Written questions by Hollinrake.

Communities and Local Government, if her Department will publish the findings of the call for evidence entitled Jointly owned properties which closed on 7 April 2024.

A call for evidence on jointly owned residential leasehold properties was undertaken by the previous administration and we do not intend to publish it. However, the government is reviewing how to better protect leaseholders from costs relating to building safety.All leaseholders, including those who hold leases which do not qualify for the leaseholder protections, (whether as joint or sole owners) benefit from qualifying lease status for their principal (main) residence.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of capping rent-in-advance at one month on prospective tenants.

Demands for extortionate rent in advance put financial strain on tenants and can exclude certain groups from renting all together.The Renters’ Rights Bill will prohibit a landlord or letting agents from inviting, encouraging or any payment of rent before a tenancy has been entered into. In addition, a landlord will only be able to require up to one month's rent in the window between a tenancy agreement being signed and that tenancy beginning. Once the tenancy starts, landlords will be unable to enforce any terms in a tenancy agreement that require rent to be paid in advance of agreed due dates.The effect of these measures will be that tenants can be certain that the financial outlay to secure a tenancy will not exceed the cost of a tenancy deposit and the first month’s rent, and that they will not be required to pay their rent earlier than agreed.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce a transition period for the introduction of the provisions of the Renters’ Rights Bill.

The Renters' Rights Bill delivers the government's manifesto commitment to overhaul the regulation of the private rented sector, including by abolishing Section 21 'no fault' evictions.We want to see tenants benefit from these reforms as quickly as possible. We have therefore decided to introduce the new tenancy system for the private rented sector in one stage. Upon the commencement date, the new tenancy system will apply to all private tenancies - existing tenancies will become periodic, and any new tenancies will be governed by the new rules. We will provide sufficient notice and will work closely with tenants groups and the landlord and lettings sector ahead of implementation.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question 41456 on Parish and Town Councils: Council tax, whether her Department holds data on the precepts set by individual (a) town and (b) parish councils.

The 2024-25 council tax statistics on the precepts set by individual town and parish councils, in England, are published here. The 2025-26 statistics are provisionally scheduled to be published on 7 May 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of judicial reviews by Client Earth to her Department in the last three years.

We have not identified any judicial reviews by ClientEarth against the Department (or its predecessor or Ministers) in the last three years.

Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of residential buildings requiring remediation of life-critical non-cladding defects (a) in scope and (b) not in scope of the developer remediation contract.

The department does not hold the information requested on the total number of residential buildings requiring remediation of non-cladding defects. It collects related data for some buildings as part of wider surveys of developers and of registered providers of social housing.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2025 to Question 43882 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Industrial Disputes, what steps her Department is taking to mitigate the potential impact of the industrial action.

The department has well-tested and thorough plans in place to support business continuity in the event of events which may disrupt regular business. Existing business continuity plans have been reviewed, core functions engaged to ensure that any impacts are mitigated, and regular communications have been issued to prepare for and manage industrial action.

Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of enforcement actions against (a) enfranchised and (b) leaseholder-owned buildings for non-cladding fire safety defects.

The department does not hold information on the number of enforcement actions against (a) enfranchised and (b) leaseholder-owned buildings for non-cladding fire safety defects, and we have no requirement to maintain this information.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 23428 on Flats: Fire Prevention, how many under 11 metre buildings were unable to access an independent audit of a Fire Risk Appraisal of the External Wall between July 2024 and March 2025; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the inability to access those audits on leaseholders.

Thirteen buildings were awaiting audits of their fire risk appraisal of external walls (FRAEWs) between July 2024 and March 2025. A new contract is now operative, audits are being urgently processed and officials are engaging regularly with property managers, freeholders and leaseholders about all low-rise buildings requiring audits.The department has not made an assessment of the potential impact on leaseholders.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce a formal mechanism to remove non-qualifying lease status after confirmation by a professional fire engineer assessment that no further remediation work is required.

As expressed at a recent Select Committee session the department is looking very closely at what can be done to sunset the “in perpetuity” status of leases which do not qualify for the leaseholder protections.This can be found at Oral evidence: Grenfell and Building Safety (1 April 2025, Q55 https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/15662/pdf/).

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has issued recent guidance to local authorities on charging for pest control (a) removal and (b) prevention.

The government has not issued any recent guidance to local authorities on charging for pest control removal and prevention.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the buy-to-let lending sector on implementing the Renters’ Rights Bill.

The Department has engaged with a range of organisations, including those representing buy-to-let lenders, to understand their needs in the development of the Renters’ Rights Bill. We will continue to work with the sector to ensure a smooth transition to the new tenancy system.

