Written questions by Hollinrake.

Communities and Local Government, what plans the Valuation Tribunal Service has to update the Council Tax Manual.

The last published update for the Valuation Tribunal Service (VTS) Council Tax Manual was August 2023. This document can be accessed through the VTS website here. A further update is near completion and will be published in July 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to Annex 11 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill: Impact assessment, published in May 2025, what statistics will be collated on the unit planning fee charges for different types of application charged by local authorities under the localised regime.

In order to inform a national default fee schedule, the government will consult and undertake a national benchmarking exercise. We will also publish guidance on the costs that may be considered when calculating planning fees.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to Annex 11 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill: Impact assessment, published in May 2025, what estimate her Department has made of the change in (a) prior approval and (b) householder planning fees under the localised regime.

In order to inform a national default fee schedule, the government will consult and undertake a national benchmarking exercise. We will also publish guidance on the costs that may be considered when calculating planning fees.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has undertaken research into the causes of (a) vacant and (b) long-term vacant dwellings; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to council tax (i) discounts and (ii) premiums on the reporting of such dwellings.

There are a range of reasons for why a property may be vacant for a period of time and the Government wants to see more empty homes brought back into use. Councils have the discretionary power to charge a council tax premium on second homes and long-term empty homes. However, this government has introduced exceptions to those premiums, in line with the consultation response published by the previous administration, to reflect individual circumstances.The government does not make any reporting assessments based on the premium

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Deputy Prime Minister's speech at UK Real Estate and Infrastructure Forum, on 20 May 2025, what steps her Department plans to take to move Homes England to a more regionalised model.

As set out in my letter to Homes England’s Chair on 30 September 2024, which can be found on gov.uk here, Homes England is currently working with my Department to progress the rapid implementation of a new Target Operating Model to ensure Homes England has a sustainable, regional and place-based operating model to reflect the shifting focus to delivering successful placemaking and align with our wider devolution agenda.Further detail on Homes England's approach to regional working will be set out in a revised Strategic Plan which will be published later this year.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the report entitled Securing the ballot: Report of Sir Eric Pickles’ review into electoral fraud, published in August 2016, if she will take steps to implement Recommendation 50.

The previous Government responded to this review’s recommendations in December 2016. Statutory overview and scrutiny guidance was updated in April 2024 to take account of deeper devolution to mayoral combined authorities and the creation of combined county authorities.

Communities and Local Government, whether (a) her Department and (b) the Planning Inspectorate has issued guidance on the definition of readily accessible under Schedule 1, Class A, of The Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007.

We have not issued any guidance on the definition of readily accessible under Schedule 1, Class A, of The Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2025 to Question 51398 on Flags: Festivals and Special Occasions, how much funding has been allocated by her Department to support Historic County Flag Day in July 2025.

The Department will continue its annual celebration of Historic County Flags Day in July 2025 by flying all registered historic county flags of Great Britain in Parliament Square. The final cost of the event this year will be confirmed after the event has taken place.

Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to commence the provisions on consumer protection in the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019.

Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 requires the Secretary of State to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities. The purpose of the Code of Practice is therefore to raise standards in the parking sector, which will, in turn, benefit the motorists who use private parking facilities.The Government is currently reviewing how best to raise standards in the industry, and we plan to launch a consultation on this shortly.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Levelling Up Missions Annual Report 2024-25, published on 21 May 2025, whether her Department considered implementing the social fabric index target in the pride of place mission.

The Social Fabric Index ‘Adapted Relationship Thread’ was included as one of four headline metrics in the February 2024 Statement of Levelling Up Missions for the Pride in Place mission. The underlying data for the index is not publicly available, requiring the creation of a new measure with the think tank Onward who conceived the index. Following the July 2024 election this Government moved away from the levelling up agenda so the metric was not implemented. This government is instead tackling regional inequalities through its five central missions, as stated in the recently published Levelling Up Missions annual report.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2025 to Question 48127 on Planning Permission: Equality, whether the Planning Inspectorate requires planning appeal applicants to provide personal diversity or protected characteristic information.

