Written questions by Rosindell.

Communities and Local Government, if his Department will make an estimate of the number of people have been employed in local government in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency in every year since 2010.

Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management of their own workforces including decisions about terms and conditions, working practices and how best to deploy staff to achieve value for money. The Government will not micromanage their day-to-day running. Local authorities will each hold data about their own individual workforces but the Department does not collect this centrally. Sector-wide data is collected by the Office for National Statistics Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey (ONS Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey | Local Government Association).

Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of local authorities that (a) currently operate four-day working weeks for their employees and (b) are considering implementing four-day working weeks for employees.

Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management of their own workforces and the Government will not micromanage them. The Department does not routinely collect this data. However it is the Government’s policy that Local Authorities should not be offering full time pay for part time work as we are concerned it does not offer value for money for taxpayers.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support the regeneration of town centres buildings in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England.

Through the Pride in Place Programme, Harold Hill East in Romford will receive up to £20 million over ten years to support local priorities. The government is further enabling regeneration in places including Romford by providing multi-year local government financial settlements which will empower local councils to drive their own regeneration priorities.This government extended the UKSPF by £900 million in England for 2025-26 and recentlyconsolidated the Local Regeneration Fund, to streamline funding for places in England. In September 2025, the government launched its overarching Pride in Place programme, providing 208 English places with up to £4.16 billion over 10 years.

Communities and Local Government, how many reviews of regulators' decisions have been requested under Regulation 48 of The Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023; and how many of these reviews have resulted in the decision being (a) upheld and (b) varied.

As of 17 October 2025, the Building Safety Regulator has reviewed ten decisions. Out of these, four decisions have been overturned and six have been upheld. 20 reviews are currently in progress, and two further reviews have been requested.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 70345 on Buildings: Safety, what his Department's timetable is for publishing the building control approval application data (Apr – Jun 2025).

As of 16th October 2025, a total of 69 members of staff were working on building control within the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), including heads of unit. Excluding heads of unit, the total number of staff is 64 (principal regulatory leads, regulatory leads, case officer managers and case officers) who all work directly on applications. The BSR has seven teams currently working on new builds, external remediation, internal remediation and refurbishment. These teams are made up of approximately ten full-time equivalent members of staff per team, including principal regulatory leads, regulatory leads, case officer managers and case officers. Building control approval application data is published monthly, with the most recent publication on 16th October 2025. Building Safety Regulator building control approval application data October 2025 - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 71829 on Hospitals: Construction, how many dedicated teams there are for special types of building control applications; what type of building control applications each team deals with; and how many staff are in each team.

As of 16th October 2025, a total of 69 members of staff were working on building control within the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), including heads of unit. Excluding heads of unit, the total number of staff is 64 (principal regulatory leads, regulatory leads, case officer managers and case officers) who all work directly on applications. The BSR has seven teams currently working on new builds, external remediation, internal remediation and refurbishment. These teams are made up of approximately ten full-time equivalent members of staff per team, including principal regulatory leads, regulatory leads, case officer managers and case officers. Building control approval application data is published monthly, with the most recent publication on 16th October 2025. Building Safety Regulator building control approval application data October 2025 - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, how many Building Safety Regulator staff work on building control applications.

As of 16th October 2025, a total of 69 members of staff were working on building control within the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), including heads of unit. Excluding heads of unit, the total number of staff is 64 (principal regulatory leads, regulatory leads, case officer managers and case officers) who all work directly on applications. The BSR has seven teams currently working on new builds, external remediation, internal remediation and refurbishment. These teams are made up of approximately ten full-time equivalent members of staff per team, including principal regulatory leads, regulatory leads, case officer managers and case officers. Building control approval application data is published monthly, with the most recent publication on 16th October 2025. Building Safety Regulator building control approval application data October 2025 - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to help reduce levels of homelessness among children.

