Written questions by Rankin.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the introduction of a visitor levy on the number of young people employed in hospitality.

The impacts of introducing a visitor levy will depend on decisions taken locally. It would be for Mayors and local leaders to decide whether a levy is appropriate for their area, following local consultation on specific proposals. The detailed design and scope of any visitor levy remain under development. The Government’s response to the consultation, which closed on 18 February, will be published in due course.

Communities and Local Government, whether the evidence they commissioned prior to launching a consultation on introducing an overnight levy included an international comparison of VAT levels on hospitality.

Ahead of launching the consultation, the Government considered a broad range of evidence on the case for a discretionary overnight visitor levy, including international comparisons of VAT rates on hospitality. The consultation closed on 18 February, and the Government will publish its formal response in due course. Any decision to introduce a levy would be taken locally, with Mayors required to consult widely before determining whether it is appropriate for their area.

Communities and Local Government, what consideration he has given to the potential impact of the planned visitor levy on (a) job opportunities and vacancies, (b) job losses and (c) high street footfall in (i) city centres, (ii) rural communities and (iii) coastal towns as part of her High Street Strategy.

The government’s consultation on the proposed visitor levy closed on 18 February. The government is currently analysing responses and will publish an official response in due course. The decision on whether to introduce a visitor levy would rest with individual Mayors, who would need to determine whether a levy is right for their area. Any impacts, including on employment and high street footfall, would therefore depend on local decisions, following local consideration and consultation on specific proposals.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has visited an integrated retirement community.

Officials in MHCLG engage regularly with representatives from the sector. Ministerial meetings are published quarterly. The latest publication is available on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, how much their Department has spent on X and xAI since July 2024.

We have a monthly subscription with xPro and have spent £153.60 since July 2024.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing legislation equivalent to New Zealand’s Retirement Villages Act 2003 to support the growth of the Integrated Retirement Community sector in the UK.

The government is committed to enhancing provision and choice for older people in the housing market and we will continue to consider this issue as we develop our long-term housing strategy. As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 26 November 2024 (HCWS249), the government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations from the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report including in relation to specialist accommodation for older people.

Communities and Local Government, whether the empty home premium applies to (a) retirement and (b) care properties where the tenant has passed away and ownership has fallen to an executor.

Local authorities have the discretionary power to charge a council tax premium on long-term empty dwellings in their area. Where the premium is in place, it applies to properties that have been unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for one or more years. The government has introduced regulations on mandatory exceptions, which are explained in guidance here, including an exception where probate has been granted. Once the exemption period has ended, normal rules on empty properties apply.

Communities and Local Government, whether borough local plans have precedence over parish level neighbourhood plans.

Once passed at referendum, neighbourhood plans form part of the development plan. Policies in a neighbourhood plan may become out of date, including if they conflict with policies in a local plan adopted after the making of the neighbourhood plan. In such cases, the more recent plan policy would take precedence.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the role of local plans in the planning system in the future.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 27 February 2025 (HCWS480).

Communities and Local Government, whether Councils are able to use money from the Community Infrastructure Levy to refresh neighbourhood plans.

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) receipts must be used for the purposes which are set out in section 216 of the Planning Act 2008 and Part 7 of the CIL regulations. Local authorities must spend the levy on infrastructure needed to support the development of their area Where charging authorities collect the levy, they can use up to 5% of funds from the levy to recover the costs of administering the levy. Where all or part of a chargeable development is within the area of a parish council, the charging authority must pass a proportion of the CIL receipts from the development to the parish council. The ‘neighbourhood portion’ of CIL can be spent on infrastructure or anything else that is concerned with addressing the demands that development places on an area. Further information on spending the levy is set out in CIL guidance which can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, whether the tilted balance in decision making is formally recognised as part of national planning policy; and what guidance his Department has issued to ensure consistent application by planning authorities.

Users of the National Planning Policy Framework sometimes describe the effect of paragraph 11d of the Framework as a ‘tilted balance’. However, the term itself does not form part of national planning policy. The Framework is a material consideration in decision-making. The government’s suite of planning practice guidance contains guidance for decision makers regarding the application of the policies in the Framework.

Whether she plans to mandate local government reorganisation.

The English Devolution White paper set out our plans to facilitate a programme of local government reorganisation, and to do so as quickly as possible. Councils in two tier areas and small neighbouring unitary councils have already been invited to submit proposals.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to enhance the fit and proper person test for the (a) owner and (b) manager of a park home site.

The fit and proper person test, which applies to a site owner or the person appointed to manage a site, is intended to ensure that those managing park home sites are competent to do so.Where properly applied by local authorities, the legislation has been shown to be effective.We will continue to monitor its operation and consider whether any changes are required.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to expedite the development of affordable housing at Sawyers Close in Windsor.

The government will continue to work in partnership with local authorities, housing associations and the wider sector to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to increase the number of claims processed by the Building Safety Regulator.

We are aware that there have been delays for applicants in Gateway Two. The Building Safety Regulator have told applicants to currently plan on the basis of 20 weeks to clear Gateway Two, although we are seeing signs that this processing time is improving. This is compared to the Service Level Agreement of 12 weeks for new builds. We also understand there are specific applications which exceed current average processing timescales.The new regulatory approach for building control on higher-risk buildings represents a fundamental shift in the approach to building safety. The introduction of the new regulatory regime initially resulted in a lot of poor quality and incomplete applications. The BSR are supporting applicants to ensure they are meeting the functional requirements of the building regulations. It is worth noting that the requirements in the regulations are not new and rejected applications contribute to the processing time of compliant applications.We recognise the changes are still bedding in, however it is clear that the sector must also take responsibility for the projects they deliver. Guidance is available to support them in understanding their duties.MHCLG and BSR have taken the following actions to enable applications to be processed more efficiently:The BSR has recruited additional personnel and they are starting to process applications.The department has granted funding to HSE this financial year to improve its infrastructure, training and processes to maximise the BSR’s efficiency and effectiveness.MHCLG and the BSR are also reviewing how the multidisciplinary teams which assess applications are resourced, to enable faster stand-up times.We are aware of the wider issues with capacity and capability faced by the sector and the Government has invested £16.5 million in new local authority building control inspectors to support the BSR. The Government has also provided funding to support 111 additional Fire and Rescue staff to support the BSR. Work to recruit and train these additional staff is well underway.BSR continues to review guidance to industry on compliance with the building regulations.

