Written questions by Morton.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to take steps to help support Birmingham City Council to ensure the long-term (a) sustainability and (b) resilience of the city’s waste management services.

The government has been working intensively with Birmingham City Council in relation to the ongoing disruption in its waste service. While the response is being locally led by the Council as is appropriate, at their request, we have deployed operational and logistical expertise to help address the backlog of waste on Birmingham’s streets. This backlog presented real risks to public health, particularly for the most vulnerable. As a result of concerted and ongoing effort by Birmingham City Council, and with the support of other local authorities, we are pleased that the large accumulations of street waste in badly affected areas have been removed and that levels are approaching normal, and this is under daily review. The residents of Birmingham need to see a fair and sustainable resolution to this dispute, and we continue to encourage both parties to come to a negotiated settlement that ensures a fit-for-purpose waste service and does not risk the important progress made on equal pay at BCC.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March to Question 38609 on Local Government Pension Scheme, what her planned timeline is for the announcement of reforms as part of the Chancellor’s Pensions Review.

The Government consulted on a proposed set of reforms in our “Fit For the Future" Consultation, which closed on 16 January 2025. We are currently analysing responses and will publish a Government response to the consultation in due course.

Communities and Local Government, whether the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will safeguard the call-in powers of local councillors.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill does not change the consultation rules on local planning applications.Representations can be made by interested parties and these are considered by the relevant decision maker – whether that be a local planning officer or planning committee.The government intends to consult on the delegation of planning decisions in England alongside passage of the Bill.

Communities and Local Government, what measures does the Planning and Infrastructure Bill contain to empower local councillors, outside formal committee settings, to effectively influence planning decisions and represent their constituents' interests.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill does not change the consultation rules on local planning applications.Representations can be made by interested parties and these are considered by the relevant decision maker – whether that be a local planning officer or planning committee.The government intends to consult on the delegation of planning decisions in England alongside passage of the Bill.

Communities and Local Government, how much decision making authority local councillors will have over large-scale planning applications.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill does not change the consultation rules on local planning applications.Representations can be made by interested parties and these are considered by the relevant decision maker – whether that be a local planning officer or planning committee.The government intends to consult on the delegation of planning decisions in England alongside passage of the Bill.

Communities and Local Government, in what month this year she will publish the draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help tackle the potential impact of poor behaviour from managing agents on leaseholders.

The government is committed to ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents. Property agents must belong to a government-approved redress scheme. This legislation is currently enforced by local authorities and by the National Trading Standards’ Lettings and Estate Agency Team, who have the power to issue warnings and banning orders to rogue estate and letting agents. The previous government committed to regulate the property agent sector in 2018 and asked a working group chaired by Lord Best to advise them on how best to do it. However, they failed to respond to the recommendations set out in the working group’s 2019 Regulation of Property Agents: working group report which can be found on gov.uk here. Managing agents play a key role in the maintenance of multi-occupancy buildings and freehold estates, and their importance will only increase as we transition toward a commonhold future. As a result, we are looking again at the 2019 report. As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244), the government has made clear it intends to strengthen regulation of managing agents to drive up the standard of their service. As a minimum, this should include mandatory professional qualifications which set a new basic standard that managing agents will be required to meet. We will consult on this matter this year. We will set out our full position on regulation of estate, letting and managing agents in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to strengthen protections for leaseholders in the commonhold tenure.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statements made on 3 March 2025 (HCWS488) and 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Communities and Local Government, what steps is she taking to support mortgage providers in lending to commonhold tenure holders.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statements made on 3 March 2025 (HCWS488) and 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 37169 on Neighbourhood Boards, what steps her Department plans to take to allow (a) public scrutiny and (b) questions from communities.

Undertaking meaningful engagement with the local community is a central pillar of the Plan for Neighbourhoods. Building trust and empowering the local community requires consistency, dedication and time, and evidence that people’s priorities have been acted upon. Together the Neighbourhood Board and local authority should ensure that residents, businesses, and grassroots organisations are actively involved in programme design and decision-making to ensure delivery reflects the priorities of local people and helps build capacity within the community. In line with the principles of public life and to ensure the local community can hold the board to account, the board’s operations must be transparent. The board should publish membership and governance arrangements (including minutes of meetings and decision logs) on the lead council’s website. Boards should establish their own practices in line with the Nolan Principles and Managing Public Money principles.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on plans to reform the Local Government Pension Scheme.

