Written questions by Badenoch.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the written ministerial statement of 30 July 2024 entitled Building the homes we need, HCWS48, what changes have been made to the (a) estimated number of new affordable units, (b) the tenure, and (c) completion dates, relative to the original targets for the 2021-26 Affordable Housing Programme in London.

In 2020, the previous government announced that the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme would achieve “up to 180,000 homes, should economic conditions allow”. Upon taking office, this Government discovered than the 2021-26 AHP is now expected to deliver between 110,000 and 130,000 affordable homes, broken down as follows:a. At least 40,000 social rent homesb. 44,000 – 56,000 affordable homes for ownershipc. 5% of delivery for supported housingd. 5% – 10% of Homes England delivery for rural housingIn July, we announced a year’s extension to the completions deadline of homes built in London through the programme, from March 2029 to March 2030.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of simplifying the process for creating new Combined County Authorities.

We are committed to ensuring that every part of England can rapidly benefit from devolution, moving power out of Westminster back to those who know their areas best. The English Devolution Bill will establish a more ambitious standardised framework and make it easier to provide devolved powers quickly to more areas through establishing a simpler process for creating new Combined and Combined County Authorities.Ahead of this we invite councils wishing to explore enhanced devolution to their areas to engage with the department.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her department is taking to help reduce cases of anti-Semitism.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 1927 on 6 August 2024.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to help ensure Jewish communities feel safe.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 1927 on 6 August 2024.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure local planning authorities without an up to date local plan get their plans up to date.

This Government has inherited a planning system in which only 31% of local planning authorities have adopted plans in the last five years. We are determined to drive local plans to adoption as quickly as possible, to progress towards our ambition of achieving universal plan coverage and ensure plans contribute positively to our ambition of delivering 1.5 million homes. The Planning Inspectorate monitors the progress of local plans and publishes a list of the overall position for each local planning authority. The list of local plans can be found at the following link. The Government has set out changes to how we plan for the homes we need as part of the consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, launched on 30 July. Funding will be made available to support authorities at advanced stages of plan-making required to undertake additional work to take account of the updated NPPF once this is published.

Communities and Local Government, if she will publish a list of local planning authorities which (a) have and (b) do not have up to date local plans.

This Government has inherited a planning system in which only 31% of local planning authorities have adopted plans in the last five years. We are determined to drive local plans to adoption as quickly as possible, to progress towards our ambition of achieving universal plan coverage and ensure plans contribute positively to our ambition of delivering 1.5 million homes. The Planning Inspectorate monitors the progress of local plans and publishes a list of the overall position for each local planning authority. The list of local plans can be found at the following link. The Government has set out changes to how we plan for the homes we need as part of the consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, launched on 30 July. Funding will be made available to support authorities at advanced stages of plan-making required to undertake additional work to take account of the updated NPPF once this is published.

Communities and Local Government, whether she took account of net migration in setting the target for new homes in this Parliament.

Immigration is one of a number of factors that impacts assessments of housing demand and future housing supply. The Government's commitment to build 1.5 million homes over the course of the Parliament is intended to provide the homes the country needs.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to tackle extremism.

Countering extremism in all its forms is important for preserving our democratic values and protecting our society and communities. It is a cross-government endeavour and MHCLG will continue tackle the harms it causes to individuals and in communities.As we saw following the violent incidents in Southport on July 29, extremism poses a threat to community integration and safety. We have been clear that criminal behaviour masked as protest will not be tolerated. Comprehensive multi-agency support is being coordinated for affected families in Southport, focusing on long-term recovery and community cohesion.The Home Secretary has commissioned a rapid review of extremism policy to understand the threat of extremism and the response required, with a pledge to take urgent action to address any issues.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to tackle islamophobia.

Islamophobia, and all forms of religious and racial hatred, have absolutely no place in our society. No one should be targeted because of the colour of their skin, or their faith. This Government is clear that perpetrators of such hate crimes will face the full force of the law.Sadly, we have seen how Muslim communities and other minorities have been targeted in the deplorable acts of violence following the recent tragic events in Southport. This Government will make sure that criminals intent on causing violence and unrest on our streets will be stopped in their tracks and brought to justice thanks to the new National Violent Disorder Programme. We are also providing rapid additional support to mosques through the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme to protect Muslim communities, which comes on top of the £29.4 million already made available to fund security at mosques and Muslim faith schools this year.British Muslims are a crucial part of Britain’s history and British life today. This Government will not tolerate Islamophobia in any form and has committed to a more cohesive and integrated approach to ensure that all forms of hatred are stamped out of our communities.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department takes to help ensure that new homes are in keeping with existing communities.

