Written questions by Taylor.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed ban on upwards only rent reviews on rents of leased Government offices; and what the square footage is of the office property occupied by the Government on commercial leases.

According to the Government’s 2023–24 Government Estate Annual Data publication, the Government occupies around 1.9 million square metres (approximately 20.5 million square feet) of leasehold office space across the central government estate. The Government has assessed the impact of banning upwards only rent reviews and published this in an Impact Assessment for the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill.

Communities and Local Government, if she will consult with the (a) British Federation of Property and (b) Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on her proposals to ban upward-only rent reviews in commercial leases in England.

The government conducted extensive research and engagement before deciding to ban upwards only rent reviews. We will continue to engage with stakeholders including with the British Property Federation and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed prohibition of upwards-only rent reviews in all commercial property leases contained in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill on (a) institutional finance markets and (b) speculative development funding sources in the context of (i) large scale urban regeneration projects and (ii) other development projects.

The government conducted extensive research and engagement before deciding to ban upwards only rent reviews. In the last quarter of 2024, 1 in 7 high street properties were vacant. Whilst we recognise the ban removes a guarantee of return from investors, it will support growth overall by making rents fairer and allowing businesses to access and invest in our High Streets.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support the regeneration of town centres affected by increased vacancy rates.

This government is fully committed to rejuvenating our high streets and supporting the businesses and communities that make our town centres successful. The government has committed £1.5 billion towards a reformed Long-Term Plan for Towns to regenerate communities across the UK.The law in this area is devolved but to address the blight of vacancy in town centres in England, the government has implemented High Street Rental Auctions, which empowers local authorities to auction the lease of persistently vacant commercial high street properties, and we will also introduce a new ‘right to buy’ to enable communities to protect valued assets.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of removing levy funding for Level 7 apprenticeships on the Government’s commitment to delivering 1.5 million new homes by 2030.

My Department has been actively engaging with the Department for Education to discuss the proposed changes to the apprenticeship levy to understand the impact on housing delivery.