Written questions by Cleverly.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the UK anti-corruption strategy 2025, CP 1454, of December 2025, para 88, what is the separate agreement relating to (a) the Code of Conduct and (b) Independent Oversight on local government standards.

The Government published its response to the consultation “Strengthening the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England” in November 2025. The response sets out the Government’s intention to introduce measures including a mandatory Code of Conduct for councillors and strengthened oversight of the local government standards regime.We intend to legislate on local government standards reforms when parliamentary time allows.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2026 to Question 102399 on Local Government: Elections, whether the new unitary councils will be elected (a) in full and (b) by (i) halves and (ii) thirds.

I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 74954 on 15 September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the written statement of 9 February 2026 on Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-27 to 2028-29, whether he has allocated additional funding to MHCLG.

The final 2026-27 to 2028-29 Local Government Finance Settlement confirmed £740 million in new grant funding additional to the provisional Settlement, taking the total new grant funding delivered through the multi-year Settlement to over £4 billion. Local authority funding allocations across the three years can be found here: Core Spending Power table: final local government finance settlement 2026-27 to 2028-29 - GOV.UK.The £740 million of additional funding is comprised of unallocated budgets for the Spending Review period and additional Exchequer funding. The Barnett formula applies to all increases or decreases to UK Government Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL).

Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the administrative cost per year of (a) valuing and (b) collecting the Council Tax surcharge.

The Government has set out, in its guidance, that it will carry out a new burdens assessment to ensure local authorities are fully funded for these costs.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2025 to Question 89939 on Leasehold: Fees and Charges, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to (a) the cap on ground rent calculations for lease extensions and (b) the changes to marriage value provisions for leases with 80 years or less remaining on the market value of leasehold properties (i) with 80 years or less and (ii) between 80 and 100 years on the lease.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 75605 on 16 September 2025.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of local government reorganisation on the (a) services provided by, (b) responsibilities of and (c) parish precepts for council tax in (i) new and (ii) existing town and parish councils.

Town and parish councils are not in scope for local government reorganisation and will continue to operate as they do now.  The power to create and restructure town and parish councils is devolved to principal local authorities, which can review and make changes to local governance arrangements through Community Governance Reviews. In doing so, they are expected to take the views of local people into account. The Government expects town and parish councils – including new councils – to carefully consider the burden placed on taxpayers when setting their precepts. Areas considering the establishment of new town and parish councils should also think carefully about how these might be funded to avoid putting further pressure on local authority finances and/or new burdens on the taxpayer.

Communities and Local Government, what the status is of each locality within the Devolution Priority Programme.

Government will establish Mayoral Strategic Authorities in the Devolution Priority Programme areas as quickly as possible following the consent of the constituent councils. The Combined Authorities for Cumbria and Cheshire & Warrington were established on 24 February. Legislation establishing a Sussex and Brighton strategic authority has been laid before Parliament. We are firmly committed to delivering mayoral devolution as quickly as possible in the other three Devolution Priority Programme areas: Hampshire and the Solent; Norfolk and Suffolk and Greater Essex. We will continue to work closely with all Devolution Priority Programme areas.

Communities and Local Government, what the planning use class is of a data centre; and whether change of use planning permission is required for an office to become a data centre.

What use class any given proposal for a data centre will fall into will depend on the individual circumstances of the case.An application for planning permission will generally be needed in order to change use of an office to a data centre.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to (a) update the Index of Dissimilarity and (b) produce other indicators of residential segregation.

We do not have plans to update the Index the Dissimilarity or, to produce other indicators of residential segregation.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance he has issued to local authorities on access to empty homes council tax data held by local billing authorities.

The government expects precepting and billing authorities to work constructively and share data where this is appropriate. The government has not issued guidance to local authorities on accessing this information.

Communities and Local Government, what his Department supports the changes to council tax practiced exemptions proposed through the Property (Registration and Valuation) Bill.

The government will respond to this Private Members Bill in the usual way.

Communities and Local Government, whether any council elections will be (a) delayed and (b) cancelled in May 2027.

