Written questions by Bance.

Communities and Local Government, what funding is available to support interfaith projects aimed at promoting community cohesion.

Interfaith relations are vital for strong, cohesive communities. The government has provided funding for this year’s Inter Faith Week in November, which will provide a national platform for fostering positive interfaith relations across our communities and schools. Alongside this, the government supports grassroots interfaith relations via our funding to Near Neighbours and Schools Linking, which promote dialogue, youth engagement, and neighbourhood cohesion across different backgrounds and faiths. The government has launched the new Common Ground Award to provide direct capital investment to voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations across England. This funding will support those committed to building meaningful connection across communities, including between faith groups.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 6735 on Temporary Accommodation: Costs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential savings to local government in respect of temporary accommodation costs of (a) the end of section 21 evictions and (b) the wider provisions in the Renters' Rights Bill.

The Renters’ Rights Bill will provide more security for vulnerable renters who face potential homelessness due to the service of a section 21 notice. Removing no fault evictions will have an immediate impact on preventing homelessness, as section 21 notices account for 8% of the reasons households became homeless in 2023-24.The government submitted the Impact Assessment for the Renters’ Rights Bill on 16 September 2024 to the Regulatory Policy Committee. The government will publish the Impact Assessment in due course. In line with usual practice, the government will always consider the impact of any policies when taking the legislation through Parliament.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the (a) equality of and (b) potential impact on councils in low income areas of the funding formula for local government; and whether she has plans to reform that formula.

This Government is committed to fixing the foundations by reforming and rebuilding local government.We will work hand-in-hand with councils by moving towards multi-year funding settlements and ending competitive bidding processes.Over the coming months, we want to hear from local councils about the financial challenges they face and about improvements we can make to ensure the system works in support of local areas, not against them.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take to help ensure tenants are aware of new rights created through the Renters' Rights Bill.

The Government intends to publish accessible guidance so that tenants understand their rights and responsibilities under the new system. This will be supported by a communications campaign designed to raise awareness about the changes. We will also work with local authorities and advice providers like Shelter and Citizens Advice to further raise awareness of the reforms and make sure adequate support is in place.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of (a) section 21 evictions and (b) the provisions in the Renters' Rights Bill on (i) temporary accommodation costs and (ii) local authority finances.

Once enacted, the Bill will ensure that local authorities owe a homelessness prevention duty to a tenant evicted under section 8 grounds. This will enable tenants to maintain access to support to prevent homelessness, in line with the principles of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. We will carry out a new burdens assessment and will fund local authorities for any additional costs.