Written questions by Thomas.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure ethical practices by major retirement housing providers in regard to leaseholder rights; and whether he plans to alter the retirement housing service charges system.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, (a) when he will publish the analysis of responses regarding the ‘Strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services’ consultation launched 4 July 2025, and (b) what steps is he taking to help protect leaseholders in Bromsgrove and the Villages from management companies and landlords that do not deliver an adequate level of maintenance.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 123090 on 31 March 2026 and UIN 85213 on 4 November 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that efforts by local authorities to encourage the restoration of empty dwellings by providing exemptions from long-term empty home premiums do not result in buildings becoming more derelict.

Local authorities have discretionary powers to change additional council tax on properties which have been left unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for one or more years. The Government recognises that there are circumstances where it may not be appropriate for a premium to apply and we have introduced a number of statutory exemptions to premiums. These include 12 months exemption for empty homes undergoing major repairs or structural alterations to support bringing empty homes back into use and to prevent buildings becoming more derelict. The taxpayer will have to apply for the exception, and provide supporting evidence to the relevant local authority. It is for the local authorities to decide where it is appropriate to apply the premium, taking into account a number of factors, including local circumstances and government guidance.

Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on introducing legislated protections for freeholders against uncapped service charges.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 4 July 2025 (HCWS780) and the answer given to Question UIN 103549 on 14 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to take steps to increase firefighter remuneration in line with inflation.

Setting firefighter pay is the responsibility of local employers, working through the National Joint Council. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government plays no role in the negotiation or funding of firefighter pay.

Communities and Local Government, how many meetings (a) he and (b) the former Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government have had with housebuilders who complete more than 500 units per year since 5 July 2024.

Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what data his Department holds on the number of long-term vacant homes in Bromsgrove constituency.

Statistics are published annually on gov.uk which include a breakdown of vacant dwellings by local authority district. We do not hold records on vacant homes on a constituency basis.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of private carpark regulation.

The Government is aware of concerns about the poor practice and behaviour of some parking operators and is determined to drive up standards in the private parking sector. The private parking industry is currently self-regulating through the two main trade associations: the British Parking Association and the International Parking Community. The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 requires the Secretary of State to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities. My department is currently consulting on standards within the new Code and its compliance framework. The Private Parking Code of Practice Consultation runs until 5 September 2025 and is available on https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/private-parking-code-of-practice.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment has she made of the potential merits of a statutory time limit for private parking fine enforcement.

Statutory time limits for issuing and enforcing notices of parking charges are currently enshrined in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and the Limitation Act 1980.Under the Protection of Freedoms Act, private operators must issue the notice of parking charge within 14 days of the alleged contravention if the notice is sent by post. If a notice is left on vehicle’s windscreen, but is not paid within 28 days, the operator has additional 28 days to send a notice to the registered keeper’s address.If the issued notice is unpaid, the operator has up to six years to pursue payment or take legal action (e.g. via County Court) under the Limitation Act 1980.

Communities and Local Government, what additional monitoring of HM Land Registry her Department has undertaken since July 2024.

As its sponsor department, MHCLG undertakes a range of activities to hold HM Land Registry (HMLR) to account for its organisational, corporate and governance performance. A departmental representative sits on the Land Registry Board (LRB) and its subcommittees to review and scrutinise HMLR’s performance against its annual business plans and key performance indicators. The Minister or Senior Sponsor issues an annual letter to the chair of the board, setting out the department’s priorities for HMLR over the coming year. The latest letter was issued in February 2025 and can be found on gov.uk here. The department holds regular meetings with HMLR executives and the LRB chair, including a quarterly sponsorship governance and performance meeting.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reconsidering special circumstances permitting green belt development at times when battery energy storage site targets have been exceeded.

Where the type of development in question is proposed in the Green Belt it is for decision makers, based on the circumstances of the individual case, to determine whether development inappropriate in Green Belt would be justified by very special circumstances.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle homelessness outside of large urban areas.

Homelessness levels are far too high. We must address this and deliver long term solutions in all parts of England. The government is looking at these issues carefully and is developing a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness.The government have already taken the first steps, including making a £1 billion investment in homelessness and rough sleeping services across England this year. This is a £233 million increase on the previous year to help prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping.

Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of local authority planning decisions have been overturned by the Planning Inspectorate in the last 12 months.

Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 the Planning Inspectorate overturned 4,747 planning decisions made by Local Planning Authorities (LPAs). These represent 31% of the 15,344 decisions made by the Planning Inspectorate on LPA planning cases in this period. Note these figures are taken from administrative data and so are subject to minor revisions. The most recent published MHCLG statistics help put the 4,747 decisions in context (noting the different time periods covered). Between January to December 2024: 316,715 planning decisions were made by LPAs – so roughly 1.5% of these are overturned by the Planning Inspectorate.44,479 planning applications were refused by LPAs – so approximately 11% of refused LPA decisions are overturned by the Planning Inspectorate.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2025 to Question 44299 on Park Homes: Sales, whether she will outline her plans to seek further evidence from the sector before the House rises for summer recess.

We will set out our plans to seek further evidence from the sector in respect of the rationale for the commission in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of commission charge of up to 10 per cent on the sale of park homes on (a) mobile home residents and (b) site owners; and whether she has made an estimate of the commission paid in England in each of the last five years.

The previous government published a report in June 2022 on the impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission. It can be found on gov.uk here. This government recognises that there are longstanding concerns about the requirement to pay site owners a commission upon sale of a park home. We will set out plans in due course to seek further evidence from the sector on the rationale for the commission.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 29763 on Discussions with Members from Worcestershire on local government reform, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials have had with hon. Members from Worcestershire on local government reform.

Neither ministers nor senior officials have had discussions with hon members from Worcestershire on local government reform. The Minister wrote to Worcestershire council leaders on 5th February 2025 to formally invite proposals for local government reorganisation. The invitation is clear that councils should engage locally and that we also expect and encourage local leaders to engage their Members of Parliament on any proposals being developed, before these are submitted to Government.

Communities and Local Government, how many recipients of funding under the Homes for Ukraine scheme lived in Bromsgrove constituency on 10 February 2025.

As of 10 February 2025, the area covered by Bromsgrove District Council has received 163 arrivals through the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Some may have moved out of the area since their arrival. We hold data on guests leaving the UK, not their location in the UK.Local authorities receive a tariff of £5,900 per Homes for Ukraine arrival in their area to support guests to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support the enforcement of local planning regulations in Bromsgrove District.

It is for local planning authorities, including Bromsgove District Council, to ensure they have the resources in place to carry out their planning enforcement function.The government appreciate that planning departments across the country are experiencing challenges with recruitment, retention, and skills gaps and that in many cases these issues are having a negative impact on service delivery.At the Budget, the Chanceller announced a £46 million package of investment into the planning system as a one-year settlement for 2025-2026. A proportion of this funding will be used to support capacity and capability in local planning authorities, including the recruitment and training of 300 graduate and apprentice planners and developing the skills needed to implement reforms and unlock housing delivery.This will be further underpinned by increases in planning fees that will help improve the resourcing of planning application services, so that local planning authorities can fund the skills they need.More broadly, the Department’s established Planning Capacity and Capability programme is also developing a wider programme of support, working with partners across the planning sector, to ensure that local planning authorities have the skills and capacity they need, both now and in the future, to modernise local plans and speed up decision making, including through innovative use of digital planning data and software.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with hon. Members from Worcestershire on local government reform.

The Secretary of State has not had discussions with Members from Worcestershire on local government reform.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of access to greenbelt countryside in north Worcestershire on the health of residents in local communities.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 29375 on 18 February 2025.