The Government remains committed to the indicative timetable for local government reorganisation set out in July, with elections to the new councils scheduled for May 2027.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) the GLA levy and (b) higher Rateable Values from the 2026 revaluation on the business rate bills of pubs in London.

I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 111143 on 12 February 2026. Pubs in the Greater London Authority area seeing significant changes in their business rates bill as a result of the revaluation will receive support through the £4.3 billion business rates package announced at the Budget. They will also be eligible to receive the 15% Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief in 2026/27 if they meet the eligibility criteria. Further information on this relief can be found here.

Communities and Local Government, if he will commission an assessment of the impact of council tax levels on the cost of living for average households.

I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to my answer provided on 11 February to Question UIN 110405. Final council tax referendum principles were published as part of the final settlement and are available here.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2026 to Questions 107021 on Housing: Asylum, if he will publish any prospectus and bidding document given to local authorities in relation to the new asylum accommodation programmes and associated pilots.

Details of the MHCLG asylum accommodation programme have not yet been finalised and no prospectus has been provided to local authorities. The MHCLG fund is distinct from Home Office-led reforms to the asylum estate.

Communities and Local Government, whether the council tax referendum policy decision for the six councils with no thresholds was subject to an equality impact assessment.

We have considered the equalities impacts of the proposals and decisions in the multi-year Settlement across the period 2026-27 to 2028-29, including the council tax referendum policy decision for the six councils with no thresholds. Councils are responsible for deciding the level of their council tax and considering the inequalities impacts that may arise, including from additional flexibilities in referendum policy. Council tax increases may enable local authorities to provide better services, but may have a negative impact on any taxpayer struggling to pay their bill. Councils have tools to mitigate the impact, including in relation to equalities, for example, through a council tax support scheme.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of trends in the number of local authorities hiring public affairs consultants for lobbying.

Section 26 of the Recommended Code of Practice for Local Authority Publicity (‘the Publicity Code’) states that Local authorities should not incur any expenditure in retaining the services of lobbyists for the purpose of the publication of any material designed to influence public officials, Members of Parliament, political parties or the Government to take a particular view on any issue.Local authorities are required to have regard to the Publicity Code in coming to any decision on publicity, with is defined as any communication, in whatever form, address to the public or a section of the public.

Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of gross business rate receipts in England in (a) 2024-25, (b) 2025-26, (c) 2026-27, (d) 2027-28 and (e) 2028-29.

The Department collects estimated business rates receipts data annually from local authorities, the most recent data available is for 2024-25, 2025-26 and 2026-27 and is available here. Estimates of business rates receipts data for 2027-28 and 2028-29 have not been collected at this time. For the purpose of the Settlement, the government estimates the amount of an individual local authority’s Settlement allocation provided through the local share of business rates income. This is known as a Baseline Funding Level (BFL) which is the amount of funding that the Government determines that a local authority needs from business rates to deliver local services. The BFLs form part of Core Spending Power, core revenue funding available for local authority services through the local government finance settlement. In 2027-28 and 2028-29, BFLs will increase in line with an annual inflation measurement to reflect the annual uprating of business rates multipliers. An assumption of this was made in the multi-year Settlement to reflect this and published here.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an estimate of changes in the number of postal votes under the new expiry rules.

Information relating to postal vote applications is held by independent Electoral Registration Officers rather than the UK Government and so it is not possible to provide more information about the number of postal vote applications that were not renewed during any period. The department does not actively track trends in the level of postal vote renewals, or the number and proportion of postal vote applications that were renewed, over any period.The Government will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and with local authorities to support independent Electoral Registration Officers with postal vote application activities.

Communities and Local Government, whether pubs with hotel rooms, VOA SCAT Code 227, are eligible for the new pub rate relief.

Local authorities are responsible for the administration of business rates, including decisions on the awarding of various reliefs. Guidance for local authorities on the administration of the pubs and live music venues relief 2026 to 2027 was published on 18 February 2026 and can be found here. It is for local authorities to determine whether individual properties meet the definitions contained within the guidance to be eligible for the Pubs and Live Music Venues relief.