Written questions by Simmonds.

What guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on (a) transparency and local scrutiny on how Prevent funding is spent and (b) which organisations receive it.

In 2023, the Home Office updated its assurance process to help ensure that local authorities are delivering their statutory Prevent duty in line with the Prevent duty guidance. This includes assurance of local authorities that receive Prevent funding due to being assessed as having high levels of terrorism threat and risk.The ‘Prevent duty toolkit for local authorities’ outlines eight benchmarks that Prevent delivery is measured against and includes suggested examples of good and best practice.The Home Office works with all local authority Prevent Leads in England, Wales and Scotland to complete a Prevent assurance exercise each year against 7 of the Prevent duty benchmarks. An assurance of the eighth benchmark, Channel, is subject to a separate process (the Channel Annual Assurance Statement).This exercise provides local Prevent Partnerships and the Home Office with assurances that the Prevent duty is being met in proportion to the threat and risk in each area. It also helps to understand where there are gaps in Prevent delivery, to identify and share good practice, and to improve performance and standards.Prevent also funds Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to deliver projects in communities. CSOs in receipt of Prevent funding are required to demonstrate that outcomes they have delivered contribute to Prevent’s overall aim: to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.As a requirement of Prevent funding, every CSO must adhere to best practice principles for programme design, delivery and monitoring and evaluation. All project providers are subject to random project delivery observation from the Home Office, and comprehensive due diligence is completed for all CSOs that receive Prevent funding.The groups we work with are vital partners in protecting society from the dangers of radicalisation, and providing support to people who are being radicalised.

Which individual local authorities have received funding from her Department under the Prevent scheme in 2024-25; and what the (a) mechanism and (b) timing is by which the funding will be distributed in 2025-26.

The Following local authorities received funding under the Prevent Programme in 2024-25: Priority Areas FY24/25 (Alphabetical order)1Birmingham2Blackburn with Darwen3Bradford4Brent5Bristol6Calderdale7Cardiff8Croydon9Derby10Ealing11Enfield12Hackney13Haringey14Kent15Kirklees16Lambeth17Leeds18Leicester19Liverpool20Luton21Manchester22Newcastle upon Tyne23Newham24Nottingham25Redbridge26Sandwell27Sheffield28Tower Hamlets29Waltham Forest30Westminster Each year the Home Office conducts an annual prioritisation exercise led by the Home Office’s Homeland Security Analysis and Insight (HSAI) team to understand which Local Authorities are facing the highest threat of radicalisation. The model incorporates both quantitative and qualitative elements.The prioritisation exercise is carried out in the autumn and funding is granted from 1 April for the following financial year. The exercise for the financial year 2025/26 took place in the Autumn of 2024 and funding was released via grants from 1 April 2025.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to commission research to assess the consequences of the second homes council tax premium on the housing market in England.

It is for individual councils to decide whether to apply a premium in their area, taking into account local circumstances. The government does not currently make housing market assessments based on the use of premiums.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has had recent discussions with combined authority mayors on provisions in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill on restrictions on being Members of Parliament.

My department has engaged with Mayors and the local government sector ahead of publication of the English Devolution White Paper, where this policy was introduced.The post of mayor is a significant role at the forefront of delivering change and demands the full attention of any post holder. That is why the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill will prohibit individuals from holding the office of Member of Parliament (or being a member of the devolved legislatures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) and mayor simultaneously. This is already the case for Mayors who hold Police and Crime Commissioner responsibilities.

Communities and Local Government, whether councils will receive compensatory payments for increases in employer National Insurance contributions in (a) 2026-27 and (b) 2027-28.

The government provided an additional £515 million for local government in 2025-26 to manage the impact of changes to employer National Insurance Contributions. The recent Spending Review provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three years for local services that communities rely on. This includes £3.4 billion of new grant funding through the Local Government Finance Settlement within financial years 2026-27 to 2028-29.The government will bring forward its proposals for 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29 through the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 59362 on Asylum: Housing, whether local authorities have a right of objection to the housing of asylum seekers in (a) hostels, (b) hotels, (c) HMOs and (d) private rented sector accommodation in their locality.

An important part of our procurement process allows for local authorities across the UK to feed in local intelligence before our providers commit to accommodation. They have the opportunity to respond to consultation requests from our providers regarding either individual properties or specific postcode areas.We are committed to working closely with communities and stakeholders to ensure destitute asylum seekers are housed in safe, secure and suitable accommodation, and that they are treated with dignity while their asylum claim is considered.The asylum accommodation estate is provided by Serco, Mears, Clearsprings Ready Homes and CTM.The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of supported asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, how much funding is provided to councils with high numbers of people granted refugee status; and whether the Fair Funding 2.0 proposals would affect this level of funding.

The government has been listening closely to the views expressed by the public, local authorities and other stakeholder bodies on the proposals set out in the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation.No final decisions on the outcome of the review have yet been taken. However, the government’s proposals will target central government grant funding to where it is needed the most. The vast majority of councils with social care responsibilities will see their Core Spending Power increase in real terms over the multi-year Settlement. For those councils who would see their funding fall as a result of these changes, our intention is to protect the vast majority of these councils’ income through a funding floor.We will publish further information in the government’s consultation response in Autumn, followed by the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year.

Communities and Local Government, which local billing authorities have set a second homes premium on council tax in 2025-26.

The Department will publish data on the number of second homes liable for a council tax premium in November as part of the annual council taxbase statistics.

Whether the National Protective Security Authority has provided advice on the proposed new Chinese Embassy.

