Written questions by Stephenson.

Communities and Local Government, how many planning permissions were granted in each of the past five years.

My Department publishes the number of planning applications granted permission per quarter in our quarterly planning applications statistical release which can be found on gov.uk here. England level data can be found in live table 120 for all planning decisions, and for residential planning decisions in live table 120A.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to disapply the cap on council tax rises for 2026-27 as part of the fair funding review.

The Spending Review confirmed the government intends to maintain the referendum threshold at 3%, with 2% for the adult social care precept. This is in line with the threshold set up by the previous government. Final referendum principles will be confirmed at the local government finance settlement, subject to approval by the House of Commons, in the usual way.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 61255 on Planning: Apprentices, if he will make it his policy to collect data on the number of planners with a Level 7 Chartered Town Planner Apprenticeship qualification that are employed by (a) local authorities and (b) developers.

My Department currently has no plans to collect data on the number of planners with a Level 7 Chartered Town Planner Apprenticeship qualification employed by local authorities or developers.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 61251 on Affordable Housing: Greater London, what level of affordable housing delivery in London he is targeting; and what progress his Department has made on this.

The GLA’s target range for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme in London is 17,800-19,000.The GLA last published their affordable housing statistics in August 2025. From the beginning of the programme to June 2025, there have been 5,500 starts, and 997 completions.

Communities and Local Government, how many social houses have begun construction since 4 July 2024 in (a) England, (b) the East of England and (c) Bedfordshire.

Data on new social and affordable housing supply, including starts, for the period between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 has been pre-announced for publication in November/December 2025 and can be found on gov.uk here. The pre-announcement will be updated with the release date soon, according to the code of practice for Statistics.The subset of that data relating to the delivery in the aforementioned period by Homes England and the Greater London Authority is already available at England level in Live Table 1012, available on gov.uk here.Data on affordable housing supply, including starts for the period between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026 has been pre-announced for publication in November/December 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here. This pre-announcement will be updated with the release date in due course and according to the code of practice for Statistics.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to allow local authorities to reject planning applications from developers on the basis of previous failures to (a) build and (b) maintain sustainable drainage infrastructure.

The government is committed to securing the delivery of high-quality sustainable drainage systems to help manage flood risk and adapt to the effects of climate change. The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that developments of all sizes should use sustainable drainage techniques where the development could have drainage impacts, and that appropriate maintenance arrangements should be in place to ensure an acceptable standard of operation for the lifetime of the development. By law, planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan for the area unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Each application is judged on its own individual merits and the weight given to these considerations is a matter for the local planning authority as the decision taker in the first instance. Local planning authorities should consider the use of conditions or planning obligations to make development acceptable, which may include flood mitigation works, and have a broad range of powers to take enforcement action against breaches of planning control.

Communities and Local Government, what is his planned timetable for implementing local government re-organisation in Bedfordshire.

The English Devolution White Paper announced that we will facilitate a programme of local government reorganisation for two-tier areas, and for unitary councils where there is evidence of failure or where their size or boundaries may be hindering their ability to deliver sustainable and high-quality public services.On 5 February councils in all 21 two-tier areas together with small neighbouring unitary authorities were invited to submit proposals for unitary local government. The three councils in Bedfordshire were not included as part of this process. The Government is open to discussions with all areas where structural change will help them get onto a more sustainable footing.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to direct local authorities to always reject planning applications which the lead local flood authority deem would increase the risk of flooding for existing properties.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk (whether existing or future). Where development is necessary in such areas, the development should be made safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere. In addition, the National Planning Policy Framework is clear that sustainable drainage systems provided as part of proposals for major development should take account of advice from the Lead Local Flood Authority. Planning practice guidance sets out that when considering proposals for major development the local planning authority will need to consult the lead local flood authority on surface water drainage. The guidance is clear that local planning authorities may find it helpful to agree with lead local flood authorities the circumstances and locations where site specific flood risk assessments will be required due to surface water or other local flood risks and lead local flood authority advice can be sought on other planning applications which raise surface water or other local flood risk issues. This can be achieved by having regard to the available information on local flood risks, including the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment and the updated map of flood risk from surface water which can be found on gov.uk here. To ensure a proportionate, pragmatic and constituents approach to surface flood risk, we published updated planning practice guidance to clarify how the sequential test should be applied in September 2025. We will consider whether any further changes are required to national planning policy for flooding as part of the new suite of national policies for decision making that we intend to consult on later this year.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the value of allotments to local communities.

We recognise the significance of allotments and the valuable contribution they make to the health, wellbeing, and spirit of communities. Local Authorities have a duty to provide allotments if there is sufficient demand, and we believe they are best placed to assess the needs of their areas. Therefore, there is currently no national assessment of the value of allotments to local communities. However, we are seeking to improve allotment provision through the Government’s Green Flag Award scheme. Under this scheme, allotments (if entered as a community garden) can be awarded Green Flag accreditation if they meet the highest quality standards. Recent updates to the Green Flag Award contract, managed by the MHCLG, have included a criterion for ‘community involvement’, which evaluates the value of green spaces to their local communities.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the financial sustainability of housing associations.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given Question UIN 76512 on 16 September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of local authorities have a five year housing land supply.

