Written questions by Cleverly.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's press notice entitled Mayors and councillors to access LGPS under reforms, published on 13 October 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of those reforms on (a) the London Assembly and (b) Mayor of London.

The consultation launched on 13 October 2025 proposes that mayors and councillors in England should have access to the LGPS, including the Mayor of London and London Assembly Members. The overall cost is projected to increase employer contributions by an estimated £40-45 million per year.

Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to stop councillors in England from being able to be elected to foreign office overseas.

We expect councillors to uphold the Nolan principles, which include selflessness, integrity, objectivity, and accountability, because they are essential for maintaining public confidence in local democracy. The government is clear that any councillor elected by local people to serve their interests must continue to do so as their highest priority.

Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on Local Government Pension Scheme investments in fossil fuels.

Investment strategies for Local Government Pension Scheme funds are set by administering authorities, and must include how social, environmental and corporate governance considerations, such as the environmental impact of fossil fuels, are taken into account. Authorities must have regard to their fiduciary duty to scheme members and employers, must consider factors that are financially material to the performance of their investments when setting their investment strategy, and must follow relevant legislation and guidance.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2025 to Question 84928 on Local Government: Elections, if he will make it his policy to include political parties in the gateway.

I refer the Rt. hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 84928 on 3 November 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the empty homes council tax premium on financial incentives to councils to leave homes empty.

It is the government’s clear expectation that councils will take reasonable steps to bring empty homes in their area back into use. The premium is one of several levers councils have, to encourage owners of empty homes to bring them back into use. As we outlined in the English Devolution White Paper, we intend to strengthen the ability of councils to take over the management of empty homes. Further details will follow in due course.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to require Local Government Pension Scheme investments to not assist breaches of international law.

Local Government Pension Scheme administering authorities set the investment strategies for their funds, and must follow relevant legislation and guidance. Authorities are legally required to comply with UK sanctions, including restrictions on dealings with designated individuals, entities, and countries.

Communities and Local Government, what the forecast cost was of retail, hospitality and leisure business rate relief in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.

The forecast costs of Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief for 2024-25 and 2025-26 is published on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what his planned timetable is for reviewing the legal framework on the protection of open spaces; and whether he plans to publish a (a) call for evidence and (b) consultation on this matter.

Open and green spaces are an essential part of local social infrastructure and must be protected for future generations. The current system of protections for public recreational green space is fractured and complex, and that is why government intend to review to clarify the current protections for public recreational green spaces. We intend to analyse the effectiveness and usability of those protections, to simplify the system, ensure consistency for developers and local authorities and empower communities to protect valued spaces. The government is committed to working at pace on this to ensure clarity is brought to the system. Details of the review will be announced in due course.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the research and analysis entitled Electoral Resilience and Democratic Engagement Programme: Voter identification research, published on 3 November 2025, whether other research has been commissioned but is not published under that programme.

The research was conducted using the same criteria that was previously used for the research and evaluation for the Elections Act 2022. The researchers use industry standard methods which allows for the comparison of data across demographic groups. All research commissioned by the programme is published in line with the Government Social Research Publication Protocol.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 83818 on Flags, which local authorities raised the subject of flags during those meetings.

The subject of flags has been raised by numerous local authorities in a variety of contexts and meetings across England. My department engages with local authorities day in and day out in a variety of different contexts. While discussions on flags have been prominent in many conversations with officials across the department, the information about these conversations is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost of time and resource to the department. My department has signposted councils to existing guidance on flag flying, and has not provided any new guidance or interpretation of the existing guidance.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the research and analysis entitled Electoral Resilience and Democratic Engagement Programme: Voter identification research, published on 3 November 2025, for what research the opinion research was commissioned by gender rather than sex.

The research was conducted using the same criteria that was previously used for the research and evaluation for the Elections Act 2022. The researchers use industry standard methods which allows for the comparison of data across demographic groups. All research commissioned by the programme is published in line with the Government Social Research Publication Protocol.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed business rates retention reset on (a) councils with high business growth and (b) future incentives for high business growth.

The Business Rates Retention System was designed to be “reset” periodically to update the way it redistributes locally retained business rates between local authorities – a core aspect of the system. The reset will fundamentally improve the way we fund local authorities, ensuring funding is targeted where it is needed most, based on an updated assessment of need. As set out in the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation, to smooth the delivery of the reset the government is proposing to offer increased protection to local authorities’ business rates income across the multi-year settlement period – further detail will be set out at the Policy Statement. By fixing these foundations, the sector will be better placed to invest in and drive local growth. Business rates growth that comes on stream after the reset would be retained for the duration of the future reset period, continuing to reward authorities for local business rates growth.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 77630 on Land: Valuation, if he will publish the Valuation Office Agency’s viability study.

The viability study produced by the Valuation Office Agency in October 2024 helped to inform wider analysis and is an internal government document. We have no plans to publish it.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on how breaches of Temporary Stop Notices can be addressed.

Guidance on temporary stop notices can be found in the Enforcement and post-permission matters section of my Department's Planning Practice Guidance on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2025 to Question 78188 on Affordable Housing: Finance, what estimate his Department has made of the 10-year cost of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme in real terms excluding inflation.

At the Spending Review, the government announced £39 billion, in nominal terms, for a new Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36.Economic appraisal for the SAHP business case was carried out following HMT Green Book methodology and used the Green Book discount rate (known as the Social Time Preference Rate) to assess the economic value for money of the programme in present value terms.I otherwise refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 78177 on 3 November 2025 for further details.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 84634 on Personal Care Services: Fraud, what her policy is on the use streamlined compulsory purchase orders to tackle fake barber shops.

It is for local authorities to decide how and when to use their compulsory purchase powers to improve their high streets. Compulsory purchase powers must only be used where negotiations to acquire properties by agreement have failed and there is a compelling case in the public interest.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has issued recent guidance on deemed consent for the flying of the Palestinian flag.

My Department has not issued any recent guidance on deemed consent for the flying of the Palestinian flag. General guidance on the planning rules for flying flags can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what (a) research and (b) data his Department (i) collates and (ii) procures to monitor (A) trends in levels of private sector rent, (B) the number of dwellings for private rent and (C) the number of private sector landlords.

My Department routinely monitors trends across the private rented sector, including levels of rent; the number of dwellings for private rent; and the number of private sector landlords.To do this, we make use of data from existing surveys such as the English Housing Survey, the English Private Landlord Survey, and data from the Office for National Statistics and Hometrack. We have also commissioned Verian to carry out a longitudinal survey of private renters to help baseline and monitor the private rented sector reforms.The government is committed to a robust evaluation of the impact of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. This evaluation will include extensive data collection through interviews, surveys and focus groups and will involve engagement with a range of stakeholders including tenants, landlords, letting agents, third sector organisations, delivery partners, and government officials.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 October 202, to Question 69864 on Private Rented Housing: Licensing, whether landlords in selective licensing areas will be required to (a) make three separate registrations and (b) pay three fees.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 65373 on 14 July 2025.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 84194 on Sites of Special Scientific Interest: Ebbsfleet, when the discussions started; whether Ministers received such representations; and whether the discussions included the Corporation requesting that the Sites of Special Scientific Interest designation was (a) removed or (b) reduced in size.

As the sponsor Department, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has always had regular discussions with Ebbsfleet Development Corporation (EDC) on matters relevant to its core objectives. The EDC has not formally requested a review of the SSSI designation in question but continues to work with Natural England as part of an agreed Memorandum of Understanding to support wider development proposals for Ebbsfleet Central.