The Planning Inspectorate do not require appellants to submit personal diversity information or details relating to protected characteristics. PINS Inspectors are mindful of human rights considerations when making decisions and are fully aware of their responsibilities under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) as set out under the Equality Act 2010. All actions and decisions are guided by the Franks Principles and our organisational Code of Conduct.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department's proposed Delayed Homes Penalty will apply to unbuilt-out sites for which the (a) planning permission has expired and (b) development has not commenced.

The government’s ‘Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out’, which can be found on gov.uk here, sets out initial proposals for how the Delayed Homes Penalty would operate. We look forward to receiving feedback on the consultations from hon. Members, local authorities, housebuilders and other important stakeholders before determining next steps.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has responded to the Unite trade union request for fair council funding of 19 May 2025.

The previous government committed to improving and updating the way in which local authorities are funded through the “Fair Funding Review” - but this was not delivered. We will make good on this commitment and implement long-awaited reforms through a multi-year settlement in 2026-27. We will set this out in more detail through further consultation following the Spending Review, and welcome views across the local government sector and the public.Councils are responsible for their own financial management, and this includes ensuring that borrowing is affordable and managed sensibly. The Government has already announced that, where councils deem it necessary to undertake additional borrowing to support their financial recovery, we will not replicate the previous government’s punitive approach of making that borrowing more expensive through an additional 1% premium.

Communities and Local Government, whether the proposed delayed homes penalty would apply to sites where the original applicant has gone into administration and the site (a) has and (b) has not commenced.

The government’s ‘Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out’, which can be found on gov.uk here, sets out initial proposals for how the Delayed Homes Penalty would operate. We look forward to receiving feedback on the consultations from hon. Members, local authorities, housebuilders and other important stakeholders before determining next steps.

Communities and Local Government, what meetings she has had with the Fire Brigades Union since 4 July 2024.

The fire and rescue policy function transferred from the Home Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 01 April 2025.The government is proactively engaging with the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) alongside other fire and rescue sector stakeholders both at Ministerial and at official level. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Building Safety, Fire and Local Growth has met with the FBU on several occasions and addressed the FBU spring conference.The FBU are also members of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Fire and Rescue Reform (MAGFRR) which has been established under this government and has met twice. The MAGFRR brings together key fire and rescue sector leaders to discuss policy and key issues.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to p.61, Appendix 2 of the document entitled Annex 1: Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects reform of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill: Impact assessment, published on 6 May 2025, for what reason the dates listed in that document for the next updates to National Policy Statements differ to those on p.25 of the Plan for Change, CP 1210, published on December 2024.

The dates the hon. Member refers to relate to different aspects of our reforms to National Policy Statements (NPSs). The ‘next summer’ date referred to in the government’s Plan for Change relates to the commitment made by the Chancellor on the 8 July last year to update relevant NPSs within the next 12 months. The government also committed itself to legislate to ensure that all NPSs are updated at least every five years. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill includes a transitional period for older NPSs. To comply with the legislation, any NPS which is more than five years old at the time the Bill receives Royal Assent, will be required to be updated within two years.

Communities and Local Government, whether the proposed Delayed Homes Penalty will apply to unbuilt housing (a) that only has outline planning permission and (b) for which the development has not commenced.

The government’s ‘Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out’, which can be found on gov.uk here, sets out initial proposals for how the Delayed Homes Penalty would operate. We look forward to receiving feedback on the consultations from hon. Members, local authorities, housebuilders and other important stakeholders before determining next steps.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 50171 on Tony Blair, whether she has had discussions with Tony Blair on the deliverability of the 1.5 million housebuilding target.

The Deputy Prime Minister joined Tony Blair for a Q&A event in December 2024 at the Tony Blair Institute. This was an informal Q&A event which did not touch on details of government policy.

Communities and Local Government, whether she used her office in 70 Whitehall on 7 November 2024.

The DPM works across multiple locations each week, including 2 Marsham Street and 70 Whitehall. The details of ministerial routines are not shared for security reasons.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2025 to Question 52711 on Visits Abroad: Ethiopia, what the purpose was of her visit to Ethiopia.

The Deputy Prime Minister’s role includes acting in support of the Government’s international agenda – supporting investment and international collaboration is a key focus for the Government.The Deputy Prime Minister carried out diplomatic, business and humanitarian engagements to demonstrate the UK’s commitment to the region and promote ambitions for partnerships and mutual economic growth.