Written questions by Roome.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the role of (a) pubs and (b) other community facilities is fully recognised in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to regulate service charges for leaseholders to ensure that they are transparent and value for money; and what support is available for leaseholders who see service charges increase because ground rent is capped.

On 4 July 2025, the government published a consultation, jointly with the Welsh Government, on strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services. The consultation included proposals to reform the section 20 ‘major works’ procedure, increase transparency over service charges and enhance access to redress through the relevant provisions in the Act. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here. It closed on 26 September 2025, and we are analysing responses with a view to bringing the relevant measures into force as quickly as possible. Ground rent is a payment set out in a lease with no clear service provided in return. It is legally distinct from service charges. Service charges are financial contributions made by leaseholders towards the costs of the management and maintenance of their buildings. The government recognises the considerable financial strain that rising services charges place on leaseholders and tenants. The level of service charge that leaseholders pay depends on many factors, including the terms of a lease and the age and condition of a building. By law, variable service charges must be reasonable. Overcharging through service charges is completely unacceptable. Should leaseholders wish to contest the reasonableness of their service charges they may make an application to the appropriate tribunal.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of removing Sport England as a statutory consultee from the planning system on the provision of community sports facilities.

I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to Question UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what support her Department is giving to existing leaseholders affected by high or escalating ground rents, particularly where such terms impact mortgage availability and the ability to sell their homes.

I refer the hon. Member to answer given to Question UIN 102566 on 12 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the planned measures in chapter 3 of Part 1 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 on preventing rental discrimination of people in receipt of welfare benefits, whether his Department has had discussions with (a) insurance companies and (b) the Financial Conduct Authority on the (i) availability and (ii) price of (A) landlord, (B) buildings and (C) contents insurance policies for properties rented to people claiming welfare benefits; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the home insurance market on the ability of people in receipt of welfare benefits to rent property in accordance with that Act.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question 44561 on 22 April 2025.

Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to help ensure that local elections take place in Devon in May 2027.

We received final proposals from the Devon, Plymouth and Torbay invitation area on 28 November 2025. Government will consult in the new year on proposals that meet the terms of the invitation letter of 5 February 2025 before deciding which, if any, to implement.The government will work with areas to hold elections for new unitary councils as soon as possible as is the usual arrangement in the process of local government reorganisation. Our expectation is that elections will be held to new councils in May 2027 ahead of “go live” for the new structures in 2028.

Communities and Local Government, what his planned timetable is for introducing a Mayoral Combined Authority or Authorities for Devon, for Cornwall, or for Devon and Cornwall.

Devon and Torbay already benefit from devolution as a Combined County Authority and will be designated as a Foundation Strategic Authority once the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill becomes law. Further devolution in the South West will be announced in due course, following local conversations and ministerial decisions.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the resources available to local authorities to pursue enforcement measures against rogue landlords.

My Department is providing £18.2 million to local housing authorities for this financial year to help them prepare to undertake their new enforcement responsibilities under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of ending funding for the Great South West Partnership in April 2026 on (a) regional representation and (b) economic growth.

Following a four week public consultation, in March 2025 the government announced its intention to end funding for Pan-Regional Partnerships, with an exceptional, time-limited award of £281,250 for the Great South West Pan-Regional Partnership for the 2025/26 financial year. Pan-Regional Partnerships, including the Great South West, have made a valuable contribution, supporting collaboration between local authorities and government and taking forward a breadth of work on shared growth opportunities. However, as our English Devolution White Paper sets out, we are now moving to a different model of regional collaboration, where we are keen to support new models driven by local leaders.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to allocate funding to support the Great South West Partnership from April 2026.

Following a four week public consultation, in March 2025 the government announced its intention to end funding for Pan-Regional Partnerships, with an exceptional, time-limited award of £281,250 for the Great South West Pan-Regional Partnership for the 2025/26 financial year. Pan-Regional Partnerships, including the Great South West, have made a valuable contribution, supporting collaboration between local authorities and government and taking forward a breadth of work on shared growth opportunities. However, as our English Devolution White Paper sets out, we are now moving to a different model of regional collaboration, where we are keen to support new models driven by local leaders.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to allocate funding to support the Great South West Partnership from April 2026.