The Government is committed to getting back on track to ending all forms of homelessness across the country. Our 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. The Government is supporting people at risk of and experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping across the country with more than £1 billion funding, a £316 million increase on last year. This includes £84 million new funding announced on 10 October 2025. Councils are able to use this funding to meet the needs of people in their area, and local authority allocations are published on gov.uk.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to help reduce levels of homelessness among women.

The Government is committed to getting back on track to ending all forms of homelessness across the country. Our 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. The Government is supporting people at risk of and experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping across the country with more than £1 billion funding, a £316 million increase on last year. This includes £84 million new funding announced on 10 October 2025. Councils are able to use this funding to meet the needs of people in their area, and local authority allocations are published on gov.uk.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to support Christian communities in (a) urban and (b) rural areas in England.

This Government’s commitment to valuing the contribution which Christians make to society is evident through our engagement with a wide range of churches at national, regional and local levels. MHCLG funds several cohesion initiatives which directly support religiously diverse communities across England, including the Near Neighbours programme which is a delivery arm of the Church of England’s Church Urban Fund. Urban and rural Christian communities may also be the beneficiaries of other programmes across government, including the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme which provides VAT relief for repairs to our historic places of worship, including churches, which are central to both our local and national life.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled Reforms to Building Safety Regulator to accelerate housebuilding of 30 June 2025, when she plans to (a) establish the new regulator and (b) introduce legislation to amend Section 2 of the Building Safety Act 2022 to change the regulator.

On 4th August 2025, the BSR launched the new Fast Track Innovation Unit. This will accelerate the determination of building control approval applications initially for new Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs).Early indications suggest the new model is working effectively. I expect the model to start to deliver improvements in processing times in the coming months.Work has begun to provide a dedicated focus to building safety by moving the BSR from within the HSE to a new body as the first step towards the establishment of a new single regulator for construction, a recommendation of the Grenfell Inquiry Report.This is subject to secondary legislation. The BSR and MHCLG are working closely together to ensure that the transition does not impact day to day delivery.BSR officials have provided the requested building assessment certificate stats below:(a) Invited to submit a building assessment certificate application, 1,609.(b) Received a building assessment certificate application from, 1,402.(c) Granted a building assessment certificate to 79.(d) Rejected a building assessment certificate application 273.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to Sections 79-81 of the Building Safety Act 2022, how many buildings the Building Safety Regulator has (a) invited to submit a building assessment certificate application, (b) received a building assessment certificate application from, (c) granted a building assessment certificate to and (d) rejected a building assessment certificate application for.

On 4th August 2025, the BSR launched the new Fast Track Innovation Unit. This will accelerate the determination of building control approval applications initially for new Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs).Early indications suggest the new model is working effectively. I expect the model to start to deliver improvements in processing times in the coming months.Work has begun to provide a dedicated focus to building safety by moving the BSR from within the HSE to a new body as the first step towards the establishment of a new single regulator for construction, a recommendation of the Grenfell Inquiry Report.This is subject to secondary legislation. The BSR and MHCLG are working closely together to ensure that the transition does not impact day to day delivery.BSR officials have provided the requested building assessment certificate stats below:(a) Invited to submit a building assessment certificate application, 1,609.(b) Received a building assessment certificate application from, 1,402.(c) Granted a building assessment certificate to 79.(d) Rejected a building assessment certificate application 273.

Communities and Local Government, what is her planned timetable for the Building Safety Regulator to determine the majority of building control applications within the regulator’s statutory time frame.

On 4th August 2025, the BSR launched the new Fast Track Innovation Unit. This will accelerate the determination of building control approval applications initially for new Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs).Early indications suggest the new model is working effectively. I expect the model to start to deliver improvements in processing times in the coming months.Work has begun to provide a dedicated focus to building safety by moving the BSR from within the HSE to a new body as the first step towards the establishment of a new single regulator for construction, a recommendation of the Grenfell Inquiry Report.This is subject to secondary legislation. The BSR and MHCLG are working closely together to ensure that the transition does not impact day to day delivery.BSR officials have provided the requested building assessment certificate stats below:(a) Invited to submit a building assessment certificate application, 1,609.(b) Received a building assessment certificate application from, 1,402.(c) Granted a building assessment certificate to 79.(d) Rejected a building assessment certificate application 273.

