Written questions by Dance.

Communities and Local Government, what steps is he taking to strengthen protections for owners of shared ownership properties in Yeovil constituency from unaddressed instances of dangerous mould.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 101061 on 6 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, whether he is taking steps is to strengthen legal protections for those with shared ownership properties in Yeovil constituency.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 101061 on 6 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what proportion of funding was allocated to local authorities in the South West for road maintenance for 2025-26.

The 2026-27 Local Government Finance Settlement will make available £78 billion in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England, a 6.1% increase compared to 2025-26. The majority of funding in the Settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities. The Department for Transport has also allocated £300 million in capital funding for highways maintenance to local authorities in the South West for the 2025/26 financial year.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the social housing sector in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 28 January 2026 (HCWS1283)

Communities and Local Government, if he will make emergency financial assistance available through the Bellwin scheme to local authorities impacted by Storm Chandra.

I am always willing to consider local authority requests for financial assistance under the Bellwin Scheme.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the number of neurodivergent children living in temporary accommodation in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Somerset and (c) England.

Homelessness is far too high, and this can have a devastating impact on those affected, including neurodivergent children. Accommodation provided to homeless households must be suitable to their needs. The government collects and publishes data on the support needs of households owed a homelessness duty (which includes households with support needs due to learning disabilities). In October 2025 the government announced £10.9 million funding for 61 councils with the highest levels of children in temporary accommodation. This funding will be used to increase access to support and services for families and make a tangible impact on their quality of life whilst they remain in need. This will deliver positive benefits for education and health outcomes, including school attendance. Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we are introducing a single unique identifier for children nationally to help improve information sharing and safeguarding, which means practitioners and services working with families and children must receive and share relevant information about children and families they support, including to assess safeguarding risks effectively. We will introduce a new duty on councils to notify schools, health visitors and GPs that a child is in temporary accommodation.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the experiences of neurodivergent children living in temporary accommodation in Yeovil constituency

Homelessness is far too high, and this can have a devastating impact on those affected, including neurodivergent children. Accommodation provided to homeless households must be suitable to their needs. The government collects and publishes data on the support needs of households owed a homelessness duty (which includes households with support needs due to learning disabilities). In October 2025 the government announced £10.9 million funding for 61 councils with the highest levels of children in temporary accommodation. This funding will be used to increase access to support and services for families and make a tangible impact on their quality of life whilst they remain in need. This will deliver positive benefits for education and health outcomes, including school attendance. Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we are introducing a single unique identifier for children nationally to help improve information sharing and safeguarding, which means practitioners and services working with families and children must receive and share relevant information about children and families they support, including to assess safeguarding risks effectively. We will introduce a new duty on councils to notify schools, health visitors and GPs that a child is in temporary accommodation.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential risks to rural landscapes posed by removing the Gardens Trust as a statutory consultee in the English planning system.

On 17 November 2025, my Department published a consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system. That consultation closed on 13 January 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here. No decision will be made on the Garden Trust’s role until responses to the consultation have been fully analysed and considered.

Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to consult on proposals to require (a) swift and (b) bat bricks to be incorporated into new buildings.

The government recognises that swift bricks are a vital means of addressing the long-term decline of the breeding swift population. While swift brick coverage is increasing, we made clear during the passage of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill that we were committed to doing more to drive up swift brick installation. The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including a new policy that would require all developments to include swift bricks into their construction unless compelling technical reasons would prevent their use or make them ineffective. This is a significant strengthening of expectations already in place and we expect the end result to be at least one swift brick in every new brick built house unless there are legitimate reasons why installation would not be appropriate. The consultation on changes to the NPPF is available on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support Somerset Council with the provision of the Disabled Facilities Grant in Yeovil constituency.

The government recognises the importance of home adaptations, to enable older and disabled people to live as independently as possible in a safe and suitable environment. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test, and have powers to agree a more generous local policy. To support this duty, government have boosted funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) by £86 million per year to £711 million for both 2024-25 and 2025-26. Government provides guidance to local authorities on the effective delivery of the grant, which can be found on gov.uk here. This guidance also outlines how councils can develop a local housing assistance policy to improve efficiency and better address the needs of their local communities.Government also funds a national body for DFGs and home improvement agencies, currently Foundations, to provide support and advice to local authorities to help them deliver the DFG as efficiently as possible.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support homeless people in Yeovil constituency.

The Government is committed to getting back on track to ending all forms of homelessness across the country. Our cross-Government homelessness strategy will set out the actions needed across central and local government and the homelessness sector to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. The Government is supporting people at risk of and experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping across the country with more than £1 billion funding, a £316 million increase on last year. This includes £84 million new funding announced on 10 October 2025. Councils are able to use this funding to meet the needs of people in their area, and local authority allocations are published on gov.uk.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to future-proof housing for disabled people in Yeovil constituency.

Housing is one of this Government’s top priorities. Everyone deserves to live in a decent home that is suitable for them and meets their needs. The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, requires local planning authorities to assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including those of older and disabled people, and to reflect this in planning policies. Where an identified need exists, plans are expected to help bring forward an adequate supply of accessible housing. The Government will shortly set out its policies on accessible new build housing, reinforcing our commitment to ensuring everyone has access to a safe, suitable home.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to raise accessibility standards for new homes in Yeovil constituency.

