Written questions by Jogee.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help ensure those seeking election to local authorities are provided with support in advance of election day.

The Government does not provide direct support to individuals seeking election. The Electoral Commission is the independent regulatory body responsible for providing guidance and support to candidates on how to comply with electoral law. This department funds the Local Government Association (LGA) to deliver a programme of sector support, including the LGA’s Be A Councillor Campaign which aims to raise awareness of the councillor role, help people to find out more about becoming a councillor and increase representation in local government of the communities it serves.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the planning process protects access to green spaces for residents in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that strategic policies set out in the development plan should make sufficient provision for green infrastructure. In addition, the designation of land as Local Green Space through local and neighbourhood plans allows communities to identify and protect green areas of particular importance to them. National planning policy also sets out strong protections for existing open space, outlining that it should not be built on unless an assessment has been undertaken which has clearly shown the open space to be surplus to requirements, or that any loss resulting from the proposed development would be replaced by equivalent or better provision in terms of quantity and quality in a suitable location, or that the development is for alternative sports and recreational provision, the benefits of which clearly outweigh the loss of the current or former use. The government is currently consulting on changes to the NPPF, including policies relating to green infrastructure and open space. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to improve standards in local politics.

We published the government’s response to the Strengthening the Standards and Conduct Framework for Local Authorities in England consultation on 11 November. The response, informed by the consultation and wider sector engagement, sets out our ambition to introduce a clearer and consistently applied conduct system that will help local elected members to hold themselves and their colleagues to account in meeting the high standards and conduct their roles demand and the public have a right to expect.We intend to legislate on local government standards reforms when parliamentary time allows.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) adequacy of the Building Safety Regulator.

The new Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy recently met with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) leadership, in recognition of the critical role the regulator plays in ensuring the safe design and construction of high-rise buildings. We understand delays to the assessment of applications are unacceptable, which is why we announced reforms to the BSR on 30 June, including plans to carve out the BSR from the Health and Safety Executive and establish a standalone body with a clear focus on building safety. In recognition of the performance challenges, and in line with announcement in June, the BSR has already started to make operational and policy changes to speed up decision making particularly on building control approval, including through the introduction of an Innovation Unit. We are seeing early signs of improvement, with all applications in the Innovation Unit so far on track to exceed or meet the 12-week SLA as they progress through the application process.

Communities and Local Government, what engagement he has had with the Building Safety Regulator since his appointment.

The new Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy recently met with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) leadership, in recognition of the critical role the regulator plays in ensuring the safe design and construction of high-rise buildings. We understand delays to the assessment of applications are unacceptable, which is why we announced reforms to the BSR on 30 June, including plans to carve out the BSR from the Health and Safety Executive and establish a standalone body with a clear focus on building safety. In recognition of the performance challenges, and in line with announcement in June, the BSR has already started to make operational and policy changes to speed up decision making particularly on building control approval, including through the introduction of an Innovation Unit. We are seeing early signs of improvement, with all applications in the Innovation Unit so far on track to exceed or meet the 12-week SLA as they progress through the application process.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of devolution on economic growth in Staffordshire.

We know that giving local leaders who understand their patch greater powers to respond to the specific challenges they face, can unlock the growth potential of places.By empowering areas through devolution, all of our regions, including Staffordshire, can take the decisions that drive the change they want to see.

Communities and Local Government, what recent progress her Department has made with developers to ensure unsafe buildings in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire are remediated quickly.

54 developers have signed the developer remediation contract with government. MHCLG publishes quarterly updates on progress that developers are making.As at 30 June 2025, those developers had identified 1,892 buildings with life-critical fire safety defects that they are obligated directly to remediate. Developers had started or completed work on 47% of those buildings.On 2 December 2024, MHCLG published a joint plan with developers to accelerate developer-led remediation and improve resident experience. 39 developers (accounting for over 95% of buildings to be remediated by developers) have signed up to the joint plan. In doing so, those developers committed to ambitious stretch targets to finish assessing all their buildings by July 2025, and to start or complete remedial works on 80% of relevant buildings by July 2026 and on all relevant buildings by July 2027.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the steps necessary to protect communities from any potential increase in the likelihood of wildfires taking place in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England as a result of a warming planet.

