Written questions by Cleverly.

Communities and Local Government, what proportion of any increase in business rate receipts will be retained by local authorities.

The business rates retention system was set up in 2013-14 and enables local authorities to retain a proportion of the increase in business rates income – or growth – in their local areas, above a baseline set according to individual level of need, on implementation. For most local authorities, the proportion they retain is 50% across the local area, subject to a levy on that growth. Some authorities have arrangements meaning they retain a higher proportion of growth of up to 100%, and may pay no levy on this amount. In 2026-27, the system was reset, meaning growth is redistributed between local authorities in line with need, as part of the Fair Funding Review 2.0, delivered through the local government finance settlement. From 2026-27, local authorities will continue to retain their proportion of new growth above their new baseline funding need, subject to a levy. I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 107993 on 28 January 2026, and to Question UIN 113106 on 26 February 2026 on the specific interaction of business rates tax changes (the 2026 Revaluation, and the introduction of additional multipliers from 2026-27) on local authority income.

Communities and Local Government, whether Birmingham City Council receives Pride in Place funding.

The Government’s Pride in Place Programme will provide up to £5.8 billion over 10 years to 284 places, with each receiving up to £20 million in funding and support. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities.Eight neighbourhoods within Birmingham City Council’s area have been selected under Phase 2 of the Pride in Place Programme, each receiving up to £20 million over 10 years. The neighbourhoods are Hawkesley, Druids Heath, Glebe Farm, Kingstanding South East, Woodgate, Sparkbrook North, Fox Hollies and Nechells. In each area, a Neighbourhood Board made up of local residents will determine how this funding is spent, working with the local MP and Birmingham City Council to agree a Pride in Place Plan that reflects local priorities. Birmingham City Council will act as the accountable body for the funding.Birmingham City Council has also been awarded £1.5 million through the Pride in Place Impact Fund over two years. In total, the Government has announced up to £161.5 million funding for Birmingham through the Pride in Place Programme and the Pride in Place Impact Fund. This investment will help build stronger communities, create thriving places, and enable residents to take back control of their neighbourhoods. Funding will support locally led Pride in Place plans shaped around local priorities, with each area guided by a Neighbourhood Board representing the local community to ensure that investment reflects local needs and ambitions. The Pride in Place Impact Fund will provide more immediate support over the next two years, helping to revitalise high streets and community spaces while visible improvements are delivered on the ground.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2026 to Question 108227 on Combined Authorities: Surrey, whether other strategic authorities will be given the transport and adult skill functions held by county councils; and whether its role will include adult social care.

The English Devolution framework and legislation set out the powers and functions to be held by strategic authorities. Where they exist, strategic authorities become the Local Transport Authority and exercise some public transport functions, including bus franchising and responsibility for developing and implementing an area-wide Local Transport Plan. Local Authorities remain the Highways Authority for their areas. Strategic authorities are also responsible for the core Adult Skills Fund. When a new strategic authority is created, they will be conferred with the relevant functions and funding. In some cases there is a transition period where functions are held concurrently between the SA and LAs for a period. The devolution framework does not confer any social care powers on strategic authorities. Local authorities will retain responsibility for social care provision and the changes brought about by the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill will not alter this in any way.

Communities and Local Government, what business rate reliefs and multipliers apply to pubs in the City of London from 2026-27.

From April 2026, the government is introducing two lower business rates multipliers for qualifying Retail, Hospitality and Leisure properties (including pubs) with rateable values below £500,000. As a Special Authority, the City of London is able to levy an additional premium on top of the national multipliers. It is for the City of London to determine the additional levy. In addition, the Greater London Authority is levying a business rate supplement of £0.02 on all properties with a rateable value of more than £92,000 from 1 April 2026, in relation to its contribution to the Crossrail project. More information on this and the city premium can be found on here: How your bill is calculated - City of London. Pubs in the City of London will 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: Business rates: Pubs and live music venues relief - GOV.UK Pubs in the City of London may also be eligible for other reliefs. Further information on business rates reliefs can be found on GOV.UK - Business rates relief: Types of business rates relief - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the written statement of 9 February 2026 on Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-27 to 2028-29, what the profile is of the additional £740 million in grant funding over each year of the settlement; whether the funding has come from (a) unallocated budgets for the Spending Review period, (b) a reduction in other funding programmes and (c) additional Exchequer funding; and whether there will be Barnett consequentials.

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, how much business rates revenue is placed into business rates pools in (a) 2024-25, (b) 2025-26 and (c) 2026-27.

As part of the Business Rates Retention scheme, local authorities can formally seek designation as a pool. Business rates revenue is not placed separately for these authorities, rather they are treated as a single body with the Business Rates Retention system. This allows sharing of risk and reward across a group of local authorities. In 2024-25, there were 24 pools composed of 183 authorities. In 2025-26, there were 25 pools composed of 188 authorities. No pools have been designated for 2026-27. National Non-Domestic Rating income for each authority in England, including those in business rates pools, is published here. Key information tables are also available for 2024-25 and 2025-26, setting out details on adjustments in the Business Rates Retention system for each pool.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 11 February 2026 to Question 111126 on Licensing Premises: Business Rates, whether there is a statutory basis for the application of the pubs and live music rate relief.

The 2026/27 Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief is administered by local authorities using the powers they have to provide discretionary rate relief under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. As set out in the local authority guidance published on 18 February 2026, the government will fully reimburse billing authorities and major precepting authorities for their loss of income under the business rates retention scheme as a result of awarding the relief.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 11 February 2026 to Question 111141 on Local Government Finance, whether any of the £200 million of funding in 2026-28 has been re-allocated to other programmes.

