Written questions by Hayes.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the supply of adapted housing for (a) adults and (b) children with disabilities in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The English Housing Survey includes data on adaptations within the home at a national level. Data is not held at constituency level.The right housing arrangements are crucial in supporting people to live independently and well. The National Planning Policy Framework outlines that it is for local planning authorities to assess the housing needed for different groups in their area, including disabled people, and reflect this in their local plan.Local housing authorities also have a statutory duty to provide Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding for home adaptations to disabled people of all ages and tenures subject to a means test, eligibility criteria and a needs assessment.Government provided funding of £842,476 to South Holland District Council and £1,063,807 to South Kesteven District Council for the DFG for 2024–2025. As announced by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on 3 January 2025, an in-year uplift to the DFG budget, totalling £86 million, will be paid to local authorities as soon as possible. South Holland District Council will receive £115,925 and South Kesteven District Council will receive £146,380 in additional funding.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to (a) protect and (b) enhance green spaces in (i) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (ii) Lincolnshire.

The designation of land as Local Green Space through local and neighbourhood plans allows communities to identify and protect green areas of particular importance to them. Designating land as Local Green Space should be consistent with the local planning of sustainable development and complement investment in sufficient homes, jobs, and other essential services.The National Planning Policy Framework includes strong protections to prevent development on existing open space, including playing fields and formal play spaces, in recognition of its important role in supporting the health and well-being of communities, its wider benefits for nature and efforts to address climate change.The government is committed to creating better access to parks and green spaces for everyone. The MHCLG-owned Green Flag Award scheme sets the national standard for parks and green spaces that are welcoming, safe, well-maintained and promote biodiversity and community participation, promoting best practice across the sector.  We have seen many green spaces across Lincolnshire afforded this prestigious accolade, including Boultham Park, Lincoln Arboretum, Queen Elizabeth Park and Central Park Scunthorpe.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the annual running costs of the New Towns Taskforce.

The New Towns Taskforce is an independent expert advisory panel established in September 2024 to support the government to deliver the next generation of new towns.The Taskforce consists of 10 sector experts in relevant fields such as planning, infrastructure delivery, architecture and urban regeneration. The estimated running costs of the Taskforce, including remuneration, is around £200,000.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the English Devolution White Paper on the delivery of public services in Lincolnshire.

Subject to the relevant Statutory Instrument being made, Greater Lincolnshire will elect a Mayor in May 2025. The Mayor and Combined County Authority will receive the additional funding and powers associated with the Mayoral Strategic Authority level of devolution as set out in the White Paper, including on adult education and employment support, transport, and planning. As previously agreed, they will also receive a mayoral investment fund of £24 million a year for 30 years. Transferring funding and powers from Westminster will give an elected local leader the tools they need to kick start the local economy and improve vital public services across Lincolnshire.The White Paper also announced a programme of local government reorganisation for two-tier areas. Unitarisation can lead to better outcomes for residents, and save significant money which can be reinvested in public services.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the funding gap for district councils in Lincolnshire in the next two years.

The provisional Settlement for 2025-26 makes available £69 billion for local government, which is a 3.5% real terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. The final Settlement will increase further, to incorporate the £515 million of funding announced for National Insurance Contributions.The Department works closely with local government and other government departments to understand specific demand and cost pressures facing local government on an ongoing basis. This involves looking at a range of cost and demand data, as well as regular engagement with local authorities.Future funding for local government and the timings of the Local Government Finance Settlement are bound by the spending review cycle. The government has committed to a multi-year Spending Review in Spring 2025. We are committed to delivering the first multi-year Settlement in 10 years in 2026-27, which will distribute funding based on an updated assessment of need. We are fully consulting with the sector on our funding reform proposals.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an estimate of the cost of creating a unitary authority in Lincolnshire.

There has not been such an estimate made for the cost of creating a unitary authority in Lincolnshire. That will be for councils to consider when developing their proposals for new unitary councils that are the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve ...

Communities and Local Government, how many full-time equivalent diversity, equality and inclusion staff are employed by Homes England.

As of 19 December 2024, no staff within Homes England are employed in full-time equivalent diversity, equality and inclusion roles.

Communities and Local Government, whether (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire will receive funding from the Recovery Grant, announced on 28 November 2024.

The newly announced £600 million Recovery Grant, part of the provisional 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement, is part of the careful balance this Government is making between meeting the current, acute pressures and taking meaningful steps towards...

Communities and Local Government, whether she has had recent discussions with the Migration Advisory Committee on (a) population growth projections and (b) her Department's housebuilding targets.

MHCLG ministers have had no recent discussions with the Migration Advisory Committee about the government’s ambitious milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in England this parliament.

Communities and Local Government, how many full-time equivalent diversity, equality and inclusion staff are employed by HM Land Registry.

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) matters are embedded within the work of the wider HR Strategy and Policy Team (which is 1.5 FTE in total) within HM Land Registry .

Communities and Local Government, how many people are living in emergency accommodation in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

South Holland District council had 21 households in temporary accommodation as of 30 June 2024. The most recent temporary accommodation numbers by local authority are available at Tab TA1 Detailed_LA_202406_fix.xlsx.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to help ensure that district councils receive business rates from (a) all energy infrastructure and (b) sub stations located within their boundaries.

District councils collect and retain a share of Business Rates in their local area where properties are in the local list. Where a property is found to cross local authority boundaries, the Valuation Office Agency follow legislation which stipulates that ...

Communities and Local Government, how much funding has been provided via the Disabled Facilities Grant in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire in the last three years.

South Holland and the Deepings constituency is part of Lincolnshire. Government provided the following Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding to South Holland, South Kesteven (which covers Deeping) and to Lincolnshire for each financial year since 2022-2...

Communities and Local Government, when she plans to make an announcement on the status of applications to the Community Ownership Fund Round 4.

I refer the rt hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 11941 on 8 November 2024.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that elections are accessible to (a) blind and (b) partially sighted people.

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 10319 on 29 October 2024.

Communities and Local Government, what external bodies her Department consulted before calculating revised housing targets.

The government’s proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, including the proposed new standard method for assessing housing needs, were informed by engagement with a wide range of stakeholders from across local government, the planning p...

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of unoccupied shops in town centres in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

This Government is committed to supporting our high-street businesses. At Autumn Budget, the Government announced that it is retaining and reforming the Long-Term Plan for Towns, with Spalding being one of 75 towns to receive up to £20 million in extra su...

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to block applications for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects which include solar photovoltaic panels on grade 1, 2 and 3a farmland.

The government’s ambition is to triple solar capacity by 2030. However, planning policy is clear that where development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be prioritised and there is no intention to r...

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of families living in temporary accommodation in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected.The Government is taking action by setting up a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) which the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) will chair, bringing together minister...

Communities and Local Government, how much funding was provided through the Community Ownership Fund to projects in South Holland and the Deepings constituency in each year since 2019.

The Community Ownership Fund was initially launched in 2021 under the previous government. Across its lifetime It has awarded around £100 million to over 300 projects across every region of the UK. Applications have been assessed by a fair and transparent...