Written questions by Pinkerton.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of emergency accommodation capacity in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency during winter 2025-2026.

The Government is investing more than £1 billion in homelessness services in 2025/26. This includes £255.5 million for the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant so that local authorities can support people sleeping rough in their areas, including a £69.9 million top up announced in October to tackle additional pressures. Allocations are published on GOV.UK here. It is for each local authority to determine what service provision is appropriate for the needs of their areas.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help support local authorities in (a) monitoring and (b) mitigating carbon monoxide risks in mixed-use residential areas in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government acknowledges the vital contributions made by fire and rescue services to a wide variety of incidents. All Fire and Rescue Authorities are required to publish Community Risk Management Plans (CRMPs) in line with the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed are a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority (FRA) as the employer, based on its analysis of risk and local circumstances.

Communities and Local Government, what support his Department is providing to local authorities managing cultural venue refurbishment projects in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

This government is committed to supporting this country's world renowned creative and cultural industries. We understand that a fit-for-purpose cultural infrastructure, which increases access for all, is part of this sector's success. In addition to the £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund announced in February 2025, the recent Spending Review committed further significant investment for Arts, Culture and Heritage infrastructure, the details of which will be announced in due course. The 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement makes available over £69 billion for local government. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.

Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions his Department has had with local authorities on the role of (a) parish councils and (b) community groups in managing public assets in (i) Surrey and (ii) Surrey Heath constituency.

The department has not held specific discussions with local authorities in Surrey and the Surrey Heath constituency regarding the role of parish councils and community groups in managing public assets in future local government structures. We strongly encourage all local authorities to involve town and parish councils and community groups in their plans for Local Government Reorganisation to ensure that their contribution to local public services is recognised in future arrangements. Town and parish councils can work with other tiers of local government to determine how they can best serve their communities in their area, including by making local agreements regarding the transfer and management of assets.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support the fire and rescue service to respond effectively to carbon monoxide incidents in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government acknowledges the vital contributions made by fire and rescue services to a wide variety of incidents. All Fire and Rescue Authorities are required to publish Community Risk Management Plans (CRMPs) in line with the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed are a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority (FRA) as the employer, based on its analysis of risk and local circumstances.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities with essential repairs in (a) social and (b) council housing in (i) Surrey and (ii) Surrey Heath constituency.

All registered providers of social housing are obliged by law to maintain the structure and exterior of their properties, and to keep in repair and proper working order sanitation, water, gas, and electricity installations.All registered providers of social housing are also required to deliver the outcomes of the regulatory standards set by the independent Regulator of Social Housing. Under the Safety and Quality Standard, landlords must take all reasonable steps to ensure the health and safety of tenants in their homes and provide an effective and timely repairs service for the homes for which they are responsible.As part of the new consumer regime facilitated by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, the Regulator has begun carrying out regular inspections of large landlords to seek evidence they are delivering the outcomes of the standards. This has included a number of inspections of local authority registered providers with social housing stock in Surrey, resulting in consumer gradings between C2-C4. Some local authority registered providers in Surrey have only a small number of homes and therefore fall outside of the routine inspection programme.The government has also introduced additional safety legislation to protect tenants from health and safety hazards through the introduction of Awaab’s Law which came into force for damp, mould and all emergency hazards on 27 October 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) condition and (b) safety of local authority housing stock in Surrey.

All registered providers of social housing are obliged by law to maintain the structure and exterior of their properties, and to keep in repair and proper working order sanitation, water, gas, and electricity installations.All registered providers of social housing are also required to deliver the outcomes of the regulatory standards set by the independent Regulator of Social Housing. Under the Safety and Quality Standard, landlords must take all reasonable steps to ensure the health and safety of tenants in their homes and provide an effective and timely repairs service for the homes for which they are responsible.As part of the new consumer regime facilitated by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, the Regulator has begun carrying out regular inspections of large landlords to seek evidence they are delivering the outcomes of the standards. This has included a number of inspections of local authority registered providers with social housing stock in Surrey, resulting in consumer gradings between C2-C4. Some local authority registered providers in Surrey have only a small number of homes and therefore fall outside of the routine inspection programme.The government has also introduced additional safety legislation to protect tenants from health and safety hazards through the introduction of Awaab’s Law which came into force for damp, mould and all emergency hazards on 27 October 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of long-term empty social housing units in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

The number of empty social sector homes in England as of 31 March 2025 can be derived from published statistics for vacant dwellings owned by local authorities and private registered providers of social housing. For local authorities, this data comes from Section E of the Local Authority Housing Statistics data returns, which can be found on gov.uk here. These include units vacant for more than six months as reported by local authority landlords. Note that not all empty social homes are available to let. The full time series, which can be found on gov.uk here, contains vacant dwellings information collected since 1989–90. It will be updated to include the 2024-25 return in January/February 2026. For Private Registered Providers, the Regulator of Social Housing collects and publishes the required information in the Private Registered Providers Data Release, which can be found on gov.uk here. Vacant unit data at local authority level is only collected from PRPs owning 1,000 or more social housing units. This dataset does not show how long units have been vacant; instead, it categorises them as temporarily or permanently unavailable. It is therefore not possible to distinguish between short-term and long-term empty homes. Additionally, PRP data is limited to vacant self-contained General Needs units only.Information is not collected at constituency level.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities with repeated vandalism impacting the operation of public facilities in Surrey.