The Government recognises that the impact of climate change is likely to increase and intensify fire incidents in England and Wales - further impacting fire and rescue service’s (FRS) resources, capacity, and strategical response. As the lead government department for wildfire, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) maintains regular engagement with other government departments including the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and Cabinet Office on this national risk. This is alongside the department’s work with national bodies including the National Fire Chiefs Council and England and Wales Wildfire Forum to monitor and review sector led improvements and mitigations. Since 2024 we have also funded a National Resilience Wildfire Advisor to assess what additional wildfire national capabilities might be needed to increase resilience to the wildfire risk and to ensure coordination of approaches across the sector.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with local government representatives on mandating the use of British made bricks in house building programmes.

The government is working with industry to ensure the housebuilding sector has access to the construction materials needed to build 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this parliament. We expect suppliers to increase capacity to meet demand, and we have seen deliveries of bricks in England, Scotland and Wales increase by 10% in the year to April 2025. Added to that, construction materials prices are stable, rising only 1% between January 2024 and January 2025, far below the rate of inflation for the wider UK economy. We are engaging with the wider sector to support the use of British-made bricks, but there are currently no plans to mandate their use.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans take to ensure that communities are (a) notified of and (b) consulted on planning applications in their areas.

Planning law requires local planning authorities to publicise planning applications through various means, including site notices, advertisements in local newspapers, and publishing information on their website. We are exploring ways to enhance community engagement through the greater digitalisation of the planning system. This will help remove barriers to participation in the planning application process, including among those in representative community groups.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to increase funding for homelessness prevention services in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

This Government has inherited record levels of homelessness, and we recognise the cost pressures this has put on councils. That is why we have increased funding for homelessness services in 2025/26 by £233 million to nearly £1 billion, alongside a local government finance settlement for 2025/26 which makes available over £69bn for local government, a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024/25. The Homelessness Prevention Grant is allocated to councils across England based on local homelessness pressures. In 2025/26 the Homelessness Prevention Grant provided £451,899 to Newcastle-under-Lyme, £538,531 to East Staffordshire, £219,530 to South Staffordshire and £240,569 to Staffordshire Moorlands. In 2025/26 LAs are required to spend 49% of their funding on prevention, relief and staffing activity. This has been introduced, to support areas maintain their homelessness prevention and relief services. Allocations for the Homelessness Prevention Grant can be found here: Homelessness Prevention Grant allocations: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to increase the use of British made bricks in house building projects using government finance in whole or in part.

The government is working with industry to ensure the housebuilding sector has access to the construction materials needed to build 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this parliament. We expect suppliers to increase capacity to meet demand, and we have seen deliveries of bricks in England, Scotland and Wales increase by 10% in the year to April 2025. Added to that, construction materials prices are stable, rising only 1% between January 2024 and January 2025, far below the rate of inflation for the wider UK economy. We are engaging with the wider sector to support the use of British-made bricks, but there are currently no plans to mandate their use.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the number of children living in temporary accommodation in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

This Government has inherited record levels of homelessness, and we recognise the cost pressures this has put on councils. That is why we have increased funding for homelessness services in 2025/26 by £233 million to nearly £1 billion, alongside a local government finance settlement for 2025/26 which makes available over £69bn for local government, a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024/25. The Homelessness Prevention Grant is allocated to councils across England based on local homelessness pressures. In 2025/26 the Homelessness Prevention Grant provided £451,899 to Newcastle-under-Lyme, £538,531 to East Staffordshire, £219,530 to South Staffordshire and £240,569 to Staffordshire Moorlands. In 2025/26 LAs are required to spend 49% of their funding on prevention, relief and staffing activity. This has been introduced, to support areas maintain their homelessness prevention and relief services. Allocations for the Homelessness Prevention Grant can be found here: Homelessness Prevention Grant allocations: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that Homes England will take a strategic approach to affordable rural housing delivery by embedding the needs of the countryside at all levels of the agency.

