Written questions by Simmonds.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the core spending power figures of the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026 to 2027, published on 17 December 2025, for what reason his Department assessed Manchester City Council's council tax requirement will rise by 31% between 2024-25 and 2028-29; and what proportion of this is based on changes in the level of housebuilding.

As part of the government’s calculation of Core Spending Power we assume each authority’s council tax base increases in line with the average annual growth in their council tax base between 2021-22 and 2025-26. This is in line with the approach in previous Local Government Finance Settlements. We published details of this approach in an explanatory note. In line with usual practice and in recognition of the views raised in response to this consultation, the government will continue to keep its methodology for calculating the Core Spending Power of local government under review in future years.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the written statement of 22 January 2026, HCWS1270, on Local government reorganisation, if he will list the names of the 350 respondents.

A summary of the decision was provided through the Written Ministerial Statement and the letter sent to council leaders, both of which are publicly available. The Government has no plans to publish the names of respondents who made representations.

Communities and Local Government, which scheduled town or parish council elections will take place in May 2026 in localities where scheduled principal council elections will be postponed in May 2026 by district council.

Parish and town council elections will be proceeding as planned, given they are outside of local government reorganisation. Information on town and parish councils elections is held by the relevant district councils.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's correspondence entitled 1/2026: Pubs and live music venues relief 2026 to 2027, published on 27 January 2026, for pubs eligible for the £800 Supporting Small Business Relief (SSBR) cap, whether the 15% pubs relief (a) reduces the £800 cap to £680 and (b) reduces the rates liability by 15% before any £800 cap is applied.

Properties eligible for the pub and live music venue relief scheme will benefit from a 15% relief in 2026/27. The 15% relief will be applied after the existing Supporting Small Business Relief scheme. The Treasury have published examples of how the pub and live music venue relief scheme will work. Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department is taking steps to help prevent the misuse of Pride in Place public funds in (a) the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and (b) other local authorities.

On 25 September, the Government launched its overarching Pride in Place Strategy, committing up to £5 billion in funding and support to 339 communities. The flagship Pride in Place Programme will provide up to £20 million in flexible funding and support to 244 neighbourhoods over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities. Alongside this, the £150 million Pride in Place Impact Fund complements the longer-term Pride in Place Programme. It provides short-term funding for immediate improvements to make sure that the places and spaces valued by communities are improved and match the pride people feel for their local areas.The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is not currently a funded area under either Phase 1 or Phase 2 of the Pride in Place Programme, and does not receive funding from the Pride in Place Impact Fund. The Government has put in place robust governance and assurance arrangements to safeguard public funds and prevent misuse across all selected neighbourhoods, with funding delivered through the relevant local authorities acting as the accountable bodies. Programme assurance follows a three lines of defence model, with the first line provided by local authority Chief Financial Officers, the second by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) through proportionate, risk-based checks, and the third by MHCLG’s independent auditors. For the Pride in Place Programme, each place must establish a Neighbourhood Board and produce a 10-year Pride in Place Plan, which is subject to approval by the MHCLG and must set out how the activity will be pursued to achieve the three strategic objectives of the programme. MHCLG’s Communities Delivery Unit provides each neighbourhood with a named official to monitor delivery, support governance and escalate any concerns. For the Pride in Place Impact Fund local authorities are tasked with working with local stakeholders to identify and invest in interventions that meet local need. They will receive an area’s allocation to manage, including assessing and approving any onward grant disbursement, processing payments and day-to-day monitoring.

Communities and Local Government, whether the telecommunication cables by the Royal Mint site will be amended or moved when the Chinese Embassy is built.

Details of the development for which planning permission has been granted in the case in question are set out in the relevant decision letter which can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, further to the business rate information letter, 1/2026: Pubs and live music venues relief 2026 to 2027, whether the reduction in business rate revenue from the new relief will affect the revenue to local government from locally retained business rates in the new revaluation cycle from 2026 to 2029.

On 27 January, the department confirmed to local authorities that they will be fully compensated for the loss of income associated with granting the pubs and live music venues relief and the government will fund the associated new burdens, including the administrative and software costs of implementation. This communication with local authorities is published here.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the local government finance settlement on councils in London on the sustainability of their existing local council tax support schemes for working age people.

Council tax support for working age households is designed by councils in consultation with their residents, taking into account the resources available to them and the needs and circumstances of their local communities. Each year, councils must consider whether to revise or replace their scheme in consultation with their residents.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's correspondence entitled 1/2026: Pubs and live music venues relief 2026 to 2027, published on 27 January 2026, whether the new scheme disapplies the transitional relief schemes for (a) 2027-28 and (b) 2028-29 financial years by capping any increases relative to the outturn bill for 2026-27 at CPI inflation.

Properties eligible for the pub and live music venue relief scheme will benefit from a 15% relief in 2026/27. Thereafter they will see their rates bill frozen in real terms in 2027/28 and 2028/29 provided the pub remains occupied. Any improvements to the pub which increases its rateable value after 1 April may also increase the bill in the normal way. The Treasury have published examples of how the pub and live music venue relief scheme will work. Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials had meetings with (i) the Venice Commission and (ii) the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe on (A) elections and (B) democracy since July 2024.