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to ASB, including acts of vandalism and criminal damage. It is for local areas and individual police forces to decide how best to deploy these powers depending on the specific circumstances of each case, however to support local areas in dealing with challenges, this Government has committed to delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel, and following on from the Safer Streets Summer Initiative, the Home Secretary announced a “Winter of Action” in which police forces across England and Wales, including Surrey, will again partner with local authorities, businesses, and other agencies to tackle anti-social behaviour and other local issues that matter most to their communities.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help local authorities safeguard vulnerable residents from (a) misleading and (b) high-pressure contact relating to (i) housing repairs and (ii) inspections.

My Department launched a call for evidence with the Ministry of Justice on 4 December to hear from tenants, landlords, legal professionals and claims management companies about their experiences of housing disrepair claims. It can be found on gov.uk here.The exercise will allow us to gather evidence on how the current process works, including the roles of companies and solicitors in these cases. We want to understand what doesn't work or is unclear so that we can make sure the process is as effective as possible.The call for evidence will be open for 12 weeks and close on 12 February 2026.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to allocate additional funding to improve (a) parks and (b) recreational facilities in Surrey Heath constituency.

Parks and recreational facilities are an essential part of local social infrastructure. They provide places for social connection, support health and wellbeing and increase community engagement. Responsibility for these spaces lies mainly with local authorities and Government is committed to supporting Local Authorities in helping build stronger, more connected communities. Local authorities work locally to support adults and children to lead more active lives through access to public leisure services, green space, parks and playground spaces. Their public health budgets are used to deliver local physical activity interventions such as the purchasing of playground equipment. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities and that procurement is up to the discretion of Local authorities rather than the Government In addition, the MHCLG-owned Green Flag Award sets the national quality standard for parks and green spaces. The scheme aims to meet the needs of the communities they serve and has helped to transform thousands of parks and green spaces across the country. I commend Surrey Heath Borough Council for receiving 5 Green Flag awards to date.

Communities and Local Government, what his Department's housing targets are as a proportion of the population in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 83200 on 3 November 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to bring long-term empty homes back into occupation in Surrey Heath constituency.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 59458 on 20 June 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce youth homelessness in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government has increase funding for homelessness services in England by £316 million this year to a total of £1 billion. Local authorities can use this funding flexibly to meet the needs of people experiencing and at risk of homelessness in their area, including young people, according to local need.The forthcoming 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, including amongst young people.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help reduce the number of families in temporary accommodation in (a) Surrey Heath constituency and (b) Surrey.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 86837 on 10 November 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of guidance relating to typical household utility costs in (a) retirement and (b) sheltered accommodation in Surrey.

The government has made no such assessment.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that infrastructure upgrades are delivered alongside new housing developments arising from grey belt designations in Surrey Heath constituency.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on 12 December 2024 makes clear that ‘Golden Rules’ should apply to major development involving the provision of housing on land released from the Green Belt through plan preparation or review, or on sites in the Green Belt subject to a planning application. These ‘Golden Rules’ include necessary improvements to local or national infrastructure. The point at which infrastructure is delivered is a matter for local planning authorities and will depend on the nature of the site. Requirements can be set out as planning conditions or agreed through section 106 planning obligations. The government’s planning practice guidance on viability makes clear that where development is subject to the ‘Golden Rules’, site specific viability assessment should not be used for the purpose of reducing developer contributions. The guidance is available on gov.uk here. We are currently reviewing planning practice guidance and will publish updates in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of (a) transparency and (b) accountability in the private parking sector.

The government is aware of concerns about poor practice from a number of parking operators and is determined to raise standards. In accordance with the Private Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, the government is preparing a code of practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities. The government has recently consulted on its proposals for this new code. The consultation closed on 26 September, and the government will respond in due course.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department will consider the potential merits of providing funding to borough councils in Surrey to meet the costs of operating as shadow authorities during local government reorganisation.

Earlier this year, the government provided funding to support councils preparing proposals, the first time that such funding was made available in partnership with the sector, we continue to provide practical support advice on preparing for reorganisation. We expect councils to be able to meet transition costs from existing budgets, including from the flexible use of capital receipts. However, we are open to discussions with any council that may have concerns about its financial position.

Communities and Local Government, if he will provide a breakdown of the (a) total and (b) stranded debt levels across the local authorities proposed for inclusion in the West Surrey Unitary Authority.

Local authorities are responsible for their own borrowing and investment decisions and managing their assets. They must comply with statutory duties and guidance to ensure that their capital strategies are prudent, affordable and sustainable. In general, as with previous rounds of local government reorganisation, there is no proposal for council debt to be addressed centrally or written off as part of reorganisation. The Department does not routinely collect data on the position of authorities’ assets and liabilities, Authorities are required, however, to report their financial position in their Annual Statement of Accounts. Authorities are also required to provide financial returns to Government on a quarterly and annual basis, including information on borrowing and capital financing requirements, and these are published on gov.uk here. I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 28 October (HCWS998) where we announced our commitment to repay in-principle £500 million of Woking Borough Council’s debt in 2026-27. This is a significant and unprecedented commitment given historic capital practices at the Council. It reflects our acknowledgement that, even after the rationalisation of Woking’s historic assets, there is significant unsupported debt held by the Council that cannot be managed locally. Any support must take into account value for money for the local and national taxpayer and the Council’s continued commitment to reduce debt as far as possible within their local capacity.