Communities and Local Government, if she will publish (a) training and (b) reference material given to Building Safety Regulator (i) Case Officers, (ii) Regulatory Leads, (iii) Principal Regulatory Leads and (iv) external Multi-disciplinary Team members on (A) building control applications, (B) completion certificate applications, (C) emergency repairs notices and (D) regularisation certificate applications.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has a set learning programme, delivered to a) Case Officers, b) Regulatory Leads and c) Principal Regulatory Leads that takes approximately 6 weeks to complete. The Building Control learning programme includes content on i) building control applications, ii) completion certificate applications and iv) regularisation certificate applications. Initial training is enhanced by a programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions delivered weekly to Regulatory Leads and Principal Regulatory Leads. CPD is informed by matters raised by both industry and BSR. Topics have included regularisation, emergency repairs, controlled changes and regulating through the construction phase. The BSR does not publish internal training material. Training on iii) emergency repair notices is not covered specifically by this training package but has been included in CPD sessions. Formal training to external Multi-Disciplinary Team members is not provided by BSR. Regarding data, the BSR is currently prioritising the automation of Gateway 2 data. Data releases for Gateway 3 and Regularisation Certificate applications will be developed and are intended to be published in 2026. The BSR remains committed to publishing regular (quarterly) data. BSR colleagues plan the next release of building control approval application data (Apr – Jun 2025) to be published by the 30 September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the transparency data entitled Building Safety Regulator building control approval application data October 2023 to March 2025, published on 9 July 2025, whether she plans to include data for (a) gateway 3 and (b) Regularisation Certificate Applications in future releases.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has a set learning programme, delivered to a) Case Officers, b) Regulatory Leads and c) Principal Regulatory Leads that takes approximately 6 weeks to complete. The Building Control learning programme includes content on i) building control applications, ii) completion certificate applications and iv) regularisation certificate applications. Initial training is enhanced by a programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions delivered weekly to Regulatory Leads and Principal Regulatory Leads. CPD is informed by matters raised by both industry and BSR. Topics have included regularisation, emergency repairs, controlled changes and regulating through the construction phase. The BSR does not publish internal training material. Training on iii) emergency repair notices is not covered specifically by this training package but has been included in CPD sessions. Formal training to external Multi-Disciplinary Team members is not provided by BSR. Regarding data, the BSR is currently prioritising the automation of Gateway 2 data. Data releases for Gateway 3 and Regularisation Certificate applications will be developed and are intended to be published in 2026. The BSR remains committed to publishing regular (quarterly) data. BSR colleagues plan the next release of building control approval application data (Apr – Jun 2025) to be published by the 30 September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what training is given to Building Safety Regulator (a) Case Officers, (b) Regulatory Leads, (c) Principal Regulatory Leads and (d) external Multi-disciplinary Team members on (i) building control applications, (ii) completion certificate applications, (iii) emergency repairs notices and (iv) regularisation certificate applications; how long that training takes; and whether assessments take place on that training.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has a set learning programme, delivered to a) Case Officers, b) Regulatory Leads and c) Principal Regulatory Leads that takes approximately 6 weeks to complete. The Building Control learning programme includes content on i) building control applications, ii) completion certificate applications and iv) regularisation certificate applications. Initial training is enhanced by a programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions delivered weekly to Regulatory Leads and Principal Regulatory Leads. CPD is informed by matters raised by both industry and BSR. Topics have included regularisation, emergency repairs, controlled changes and regulating through the construction phase. The BSR does not publish internal training material. Training on iii) emergency repair notices is not covered specifically by this training package but has been included in CPD sessions. Formal training to external Multi-Disciplinary Team members is not provided by BSR. Regarding data, the BSR is currently prioritising the automation of Gateway 2 data. Data releases for Gateway 3 and Regularisation Certificate applications will be developed and are intended to be published in 2026. The BSR remains committed to publishing regular (quarterly) data. BSR colleagues plan the next release of building control approval application data (Apr – Jun 2025) to be published by the 30 September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the transparency data entitled Building Safety Regulator building control approval application data October 2023 to March 2025, published on 9 July 2025, when she plans to publish the next set of transparency data.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has a set learning programme, delivered to a) Case Officers, b) Regulatory Leads and c) Principal Regulatory Leads that takes approximately 6 weeks to complete. The Building Control learning programme includes content on i) building control applications, ii) completion certificate applications and iv) regularisation certificate applications. Initial training is enhanced by a programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) sessions delivered weekly to Regulatory Leads and Principal Regulatory Leads. CPD is informed by matters raised by both industry and BSR. Topics have included regularisation, emergency repairs, controlled changes and regulating through the construction phase. The BSR does not publish internal training material. Training on iii) emergency repair notices is not covered specifically by this training package but has been included in CPD sessions. Formal training to external Multi-Disciplinary Team members is not provided by BSR. Regarding data, the BSR is currently prioritising the automation of Gateway 2 data. Data releases for Gateway 3 and Regularisation Certificate applications will be developed and are intended to be published in 2026. The BSR remains committed to publishing regular (quarterly) data. BSR colleagues plan the next release of building control approval application data (Apr – Jun 2025) to be published by the 30 September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she has taken to support women from minority faith communities in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

