Written questions by Cleverly.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2026 to Question 117657 on Constituencies, whether his Department has assessed the potential asymmetric effect on parliamentary boundary reviews of rolling out automatic registration in different geographical areas to different timetables.

The sole aim of moving towards automated registration, as set out in the Representation of the People Bill, is to increase the completeness and accuracy of electoral registers. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will test automated registration in a range of different locations and settings, with different characteristics and challenges. We will be guided throughout by principles of fairness and open engagement.The Parliamentary Boundary Commissions for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, are independent of Government. The timings of Parliamentary Boundary Reviews are set by legislation, which the Government has no plans to change.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Guidance on the implementation of the council tax premiums on long-term empty homes and second homes, published on 1 November 2024, what guidance he has given to local authorities on whether a second homes resident is liable for the second homes premium if they do not own the dwelling.

The guidance which the Rt. Hon. Member references sets out what is considered a second home for council tax purposes and the conditions where a premium may be applied. Councils are responsible for assessing liability for council tax in line with the hierarchy of liability as set out in legislation.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2026, to Question 110793, on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Flexible Working, what assessment has been made of the reasons for the rise in full time compressed 4 days FTE from January 2025 to January 2026; and what changes have been made to departmental policy on staff working compressed hours since July 2024.

Staff have a statutory right to apply for flexible working at any point during their employment. The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 (Commencement) Regulations 2024 were brought into force on 6 April 2024 making flexible working requests a day one right and this has likely driven changes as well as individual employee circumstances. Overall staffing levels in the Department have remained broadly stable and we are unable to comment on the decisions made by employees and managers throughout the flexible working application process.

Communities and Local Government, further to the "Changing Futures Lived Experience Support Grant: prospectus", of 26 March 2026, what his Department's definition of lived experience is.

The definition of lived experience in reference to the Changing Futures programme is direct, personal experience of multiple disadvantage which includes combinations of homelessness, substance misuse, mental ill health, domestic abuse and contact with the criminal justice system.

Communities and Local Government, further to the Written Statement of 17 March 2026, HCWS1410, on Local Government Best Value, what assessment has been made of whether Tower Hamlets council is complying with the Local Government Publicity Code.

Local authorities are required to have regard to the Recommended Code of Practice on Local Authority Publicity when making decisions about publicity. Responsibility for compliance with the Code rests with individual authorities. Where the Secretary of State considers that an authority is not complying with the Code, he has powers under section 4 of the Local Government Act 1986 to issue a direction requiring the authority to comply.Any concerns regarding compliance should in the first instance be directed to the authority concerned. If the Rt Hon Member has specific concerns about Tower Hamlets Council, he may wish to write to the Department setting out the relevant evidence.

Communities and Local Government, further to the policy paper, Amplify: The Local Media Action Plan, published 17 March 2026, paragraph 115, what steps are being taken to stop councils hindering public scrutiny by journalists, and whether he will make it his policy to strengthen guidance in his area.

I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 84641 on 29 October 2025.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2026, to Question 107022, on Local Government: Reorganisation, whether the provisions in the Local Government Publicity Code on hiring lobbyists applies to the City of London.

Yes.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2026, to Question 120065, on Best Value: Surrey, and with reference to the Woking Borough Council: Commissioners’ sixth report, published 24 March 2026, para 11, what the most recent estimate is of the remaining amount of debt that Woking Borough Council holds; what amount is borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board; what amount of debt will be left after the capital receipts referred to in paragraph 11, and what amount of the total debt is deemed to be unrecoverable.

