Written questions by Holmes.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the written statement of 16 December 2025, HCWS1186, on Electoral Resilience, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of political donations to APPGs by foreign donors on democracy.

The registration of APPGs, as well as their compliance with the 'Guide to the Rules on All-Party Parliamentary Groups', is a matter for Parliament. The Government believes it is right that there are strict rules for APPGs regarding benefits from foreign governments and supports the prohibition on foreign governments providing or funding APPG secretariats. Ultimately, MPs must conduct the appropriate due diligence and are responsible for following not only the rules for APPGs, but the House of Commons Code of Conduct as well, which is clear on the requirements for MPs with regards to lobbying and foreign governments. In October, the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) launched specific guidance to help Members of Parliament, councillors, mayors, and their staff better understand and protect themselves from threats like espionage and foreign interference. This guidance provides simple, effective steps to safeguard individuals, their teams, and the integrity of democratic processes. The Government takes any attempts to intervene in democratic processes very seriously. It is, and always will be, an absolute priority to protect our democratic and electoral processes, including from foreign interference. On the 16th of December, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced an independent review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics to provide an in-depth assessment of the current financial rules and safeguards that regulate political parties and political finance and make recommendations. The terms of reference for the review can be found here. Given the review’s independence, we cannot pre-empt specifics of the ground it will cover, nor the recommendations it will make. It is right that the review is independent of Government and independent of any political party.

Communities and Local Government, if he will re-introduce the guidance entitled Four-day working week arrangements in local authorities, withdrawn on 8 November 2024.

The Secretary of State wrote to all Council Leaders and Chief Executives in England on 19 December 2025, setting out the Government’s policy that local authorities should not be offering full time pay for part time work. This policy is reflected in the Best Value Guidance issued in May 2024.

Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to issue updated land use in England statistics.

My Department is working to update the land use statistics’ methodology to take advantage of new, more granular data from Ordnance Survey. Publication is expected to resume this year.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate has the Land Registry made of the potential impact of the number of years of the lease length and the capital value of a leasehold (a) flat and (b) house.

It is not within HM Land Registry's remit to conduct estimates of potential impacts of the number of years of the lease length and the capital value for flats or houses.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the second homes council tax premium on house prices.

The use of council tax premiums is at local authorities’ discretion. The Government does not make housing market assessments based on premiums.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of aggregate council tax receipts in England in (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27, (c) 2027-28 and (d) 2028-29.

As part of the provisional settlement the Government has made estimates of changes to Core Spending power between 2026 and 2029. This includes estimates of the council tax requirements councils will set for those years. These estimates are set out here - Core Spending Power table: provisional local government finance settlement 2026 to 2029 - GOV.UK. These estimates exclude parish precepts, police and crime commissioner precepts, as well as the High Value Council Tax Surcharge being introduced from 2028.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme plan to build 300,000 homes over ten years, of which 180,000 will be for social rent, do these targets exclude (a) completions under the AHP 2021-26, (b) non-grant-funded completions, (c) completions funded by right to buy receipts with no grant, and (d) completions provided from developer contributions with no grant.

Accurately forecasting long-term delivery is inherently challenging, but we believe the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) could deliver around 300,000 social and affordable homes over its lifetime with around 180,000 for Social Rent.We will set initial targets for Homes England and the GLA after receiving bids from Registered Providers, and will review these targets across the lifetime of the programme to maximise delivery.In setting targets for Homes England and the GLA, we will only include homes that have been funded under the SAHP. The housing completions listed in the question will not be included.Our delivery agencies are already taking bids from Registered Providers to deliver homes under the SAHP through the £2 billion new investment we announced in March.Those delivery agencies published guidance for prospective bidders for the SAHP in November, which can be found on gov.uk here. We plan to open for bids in February 2026.

Communities and Local Government, how many (a) headcount and (b) FTE staff are employed by the Building Safety Regulator; if he will list the addresses of its offices; and how many assigned desks for staff it has in total.