The government recognises the central role that women play in all faith communities across the country and the Minister for Faith is committed to championing spaces for women to help foster cohesion and resilience within their communities. The government supports a variety of initiatives in this regard. This includes Near Neighbours whose work to strengthen social cohesion includes empowering women, particularly from ethnic minority backgrounds, as leaders in their local communities. Near Neighbours operates in several parts of England, including a local hub in East London. We also recognise that Muslim women face specific challenges as a result of discrimination and intolerance often being directed at them. The government has announced a new fund to provide a comprehensive service to monitor anti-Muslim hatred and support victims.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with local authorities on the adequacy of their preparedness for extreme weather conditions.

The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government regularly engages with local authorities through their participation in Local Resilience Forums (LRFs), which are the primary mechanism for assessing risk and coordinating preparedness for extreme weather events and other civil risks. These multi-agency partnerships enable local authorities to consider both potential risks and business continuity planning for extreme weather events, in a joined-up and strategic manner together with other local responder organisations. In preparation for winter, the Department conducts a comprehensive programme of seasonal readiness work, including asking LRFs to self-assess their preparedness for relevant risks. This assessment scrutinises the resilience landscape identifying actions to further support LRFs and local partners to protect local communities. In support of this, the department deploys Strategic Resilience Advisors to every LRF in England. These officials act as a critical friend, supporting planning and preparedness at the local level on behalf of the department, providing a vital link between central government and local responders. This regular engagement ensures that preparedness measures are continually reviewed and updated in line with emerging risks and best practice.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking with local authorities to prevent (a) unlawful occupation of council-owned homes and (b) unlawfully attempting to purchase council-owned homes.

Housing fraud has a detrimental impact on those in genuine need of a home and is completely unacceptable.Local authorities are responsible for managing their own social housing stock and where unlawful occupation of council-owned properties occurs, the government expects local authorities to take active steps to tackle fraud and ensure social housing is used fairly – this may include taking legal action.When processing applications to purchase council homes through the Right to Buy, local authorities are required to check for unlawful and fraudulent applications. Where evidence of fraud is found, local authorities may pursue legal action.On 2 July, the government published our response to the consultation on Reforming the Right to Buy, which can be found on gov.uk here. The government is considering what further steps could be taken to more effectively prevent fraud, including in relation to third-party backed applications.