The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) reforms are taking place as part of the Chancellor’s Pensions Review. As the Ministers responsible for the LGPS in England and Wales, the Deputy Prime Minister and I are working closely with the Minister for Pensions and the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the reforms to the LGPS and our shared priorities in relation to the Pensions Review.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, what steps she plans to take to ensure that new electricity transmission infrastructure is integrated with local development plans.

Measures are already in place that ensure infrastructure provision is considered in the local plan-making process. The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that plans should be deliverable over the plan period, which will include ensuring that the required infrastructure, included energy infrastructure, can be provided to support proposed development. Infrastructure providers will be consulted where relevant and would be expected to advise on whether any capacity constraints exist that could prevent planned development being deliverable.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to implement the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to ensure that housing developments agreed through the accelerated planning process under the Planning and Infrastructure Bill align with the unique needs of local communities.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will improve certainty and decision-making in the planning system, including through introducing a new scheme of delegation to modernise local planning committees, and increasing the capacity of local planning authorities by enabling the cost recovery of planning fees.It is local development plans that set out a vision and a framework for the future development of any given area, addressing needs and opportunities in relation to housing, the economy, community facilities and essential infrastructure – as well as a basis for conserving and enhancing the natural and historic environment, mitigating and adapting to climate change, and achieving well designed places.Local plans are the best way for communities to shape decisions about how to deliver the housing and wider development that their areas need.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the National Planning Policy Framework published in December 2024, whether her Department has conducted an environmental impact assessment on the proposed development of grey belt land.

I refer the right hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 26011 on 31 January 2025; UIN 26507 on 5 February 2025; and UIN 36395 on 12 March 2025. It is for individual local authorities to plan and make decisions regarding the location and potential impacts of new development in their areas.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to take legislative steps to ensure there is consultation with local communities before any developments are approved on grey belt land.

I refer the right hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 26011 on 31 January 2025; UIN 26507 on 5 February 2025; and UIN 36395 on 12 March 2025. It is for individual local authorities to plan and make decisions regarding the location and potential impacts of new development in their areas.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Growth and Building Safety of 4 March 2025 on Plan for Neighbourhoods, Official Report, columns 210-212, what (a) involvement and (b) engagement the Neighbourhood boards will have with (i) Councillors, (ii) Mayors and (iii) hon. Members.

MPs whose constituencies sit within the boundary of the place must sit on the board. In Scotland and Wales the appropriate constituency MSP or MS should also sit on the board. Councils in Northern Ireland are encouraged to invite the MLAs to the board and should ensure that representation is balanced. In areas where there are 2 tiers of local authorities, there should be one councillor from each tier. In unitary authorities, there should be 2 councillors from the authority. Mayoral representatives may be invited to sit on the board.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2024, what role will local communities play in the assessment of land designated as grey belt.

I refer the right hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 26011 on 31 January 2025; UIN 26507 on 5 February 2025; and UIN 36395 on 12 March 2025. It is for individual local authorities to plan and make decisions regarding the location and potential impacts of new development in their areas.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Growth and Building Safety of 4 March 2025 on Plan for Neighbourhoods, Official Report, columns 210-212, what criteria will be used to determine the (a) geographical boundaries and (b) jurisdiction of the Neighbourhood boards.

The default geographic boundary for each place is determined as follows:for England and Wales: the built-up areas as defined by the Office for National Statistics (2022 boundaries GB BGG)for Scotland: based on Localities 2020 geographyfor Northern Ireland: Settlements 2015 data Neighbourhood Boards may make representations to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to alter their default boundary.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Growth and Building Safety of 4 March 2025 on Plan for Neighbourhoods, Official Report, columns 210-212, who will the new Neighbourhood Boards be accountable to; and what steps her Department plans to take to measure the effectiveness of the Boards.

The relevant local authority in each place will act as the accountable body for the funds with responsibility for ensuring that public funds are distributed fairly and effectively, and that funds have been managed in line with the Nolan Principles and Managing Public Money principles. They will also be responsible for compliance with legal responsibilities in relation to subsidy control, state aid and procurement.