Written questions by Cartlidge.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to consider the outcomes of its consultation into the Gardens Trust's statutory consultee role before deciding whether it should be removed as a statutory consultee.

The government is committed to reviewing the existing statutory consultee arrangements to ensure they align with the government’s ambitions for growth. As per the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 10 March 2025 (HCWS510), we intend to consult on removing a limited number of statutory consultees, including the Gardens Trust. We also intend to review the range and type of planning applications on which statutory consultees are required to be consulted and consider whether some types of application could be removed, or addressed by alternative means of engagement and provision of expert advice. Further details will be set out in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the merits of continuing to fund (a) Strategic Environment Assessments, (b) Habitat Regulations Assessment screening, (c) the costs of Independent Examination and (d) Neighbourhood Plan Referendums.

Following the Spending Review, my Department announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards. We will ensure that local planning authorities continue to be appropriately funded for their neighbourhood planning function, including funding for neighbourhood planning examinations and conducting referenda. Local planning authorities can continue to provide other forms of support to neighbourhood planning groups, including in relation to carrying out strategic environment assessments and habitats regulation assessments where they are needed.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of using rural exception sites for delivering affordable housing.

The National Planning Policy Framework expects local planning authorities to support opportunities to bring forward rural exception sites to provide affordable housing to meet identified local needs. In the government response to the revised NPPF published on 12 December 2024, we committed to give further consideration to how we can better support rural affordable housing, including through rural exception sites, as part of our work to produce a set of national policies for decision making in 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of applying permitted development rights to small reservoirs.

Under existing nationally set permitted development rights, farmers are able to create smaller, on-farm reservoirs. Guidance on the rights in question is available on gov.uk here.The government continues to keep permitted development rights under review.

Communities and Local Government, when she expects Locality to open the window for grant applications for funding to support communities with developing neighbourhood plans in 2025-26.

The government will make an announcement in respect of support for neighbourhood planning in due course.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to make changes to the (a) Housing Revenue Account model and (b) Right to Buy scheme.

The government recognises that changes in rent policy, inflationary pressures, and increased costs associated with investing in existing stock since 2012 have led to increasing strain on Housing Revenue Accounts. The principle of self-financing remains the right one but we are committed to working with councils to overcome the pressures on their Housing Revenue Accounts and to supporting them to make a greater contribution to social and affordable housing supply.This government is also committed to the Right to Buy. We want to ensure that council tenants who have lived in, and paid rent on, their social homes for many years can retain the opportunity to own their home. However, reform of Right to Buy is essential to better protect much-needed social housing stock, boost council capacity and build more social homes than we lose, supporting the government’s commitment to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.We have returned the maximum cash discounts to between £16,000 and £38,000 and we are allowing councils to keep 100% of the receipts from sales so that they are better able to build and buy new homes. We consulted last autumn on further reforms to the Right to Buy, including increased protections for new builds and changes to eligibility requirements. The consultation is now closed, and the government will set out next steps shortly.We will also set out more detail of our future investment in social and affordable housing at the Spending Review next week.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the five-point plan set out in the report entitled Securing the Future of Council Housing, published in September 2024.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 27397 on 7 February 2025.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment on the potential impact of a planning authority being subsumed into a new unitary authority as part of local government reorganisation on housing number targets.

Local planning authorities are expected to use the government's revised standard method to assess housing needs. This is a starting point used by councils to inform the preparation of their local development plans.The government is clear all local planning authorities should continue work on local plans and get them in place as soon as possible.The implications of local government reorganisation, including the impact of reorganisation on local housing targets, will be considered in light of the specific circumstances of any given area. Local plans should still be progressed in all areas, as they will act as the foundation for any new plans as required.

Communities and Local Government, whether the legal status of (a) Local Plans and (b) Neighbourhood Plans will be impacted in circumstances where the planning authority in question is subsumed into a new unitary authority as part of local government reorganisation.

The legal status of local plans and neighbourhood plans is not impacted by local government reorganisation. Where reorganisation occurs, existing local and neighbourhood plans remain in force as part of the development plan for their area until they are replaced by new local or neighbourhood plans.

Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to include district councils in the Suffolk devolution deal.

In areas of two-tier local government, as is the case in Suffolk, the Government will continue to seek to establish combined county authorities. The Government recognises the vital role district councils play and strongly encourages their involvement in c...

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to renew the Community Housing Fund.

The Community Housing Fund was established in 2016 and closed in 2022. The Government recognises that the community-led housing sector delivers a wide range of benefits, including strengthening community participation in local decision-making, engendering...

Communities and Local Government, if she will provide additional support to district councils to reduce levels of homelessness.

As announced at the Budget on 30th October, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year (2024/25). The increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation a...

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to reform funding arrangements for Internal Drainage Board levies.

Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) play a crucial role managing water levels and flood risk.The Government recognises the sustained increases in Internal Drainage Board levies that some local authorities have experienced over the last two years.MHCLG also re...

Communities and Local Government, if it is her Department’s policy to continue the Community Ownership Fund beyond March 2025.

Communities will rightly be seeking clarity regarding the future of the Community Ownership Fund.This Government was elected on a manifesto that stressed its commitment to the communities’ sector and community ownership through empowering communities to o...

Communities and Local Government, with which members of (a) Suffolk County Council and (b) district councils in Suffolk she has discussed Suffolk's devolution deal.

This Government has recently announced that it will not be proceeding with the existing devolution deal with Suffolk County Council. Instead, Government will continue discussions Suffolk to deliver a more ambitious agreement as we lay the foundations for ...

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2024 to Question 3747 on Neighbourhood Plans, what plans she has for the role of neighbourhood plans in planning policy when a planning auth

Under the Government’s proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, the protections from speculative development for areas with a qualifying neighbourhood plan are retained.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of how many (a) serving armed forces personnel and (b) veterans have benefitted from the Right to Buy scheme in each of the last five financial years

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not hold information on the number of serving armed forces personnel, or veterans, who have benefitted from the Right to Buy.People who live in armed forces accommodation do not have the Right...

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to change the legal status of neighbourhood plans.

The Government does not intend to require local planning authorities to amend neighbourhood plans in the future. Communities will continue to be able to choose whether they review or update their neighbourhood plan.