Following a four week public consultation, in March 2025 the government announced its intention to end funding for Pan-Regional Partnerships, with an exceptional, time-limited award of £281,250 for the Great South West Pan-Regional Partnership for the 2025/26 financial year. Pan-Regional Partnerships, including the Great South West, have made a valuable contribution, supporting collaboration between local authorities and government and taking forward a breadth of work on shared growth opportunities. However, as our English Devolution White Paper sets out, we are now moving to a different model of regional collaboration, where we are keen to support new models driven by local leaders.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support the provision of emergency co-responders in (a) rural and (b) coastal areas.

Collaboration between emergency services has a vital role to play in keeping the public safe in a way that optimises efficiency and effectiveness. However, it is for local emergency service providers to decide what collaborative activities will best serve their communities’ needs.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of abolishing fixed-term assured tenancies in England on the housing market.

The government published an Impact Assessment for the Renters' Rights Bill on 22 November 2024. It received a 'Green' rating from the Regulatory Policy Committee, indicating that it is 'fit for purpose'. My Department has also engaged with a wide range of stakeholders during the development and passage of the Bill, and will continue to do so, as it is implemented.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the policy paper entitled Planning Reform Working paper: Reforming Site Thresholds, published on 28 May 2025, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Medium site threshold category's requirement for (a) an area of between 0.5 and 1 hectares and (b) between 10-49 dwellings on developers.

On 28 May 2025, the government published the Planning Reform Working Paper: Reforming Site Thresholds which can be found on gov.uk here. We are currently considering the responses received and will set out next steps in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the ratio between revenue raised by the Building Safety Levy, and building remediation expenditure, in rural areas.

The building safety levy has built in measures to minimise impact on housing while balancing the need to raise the revenue required to make homes safe. Measures to achieve this include:Variable levy rates at local authority level.A 50% discount on developments on previously developed land reflecting the often additional costs of building on these sites.Exemptions from the levy including Affordable Housing.The Building Safety Levy is an industry contribution towards building safety remediation. Revenue is raised from new, non-exempt, residential development which principally occurs in and around urban areas. Expenditure is directed at buildings over 11m in height which are principally located in urban areas.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to regulate increases in service charges; and what steps she is taking to bring into force the legislative provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 relating to service charges.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 26965 on 4 February 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help Ukrainian refugees on the Homes for Ukraine Scheme secure private rented accommodation.

The Government provides guidance for Ukrainian guests on renting private accommodation at Renting private accommodation: Homes for Ukraine - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Councils 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. They have the flexibility to use the funding to support households as best suits the local area. This could include measures to support guests to access employment, English language provision and provide integration measures that support Ukrainians to access private rented accommodation. Councils are also using the funding to support measures such as 12 month rent guarantees, or paying rent in advance. Ukrainians who hold a Homes for Ukraine visa permission may be entitled to Universal Credit, which could help with the cost of rent. Homes for Ukraine visa holders could be entitled to a 50% Council Tax discount if they live alone or if all adults in the property have a Homes for Ukraine visa. We know that English language is a key factor to integration and economic independence, a critical enabler of access to the private rented sector, whilst in the UK. The Government has provided £11.5 million of funding for English language courses and employment support for up to 12,500 Ukrainians across the UK through the ‘STEP Ukraine’ programme. This will support their integration whilst in the UK, and economic independence - a critical enabler of access to the private rented sector (PRS). Ukrainians can also access the Adult Education Offer through councils which provide ESOL classes. We engage closely with councils and the voluntary and community sector to ensure that we understand the needs of Ukrainians living in the UK and that adequate support is available.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the readiness of the construction industry to help meet her housing targets.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 28369 on 13 February 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Council funding to be overhauled to deliver better outcomes, published on 28 November 2024, what methodology her Department will use to measure (a) the impact of rurality and (b) levels of (i) demand and (ii) deprivation to calculate the funding to replace the Rural Services Delivery Grant.

The government is committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural communities. Places with a significant rural population will on average receive around a 5% increase in their Core Spending Power next year, a real terms increase.The Rural Services Delivery Grant (RSDG) seen in previous Local Government Finance Settlements does not properly account for need and a large number of predominantly rural councils receive nothing from it – a sign we need to allocate funding more effectively. We are currently consulting on local government funding reform from 2026-27 onwards and we are keen to hear from councils on the impact of rurality on the costs of service delivery, and demand.For 2025-26, the RSDG has been repurposed alongside a number of other grants to form the Recovery Grant, although this is not a direct replacement. The Recovery Grant will go to places where, weighted by population, deprivation outweighs council tax raising ability. This is explained fully in our accompanying methodology note.