This Government has published guidance for councils and taxpayers on the application of council tax premiums and exceptions. This guidance is available here. The exception for properties actively marketed for sale or let will apply for up to 12 months from which the dwelling has first been marketed for sale or let. Exceptions can be applied in succession.

Communities and Local Government, in which local authority areas combined authority mayoral elections will take place in 2025.

There are two scheduled combined authority mayoral elections in 2025; the Mayor for West of England Combined Authority which includes the local authority areas of Bristol City, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire, and the Mayor for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority which includes the local authority area of Peterborough City Council and the local authorities in Cambridgeshire. Subject to parliamentary approval to the legislation establishing a new Mayoral Combined Authority for Hull and East Yorkshire, their first mayoral election will also take place in 2025 including the local authority areas of Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

Innovation and Technology, whether he intends to meet with the Advertising Standards Authority to discuss the advertising of part-copper broadband as fibre.

I refer the right Hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton to the answer of 21 November to question UIN 14700.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the number of hereditaments that will qualify for retail, hospitality and leisure business rates relief in financial year 2024-25.

The latest local authority data on the number of hereditaments in receipt of reliefs is published here: National non-domestic rates collected by councils in England: forecast 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK. The supplementary data tables provide the relevant breakdown and show the number of hereditaments in receipt of reliefs as of 31 December 2023.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2024 to Question 11179 on Local Government: Equality, whether her Department holds copies of the Local Government Association’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion learning resources and tools.

The Local Government Association’s (LGAs) Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion learning resources and tools are available on the LGA website: https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/equalities-hub, which could have been easily found online without the need for a parliamentary question.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to allow for an above-inflation rise in the council tax referendum threshold for 2025-26 for the Greater London Authority to increase revenue for Transport for London.

Details of the proposed council tax referendum principles for 2025-26 will be set out in the local government finance policy statement in late November.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2024 to Question 11656 on Tax Avoidance, what her timescales are for (a) commissioning and (b) receiving the review.

I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 12606 on 11 November 2024.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 16 October 2024 to Question HL1248, on Community Ownership Fund, what the status is of Community Ownership Fund grants which were applied for before the General Election.

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 11941 on 8 November 2024.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 16 October 2024 to Question HL1248, on Community Ownership Fund, what her Department's planned timetable is for determining whether the Community Ownership Fund will be open to future applications.

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 11941 on 8 November 2024.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of farmers who will be affected by the withdrawal of agricultural property relief in Thirsk and Malton constituency.

The Government has published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief#:~:text=From%206%20April%202026%2C%20the,rather%20than%20the%20standard%2040%25. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief in 2026-27 are expected to be unaffected by these reforms. Estates claiming agricultural property relief are required to provide HMRC with the value of agricultural assets, and this is used when calculating whether tax is due. However, it is not possible to provide constituency level analysis on claims which may be made in the future.

With which businesses the Minister for Industry had meetings on 30 October 2024.

Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published routinely on Gov.uk as part of the Government’s transparency agenda.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Better Buses Bill on connectivity in (a) rural and (b) underserved areas; and whether she plans to allow community transport schemes to participate in the enhanced bus services framework under the Bill.

As announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this parliamentary session, which will put decision-making into the hands of local leaders, including in rural areas right across England. The Bill will seek to give local areas the choice of pursuing bus franchising, high quality partnerships with the private sector, or local authority owned bus companies. This will allow local areas to determine how best to design their bus services so that they have control over routes and schedules to ensure they reflect the needs of the communities they serve, including considering how community transport services, alongside regular stopping services, can improve the experience for bus passengers. The Bus Services Act 2017 requires that community transport operators are consulted as part of the franchising process.

Whether any businesses have (a) withdrawn and (b) reduced their investment commitments following the International Investment Summit on 14 October 2024.

We are not aware of any announcements that investment highlighted at the International Investment Summit has subsequently been withdrawn or reduced. The Office for Investment continues to support business on all the investment projects announced at the summit among many others.