Housing is one of this Government’s top priorities. Everyone deserves to live in a decent home that is suitable for them and meets their needs. The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, requires local planning authorities to assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including those of older and disabled people, and to reflect this in planning policies. Where an identified need exists, plans are expected to help bring forward an adequate supply of accessible housing. The Government will shortly set out its policies on accessible new build housing, reinforcing our commitment to ensuring everyone has access to a safe, suitable home.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she taking to improve the standard of new build houses in Yeovil constituency.

The Government recognises the critical importance of ensuring developers comply with building regulations, especially those relating to safety and accessibility. Under the Building Regulations 2010 (as amended), it is the legal responsibility of those undertaking building work, including the construction of new homes, to ensure all relevant requirements are met. Developers must demonstrate compliance with the building regulations to a Registered Building Inspector, who is responsible for verifying that the work meets the necessary standards. The Government continues to keep the regulatory framework under review to ensure it remains robust, proportionate, and fit for purpose. Recent reforms to the building control system, including the introduction of a new regulatory regime under the Building Safety Act, are designed to strengthen oversight and improve accountability across the sector.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of regulations for ensuring developers adhere to basic building regulations.

The Government recognises the critical importance of ensuring developers comply with building regulations, especially those relating to safety and accessibility. Under the Building Regulations 2010 (as amended), it is the legal responsibility of those undertaking building work, including the construction of new homes, to ensure all relevant requirements are met. Developers must demonstrate compliance with the building regulations to a Registered Building Inspector, who is responsible for verifying that the work meets the necessary standards. The Government continues to keep the regulatory framework under review to ensure it remains robust, proportionate, and fit for purpose. Recent reforms to the building control system, including the introduction of a new regulatory regime under the Building Safety Act, are designed to strengthen oversight and improve accountability across the sector.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to deter land banking in Yeovil constituency.

The government wants to see homes built faster and we recognise the frustrations that stalled or delayed sites can cause to communities. Once housebuilders have been granted permission for residential development, meeting local housing needs and preferences, we expect to see them built out as quickly as possible. Local planning authorities already have powers to issue a completion notice to require a developer to complete their development if it is stalled. If they fail to do so, the planning permission for the development will lapse. The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December includes policies designed to support increased build out rates, including the promotion of mixed tenure development. On 25 May, the government published a Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out (which can be found on gov.uk here) inviting views on further action the government should take to speed up homes being built. On the same day, we launched a technical consultation on implementing measures to improve the transparency of build rates from new residential development, which includes proposals to implement provisions in Section 113 of the LURA on the power to decline to determine applications. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here. Subject to the outcome of the consultation, the government intends bring forward the regulations to implement these measures at the earliest practical opportunity with the new build out reporting framework coming into force from 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to prevent land banking in rural communities by property developers in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) Somerset.

The government wants to see homes built faster and we recognise the frustrations that stalled or delayed sites can cause to communities. Once housebuilders have been granted permission for residential development, meeting local housing needs and preferences, we expect to see them built out as quickly as possible. Local planning authorities already have powers to issue a completion notice to require a developer to complete their development if it is stalled. If they fail to do so, the planning permission for the development will lapse. The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December includes policies designed to support increased build out rates, including the promotion of mixed tenure development. On 25 May, the government published a Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out (which can be found on gov.uk here) inviting views on further action the government should take to speed up homes being built. On the same day, we launched a technical consultation on implementing measures to improve the transparency of build rates from new residential development, which includes proposals to implement provisions in Section 113 of the LURA on the power to decline to determine applications. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here. Subject to the outcome of the consultation, the government intends bring forward the regulations to implement these measures at the earliest practical opportunity with the new build out reporting framework coming into force from 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the South West Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust's decision to cease using fire co-responders in category on cardiac medical emergencies on the viability of fire stations in the South West.

Collaboration between emergency services has a vital role to play in keeping the public safe in a way that optimises efficiency and effectiveness. However, it is for local emergency service providers to decide what collaborative activities will best serve their communities’ needs.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help tackle the effects of land banking by property developers in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 60243 on 24 June 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure the provision of accessible social housing for disabled people in rural areas in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

At Spring statement, the government announced an immediate injection of £2 billion to support delivery of the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and contribute to our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 25 March 2025 (HCWS549).The investment made at Spring statement follows the £800 million in new in-year funding which has been made available for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme and that will support the delivery of up to 7,800 new homes, with more than half of them being Social Rent homes.We will set out set details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent.Homes England and GLA will assess bids received in the usual way before awarding funding. Exact funding to different places and the locations of homes that will be built will depend on the bids received from local councils and housing associations.Local authorities are responsible for their own allocation scheme for social housing within the framework of legislation. By law, people who are homeless must be given ‘reasonable preference’ (priority) and local authorities can give ‘additional preference’ (high priority) to those who have urgent housing needs.The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that local planning authorities should assess the size, types and tenure of housing needed for different groups, including disabled people, and to reflect this in their planning policies. My Department has set out guidance for councils in preparing planning policies on housing for disabled people. This can be found on gov.uk here.