A clear framework exists through policy and guidance to support local planning authorities deliver well-designed places and to enable them to work together with the communities they serve to ensure the development of new homes responds to the positive or distinctive characteristics of an area.

Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to review local planning authorities that are in special measures.

The Secretary of State will aim to decide whether any designations should be lifted, usually in the first quarter of each calendar year. Exceptionally, de-designations may be made at other times.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to help ensure landlords do not leave the rental market.

The Government values the contribution made by responsible landlords who provide quality homes to their tenants and believes they must enjoy robust grounds for possession where there is good reason to take their property back.However, we are determined to level decisively the playing field between landlords and private tenants by providing the latter with greater security, rights and protections and cracking down on the minority of unscrupulous landlords who exploit, mistreat or discriminate against renters.We do not expect our forthcoming Renters’ Rights Bill to have a destabilising effect on the rental market and will continue to work with good landlords and their representative associations throughout implementation.

Communities and Local Government, which religious leaders she has met as Secretary of State.

The Deputy Prime Minister has held introductory meetings with the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Rev and Rt Hon Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, and the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Sir Ephraim Mirvis KBE.The Faith Minister, Lord Khan, chaired a roundtable with Muslim leaders on 8 August, and held a roundtable with interfaith practitioners on 9 August. He has met faith and community leaders following his visit to Southport and the North East on 21 August. Lord Khan has also met Pope Francis as part of an official visit to the Holy See. Visits to places of worship to meet the country’s faith communities will be carried out over the coming months.On 10 September, Lord Khan chaired an introductory roundtable event with key faith and belief stakeholders to mark his appointment as Minister for Faith. The meeting was opened by the Deputy Prime Minister. The roundtable was attended by representatives from the following faiths and beliefs; Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, the Baháʼí Faith and Humanism. The Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Faith, Communities and Resettlement are committed to continuing to engage with Faith and Belief groups and will continue to do so.

Communities and Local Government, how many submitted planning permission applications are unable to progress due to nutrient neutrality rules.

The department does not hold data on the specific number of planning permissions that are unable to progress due to nutrient neutrality rules. 7.9% of new addresses created in England from 2015/16 to 2018/19 were created in areas affected by nutrient neutrality. This represents an expected additional housing supply of 16,500 dwellings per year.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to amend nutrient neutrality rules.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 556 on 26 July 2024.

Communities and Local Government, when she plans to appoint a chair of Oflog.

The Government is clear that local government is key to delivering our five national missions and it will work in partnership with the sector.The Government is considering how best to work with local government to provide assurance and ensure accountability to the public, through the department and its agencies.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to cap council tax rises.

Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement in which we are engaged.

Communities and Local Government, whether money allocated through the Levelling Up Fund will be given to local authorities to spend.

This Government was elected on a manifesto that stressed a partnership approach with local authorities and an intention to stabilise the funding system, moving away from wasteful competition. Projects continue to receive funding where agreements are in place. Local places will rightly be seeking clarity on previous commitments of funding. The Government is giving full consideration to this matter, including the hard work undertaken on projects to date, and will continue to work with local authorities on projects in their area.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the report by the National Audit Office entitled The effectiveness of government in tackling homelessness, published on 23 July 2024, HC 119, if she will accept the recommendation of that report to establish a cross-government strategy on homelessness.

Homelessness levels are far too high. We will take the action needed to tackle this issue and develop a long-term, cross-government strategy working with Mayors and Councils to put us back on track to ending homelessness for good. We welcome the NAO’s report which shines a light on this important issue and will consider their recommendations as we develop our strategy.We will deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and deliver 1.5 million new homes over the next Parliament. I refer the Rt Hon Member to the written statement made on 30 July 2024 (HCWS48), setting out our first steps on how we achieve this.

Communities and Local Government, what plans she has for new efficiency savings in (a) her Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies.

The government is taking action to make efficiency savings across back-office functions and communications and stopping non-essential spending on consultants. Further details are set out in Fixing the foundations: public spending audit 2024-25.