The National Planning Policy Frameworks sets out that local authorities should identify and update annually a five-year housing land supply (5YHLS) of deliverable housing sites (with appropriate buffer) for decision making. This should be calculated against their housing requirement set out in adopted strategic policies, or against their local housing need where the strategic policies are more than five years old.While the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) may be aware of an authority’s 5YHLS position at the time of a specific appeal, this position is not static. It may change over time due to annual updates or as a result of subsequent planning appeal decisions. As such, my Department does not collect live data on the 5YHLS status of individual local planning authorities.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of housing asylum seekers in military bases on his Department’s policies to build more houses on disused public land.

The government is committed to close all asylum hotels, and to achieve this the Home Office is looking at a range of more appropriate sites including disused accommodation, industrial and ex-military sites to reduce the impact on communities. These efforts will not compromise general housing delivery. Decisions on the use of alternative asylum accommodation sites will be made on a site-by site basis, and the Home Office will continue to work closely with local authorities and in compliance with published policy.

Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of local authorities have a five year housing land supply based on current delivery given the Government's housing targets.

The National Planning Policy Frameworks sets out that local authorities should identify and update annually a five-year housing land supply (5YHLS) of deliverable housing sites (with appropriate buffer) for decision making. This should be calculated against their housing requirement set out in adopted strategic policies, or against their local housing need where the strategic policies are more than five years old.While the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) may be aware of an authority’s 5YHLS position at the time of a specific appeal, this position is not static. It may change over time due to annual updates or as a result of subsequent planning appeal decisions. As such, my Department does not collect live data on the 5YHLS status of individual local planning authorities.

Communities and Local Government, if her Department will publish a list of (a) new settlements and (b) urban extensions planned to contain more than 5,000 homes which have been commenced since 2000; and if her Department will indicate whether a GP surgery has been delivered within the development area.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 62017 on Housing, whether his Department has made an estimate of the potential impact of Part O on internal temperatures.

Part O of the Building Regulations, which aims to address the risk of overheating in new residential buildings, came into force in June 2022. A transition period was put in place to minimise disruption to projects that were already underway and to allow industry time to adapt to the new Part O requirement. As a result, not all developments were immediately subject to the Part O requirement and the Department’s understanding of the impact of Part O is still developing.However, as part of the Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation, we sought evidence on whether Part O is appropriate or whether it requires amendment. As mentioned in response to Question 62017, the Government will set out the evidence it received on Part O during this consultation and its response to this later this year, when the Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation response will be published.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to provide capital funding to local authorities on an annual basis.

The government has taken steps towards the simplification of capital local growth funding by consolidating the Levelling Up Fund, Town Deals and Simplification Pathfinders Pilot Fund into a single Local Regeneration Fund - providing greater flexibility and supporting local leaders to drive growth. The Fair Funding Review 2.0 set out our plans to consolidate revenue grants in at least four “thematic pots” from 2026/27. We will set out details of the revenue grants that will be consolidated, and our future plans for capital funding, at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled Fairer funding for councils across the country in major reform, published on 20 June 2025, what steps he is taking to ensure the effectiveness of the formula used by his Department to calculate levels of funding based on rural deprivation.

This government is absolutely committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural communities. The Fair Funding Review 2.0 ran from 20 June to 15 August 2025, and proposed reforming the local government funding system. The updated assessment which was consulted on more effectively captures variations in demand for services within a local authority. It also proposed to continue to apply Area Cost Adjustments to account for the different costs faced in delivering services, including in rural and urban areas. We will ensure our approach is informed by the latest data and evidence. We are currently considering responses to the consultation and will publish our response in the autumn.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the average time since planning was granted for house building starts in each of the last five years.

The Department does not collect data on the time taken between the granting of planning permission for a residential development and the start of housebuilding within the development.The information that the Department routinely collects on house building starts does not include the date on which planning permission for the development was granted.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of planning permissions granted since July 2024 that have led to house building starts.

The Department does not collect data on the time taken between the granting of planning permission for a residential development and the start of housebuilding within the development.The information that the Department routinely collects on house building starts does not include the date on which planning permission for the development was granted.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 61248 on Green Belt: Maps, whether local authorities will be required to publish a map of grey belt areas within their areas during the local plan process.

It is for individual local planning authorities to undertake the necessary assessments to identify if land is grey belt, either through plan making or through considering specific applications that come forward. Similarly, it is for authorities to determine whether and how to evidence, justify, amend, and set out Green Belt boundaries through the preparation or updating of statutory plans.