Written questions by Thomas.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to tackle the Planning Inspectorate’s backlog of cases awaiting a site visit.

The government is committed to the efficient handling of planning casework, including ensuring that there is sufficient resourcing in the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) to support such activity. In 2025/26, funding increased for PINS’s Resource Delivery budget (to £97.9 million) and their Capital Budget (to £15 million). PINS’s Strategic Plan commits to eliminating all casework backlogs by 2027.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Planning Inspectorate's recruitment of inspectors.

The government is committed to the efficient handling of planning casework, including ensuring that there is sufficient resourcing in the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) to support such activity. In 2025/26, funding increased for PINS’s Resource Delivery budget (to £97.9 million) and their Capital Budget (to £15 million). PINS’s Strategic Plan commits to eliminating all casework backlogs by 2027.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to increase the level of funding for the Planning Inspectorate.

The government is committed to the efficient handling of planning casework, including ensuring that there is sufficient resourcing in the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) to support such activity. In 2025/26, funding increased for PINS’s Resource Delivery budget (to £97.9 million) and their Capital Budget (to £15 million). PINS’s Strategic Plan commits to eliminating all casework backlogs by 2027.

Communities and Local Government, if his Department will provide additional funding required to enable the development of the M5 Junction 10 Improvements Scheme.

The government is committed to boosting housing supply and unlocking economic growth. My Department is providing an additional £71.5 million in funding to the M5 Junction 10 Housing Infrastructure Funding project. The project is expected to directly unlock 8,900 homes; enable a further 12,000 homes; and support major developments around Cheltenham at Golden Valley and the National Cyber Innovation Centre, with up to 12,000 jobs expected to be created.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the M5 Junction 10 improvement scheme on local housing development and economic growth.

The government is committed to boosting housing supply and unlocking economic growth. My Department is providing an additional £71.5 million in funding to the M5 Junction 10 Housing Infrastructure Funding project. The project is expected to directly unlock 8,900 homes; enable a further 12,000 homes; and support major developments around Cheltenham at Golden Valley and the National Cyber Innovation Centre, with up to 12,000 jobs expected to be created.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the time taken to fund the M5 Junction 10 improvement scheme on housing development.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 104999 on 19 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what measures he is taking her to support rental applications by individuals or families who are victims of domestic abuse.

This government is committed to supporting victims of domestic abuse. This is part of the government’s wider mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.Since 2021, local authorities in England have a statutory duty to ensure victims of domestic abuse and their children fleeing their homes can access support within safe accommodation when they need it. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provided local authorities in England £160 million in 2025/26, a £30 million uplift from the previous year, to support delivery of this duty.On 10 July 2025, regulations came into force meaning that victims of domestic abuse moving as a result of that abuse will no longer need to meet a local connection or residency test in order to access social housing; recognising the unique challenges they can face, such as fleeing an unsafe home to seek safety or support.In addition, the Home Office is investing £1.96 million into a Flexible Fund, delivered by Women’s Aid and over 470 partner services, to support victims in England and Wales escaping abuse. This includes the option of a one-time payment of up to £2,500 to facilitate survivors’ transition to a more stable and independent future. For example, enabling them to put down a deposit for rental accommodation.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support victims of domestic abuse who urgently require alternative accommodation.

This government is committed to supporting victims of domestic abuse. This is part of the government’s wider mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.Since 2021, local authorities in England have a statutory duty to ensure victims of domestic abuse and their children fleeing their homes can access support within safe accommodation when they need it. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provided local authorities in England £160 million in 2025/26, a £30 million uplift from the previous year, to support delivery of this duty.On 10 July 2025, regulations came into force meaning that victims of domestic abuse moving as a result of that abuse will no longer need to meet a local connection or residency test in order to access social housing; recognising the unique challenges they can face, such as fleeing an unsafe home to seek safety or support.In addition, the Home Office is investing £1.96 million into a Flexible Fund, delivered by Women’s Aid and over 470 partner services, to support victims in England and Wales escaping abuse. This includes the option of a one-time payment of up to £2,500 to facilitate survivors’ transition to a more stable and independent future. For example, enabling them to put down a deposit for rental accommodation.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking with the Minister for Defence to ensure that veterans in receipt of means-tested support who are living in areas with district councils are not disadvantaged by the move to unitary authorities.

There will be no changes to how we expect councils to continue to support the armed forces community throughout the local government reorganisation process.By abolishing two-tier local government across England, we will set up strong unitary councils that will improve public services, bringing them under one roof, improving join up with local partners, and making life easier for local residents.We are committed to working with the Minister for Defence and across government to make sure unitarisation improves public services for all residents, including the armed forces community.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help strengthen enforcement powers for councils to prevent unauthorised development on Green Belt land.