As of 2nd October 2025, the Building Safety Regulator’s headcount was 404 and FTE was 394.2.A list of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) offices and their addresses are publicly available on the HSE website - HSE Offices.HSE operates a hybrid working model in which staff are able to work from home or from their designated office. There are no assigned desks in offices for staff, instead using a hotdesking system.

Communities and Local Government, whether the new socio-economic duty will apply to local authorities’ waste policies on household rubbish and recycling collections.

I refer the Hon. Member to UIN 5411 answered on 7 October 2024.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 August 2025 to Question 69053 on Special Educational Needs: Finance, what recent estimate he has made of the aggregate, accumulated deficits that have been built up under the DSG Statutory Override system in each local authority.

The Department for Education publishes outturn data on local authority-level Dedicated Schools Grant balances in the annual ‘LA and school expenditure' statistical release. The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government publishes outturn data on levels of Dedicated Schools Grant deficit held in local authority Dedicated Schools Grant adjustment accounts in the annual 'Local authority revenue expenditure and financing' statistical release. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government engages regularly with local authorities on the impact of these deficits and the extent to which they are expected to grow.

Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to reintroduce Article 5 certificates, in the context of trends in the number of cases where Tree Protection Orders are removed at the request of insurance companies; and what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (b) Forestry England and (c) the Association of British Insurers on the proposed new protocol to protect trees at risk of felling.

The Tree Preservation Order system is the primary method of protecting trees and woodlands in England. Anyone applying to a local authority to cut down, top, lop or uproot trees subject to an Order because of tree-related subsidence damage is required to set out evidence which demonstrates that the tree is a material cause of the problem and that other factors have been eliminated as potential influences so far as possible. A local authority is only liable to pay compensation for loss or damage incurred as a result of refusing any consent under an order, and not for loss or damage attributable to the claimant's failure to take reasonable steps to avert the loss or damage or mitigate its extent. I have had no recent discussions with Defra, the Forestry Commission or the Association of British Insurers on this matter and the Government has no immediate plan to amend the current legislation for Tree Preservation Orders.

Communities and Local Government, what changes have been made to (a) funding for individual projects and (b) the total quantum of funding for cultural projects allocated levelling up funding prior to July 2024; and if he will list the projects for which funding was cancelled.

The Levelling Up Fund committed £4.8 billion to mixed use projects under the themes of regeneration, transport and culture. In September this government announced the consolidation of the Levelling Up, Towns and Pathfinder funds into a single, consolidated funding pot, the Local Regeneration Fund. This fund honoured all funding from the constituent programmes; providing local authorities with greater flexibility, more local control and less bureaucracy, freeing them up to get on with delivery impacts in our communities across the UK. An additional £99.8 million of funding was awarded to Levelling Up cultural projects announced by the previous administration at the Spring Budget 2024. Due to the extremely challenging fiscal legacy and unfunded commitments this government inherited these projects were consulted upon, confirming £67 million of funding to 10 projects across the UK and withdrawing funding for six Local Authorities: Maldon, Redditch, High Peak, Erewash, Somerset and Northamptonshire being withdrawn. In September this government announced the consolidation of the Levelling Up, Towns and Pathfinder funds into a single, consolidated funding pot, the Local Regeneration Fund. This fund honoured all funding from the constituent programmes; providing local authorities with greater flexibility, more local control and less bureaucracy, freeing them up to get on with delivery impacts in our communities across the UK.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2025 to Question 33500 on Eden Project: Morecambe, how much government funding has been spent on supporting the project to date; and on what date were the funds released.

The MHCLG Levelling Up Fund, Town Deals, and Simplification Pathfinder Pilot have been consolidated into the Local Regeneration Fund. This new fund will give local authorities more local control, reducing unnecessary administrative burdens and maximising freedom and flexibility to get on with delivery. As of March 2025, £6,336,514 has been released to support the Eden project: Morecambe. Department officials contacted Lancaster City Council on 11 September to confirm details for a payment to cover forecasted activity for the remainder of the 2025/26 financial year. A further payment, of £10,814,457, is due to be paid in September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what research has been (a) commissioned or (b) undertaken since July 2024 on the cost of unitary local government restructuring.