MHCLG ministers and officials have not held any meetings with either the Venice Commission or the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe on elections or democracy since July 2024.

Communities and Local Government, if he will publish an equality impact assessment on the postponement of local elections in 2026.

An equality impact assessment has been completed in line with normal practice.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 8777, on Local Government: Elections, whether local authorities which submitted bids to hold a May 2026 election pilot scheme subsequently submitted a request to the Department to cancel their May 2026 elections.

In August 2025, local authorities were invited to apply to pilot a range of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England. A number of local authorities expressed interest in participating, and we are currently engaging with those local authorities. A small number of authorities that submitted applications subsequently made requests to postpone their May 2026 elections.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department undertook verification of local authorities’ representations which noted insufficient capacity because of the scheduled May 2026 elections.

Representations were received from councils with elections scheduled in May, including from councillors and political groups, and from other councils, interested organisations, Member of Parliament, and members of the public.The Secretary of State ran a locally led process and it was for councils to make representations and assess their capacity to conduct a safe and smooth transition to new authorities at the same time as holding elections.In reaching his decisions, the Secretary of State carefully considered all the representations made alongside departmental advice on those representations.

Communities and Local Government, whether the Rt Hon Member for Ashton-under-Lyne has an official car provided.

The Rt Hon Member for Ashton-under-Lyne is not provided with an official government car.

Communities and Local Government, whether he received representations on delaying local elections from Labour (a) MPs, (b) councillors and (c) council groups that were separate from formal representations from the local authority.

Representations were received from councils with elections scheduled in May, including from councillors and political groups, and from other councils, interested organisations, Member of Parliament, and members of the public.The Secretary of State ran a locally led process and it was for councils to make representations and assess their capacity to conduct a safe and smooth transition to new authorities at the same time as holding elections.In reaching his decisions, the Secretary of State carefully considered all the representations made alongside departmental advice on those representations.

Communities and Local Government, if his Department will take steps to ensure that suitable provision is made for uninsured historical liabilities that succeeding authorities may inherit following reorganisation; and if his Department will provide guidance to local authorities to support this process.

There is a suite of general continuity regulations for local government reorganisation made under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 which ensure smooth transfer to new unitary councils.These general regulations provide transitional and supplementary arrangements, so that the councils can undertake specific functions to enable a successful move to the single tier of local government. The provisions relate to continuity of services and functions, staffing, local authority plans and schemes, transfer of assets, property and reserves.It is the responsibility of councils to manage their budgets and they should ensure funding decisions are prudent and represent value for money. The Government expects local government reorganisation deliver better value for money for taxpayers, saving money that can be reinvested in front line services.

Communities and Local Government, if his Department will provide local authorities with flexibility in applying the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 or Procurement Act 2023 during periods of local government reorganisation.

There is a suite of general continuity regulations for local government reorganisation made under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 which ensure smooth transfer to new unitary councils.These general regulations provide transitional and supplementary arrangements, so that the councils can undertake specific functions to enable a successful move to the single tier of local government. The provisions relate to continuity of services and functions, staffing, local authority plans and schemes, transfer of assets, property and reserves.It is the responsibility of councils to manage their budgets and they should ensure funding decisions are prudent and represent value for money. The Government expects local government reorganisation deliver better value for money for taxpayers, saving money that can be reinvested in front line services.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions he had had with Kent County Council on best value since May 2025.

My department monitors individual councils, including Kent, through a wide range of data and direct engagement. We continually review local authority governance, financial management, and sustainability, including through examining national data metrics, local authority documents, reports from auditors and inspectorates, and letters from residents. Where we become aware of early indications of best value failure, we consider a range of ways to closely monitor an authority’s progress. We will continue to monitor risk in individual councils, and we will act where necessary to ensure that councils meet their best value duty and are transparent and accountable to their residents.

Communities and Local Government, whether an assessment has been made of the potential impact of changes in parish council precepts on council tax.

Council tax levels are decided by local authorities wish to set, but increases above referendum principles set by the Secretary of State must be approved by voters. To date, no referendum principles have been set for town and parish councils. The Secretary of State reviews the referendum principles annually and will set out his proposal for 2026-27 in the provisional local government finance.

Communities and Local Government, further to Table A.5 of the OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025, CP1439, 26 November 2025, according to information held by HM Government, if he will list the estimates for council tax receipts in each year from 2024-25 to 2030-31 for England only.

The Department has published data on actual council tax collection rates in England which can be found on gov.uk here. Estimates of council tax receipts (excluding police authorities, mayoral combined and county combined authorities and parish councils) will be published at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement for England, for the years 2026-27, 2027-29 and 2028-29, later this year. Table A.5 of the OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025, CP1439 estimates UK-wide council tax receipts for 2029-30 and 2030-31 but these are not disaggregated to England level.