Written questions by Pinkerton.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of contested Penalty Charge Notices on small and medium-sized enterprises engaged in (a) delivery and (b) servicing activity.

The government has made no assessment of the potential impact of contested Penalty Charge Notices issued by local authorities on small and medium-sized businesses, including those engaged in delivery and servicing activities.

Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the average administrative cost to local authorities of (a) processing and (b) cancelling incorrectly issued Penalty Charge Notices.

The Department does not hold data on the administrative costs to local authorities regarding the processing or cancellation of incorrectly issued Penalty Charge Notices. Individual local authorities are required to publish annual reports relating to civil parking enforcement.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle damp and mould in social housing in Surrey Heath constituency.

The first phase of Awaab’s Law, which came into force on 27 October 2025, requires all social landlords to repair emergency hazards within 24 hours and fix dangerous damp and mould within fixed timescales.My Department published a response to our consultation on a reformed Decent Homes Standard for social and privately rented homes on 28 January 2026. It can be found on gov.uk here. As part of the new Decent Homes Standard, landlords will need to ensure that their homes are free from damp and mould.

Communities and Local Government, what fiscal steps he is taking to support the community ownership of assets in Surrey.

This Government is empowering communities to protect and take ownership of valued local assets through the new Community Right to Buy. This will give communities the first opportunity to purchase a registered asset of community value when it is put up for sale by its owner. In addition, our £5.8 billion Pride in Place programme is supporting 284 of the most in-need areas with funding to support a range of local activities, including restoring or taking ownership of assets they value. The Pride in Place Impact Fund will also provide up to £150 million of funding to 95 places to support the development of community spaces, public space and to revitalise local high streets.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department will consider the potential merits of conducting economic modeling of the organisational transition costs arising from local government reorganisation in Surrey.

The East Surrey and West Surrey Joint Committees, established by the Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026, are required to prepare an Implementation Plan. Following the election of members in May the shadow East Surrey and West Surrey Councils must then keep under review that Implementation Plan. The Implementation Plan will include the budgeted transition costs and how these are to be met. We have also announced up to £63 million additional funding to support councils through reorganisation.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of recent trends in levels of antisemitism in Surrey.

Antisemitism has absolutely no place in our society, which is why we’re taking a strong lead in tackling it in all its forms, wherever it manifests. We work closely with partners to ensure the safety and security of Jewish communities throughout the UK. This includes working together with the Jewish community to monitor levels of religiously motivated hatred. On 17 December 2026, the government published a paper setting out recent actions to combat antisemitism. Further information is available here. This is just the start. We are continuing to work, at pace, across government to combat antisemitism in all corners of our society.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help improve the private rented sector for tenants in Surrey Heath constituency.

A summary of the measures in the Renters’ Rights Act can be found on gov.uk here and a roadmap for implementation can be found on gov.uk here.Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) already apply in the private rented sector, requiring landlords to ensure their properties meet at least an EPC rating of E. Local authorities have powers to enforce these standards. Under the updated PRS MEES framework, this minimum standard will rise to EPC C by 2030. This change will help tenants benefit from lower energy bills and warmer, healthier homes that are less prone to damp and mould, contributing to reduced fuel poverty.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Building Safety Regulator in Surrey.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is actively involved in ensuring the safety of several Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs) in Surrey. The BSR’s data for Surrey shows that:There are 71 Registered HRBs with 86 structures.12 have been directed for Building Assessment Certificate1 has been Approved and 2 Refused, the remainder remain under assessment6 HRBs in the Surrey region have had Investigations. Four investigations have been closed and 2 remain ongoing.One investigation resulted in Enforcement action being taken in the form of a contravention letter. In terms of Building Control, the BSR’s data shows that:4 Building Control applications have been received1 has been rejected with the remaining 3 awaiting a decision. The BSR continues to work with stakeholders and industry to improve the quality of applications and to drive up approval rates.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help identify the number of higher-risk buildings that have not yet been registered with the Building Safety Regulator.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) investigates all matters relating to the registration status of higher risk buildings (HRBs) that are brought to its attention through residents’ complaints or by other enforcing authorities, including fire and rescue services, local authorities, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. All investigations and any subsequent enforcement actions are undertaken in accordance with the provisions of the Building Safety Act 2022.In addition to responding to concerns that may be raised, the BSR’s Intelligence team proactively identifies and investigates potentially unregistered buildings.Any HRB which is not registered with the BSR nevertheless must comply with the provisions of the Building Safety Act and, as of February 2024, the Principal Accountable Person for that building has a duty to properly assess and manage the safety risks associated with their building. Thus, non-registration does not, in itself, mean that a building is unsafe or is being inappropriately managed.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of higher‑risk buildings remaining unregistered with the Building Safety Regulator on resident safety.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) investigates all matters relating to the registration status of higher risk buildings (HRBs) that are brought to its attention through residents’ complaints or by other enforcing authorities, including fire and rescue services, local authorities, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. All investigations and any subsequent enforcement actions are undertaken in accordance with the provisions of the Building Safety Act 2022.In addition to responding to concerns that may be raised, the BSR’s Intelligence team proactively identifies and investigates potentially unregistered buildings.Any HRB which is not registered with the BSR nevertheless must comply with the provisions of the Building Safety Act and, as of February 2024, the Principal Accountable Person for that building has a duty to properly assess and manage the safety risks associated with their building. Thus, non-registration does not, in itself, mean that a building is unsafe or is being inappropriately managed.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of legislating for enhanced financial oversight mechanisms for newly established unitary authorities following Local Government Reorganisation.

