Written questions by Badenoch.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on (a) producing and (b) updating productivity plans since 4 July 2024.

I wrote to all councils on 13 September to thank them for producing a plan and detail the rich evidence base they have given us. I proposed that we work together to build on the work to get more out of existing resources. I was also clear that I am not interested in micromanaging councils, but helping the sector improve efficiency even further, including reducing the barriers to change.

Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the papers produced for her meeting with local authorities to discuss housing reforms in August 2024.

It is not standard practice to publish the papers for this kind of confidential meeting.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2024 to Question 5232, what (a) council and (b) mayoral elections are (i) scheduled and (ii) expected, subject to the passage of secondary legislation, to take place in May (A) 2025 and (B) 2026.

The department publishes our understanding of the years in which each council’s elections will be held. That list can be found here.In accordance with legislation, councils are required to post notice of any election or by-election taking place which they administer, and this can be found on council websites.

Communities and Local Government, which measures in the Electoral Integrity Programme have been implemented; and what her planned timetable is for implementing the remaining the measures.

All the measures pertaining to the Electoral Integrity Programme, stemming from the Elections Act 2022, have now been implemented. This is with exception of the measures regarding the franchise for European citizens, which are in progress and are due to have completed implementation by February 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her policy on lowering the voting age to 16 and to the Answer of 2 August 2024 to Question HL382 on Caffeine: Children, what steps she plans to take to help support 16 year-olds to verify their identity at polling stations.

The Government is committed to carefully and thoroughly reviewing the voter identification rules and evaluating how they impacted citizens during the General Election. Work is already underway on this evaluation and will include consideration of how 16 and 17 year olds will be able to verify their identification at polling stations in line with plans to extend the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the level of intimidation experienced by candidates during the general election in 2024.

Intimidation and abuse of those participating in public life has no place in our society and cannot be tolerated.The Deputy Prime Minister and Home Secretary have already hosted a roundtable to discuss the unacceptable intimidation and abuse directed towards candidates and campaigners during the recent General Election.There is work going on across Government to understand what happened and why, and what more we can do to prevent this type of behaviour from taking place.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to hold discussions with (a) the Parliamentary Parties Panel and (b) electoral administrators on electoral law.

Alongside work to deliver on our manifesto commitments, the Government is considering a range of policies and approaches to tackle the challenges in the current systems for electoral registration and conduct. We will continue to work in partnership with key stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission and electoral administrators, to help ensure that any proposed changes address the priorities of the sector. Ministerial meetings with partners in the electoral sector are already taking place.

Communities and Local Government, if she will publish a (a) regulatory impact assessment, (b) equality impact assessment, (c) family test assessment and (d) environmental principles assessment for the Renters’ Rights Bill.

The Government submitted the Impact Assessment for the Renters’ Rights Bill on 16 September 2024 to the Regulatory Policy Committee. The Government will publish the impact assessment in due course. In line with usual practice, the Government will always consider the impact of any policies when taking the legislation through Parliament.

Communities and Local Government, how frequently she meets directors-general within her Department to discuss progress.

The Deputy Prime Minister has regular discussions with director generals in the department. As has been the case under successive administrations, details of internal discussion are not normally disclosed.

Communities and Local Government, whether she is a member of the National Security Council.

Details of Cabinet Committees and their membership are published on gov.uk at the following link.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 September 2024 to Question 3903 on Political Parties: Finance, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of political parties on the development of this policy.

As set out in our manifesto, the Government intends to strengthen the rules around donations to political parties to protect our democracy. The policy development work to give effect to this commitment is ongoing, and we will engage with key stakeholders over the course of this work.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the guidance entitled Flying flags: a plain English guide, published on 20 July 2024, which flags related to sexual orientation and gender identity have deemed consent.

Flag advertisements which benefit from deemed consent are set out in Class 7 of Schedule 3 to The Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisement) (England) Regulations 2007.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 September 2024 to Question 3903 on Political Parties: Finance, what her policy is on (a) the regulation of and (b) reporting thresholds for donations to unincorporated donations.

As set out in our manifesto, the Government intends to strengthen the rules around donations to political parties to protect our democracy. The policy development work to give effect to this commitment is ongoing, and we will engage with key stakeholders over the course of this work.

Communities and Local Government, whether she made an assessment of the potential merits of publishing a regulatory impact assessment of the Renters’ Rights Bill.

The Government submitted the Impact Assessment for the Renters’ Rights Bill on 16 September 2024 to the Regulatory Policy Committee. The Government will publish the impact assessment in due course. In line with usual practice, the Government will always consider the impact of any policies when taking the legislation through Parliament.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of requiring landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their properties to a EPC C rating by 2030 on the finances of (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations.

