Written questions by Stephenson.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of the forthcoming Clacton by-election.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of its proposals on density around train stations on the provision of a) station parking and b) green space.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, when he intends to publish the National Planning Policy Framework.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy not to include train stations which do not have step free access in his planning policies on development around train stations.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, for what reason a) Stotfold Garden Village, b) Tempsford and c) Milton Keynes scored differently for Objective 2 of the New Towns Programme methodology.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the average tenure of social housing tenants in England.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the average income of social housing tenants in England.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of a) water and b) sewage capacity in areas with high housing targets.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, whether the Government intends for a) nationally-set housing targets or b) housing targets set out in Local Plans to be used for the calculation of five year land supply in circu

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the answer to Written Question 102069 tabled on 2 January 2026 on Council Tax: Valuation, when he plans to consult on the High Value Council Tax Surcharge.

The government’s consultation on the High Value Council Tax Surcharge was published on 19 May. This is available here. The consultation is open until 14 July.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to publish guidance for planning inspectors on how to approach local authorities which allocate housing sites later designated as new towns in emerging local plans.

In advance of the government confirming new town locations, local planning authorities for areas in which a new town may be located should continue with plan-making and continue to approach planning applications in these locations in a positive and proactive manner.

Communities and Local Government, what changes he made to Departmental budgets in the Autumn Budget 2025 to fund the a) infrastructure and b) services required for new towns.

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the effectiveness of the application of planning legislation relating to flooding, in the context of appeals (a) APP/D0121/W/24/3343144 and (b) APP/V2255/W/24/3350524.

Due to the quasi-judicial role of MHCLG Ministers in the planning system, I am unable to comment on the details of specific planning applications or appeals. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 100731 on 5 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the operational costs of a) Mayors and b) Council Leaders enacting Police and Crime Commissioner functions.

No overall assessment has been made yet of the full operational costs for Strategic and Local Authorities of taking on functions from Police and Crime Commissioners. We will be working with authorities to assess those costs as the details of the new system are developed and legislated for. We will work with the Home Office to ensure that the new arrangements are fully funded.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the average cost per elector of elections for a) Police and Crime Commissioners and b) Mayors.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) publishes detailed reports on the cost of running Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections, including the average cost per elector. These reports are available on gov.uk here. It is intended that a report on the cost of the 2021 PCC elections will be published in due course. The cost of the 2024 PCC election is subject to future publication once all the costs relating to that poll have been finalised and settled. For combined authority mayoral and local authority mayoral elections, costs are met by the relevant local authorities. MHCLG does not hold any data on the cost of these elections.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost of elections for new Mayors during this Parliament.

No assessment has been made. Spend on council elections is a matter for local authorities and spend on mayoral elections for strategic authorities is a matter for those bodies.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his planning policies on nature.

The Environment Act 2021 requires Ministers to have 'due regard' to the policy statement on environmental principles when making policy. This is to ensure that environmental considerations are at the heart of policymaking across government. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that to protect and enhance biodiversity and geodiversity, local plans should identify, map and safeguard components of local wildlife rich habitats and wider ecological networks such as chalk streams. It is for local planning authorities to apply this policy when planning for new development. The government is currently consulting on changes to the NPPF, including proposals to simplify and improve the approach to environmental protections and promote a stronger focus on green infrastructure and nature-based solutions. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

Communities and Local Government, whether development corporations for new towns will be able to purchase primary residences.

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release Families to save hundreds of pounds in major homebuying overhaul, published on 5 October 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of that policy on the number of houses available for sale.

On 6 October, my Department published two consultations outlining reform proposals to transform home buying and selling. They can be found on gov.uk here and here. Final policy decisions as well as a refined analysis of the impact of the proposals in question are subject to a review of the information received through the consultation process.

Communities and Local Government, who will adjudicate if neighbouring authorities cannot reach agreements on unmet housing need in the context of planning reforms.

Planning inspectors will examine new Spatial Development Strategies and will continue to examine plans in line with the policies in the National Planning Policy Framework.