Local authorities are responsible for their own financial management, and Local Government Reorganisation does not change this. We monitor the financial health of councils on a regular basis using a range of data as well as through extensive direct engagement. A key element of this is making sure that the public is protected from instances of local authority failure.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Written Question 106268, if his Department will publish its economic modelling of the potential cost-savings arising from the creation of unitary authorities in Surrey.

As set out in UIN 99016, councils are responsible for working through the implications of local government reorganisation, including the assessment of cost and merits.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Question 10626, whether his Department has conducted its own modelling of potential cost-savings arising from the creation of unitary authorities in Surrey.

As set out in UIN 99016, councils are responsible for working through the implications of local government reorganisation, including the assessment of cost and merits.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance is issued to local planning authorities on managing concentrations of houses in multiple occupation within residential areas.

The National Planning Policy Framework requires local planning authorities to plan to meet an area’s identified housing need, including with an appropriate mix of housing types for the local community. Local planning authorities already have planning powers to limit the concentration or proliferation of HMOs within their locality. They can remove the national permitted development right for smaller HMOs to protect the local amenity or wellbeing of an area by introducing an ‘Article 4’ direction which, once in place, requires all new HMO proposals to secure planning permission. We keep the powers to regulate HMOs under review. Specific guidance is not provided on managing concentrations of houses in multiple occupation.

Communities and Local Government, what comparative estimate his Department has made of the (a) proposed population size of the West Surrey Unitary Authority and (b) largest and (c) smallest unitary authorities in England.

The proposal from Surrey County Council, Elmbridge Borough Council and Mole Valley District Council set out that, based on the 2021 census population data, East Surrey Council would have a population of 545,798, and West Surrey Council 657,309. The Secretary of State decided to implement the two unitary proposal for Surrey, subject to Parliamentary approval, having assessed the proposals against the criteria set out in the statutory guidance and having regard to all representations received through the consultation and to all other relevant information.

Communities and Local Government, what comparative estimate his Department has made of (a) the proposed population size of the West Surrey Unitary Authority and (b) other unitary authorities in England.

The proposal from Surrey County Council, Elmbridge Borough Council and Mole Valley District Council set out that, based on the 2021 census population data, East Surrey Council would have a population of 545,798, and West Surrey Council 657,309. The Secretary of State decided to implement the two unitary proposal for Surrey, subject to Parliamentary approval, having assessed the proposals against the criteria set out in the statutory guidance and having regard to all representations received through the consultation and to all other relevant information.

Communities and Local Government, what comparative estimate his Department has made of the (a) proposed population size of the West Surrey Unitary Authority and (b) average population size of unitary authorities in England.

The proposal from Surrey County Council, Elmbridge Borough Council and Mole Valley District Council set out that, based on the 2021 census population data, East Surrey Council would have a population of 545,798, and West Surrey Council 657,309. The Secretary of State decided to implement the two unitary proposal for Surrey, subject to Parliamentary approval, having assessed the proposals against the criteria set out in the statutory guidance and having regard to all representations received through the consultation and to all other relevant information.

Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost-savings from creating unitary authorities in Surrey.

It was for local areas to submit proposals for government to consider on how local councils should be reorganised. Surrey’s proposals were considered according to the criteria set out in the government’s invitation letter, which includes evidence to support estimated costs/benefits of each proposal.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of fire and rescue services to respond to incidents involving lithium-ion batteries on strategic road networks.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government is working closely with Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) and officials from other Government Departments to build an evidence base, share intelligence and develop mitigations to tackle the fire risks linked to lithium-ion batteries and personal light electric vehicles (PLEVs). The department collects data on incidents attended by FRSs with this data including the cause of the fire and the source of ignition. This data is published in a variety of publications, available here. This does not yet include data on whether fire incidents attended were caused by or involved lithium-ion batteries. Our new Fire and Rescue Data Analysis Platform (FaRDAP) has been rolled out, and work is ongoing to update the data it will collect covering both the questions and answer categories to capture lithium-ion batteries, and their uses in vehicles like e-scooters and PLEVs. National Operational Guidance has been developed for fires involving alternative fuel vehicles to support fire and rescue services when attending such incidents. It contains specific hazard guidance, including control measures on how to identify and immobilise the vehicle and how to isolate high-voltage systems.

Communities and Local Government, what consultation he has undertaken with relevant stakeholders on developing PAS 9980.

The Government has sponsored the British Standards Institution (BSI), who developed and are responsible for the PAS 9980 guidance, to review it to ensure it captures best practice, meets the needs of the market and identify whether any revisions are required. BSI has established a steering group with wide stakeholder representation and conducted a public consultation as part of the review. They expect to publish updated guidance in Summer 2026.