The Government is committed to working with social housing providers to ensure that homes are safe, decent, warm and free from damp and mould. We have committed to bringing forward the regulations necessary to introduce Awaab’s Law in the Social Rented Sector this Autumn, and to consulting on and implementing a new Decent Homes Standard and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards. We will set out the costs and impacts of the relevant requirements alongside each consultation.The Government’s Warm Homes Plan offers grants and low interest loans which support investment in insulation, low carbon heating and other improvements. Social landlords are responsible for improvements to their properties to ensure they meet the required standards.As we set out in July, details of future government investment in social and affordable housing will be brought forwards at the Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, what the net increase in the number of dwellings in 2023-24 in England was in (a) the Valuation Office Agency's dwelling list and (b) dwellings registered with an Energy Performance Certificate.

The Valuation Office Agency publishes official statistics on the number of domestic properties in the Council Tax list on GOV.UK. The latest publication is available under ‘Council Tax Stock of properties: Summary tables, 2024’.In England, there were 25,353,530 domestic properties in the Council Tax list in 2023, compared with 25,571,400 in 2024. This is a difference of 217,870, which is made up of 264,330 properties being added to the Council Tax list and 46,460 properties being deleted from the list.The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government publishes full statistics for EPCs produced in England every quarter since 2009. In 2023/24 1,579,865 new EPCs were produced for dwellings. Records are not maintained for the net change in dwellings with EPCs.

Communities and Local Government, what the total (a) funding under the Build to Rent Fund and (b) finance supported from the Private Rented Sector Housing Debt Guarantee Scheme was; and what estimate she has made of the number of additional dwellings supported by these schemes.

The Build to Rent Fund provided over £606 million in debt financing to support the construction of 6,262 homes. The Fund closed in 2016, and all loans have now been repaid. The Private Rented Sector Guarantee Scheme has thus far supported the delivery of 7,660 Build to Rent homes, utilising c£1.5 billon of guarantees capacity.We recognise that the Build to Rent sector plays an important role in driving up quality and delivering additional homes in the Private Rented Sector. We continue to offer support to new schemes alongside institutional investors and operators via the Levelling Up Home Building Fund.

Communities and Local Government, what her planned timetable is for the commencement of the Renters’ Rights Bill and the passage of associated secondary legislation, including any planned differences for the application of (a) new and (b) existing tenancies.

Following Royal Assent of the Renters’ Rights Bill, the Government will implement the new system as soon as possible. The abolition of section 21 and the introduction of the new tenancy system will be applied to new and existing tenancies simultaneously. This approach will support tenants, landlords and agents to adjust to and understand the new rules, while making sure that tenants can benefit from the new system quickly. We will provide more details about our implementation plans and timetables during the passage of the Bill.

Communities and Local Government, what the estimated cost to (a) councils and (b) housing associations is of requiring all social housing to be EPC 'C' compliant by 2030; and what (i) funding and (ii) loans her Department plans to provide to these organisations.

The Government is committed to working with social housing providers to ensure that homes are safe, decent, warm and free from damp and mould. We have committed to bringing forward the regulations necessary to introduce Awaab’s Law in the Social Rented Sector this Autumn, and to consulting on and implementing a new Decent Homes Standard and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards. We will set out the costs and impacts of the relevant requirements alongside each consultation.The Government’s Warm Homes Plan offers grants and low interest loans which support investment in insulation, low carbon heating and other improvements. Social landlords are responsible for improvements to their properties to ensure they meet the required standards.As we set out in July, details of future government investment in social and affordable housing will be brought forwards at the Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to Written Ministerial Statement of 30 July 2024 on Building the Homes We Need, HCWS48, what steps she plans to take to provide new build affordable housing through social rent; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a rise in the number of social rent homes on the availability of affordable housing.

Between 2013 and 2023, the number of Social Rent homes owned by registered providers of social housing fell by over 205,000. The Government’s aspiration is to ensure that, in the first full financial year of this Parliament (2025-26), the number of Social Rent homes is rising rather than falling. We have therefore asked Homes England and the Greater London Authority to maximise the number of Social Rent homes in allocating the remaining Affordable Homes Programme funding.My department published an update on targets in the 2021-26 Programme on 30 July 2024. We have also proposed a number of changes to national planning policy that are designed to support the delivery of Social Rent homes. We will bring forward details of future Government investment in social and affordable housing at the Spending Review.