Communities and Local Government, how many cases are waiting to be assessed by the Building Safety Regulator.

We are aware that there have been delays for applicants in Gateway Two. The Building Safety Regulator have told applicants to currently plan on the basis of 20 weeks to clear Gateway Two, although we are seeing signs that this processing time is improving. This is compared to the Service Level Agreement of 12 weeks for new builds. We also understand there are specific applications which exceed current average processing timescales.The new regulatory approach for building control on higher-risk buildings represents a fundamental shift in the approach to building safety. The introduction of the new regulatory regime initially resulted in a lot of poor quality and incomplete applications. The BSR are supporting applicants to ensure they are meeting the functional requirements of the building regulations. It is worth noting that the requirements in the regulations are not new and rejected applications contribute to the processing time of compliant applications.We recognise the changes are still bedding in, however it is clear that the sector must also take responsibility for the projects they deliver. Guidance is available to support them in understanding their duties.MHCLG and BSR have taken the following actions to enable applications to be processed more efficiently:The BSR has recruited additional personnel and they are starting to process applications.The department has granted funding to HSE this financial year to improve its infrastructure, training and processes to maximise the BSR’s efficiency and effectiveness.MHCLG and the BSR are also reviewing how the multidisciplinary teams which assess applications are resourced, to enable faster stand-up times.We are aware of the wider issues with capacity and capability faced by the sector and the Government has invested £16.5 million in new local authority building control inspectors to support the BSR. The Government has also provided funding to support 111 additional Fire and Rescue staff to support the BSR. Work to recruit and train these additional staff is well underway.BSR continues to review guidance to industry on compliance with the building regulations.

Communities and Local Government, what the average time was for the Building Safety Regulator to make a decision in the last 12 months.

We are aware that there have been delays for applicants in Gateway Two. The Building Safety Regulator have told applicants to currently plan on the basis of 20 weeks to clear Gateway Two, although we are seeing signs that this processing time is improving. This is compared to the Service Level Agreement of 12 weeks for new builds. We also understand there are specific applications which exceed current average processing timescales.The new regulatory approach for building control on higher-risk buildings represents a fundamental shift in the approach to building safety. The introduction of the new regulatory regime initially resulted in a lot of poor quality and incomplete applications. The BSR are supporting applicants to ensure they are meeting the functional requirements of the building regulations. It is worth noting that the requirements in the regulations are not new and rejected applications contribute to the processing time of compliant applications.We recognise the changes are still bedding in, however it is clear that the sector must also take responsibility for the projects they deliver. Guidance is available to support them in understanding their duties.MHCLG and BSR have taken the following actions to enable applications to be processed more efficiently:The BSR has recruited additional personnel and they are starting to process applications.The department has granted funding to HSE this financial year to improve its infrastructure, training and processes to maximise the BSR’s efficiency and effectiveness.MHCLG and the BSR are also reviewing how the multidisciplinary teams which assess applications are resourced, to enable faster stand-up times.We are aware of the wider issues with capacity and capability faced by the sector and the Government has invested £16.5 million in new local authority building control inspectors to support the BSR. The Government has also provided funding to support 111 additional Fire and Rescue staff to support the BSR. Work to recruit and train these additional staff is well underway.BSR continues to review guidance to industry on compliance with the building regulations.

Communities and Local Government, when she plans to announce her decision on requests from local authorities for approval of council tax increases above the referendum cap.

The Government is currently analysing results of the consultation on the provisional local government finance settlement for 2025-26 including the council tax referendum principles that will be set. The ability for councils in exceptional financial circumstances to request council tax increases is not new. As with previous years the government will consider requests for bespoke referendum principles from councils seeking exceptional financial support, but this government will put taxpayers at the forefront of their consideration.The government will consider requests on a case-by-case basis and expects that any additional increases would only be agreed in exceptional circumstances. The government has been clear it will look carefully at councils’ specific circumstances, for example their existing levels of council tax relative to the average and the strength of plans to protect vulnerable people. As with previous years, referendum principles for all councils will be set out at the final Local Government Finance Settlement in February.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of approving requests from local authorities for council tax increases above the referendum cap.

The Government is currently analysing results of the consultation on the provisional local government finance settlement for 2025-26 including the council tax referendum principles that will be set. The ability for councils in exceptional financial circumstances to request council tax increases is not new. As with previous years the government will consider requests for bespoke referendum principles from councils seeking exceptional financial support, but this government will put taxpayers at the forefront of their consideration.The government will consider requests on a case-by-case basis and expects that any additional increases would only be agreed in exceptional circumstances. The government has been clear it will look carefully at councils’ specific circumstances, for example their existing levels of council tax relative to the average and the strength of plans to protect vulnerable people. As with previous years, referendum principles for all councils will be set out at the final Local Government Finance Settlement in February.

Communities and Local Government, if she will (a) publish proposals for the use of special development order powers under Section 59 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to grant planning permission for commercial schemes and (b) consult on those proposals before they are implemented.

Special Development Orders are a long-established part of the planning system. Each case is considered on its individual merits. The government have no plans to change the current arrangements.