The planning application has been called in by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and he will make this quasi-judicial decision independent from the rest of Government.We have been clear that national security is the first duty of Government and that we have considered the breadth of national security issues. Where necessary, relevant agencies and departments have been consulted on the national security implications of the application. It would be inappropriate to provide any further specific detail.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question HL8772 on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, through what mechanism her Department had access to the unredacted drawings.

It would not be appropriate to comment in detail on issues of national security, but as set out in the written representations by the Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary to the Planning Inspectorate, we have carefully considered the breadth of national security risks associated with China's planning application.A final decision has yet to be made. The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government in his independent, quasi-judicial role will make the final decision in due course.

Whether the (a) cash terms and (b) real terms increase in the police settlement for 2025-26 includes (i) the increase in council tax and (ii) the compensatory funding for the increase in National Insurance.

The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.2 billion when compared to the 2024-25 settlement.This includes precept actuals, which was a £407.7 million increase compared to the 2024-25 settlement, and the £230.3 million for the changes to employer National Insurance Contributions.

Pursuant to the Answers of 4 July 2025 to Questions 62600 and 62603 on Nuisance, what her policy is on (a) whether nuisance begging is an offence and (b) giving powers to (i) police and (ii) local authorities to issue prevention orders relating to nuisance (A) begging and (B) rough sleeping.

On 10th June, the Government announced its intention to repeal the outdated Vagrancy Act 1824. The Government has been clear that no one should be criminalised simply for having nowhere to live. We have introduced targeted replacement measures in the Crime and Policing Bill to ensure police have the powers they need to keep communities safe, including a new criminal offence of facilitating begging for gain, and an offence of trespassing with the intention of committing a crime, both of which were previously provided for under the 1824 Act.We know police forces make effective use of existing powers to tackle anti-social behaviour that occurs in this context, and we will update statutory guidance on the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to provide more certainty on how existing powers can be applied to anti-social behaviour where it occurs in the context of begging that is causing problems for local communities.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 65009 on Islamophobia, whether her Department has (a) submitted evidence to and (b) had meetings with the Working Group.

The work he refers to is being overseen by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.As agreed with the Home Secretary, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing are currently conducting a review of non-crime hate incidents. We will update Parliament in due course on the findings of that review.

What guidance she has provided to high street retailers on whether they may (a) share details of suspected shoplifters with other retailers and (b) post photographs of suspected shoplifters.

It is the legal responsibility of retailers to decide on a case-by-case basis if it is necessary, proportionate and lawful to share personal details of alleged shoplifters.The Information Commissioner’s Office provides guidance on data sharing, including for retailers. The Home Office has worked with retailers and the Information Commissioner’s Office to support retailers in lawfully and safely sharing information amongst themselves and with police for the purposes of preventing, detecting and investigating shop theft.

How much her Department has provided to local authorities to distribute as grants under the Prevent scheme in 2024-25; and what the budget is for 2025-26.

The Home Office provides Prevent funding to those local authorities (LAs) assessed to have the highest threat and risk from terrorism. This funding can be used by LAs in support of dedicated Prevent posts, with Prevent coordinators employed by the local authority to support delivery of Prevent on the ground. Funding can also be used by LAs to support targeted project delivery to tackle the threats in their area.The Home Office provided the below funding to local authorities under the Prevent programme in financial years 2024-25:Local authority posts - £6,008,271.63Project delivery - £2,365,309.72The Programme’s projected spend for the current financial year 2025-26 is:Local authority posts - £6,000,000Project delivery - £2,000,000

With reference to the press release entitled Red tape slashed to revamp high streets with new cafes and bars, published on 26 July 2025, whether the Government intends to consult on the new National Licensing Policy Framework.

This government has committed to launching a call for evidence to seek views on a range of pro-business reforms proposed by the recent Licensing Taskforce, including the development of a National Licensing Policy Framework.This will provide an opportunity for the public to shape the development of a framework designed to provide clearer national direction for local licensing authorities while preserving local discretion in licensing decisions. We will consider further opportunities to gather evidence and engage with a wide range of stakeholders as a framework is implemented.

Whether she plans to use the Islamophobia Working Group definition for non-criminal hate incidents.

The work he refers to is being overseen by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.As agreed with the Home Secretary, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing are currently conducting a review of non-crime hate incidents. We will update Parliament in due course on the findings of that review.

With reference to her Department's asylum support statistics, how much (a) initial accommodation, (b) dispersal accommodation and (c) contingency accommodation across the country is provided by (i) Serco, (ii) Mears, (iii) Clearspring Homes, (iv) Corporate Travel Management and (v) via Cushman and Wakefield in the most recent period for which figures are available.

The Home Office is working closely with a range of stakeholders to fulfil its statutory obligations, while seeking to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation for the taxpayer.Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation can be found within the Asy_D11 tab of our most recent statistics release. This data can broken down by accommodation type. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

With reference to page 75 of the Home Office's annual report and accounts 2024-25, published in July 2025, HC1133, what the total cost of asylum accommodation was in 2024-25.

Wider asylum accommodation costs other than hotels are not routinely published by the Home Office.

How much was a allocated each individual local authority from (a) Grant 7 and (b) Grant 6 programmes for asylum in 2024-25.

The Home Office does not publicly publish grant payment levels by local authority.The total amount allocated to Local Authorities in 2024/25 for Asylum Dispersal Grants 6 and 7 was £121,840,400.Current accommodation funding arrangements are published on Asylum Dispersal Grant: funding instruction - GOV.UK.