Every parliamentary written question tabled by Blake Stephenson this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 61–80 of 321 · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Communities and Local Government, whether the New Towns Taskforce consulted flooding experts.
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, what proportion of the Social and Affordable Housing Programme will be spent in 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 his Department plans to revalue council tax bands F, G and H.
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has a duty to maintain an accurate list of council tax bands. As part of the High Value Council Tax Surcharge (HVCTS), announced at budget, the VOA will conduct a targeted valuation exercise to identify properties in scope of the surcharge. This will be conducted without reference to existing council tax bands. A consultation on the HVCTS will be published in due course. Properties will not be revalued for the purposes of council tax as part of the HVCTS. The Government is committed to ensuring the council tax system is fair for taxpayers and local authorities and will continue to keep council tax under review.
Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered the potential implications for his policies of the County Councils Network report entitled Local Government Reorganisation: Analysing the impact on people services.
In our invitation on 5 February 2025, we set out guidance to support councils as they develop reorganisation proposals that are in the best interests of their areas. This includes guidance on issues of size, sensible geographies, efficiencies and financial sustainability. The criteria we will assess proposals against includes the ability to achieve financial efficiencies. It is for councils to develop and submit robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of their whole area. Once a proposal has been submitted it will be for the Government, whilst having due regard to the criteria and the available relevant evidence, to decide on which proposal, if any, to take forward.
Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered the potential implications for his policies of the CCN report entitled Local Government Re-Organisation: Evaluating the financial impact of population thresholds.
In our invitation on 5 February 2025, we set out guidance to support councils as they develop reorganisation proposals that are in the best interests of their areas. This includes guidance on issues of size, sensible geographies, efficiencies and financial sustainability. The criteria we will assess proposals against includes the ability to achieve financial efficiencies. It is for councils to develop and submit robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of their whole area. Once a proposal has been submitted it will be for the Government, whilst having due regard to the criteria and the available relevant evidence, to decide on which proposal, if any, to take forward.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled £500 million for first ever fair pay agreement for care workers, published on 30 September 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of that policy on local government finances.
The £500 million funding for the Fair Pay Agreement is part of an increase of around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028-29, compared to 2025-26, and is part of the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement published on 17 December 2025. The Government has published an impact assessment of the Fair Pay Agreement, which outlines our best current summary of the evidence on potential impacts, costs and benefits, including on local government finances. The Impact Assessment can be found here.
Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of trends in the level of reserves held by local authorities over the last decade.
The government considers reserves to be an important part of the resources available to local authorities.We encourage local authorities to consider how they can use their reserves to maintain services in the face of pressures, taking account, of course, of the need to maintain appropriate levels of reserves to support their financial sustainability and future investment.Local authority revenue expenditure and financing data, which includes data on the level of local authority reserves held over the last decade, is published on gov.uk at the following link.Further information about an individual local authority's reserves can be found in the financial accounts published by that authority. The government will continue to monitor the level of local authority reserves.
Communities and Local Government, how many visas a) HM Land Registry and b) the Architects Registration Board have sponsored since 4 July 2024.
The requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 66, paragraph 3.50 of the Budget 2025, for what reason his Department has chosen Tempsford, Leeds South Bank and Crews Hill as its preferred locations for new towns.
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement published on 13 October 2025 (HCWS948).
Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce a tourism tax.
The Government has announced powers for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy on short-term overnight accommodation in their region, to drive economic growth including through support for the local visitor economy. We have published a consultation running until 18 February 2026, so that the public, businesses, and local government can shape the design of the power to introduce a levy that will be devolved to local leaders.The precise design and scope of the power for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy is still under development and the Government welcomes engagement from the hospitality sector in developing this power through the consultation process.
Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer, (b) the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and (c) mayoral authorities on the Government's commitments to the hospitality sector.
In April, the Government launched a joint government and industry taskforce to bring together representatives from the hospitality industry, police, local and central government to explore a more enabling approach to licensing with a greater focus on growth. This included officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and HM Treasury who have continued to work closely together to explore the recommendations made in the Taskforce report, which was published in July. We are committed to reducing the costs for hospitality businesses in the UK by restoring licensing to its founding ethos of flexibility and growth, while maintaining a focus on the licensing objectives, particularly the prevention of crime and disorder. It is in this spirit that we have just published a first iteration of a National Licensing Policy Framework setting out a strategic vision for a modern licensing system.
Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of low-complexity work in higher-risk buildings having to be submitted to the Building Safety Regulator for approval on the levels of application processing backlog.
We recognise there have been significant challenges faced by applicants in getting Building Safety Regulator (BSR) approval for low-complexity and lower-risk work. Category B work, generally including less-complex and lower-risk projects, carries fewer procedural requirements in an application to the BSR. The intention was that these category B applications should be simpler for the applicant to prepare and quicker for the BSR to assess. The department and BSR has been working at pace to address these challenges, and to ensure the new regime is fit for purpose and proportionate for all type of work. We will continue to engage with industry while policy review and development is under way. On average Category B applications have taken 11.5 hours to make a decision per application. In comparison, Category A applications have taken an average of 20 hours per application, and New HRB’s have taken an average of 88.2 hours per application. As of 14 November 2025, there are 12 Category B applications currently progressing through Gateway 2 Assessment. When measured against the total volume of Category B assessments received during this financial year, the average time allocated represents approximately 3.6% of overall working hours.
Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of planning applications which have been rejected in each of the past five years in London.
The proportions of planning applications that have been rejected in each of the past five years in England and in London can be derived from the data available in the PS2 time series section of the interactive planning application statistics dashboard, available here. They can also be derived from the detailed data held in PS2 open data file on gov.uk here. My Department does not hold the information on political control needed to provide the requested breakdown of figures by controlling political party in each of the last five years.
Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of houses that have been rejected for planning permission in Greater London since 4 July 2024.
The proportions of planning applications that have been rejected in each of the past five years in England and in London can be derived from the data available in the PS2 time series section of the interactive planning application statistics dashboard, available here. They can also be derived from the detailed data held in PS2 open data file on gov.uk here. My Department does not hold the information on political control needed to provide the requested breakdown of figures by controlling political party in each of the last five years.
Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of planning applications that have been rejected in each of the past five years in England.
The proportions of planning applications that have been rejected in each of the past five years in England and in London can be derived from the data available in the PS2 time series section of the interactive planning application statistics dashboard, available here. They can also be derived from the detailed data held in PS2 open data file on gov.uk here. My Department does not hold the information on political control needed to provide the requested breakdown of figures by controlling political party in each of the last five years.
Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the proportion of planning applications rejected by Councils in each of the last five years, broken down by controlling political party.
The proportions of planning applications that have been rejected in each of the past five years in England and in London can be derived from the data available in the PS2 time series section of the interactive planning application statistics dashboard, available here. They can also be derived from the detailed data held in PS2 open data file on gov.uk here. My Department does not hold the information on political control needed to provide the requested breakdown of figures by controlling political party in each of the last five years.
Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing statutory funding for tackling flooding to fire and rescue services in England.
Protecting communities from flooding is a key priority for this Government. Fire and Rescue Authorities already have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to prepare for emergencies, including major flooding. However, we recognise the interest in creating a statutory duty for flood rescue and officials are working with DEFRA, as lead government department for flooding, to consider the wider implications of this. MHCLG supports Fire and Rescue Authorities in responding to flood incidents by providing national resilience High Volume Pump (HVP) capabilities. These are available to be used by Fire & Rescue Services across the country during major flood incidents. Additionally, DEFRA hold the Flood Rescue National Asset Register, a list of teams or assets that voluntarily join the register and maintain availability for national deployment in England.
Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has conducted research on the public’s understanding of the roles and responsibilities of different (a) local and (b) national government (i) authorities and (ii) office holders.
The department has not conducted research on the public’s understanding of the roles and responsibilities of different (a) local and (b) national government (i) authorities and (ii) office holders.
Communities and Local Government, what proportion of residential development projects had a main developer which was classified as an SME in each of the last five years.
This information is not recorded by my Department.
Communities and Local Government, what data his Department holds on the number of houses in urban areas which have been rejected for planning permission since 4 July 2024.
The proportions of planning applications that have been rejected in each of the past five years in England and in London can be derived from the data available in the PS2 time series section of the interactive planning application statistics dashboard, available here. They can also be derived from the detailed data held in PS2 open data file on gov.uk here. My Department does not hold the information on political control needed to provide the requested breakdown of figures by controlling political party in each of the last five years.