Written questions by Rosindell.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support traditional English markets.

The Government recognises the important economic and social contribution that markets make to our high streets and town centres. Local authorities are empowered to make decisions on running, supporting and investing in local markets in their areas. However, we want to ensure that markets can thrive where they are established. From 1 April 2026, we introduced permanently lower business rates multipliers for qualifying retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with rateable values below £500,000, including markets. Communities can also choose to invest in markets through the Government’s Pride in Place programme, which will provide £20 million over 10 years to 284 of the most deprived places in the UK, empowering local people to make decisions about what is important to them, including markets. Later this year, we will also bring forward a High Streets Strategy, backed by £301 million of support, to help turn the tide on the high streets most in need.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to support local authorities in maintaining children’s play areas.

Responsibility for funding, managing and maintaining urban parks and playgrounds lies mainly with local authorities. We have supported local authorities through the Local Government Finance Settlement, which is our most significant step yet to make English local government more sustainable. The government is making good on long overdue promises to fundamentally update the way we fund local authorities. We are delivering fairer funding, targeting money where it is needed most through the first multi-year Settlement in a decade. In addition to this, we are supporting 66 local authorities through the £18 million Playgrounds Fund, a targeted programme to improve children’s access to safe, inclusive, high quality local play spaces in communities where it has fallen furthest behind. This will support local authorities to buy new or refurbish up to 200 playgrounds across England over the next two years, prioritising areas with high child deprivation and poor access to safe, local play space.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to ensure the safety of metal scrapyards.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to reduce instances of youth homelessness.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 124201 on 14 April 2026.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his Department’s policy to accelerate the implementation of the Leasehold Reform Act 2024.

Balancing speed with care, the government continues to implement the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.

Communities and Local Government, how many building control applications made under regulation 3 or 11 of the Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023 were determined by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) within the respective statutory 8 or 12 week period in March 2025.

“Complex Cases” has replaced the term for cases previously referred to as being with an Account Manager. The change in name is representative of the nature of these cases. These cases can include:Large and/or multi-building developmentsCases where the construction systems, materials or design approaches that are proposed give rise to a new technical or operational policy issue that requires extra consultation with subject matter expertsCases that contain disputable design solutions that cannot be fully resolved through the normal MDT processThese criteria mean the application may take longer than a standard case to work to completion.The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) can confirm that 100 Gateway Two applications were completed in March 2025, with 40 of these being determined within the 8 or 12-week statutory period.Between 1st January 2026 and 13th April 2026 there have been 38 formal complaints raised to the BSR. Within these complaints, 8 have been upheld, and 11 have been partially upheld. Of the remainder, 11 were not upheld and 8 are still live.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) report entitled Building control approval application data January to March 2026, published on 31 March 2026, what is the BSR’s definition of a complex case; and for what reasons has the complex cases category been created in the January to March 2026 data.

“Complex Cases” has replaced the term for cases previously referred to as being with an Account Manager. The change in name is representative of the nature of these cases. These cases can include:Large and/or multi-building developmentsCases where the construction systems, materials or design approaches that are proposed give rise to a new technical or operational policy issue that requires extra consultation with subject matter expertsCases that contain disputable design solutions that cannot be fully resolved through the normal MDT processThese criteria mean the application may take longer than a standard case to work to completion.The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) can confirm that 100 Gateway Two applications were completed in March 2025, with 40 of these being determined within the 8 or 12-week statutory period.Between 1st January 2026 and 13th April 2026 there have been 38 formal complaints raised to the BSR. Within these complaints, 8 have been upheld, and 11 have been partially upheld. Of the remainder, 11 were not upheld and 8 are still live.

Communities and Local Government, how many formal complaints the Building Safety Regulator received this year; and how many of these complaints were upheld.

“Complex Cases” has replaced the term for cases previously referred to as being with an Account Manager. The change in name is representative of the nature of these cases. These cases can include:Large and/or multi-building developmentsCases where the construction systems, materials or design approaches that are proposed give rise to a new technical or operational policy issue that requires extra consultation with subject matter expertsCases that contain disputable design solutions that cannot be fully resolved through the normal MDT processThese criteria mean the application may take longer than a standard case to work to completion.The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) can confirm that 100 Gateway Two applications were completed in March 2025, with 40 of these being determined within the 8 or 12-week statutory period.Between 1st January 2026 and 13th April 2026 there have been 38 formal complaints raised to the BSR. Within these complaints, 8 have been upheld, and 11 have been partially upheld. Of the remainder, 11 were not upheld and 8 are still live.

Communities and Local Government, how many new Christian places of worship have been granted planning permission by local authorities in (a) England and (b) greater London in every year since 1997.

My Department does not hold the requested information. Although quarterly planning application statistics are collected and published on gov.uk here, separate figures on places of worship that have been granted planning permission are not collected.

Communities and Local Government, how many new Jewish places of worship have been granted planning permission by local authorities in (a) England and (b) greater London in every year since 1997.

My Department does not hold the requested information. Although quarterly planning application statistics are collected and published on gov.uk here, separate figures on places of worship that have been granted planning permission are not collected.

Communities and Local Government, how many new Islamic places of worship have been granted planning permission by local authorities in (a) England and (b) greater London in each year since 1997.

My Department does not hold the requested information. Although quarterly planning application statistics are collected and published on gov.uk here, separate figures on places of worship that have been granted planning permission are not collected.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps his Department has taken to support Havering Council in tackling its budget deficit.