I refer the hon. Members to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July (HCWS771).We are giving further consideration to how policy can better promote rural affordable housing as part of our work to produce a set of national policies for decision making this year.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential contribution of Invest Staffordshire to her Department’s delivery of her priorities for (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

Invest Staffordshire was launched at UKREIIF in May 2025. It aims to promote key strategic investment sites and economic opportunities in Staffordshire. We hope to see it play an important role in promoting economic growth, attracting private sector investment, and supporting local businesses to scale and innovate. The Department values this partnership and remains committed to supporting initiatives that deliver real, lasting benefits for residents and businesses across the region.

Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions she has had with the National Fire Chiefs Council on the adequacy of mental health and wellbeing support for firefighters in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England.

Government supports the work that the National Fire Chiefs Council is doing through its Wellbeing Board to assist services to drive positive improvements in mental health provision for their workforce. It is for fire and rescue authorities to work with their individual service to ensure that the right support is in place to meet local needs and circumstances. The Government does not assess the needs of individual or services or at national level.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to protect nature through her Department's housebuilding programme.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 is clear about the importance of protecting and enhancing biodiversity where it is affected by development and includes stringent protections for nationally designated sites and irreplaceable habitats. The implementation of Local Nature Recovery Strategies and Biodiversity Net Gain are helping to highlight opportunities to improve nature in conjunction with development, and to secure tangible contributions to biodiversity enhancements. The Nature Restoration Fund, introduced by the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, will provide further benefits where development could affect protected habitats and species, by enabling strategic improvements.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps she has taken to reduce the number of children living in temporary accommodation in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

Homelessness levels are far too high, and this can have a devastating impact on those affected. The Government is looking at these issues carefully and will develop a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to deliver the long-term solutions to get us back on track to ending homelessness. The Government are already taking the first steps to get back on track to ending homelessness. We have increased funding for homelessness services across England by £233 million to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26. This will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation. Allocations, including those for Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire, have been published on gov.uk. The Government is also tackling the root causes of homelessness, including the delivery of the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and building 1.5 million new homes over the next parliament.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the causes of homelessness in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

Homelessness levels are far too high, and this can have a devastating impact on those affected. The Government is looking at these issues carefully and will develop a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to deliver the long-term solutions to get us back on track to ending homelessness. The Government are already taking the first steps to get back on track to ending homelessness. We have increased funding for homelessness services across England by £233 million to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26. This will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation. Allocations, including those for Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire, have been published on gov.uk. The Government is also tackling the root causes of homelessness, including the delivery of the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and building 1.5 million new homes over the next parliament.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Disabled Facilities Grant.

Government recognises how important home adaptations are in enabling older and disabled people to live as independently as possible in a safe and suitable environment. This is why on 3 January 2025 government announced an immediate £86 million in-year uplift to the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), taking the funding total to £711 million for 2024-25. This will allow 7,800 more eligible people to make vital improvements to their home allowing them to live more independent lives and reducing hospitalisations.Furthermore, government announced an £86 million additional investment in the DFG for the 2025-26 financial year at the Autumn Budget (bringing total funding for 2025-26 to £711 million).Government continues to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. As part of this process, we are reviewing the suitability of the current upper limit.Government does not hold data on how many people have received DFG funding. The table below sets out the number of completed grants for the (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire in each of the last 14 years, taken from voluntary, unaudited and incomplete data provided annually by local authorities in England. Due to changes in reporting mechanisms, completions data for financial year 2017-18 is not available.YearNumber of DFGs completed(a) Newcastle-under-Lyme(b)Staffordshire2010-20111309322011-201211610182012-2013Incomplete dataIncomplete data2013-201495Incomplete data2014-20151196832015-2016Incomplete dataIncomplete data2016-2017118Incomplete data2017-2018N/AN/A2018-20191207542019-2020756592020-2021605732021-20221357032022-2023878642023-202492984