Local authorities provide the Government with data on their borrowing, including source of borrowing. The data can be found at Live tables on local government finance - GOV.UK. The Government recognises that Woking Council cannot manage the entirety of its debt locally and has made an unprecedented commitment to repay in-principle £500m of the Council’s debt in 2026-27. This is a first tranche of support, and we will continue to explore what further debt support is required at a later point. Further, we remain committed to providing interim financial support to the new unitary council until a final decision is made on further support. It is crucial that any debt support must take into account value for money for local and national taxpayers, and the Council’s continued commitment to reduce debt as far as possible within their local capacity including via an ongoing asset disposal programme.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2026, to Question 113641, on Parish and Town Councils: Council tax reduction schemes, what assessment has been made of (a) whether principal local authorities have reduced their financial support for parish councils, in relation to the application of local council tax support on parish precepts, in (a) 2025-26, and (b) 2026-27 budgets and (b) the associated effects on parish council precepts.

Local council tax support schemes are designed by local authorities in consultation with council taxpayers. It is the responsibility of principal authorities to work with parish and town councils on council tax matters, including support schemes and to agree appropriate funding arrangements to avoid large increases in parish precepts.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2026, to Question 119513, on Elections: Local Government, what consideration was given to consulting the Parliamentary Parties Panel on the local election pilots in May 2026.

The government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors. These pilots are part of the government’s commitment to encourage greater participation in our democracy and to modernise the voting process, this commitment extends to town and parish council elections, such as those being held in North Hertfordshire in May.The government did not receive any requests or expressions of interest that were rejected. Several local authorities expressed interest but did not make a formal application.There have been no prospectus documents, calls for evidence, bidding documents, consultations or pilot invitations published in the last twelve months on matters other than the flexible voting pilots.The flexible voting pilots are being funded by the Department.Regarding the government’s engagement with stakeholders for the flexible voting pilots, I refer the Rt Hon. Member to Question UIN 87029 on 12 November 2025.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2026, to Question 120065, on Best Value: Surrey, what steps will be taken to ensure that local taxpayers outside Woking in West Surrey are not expected to pay for the costs of servicing the legacy debt of Woking.

Putting Surrey’s local authorities on a more sustainable footing is vital to safeguarding the services residents rely on, as well as investing in their futures. As set out in the invitation letter, and consistent with previous restructures, there is no proposal for council debt to be addressed centrally or written off as part of reorganisation.The Government has committed to repay in‑principle £500 million of Woking Borough Council’s debt in 2026–27 as a first tranche of support. This is a significant and unprecedented commitment given historic capital practices at the Council. It reflects our acknowledgement that, even after the rationalisation of Woking’s historic assets, there remains significant unsupported debt that cannot be managed locally.When issuing the statutory invitation for Reorganisation proposals, the Government was clear in criterion (2f) that: “For areas where there are exceptional circumstances where there has been failure linked to capital practices, proposals should reflect the extent to which the implications of this can be managed locally, including as part of efficiencies possible through reorganisation.”The Government is committed to achieving the best value for money for the taxpayer in the rationalisation of Woking’s historic assets, which will contribute locally to the reduction of debt in Woking, and this process may continue past vesting day into the new unitary authority. It is crucial that any debt support must consider broader value for money considerations for both local and national taxpayers.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 25 March 2026 on Local Government Reorganisation, HCWS1455, if he will set out the proposed changes to the governance arrangements for the new mayoral combined authority; and how many votes each unitary will have on the new combined authorities in the devolution priority areas.

In the first instance, the Government is establishing Mayoral Combined County Authorities in the areas on the Devolution Priority Programme that are yet to undergo local government reorganisation. These will consist of the existing upper-tier local authorities. Following reorganisation, these Authorities will be converted to Mayoral Combined Authorities, consisting of the new unitary authorities. Governance, including voting, arrangements will be specified in the legislation to effect the conversion.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 116474 on Combined Authority: Elections, what his Department's policy rationale is for aligning the Cheshire and Warrington and Cumbria combined authority mayoral elections with the May 2027 council elections, but not aligning for the other Devolution Priority Programme combined authority mayoral elections and new unitary elections.