I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 4 December 2025 (HCWS1128), which confirmed that the 6 areas on the Devolution Priority Programme would each receive a proportion of their investment fund to ensure they can start delivering on key local priorities and deliver the benefits of devolution on the ground ahead of the mayors taking office. As a result - and per the standard procedures for government Departments - the remaining funding will be re-allocated, in this case for other local growth priorities.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of unitary local government restructuring in Surrey on the (a) number of town and parish councils and (b) band D parish precept charged by those 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 recent representations his Department has received on the compatibility of leasehold and commonhold reform with the European Convention of Human Rights.

My Department has received representations from a range of external stakeholders regarding the government’s leasehold and commonhold reform agenda. These have included representations regarding property rights.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2026 to Question 103895 on Local Government: Working Hours, if he will publish that letter.

I will deposit the letter in the House of Commons Library shortly.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2026 to Question 109273 on Licensed Premises: Business Rates, what estimate he has made of the cost of the compensation in 2026-27; and whether it will be allocated as part of the final Local Government Finance Settlement.

The department will publish the cost of compensating local authorities for the relief as part of the 2026-27 NNDR3 outturn data reconciliation, following the end of the 2026-27 financial year. Local authorities will be fully compensated for the loss of income associated with granting the pubs and live music venues relief they award against the main business rates liability. The Greater London Authority is not reimbursed for the lost revenue arising from government funded discretionary reliefs awarded under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, such as the 15% Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief, when this relief is applied to a Business Rates Supplement (BRS). While these reliefs are applied on a parallel basis to reliefs on Non-Domestic Rates, the Greater London Authority bears the entire cost in respect of the resulting reduction in BRS revenues. Business Improvement District (BID) levies are established under separate legislation from the business rates system and are payable in addition to non-domestic rates. Business rates reliefs granted under section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, such as the Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief, apply only to a ratepayer’s liability for non-domestic rates and do not apply to BID levies. These reliefs therefore reduce a ratepayer’s liability to non-domestic rates only. Individual BIDs may allow for a reduction in a levy in line with their own schemes but this is a matter for individual BIDs to determine. Where a billing authority grants discretionary business rates reliefs (including reliefs under section 47 of the 1988 Act), the authority is compensated for the resulting loss of non-domestic rates income via grant paid under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003. This compensation relates solely to reductions in non-domestic rates liability and does not extend to BID levies. Accordingly, there is no provision for central reimbursement in respect of BID levy amounts.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the performance of the Planning Inspectorate against its targets on planning decisions.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 112059 on 24 February 2026.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his letter to council leaders and others of 16 February 2026 on postponement of local elections in England in May 2026, for what reason the decision was made by the Housing Minister.

As set out in the Government’s communication to the Court and the Secretary of State’s correspondence to the Rt. Hon. Member of 23 February, in order to ensure that the position was reconsidered afresh, and recognising the urgency created by the electoral timetable, the Minister of State for Housing and Planning was invited to review the matter.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2026 to Question 109630 on Council tax: Valuation, what the completion date is for the Council tax valuation operating system; and whether it will be used to assist the (a) council tax revaluation in Wales and (b) council tax surcharge in England.

The Valuation Operating System for Council Tax was launched in 2025 and supports all Council Tax work in England and Wales, including the High Value Council Tax Surcharge

Communities and Local Government, what requirements does Pride of Place funding have to be spent on (a) capital and (b) revenue in (i) England and (ii) each other constituent nation; and whether this differs from Levelling Up Funding.

The government’s Pride in Place Programme will provide up to £5.8 billion of funding and support over 10 years to up to 284 places. Each community will receive up to £20 million over that period. For Phase 1 places, funding is split 75% capital and 25% revenue. For Phase 2 places, funding is split 63% capital and 37% revenue, paid to respective local authorities in line with the published funding profiles. The capital and revenue splits and funding requirements apply equally to all places selected to receive funding under the programme, in all parts of the UK. The Levelling Up Fund was predominantly capital-focused and did not include a defined revenue allocation for capacity building and engagement.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2026 to Question 108217 on Independent Review into Civil Unrest in Leicester, if he will publish the report.

I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 87636 on 11 November 2025.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to commission a review into the secrecy of the ballot in the Gorton and Denton Parliamentary by-election.

I understand that allegations of a breach of the secret ballot have been reported to the Greater Manchester Police, and they are investigating the matter. The Electoral Commission and the Returning Officer are in contact with them and are providing assistance. While the vast majority of people vote lawfully, any instance of coercion into revealing the nature of somebody’s ballot is unacceptable and undermines confidence in our democratic process. We will continue to work with electoral administrators and the Electoral Commission to ensure that that our polls are run smoothly, fairly, and securely. We will also continue to work with the Commission and Crimestoppers on the annual ‘Your Vote is Yours Alone’ campaign, which raises awareness amongst the electorate of the risks of voter fraud, and how to recognise and tackle it.

How much funding his Department plans to provide to the Local Government Association to help support disabled people hold office in local government in (a) 2024-25, (b) 2025-26 and (c) 2026-27.

It is this government’s ambition to see more disabled people in public office. We have been clear that we will champion disabled people’s rights and work closely with them so that disabled people’s views and voices are at the heart of decision-making.A new fund is currently being developed to assist with the additional disability-related costs of contesting elected office. More information about the fund will be announced in due course.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2026 to Question 102774 on Islamophobia, if he will list the dates of meetings with the relevant stakeholders; and whether those meetings were with (a) officials and (b) Ministers.

As is standard practice in government policy making, officials undertook some limited and focused informal engagement with relevant stakeholders.