Enforcement is at the discretion of local planning authorities. They have a wide range of powers with strong penalties for non-compliance and it is for them to decide how and when they use those powers depending on the circumstances of each case. The government has no plans to amend local planning authorities’ enforcement powers at this time. We will, however, continue to keep the operation of the enforcement system under review. With regard to capacity and capability, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 67508 on 14 July 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing immediate stop notices with penalties for breaches to help reduce cases of members of the travelling community developing on Green Belt land.

Enforcement is at the discretion of local planning authorities. They have a wide range of powers with strong penalties for non-compliance and it is for them to decide how and when they use those powers depending on the circumstances of each case. The government has no plans to amend local planning authorities’ enforcement powers at this time. We will, however, continue to keep the operation of the enforcement system under review. With regard to capacity and capability, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 67508 on 14 July 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to provide increased (a) financial and (b) legal support for local authorities to help tackle unauthorised developments.

Enforcement is at the discretion of local planning authorities. They have a wide range of powers with strong penalties for non-compliance and it is for them to decide how and when they use those powers depending on the circumstances of each case. The government has no plans to amend local planning authorities’ enforcement powers at this time. We will, however, continue to keep the operation of the enforcement system under review. With regard to capacity and capability, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 67508 on 14 July 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to prevent members of the travelling community from developing property on Green Belt land; and if she will take steps to strengthen the planning process in this area.

Enforcement is at the discretion of local planning authorities. They have a wide range of powers with strong penalties for non-compliance and it is for them to decide how and when they use those powers depending on the circumstances of each case. The government has no plans to amend local planning authorities’ enforcement powers at this time. We will, however, continue to keep the operation of the enforcement system under review. With regard to capacity and capability, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 67508 on 14 July 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment her Department has made of noise pollution in urban areas.

The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should contribute to, and enhance, the natural and local environment by preventing new and existing development from contributing to, being put at unacceptable risk from, or being adversely affected by, unacceptable levels of noise pollution.New development should be appropriate for its location taking into account the likely effects (including cumulative effects) of pollution on health, living conditions and the natural environment, as well as the potential sensitivity of the site to the wider area.Guidance sets out further detail on how new housing developments can incorporate measures to mitigate noise pollution, including the use of engineering, layout and planning conditions.It is for local authorities to assess excessive noise in a neighbourhood. Local authorities have a range of powers available to them to assess nuisance such as in cases where there is excessive noise from residential and commercial properties. These are set out in various pieces of legislation, including the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Noise Act 1996.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that new housing developments incorporate measures to reduce noise pollution.

The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should contribute to, and enhance, the natural and local environment by preventing new and existing development from contributing to, being put at unacceptable risk from, or being adversely affected by, unacceptable levels of noise pollution.New development should be appropriate for its location taking into account the likely effects (including cumulative effects) of pollution on health, living conditions and the natural environment, as well as the potential sensitivity of the site to the wider area.Guidance sets out further detail on how new housing developments can incorporate measures to mitigate noise pollution, including the use of engineering, layout and planning conditions.It is for local authorities to assess excessive noise in a neighbourhood. Local authorities have a range of powers available to them to assess nuisance such as in cases where there is excessive noise from residential and commercial properties. These are set out in various pieces of legislation, including the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Noise Act 1996.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the withdrawal of funding to the Western Gateway partnership on the future economy of (a) South Wales and (b) Western England.

The Department held a four-week public consultation on ending core funding for pan-regional partnerships in 2024. Following the consultation, the Government confirmed its decision not to extend core funding for Western Gateway and other pan-regional partnerships. We are now moving to a different model of economic collaboration, where we are keen to support new models driven by mayors and their partners.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is to help ensure that the proposed 1.5 million new homes are carbon neutral.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the 1.5 million homes we will build over the course of this parliament will be high quality, well designed and sustainable.Future standards, to be introduced this year, will set our new homes and buildings on a path that moves away from relying on volatile fossil fuels and ensures they are fit for a net zero future. These homes will be future proofed with low carbon heating and high levels of energy efficiency. No further energy efficiency retrofit work will be necessary to enable them to become zero-carbon over time as the electricity grid continues to decarbonise.This commitment will help put the UK back on track to meeting its climate goals, all while cutting bills, boosting economic growth and delivering energy independence with clean power by 2030.

Communities and Local Government, what her Department's policy is on the future of the garden communities programme.

Garden Communities are locally-led new settlements or urban extensions. The Garden Communities programme provides support to progress long-term housing projects from their earliest stages. It enables local authorities to recruit specialist staff, undertake the required planning and receive advice and support from the housing delivery body, Homes England. The government will keep the programme under review.