Following requests by the local authority leaders of Cheshire & Warrington and Cumbria, we agreed the inaugural mayoral elections for those two areas will take place in May 2027. The areas have issued public statements to explain their requests, highlighting that it would bring alignment with most local elections scheduled for 2027 – leading to significant savings and support higher turnout.The inaugural Mayoral elections for the remaining Devolution Priority Programme areas will be held in May 2028, so that they can complete the local government reorganisation process before Mayors take office. This will ensure that these institutions are built on firm foundations and that their Mayors are able to deliver for their regions and local communities from day one. Mayoral elections in Cheshire & Warrington and Cumbria will go ahead as planned in May 2027 as these areas are not currently undergoing local government reorganisation.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the UK Statistics Authority letter, Letter from Penny Young to Cllr Simon Hogg – Council Tax increases, of 23 March 2026, what steps his Department is taking to address misleading local government publicity on changes to the social care precept on council tax.

The government does not comment on individual cases or the work of the UK statistics authority. Councils are responsible for administering council tax in line with the legislation. It is the government’s expectation that the information councils provide is clear and accurate for taxpayers.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Local Outcomes Framework of 9 February 2026, what consideration was given to having metrics on the level of local government (a) taxation and (b) fees and charges.

Metrics on local taxation, fees and charges were not included in the Local outcomes Framework, as these do not relate to outcomes - which are the focus of the Framework. The Local Outcomes Framework enables outcomes-based performance measurement against key national priorities delivered locally and driven by councils as leaders of place. Metrics within the Framework were selected from publicly available data that meets clear quality standards, following engagement with local government and other interested parties.

Communities and Local Government, what the provisional budget is for flexible voting pilots in (a) 2026 and (b) 2027.

The government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors. These pilots are part of the government’s commitment to encourage greater participation in our democracy and to modernise the voting process, this commitment extends to town and parish council elections, such as those being held in North Hertfordshire in May.The government did not receive any requests or expressions of interest that were rejected. Several local authorities expressed interest but did not make a formal application.There have been no prospectus documents, calls for evidence, bidding documents, consultations or pilot invitations published in the last twelve months on matters other than the flexible voting pilots.The flexible voting pilots are being funded by the Department.Regarding the government’s engagement with stakeholders for the flexible voting pilots, I refer the Rt Hon. Member to Question UIN 87029 on 12 November 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets: Ministerial Envoys’ second report, published on 17 March 2026, paragraph 3.3.11, what the evidence basis is in relation to concerns of patronage in relation to (a) recruitment, (b) promotion and (c) performance management under the Mayoral administration.

Concerns regarding the London Borough of Tower Hamlets’ practices, including matters relating to alleged patronage, have been raised over a number of years by a range of stakeholders. The Ministerial Envoys are undertaking a deep dive project as part of the strengthened intervention package to provide assurance in relation to these long-standing concerns.

Communities and Local Government, what the Government’s working estimate is of the number of pub and live music hereditaments that will claim the pub and live music relief.

All 39,000 pubs and live music venues in England will benefit from the relief unless they are already receiving 100% business rates relief. This relief is awarded at the discretion of Local Authorities, who determine eligibility using guidance published by the Government and based on existing definitions. For the purposes of these figures the following Special Category (SCat) codes are assumed to be in scope: 014, 062, 070, 199, 226, 227, and 303. Hereditament counts by SCat are published in Table RVL_4_2 here: Non-domestic rating: change in rateable value of rating lists, England and Wales, 2026 Revaluation (compiled list) - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, whether localities and Parliamentary constituencies not in receipt of Pride of Place funding will receive any financial support from central government for community asset funding and transfers.

The government is committed to supporting and strengthening community asset ownership and transfers. This includes wider reforms such as the new Community Right to Buy, introduced through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, which will apply across England.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2026, to Question 117738, on Planning Permission, whether his Department holds a working list of which councils have Article 4 directions in force, based on the copies that councils are required to send to and notify the department.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 117738 on 13 March 2026.