By 2028-29, this government will have made available a 24.3% increase in Core Spending Power, worth £16.6 billion since coming into power in 2024-25. For Havering, the Settlement makes available up to £329.7 million, which is an increase of 33.5% compared to 2024-25.Our local government finance reforms get money to where it is needed, but we recognise the challenging context for councils as they continue to deal with the legacy of the previous system. The government has announced a further £77m of Exceptional Financial Support to enable the Council to set a balanced budget in 2026-27 and continues to work closely with the Council.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps his Department has taken to help ensure that local authorities under financial constraints prioritise essential services.

We are investing in local government. The government will provide over £5.6 billion of new grant funding towards local government services over the next three years. By the end of the multi-year Settlement (2028-29), the government will have provided a 15.5% increase in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England, worth over £11.4 billion, compared to 2025-26. The government has also announced £4 billion investment over three years for new programmes to deliver improvements in SEND. The government is introducing a fairer and evidence-based funding system. Our reforms ensure that this funding is allocated fairly, and that the places and services that need it most are supported. We are supporting all authorities to maintain services and manage their updated funding positions with transitional arrangements. The government recognises that some councils remain in a challenging financial position as they continue to deal with the legacy of the previous system. Any council that has concerns about its financial sustainability should approach the department in the first instance where we will treat all discussions in confidence 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, pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2026 to question UIN 104660, what the average time was between receipt of a regulation 21 change control application by the BSR and notification of the applicant of the approval of the application.

Notifiable or Major Change notifications are added to existing applications which are already in build and have been determined with approval granted. As such, Major or Notifiable works are not treated as new applications and the time taken is not reported upon.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to support the (a) mental and (b) physical health of the homeless population in (i) England and (ii) Romford constituency.

Our National Plan to End Homelessness sets out action to improve health access for people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping, in alignment with the 10-Year Health Plan for England. As part of this, we will establish Neighbourhood Health Centres in areas with the lowest healthy life expectancy, acting as ‘one-stop shops’ for patient care and hubs for multi-disciplinary teams delivering holistic, trauma-informed services.We will test a new model of community care for people for people living with severe mental illness through 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres in six pilot sites and 16 associate sites, to improve access to mental health support, including for people experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping.We will invest £185 million from 2026-29 and continue to fund the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol treatment programme.Councils can also use their Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant 2025/26 funding flexibly to meet the needs of people in their areas, including by delivering specialist mental and physical health services. Havering Council received £379,926 funding through this grant this year.To support the health of families in temporary accommodation, we will introduce a new duty on homelessness teams in local councils to notify schools, health visitors and GPs that a child is in temporary accommodation, helping ensure that they are appropriately supported.

Communities and Local Government, if he will have discussions with the Mayor of London on introducing a statutory right to the Older Person's Freedom Pass for eligible residents in areas served by Transport for London.

Transport in London is a devolved matter for London, and it is for the Mayor of London to make decisions on eligibility of concessionary fares on the TfL network.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support local authorities in providing permanent housing for victims of domestic abuse.

Statutory guidance strongly encourages local authorities to give priority for social housing to victims and their families who have escaped abuse and are being accommodated in a refuge or temporary accommodation.Local authorities are also encouraged to give additional priority to people who are homeless and require urgent rehousing as a result of domestic abuse.The government has also taken action to remove barriers for victims of domestic abuse to access social housing. Regulations, which came into force on 10 July 2025, mean that victims of domestic abuse moving as a result of that abuse will no longer need to meet a local connection or residency test in order to access social housing.We also intend to work with partners to update statutory guidance on social housing allocations to ensure that allocations reflect local need and effectively support vulnerable households, such as those with victims of domestic abuse.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to support local authorities to make use of disused buildings in a) England and b) Romford constituency.

The government is committed to supporting local authorities to bring disused buildings back into use. Through the introduction of High Street Rental Auction powers in this parliament, we gave local authorities the power to auction the lease of long-term vacant commercial properties, putting tools in local hands to take action on empty properties. The government is also supporting wider regeneration efforts, providing up to £5 billion nationally to help the most deprived communities to thrive through the Pride in Place Programme. This includes up to £20 million to Harold Hill East, which the neighbourhood may choose to use for local regeneration efforts. In addition, we are consulting on a revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which includes policies on the reuse of buildings and is currently open for responses until 10 March.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to support local authorities in repurposing derelict sites.

Derelict buildings can blight communities and the government is committed to giving communities the tools to revitalise them. The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026 and can be found on go.uk here. The government’s Pride in Place programme will provide up to £5bn to help the most deprived communities thrive. The programme will put local neighbourhoods back in control, with 244 across the country given up to £20m of flexible funding over 10-years to unlock the potential of the place they call home. Restoring derelict buildings is one of the options available to those neighbourhoods, amongst other local priorities. The government has also introduced High Street Rental Auction powers, giving councils the power to auction the lease of long-term vacant properties.

Communities and Local Government, if he will encourage local authorities to introduce enhanced discretion in the dispensing of civil enforcement penalties.

It is for local authorities to decide how they dispense civil enforcement penalties.Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, local authorities must ensure that their parking policies are proportionate, support town centre prosperity, and reconcile competing demands for space whilst ensuring traffic moves freely and quickly on their roads and the roads of nearby authorities.Statutory guidance for local housing authorities on civil penalties for various housing offences can be found here. Revised draft statutory guidance for offences committed from 1 May 2026 following commencement of relevant provisions in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, can be found here.