Written questions by Hollinrake.

Communities and Local Government, whether there was a cost to the public purse for the hire of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club for the roundtable event she attended on 4 April 2025.

There was no cost to the public purse.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department engages with Palestine Action.

No, my department has not engaged with Palestine Action. The responsibility for decisions around who departments engage with sits with those departments and the appropriate policy areas.

Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the minutes of her meeting with Birmingham City Council on 5 April 2025; and what the conclusions were of the meeting.

The government has been in frequent dialogue with the leadership of the City Council to ensure the welfare of Birmingham residents and a swift resolution to the dispute. The 5 April meeting provided an update on the clean-up of the waste backlog and industrial relations negotiations. The government will continue to support the Council in creating the sustainable, fair and reliable waste service that its residents deserve. In line with normal practice, the minutes of the meeting will not be published.

Communities and Local Government, what the value is of the baseline spending on (a) communications and (b) consultancy on which her Department's targets to reduce such spending is based.

Part A: The baseline for communications in 2024/25 was £8m. Part B on consultancy: The baseline against which reductions will be measured is £15.2m. This is based on the initial values included in the 24/25 Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's statutory guidance entitled, Best value standards and intervention: a statutory guide for best value authorities, published on 8 May 2024, if she will take steps to intervene in the bin collection strike in Birmingham City Council area.

The Department is closely monitoring the situation regarding the ongoing bin collection strike in the Birmingham City Council area and stands ready to play its part in supporting the Council where necessary. The Council should remain responsible for managing local service delivery, as is normal practice across local government, and is working to deal with the backlog of waste swiftly. Commissioners, who were appointed in October 2023 under the previous government to oversee the Council’s broader improvement journey, have been working constructively with the Council to ensure that a meaningful, sustainable resolution is found as quickly as possible. We recognise the importance of this issue for local people and are clear that this must be resolved, with regular services returned, and the accumulated waste and fly-tipping removed from the streets of the city as a matter of urgency.

Whether he plans to provide additional resources to Birmingham City Council to help support public health.

Birmingham City Council’s Public Health Grant for 2025/26 will be £109,102,134. This is an increase of 5.9% relative to 2024/25, and equates to £92.98 per capita against a per capita average across all English upper tier local authorities of £66.64.Birmingham will also receive targeted investment in 2025/26 of £1,647,900 to improve its Start for Life offer, £1,596,854 to support stop smoking services, and £11,741,333 to support drug and alcohol treatment and recovery. Future funding decisions will be subject to the upcoming Spending Review.The Government continues to support Birmingham City Council’s recovery, and action to protect and improve public health.

Communities and Local Government, how many special advisers are employed by her Department.

The Deputy Prime Minister has appointed six Special Advisers to the department.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance she has issued on whether not collecting refuse waste could lead to a best value intervention at a local authority.

All local authorities are under a statutory duty to comply with Best Value and must make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way their functions are exercised, as outlined in the existing statutory guidance on Best Value standards and intervention. Where there are concerns about a local authority's compliance with this duty, the Secretary of State may consider a range of evidence before deciding whether to intervene. No specific, separate guidance on whether the collection of refuse waste could lead to a best value intervention has been issued.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on the ability of councils to provide (a) regular refuse collections and (b) other core services.

The delivery of the Plan to Make Work Pay is a manifesto commitment. We will be engaging closely with local authorities as the policy develops and further detail on funding models will be provided in due course. We will consult extensively on the implementation of the legislation to ensure it works for workers and employers alike.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to conduct a review of compliance costs from building regulations.

All costs associated with updates to the building regulations are considered prior to publication. Full impact assessments including economic, environmental and equalities considerations, are published alongside amendments to the Building Regulations.

Whether the transitional relief scheme for the 2026 business rates revaluation will be financed by (a) direct funding, (b) downward phasing and (c) a higher multiplier.

The Government is legally required to introduce transitional relief for ratepayers to support those seeing the biggest increases at revaluations. The Non-Domestic Rating Act 2023 removed the requirement for transitional relief schemes to be self-funding. Only once we understand the complete 2026 revaluation picture will the Government be in a position to make final decisions, at Autumn Budget 2025, on the transitional relief scheme

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to Birmingham City Council for pest control services.

The government is working closely with Birmingham and continues to monitor the disruption caused by the bin strikes and the associated public health risks to the residents of the city. The council continues to manage local service delivery and has put in place measures to deal with the accumulated street backlog which has developed, and is supported by mutual aid from neighbouring authorities. The council has also taken measures to deal with pests including setting baiting stations in key waste hotspot areas, and are considering further measures to support households. The department continues to play its part in supporting the council where necessary and cross government mechanisms have been activated to ensure a coordinated response.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2025 to Question 25780 on Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners: Elections, whether existing Police and Crime Commissioners will serve their full term where the police functions are given to new combined authority mayors.

As outlined in my previous response, the timing of the transfer of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner functions to new mayors established through the Devolution Priority Programme will be determined in due course.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to allow (a) councils, (b) Natural England and (c) development corporations to have enhanced Compulsory Purchase Powers for the mandatory purchase of residential dwellings.

Local authorities and development corporations already have various powers to compulsorily acquire property for the purposes of supporting their functions. Natural England also has powers to compulsorily acquire land to establish and maintain nature reserves. The government is reforming the compulsory purchase process and compensation rules via the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to enable more effective land assembly through public sector-led schemes. A more streamlined and efficient process will also enable authorities to make greater use of their compulsory purchase powers, with associated cost savings realised through faster acquisition decisions.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2025 to Question 25780 on Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners: Elections, what her planned timetable is for the alignment of the Police Force and Police and Crime Commissioner areas with mayoral combined authority areas.

As outlined in my previous response, the timing of the transfer of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner functions to new mayors established through the Devolution Priority Programme will be determined in due course.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 39016 on Nature Restoration Fund, whether planning permission can be refused if a self-build developer declines to pay the voluntary levy.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 39016 on 26 March 2025.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2025 to Question 38374 on Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill, whether her Department has a policy on (a) grant recipients of funding and (b) local authorities (i) boycotting and (ii) divesting in (A) investments and (B) contracts with (1) Israel and (2) firms which trade with Israel.

The UK government is committed to promoting our trade and business ties with Israel and strongly opposes boycotts. The government has published guidance to public authorities prohibiting procurement boycotts against Israeli firms or firms which trade with Israel.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has a planned timetable for the alignment of administrative NHS boundaries with mayoral combined authority boundaries.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN HL5657 on 24 March 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has issued guidance to local authorities on making (a) licensing, (b) planning and (c) gambling decisions during local election periods.

Local authorities are required to consider the Recommended Code of Practice for Local Authority Publicity (‘the Code’) in coming to any decision on any communication, in whatever form, addressed to the public or a section of the public. A Code principle is that publicity be issued with care during periods of heightened sensitivity, such as in the pre-election period.The pre-election period of heightened sensitivity does not prevent a local authority from carrying out routine business.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions the Best Value Commissioners in Birmingham City Council have had with (a) council officers and (b) the Unite trade union on bin collection industrial action.

Commissioners, who have been appointed to oversee Birmingham City Council’s improvement journey, continue to work constructively with the Council and encourage opportunities to resolve the ongoing waste dispute in a sustainable, meaningful way. There are ongoing and regular discussions. Commissioners are not directly involved in negotiations between the Council and Unite.