We know unitarisation can unlock significant savings and efficiencies when councils are of appropriate size and structure to be sustainable, deliver efficiencies and provide high-quality public services. Exact costs and savings will vary depending on the area and the final decisions on which proposals, if any, are implemented. Local areas are best placed to bring forward proposals that reflect their circumstances. We will analyse and assess proposals against the criteria we have set out. This includes sustainability, and how they will deliver efficiencies and high-quality public services. We have specifically said that proposals should be supported by robust evidence, including of estimated costs/benefits.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 69456 on British Muslim Trust, if he will publish the application submitted on 18 May 2025.

The prospectus for the Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund did not indicate that applications would be made public and were not submitted on that basis; publishing these would prejudice the commercial interests of applicants.

Communities and Local Government, whether the departmental funding provided to Great South West pan-regional partnership has conditions on funding being used for lobbying activity.

Following consultation, in March 2025 the government announced its intention to end funding for Pan-Regional Partnerships, with an exceptional, time-limited award of £281,250 for the Great South West Pan-Regional Partnership for the 2025/26 financial year. Four key milestones were agreed for the 25/26 financial year, for which the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is responsible for monitoring performance against. These are:Provision of economic intelligence and insight;Plan for long term sustainability and funding options;Regional business voice; andStrategic collaboration for growth and inward investment.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 August 2025 to Question 69054 on Community Cohesion and Resilience Programme: Finance, for what reason the programme has been discontinued.

The Community Cohesion and Resilience Programme was a 2024/25 funding stream, ending as scheduled in March 2025, after providing £3.6m of funding to build stronger, more integrated communities and reduce harmful division in 44 places. The UK Government continues to work closely with community groups, charities, and public sector partners to strengthen communities. This includes our recent announcement at Spending Review, that we are investing in up to 350 deprived communities across the UK, to fund interventions including community cohesion, regeneration and improving the public realm. Future funding for communities will be announced in due course, to ensure places receive the support and resources they need to thrive.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 August 2025 to Question 69050 on Local Government Finance, whether his Department is informed of the type of asset being disposed of.

The Flexible Use of Capital Receipts direction was introduced in 2016 by the previous government and remains substantively unchanged. It permits eligible councils to use the proceeds of asset sales to fund transformation and activities that produce ongoing savings and efficiencies. Use of the flexibility is at the discretion of councils, but the government is clear that its use should represent value for money and be in the best interests of local residents. The direction requires that councils must send their plans to use the flexibility to the Secretary of State for MHCLG. The direction specifies minimum information requirements that must be provided, including the value and purpose of capitalisation, and details of relevant efficiency savings. It is not a requirement for councils to provide details of asset disposals, though councils may include these details in their plans. Further details on disposals may be included in councils’ annual accounts and capital strategies.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2025 to Question 69680 on English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, whether the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners supported changing the voting system to supplementary vote.

The government has engaged with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), on the proposals set out in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. The government firmly believes the Supplementary Vote system works better for electing people to single executive roles and ensures a wider range of support than First Past The Post.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has issued guidance on incumbent (a) district, (b) unitary and (c) county councillors standing for election for (i) combined authority and (ii) county combined authority mayorships; and whether people can serve as councillors and elected mayors simultaneously.

It is not for the Department to issue guidance for candidates standing in combined authority or combined county authority mayoral elections. Guidance for all candidates standing in these elections is published by the Electoral Commission: Guidance for Candidates and Agents at Combined Authority Mayoral elections | Electoral Commission and Guidance for Candidates and Agents at Combined County Authority Mayoral elections | Electoral Commission. As set out in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 (schedule 2) for Combined County Authorities, and the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 (schedule 5B) for Combined Authorities, these Mayors cannot also serve as a constituent council member within their authority but there is nothing in legislation preventing them from serving as a councillor in an unrelated council simultaneously.