Communities and Local Government, if she will issue guidance to local authorities on the potential impact of local circumstances on the application of a (a) second homes and (b) empty homes premium to council tax.

The government has published guidance on the implementation of the empty and second homes council tax premiums which encourages councils to consider local circumstances when deciding whether to apply a premium. The guidance can be found here - Guidance on the implementation of the council tax premiums on long-term empty homes and second homes - GOV.UK It is for councils to decide where it is appropriate to apply the premiums and assess their effectiveness at a local level.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional resources to the Building Safety Regulator.

MHCLG and the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) both recognise the concerns about the impact of Gateway delays on investment decisions in high-rise projects and are taking significant measures to address the current challenges. The Gateways for building control approval set out under Building Safety legislation have been operational since October 2023 and are a departmental priority to facilitate both new homes and remediation projects and to ensure that failings that led to the Grenfell Tower tragedy do not happen again. MHCLG and BSR jointly keep BSR’s operational set up under review and are undertaking a further programme of enhancements. MHCLG is exploring all possible options with the BSR to ensure it is equipped for the high demand of applications. The Department has already provided additional funding to bring further capacity into the BSR for building control caseworkers and in-house technical specialists. The benefits of this additional funding will continue to scale up in the coming months. The BSR is conducting a systematic review of all of its building safety guidance and service content to identify where improvements are needed. This includes understanding themes emerging from user and stakeholder feedback. User testing will form an integral part of any changes made. The BSR will also continue to work with the Construction Leadership Council and other representative bodies to support industry written guidance. A significant number of poor quality applications that do not meet the regulatory standard are contributing to overall processing times resulting in delays. MHCLG recognises that changes are still bedding in. However, it is clear that the sector must also take responsibility for the projects it delivers. The BSR is supporting applicants to ensure they are meeting the functional requirements of the building regulations. On 28 April, the Minister for Building Safety, Fire & Local Growth hosted a roundtable with the BSR and developers to discuss industry’s concerns. The BSR meets weekly with the Construction Leadership Council to work through, address and resolve issues associated with the new Gateway processes for building control applications. Both MHCLG and the BSR welcome direct engagement with industry and are prioritising the need to improve the rate in which applications can progress through the system first time, lessening the rate of invalidated and rejected applications.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Building Safety Regulator.

MHCLG and the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) both recognise the concerns about the impact of Gateway delays on investment decisions in high-rise projects and are taking significant measures to address the current challenges. The Gateways for building control approval set out under Building Safety legislation have been operational since October 2023 and are a departmental priority to facilitate both new homes and remediation projects and to ensure that failings that led to the Grenfell Tower tragedy do not happen again. MHCLG and BSR jointly keep BSR’s operational set up under review and are undertaking a further programme of enhancements. MHCLG is exploring all possible options with the BSR to ensure it is equipped for the high demand of applications. The Department has already provided additional funding to bring further capacity into the BSR for building control caseworkers and in-house technical specialists. The benefits of this additional funding will continue to scale up in the coming months. The BSR is conducting a systematic review of all of its building safety guidance and service content to identify where improvements are needed. This includes understanding themes emerging from user and stakeholder feedback. User testing will form an integral part of any changes made. The BSR will also continue to work with the Construction Leadership Council and other representative bodies to support industry written guidance. A significant number of poor quality applications that do not meet the regulatory standard are contributing to overall processing times resulting in delays. MHCLG recognises that changes are still bedding in. However, it is clear that the sector must also take responsibility for the projects it delivers. The BSR is supporting applicants to ensure they are meeting the functional requirements of the building regulations. On 28 April, the Minister for Building Safety, Fire & Local Growth hosted a roundtable with the BSR and developers to discuss industry’s concerns. The BSR meets weekly with the Construction Leadership Council to work through, address and resolve issues associated with the new Gateway processes for building control applications. Both MHCLG and the BSR welcome direct engagement with industry and are prioritising the need to improve the rate in which applications can progress through the system first time, lessening the rate of invalidated and rejected applications.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of delays in approving Gateway 2 applications by the Building Safety Regulator on housebuilding targets.

MHCLG and the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) both recognise the concerns about the impact of Gateway delays on investment decisions in high-rise projects and are taking significant measures to address the current challenges. The Gateways for building control approval set out under Building Safety legislation have been operational since October 2023 and are a departmental priority to facilitate both new homes and remediation projects and to ensure that failings that led to the Grenfell Tower tragedy do not happen again. MHCLG and BSR jointly keep BSR’s operational set up under review and are undertaking a further programme of enhancements. MHCLG is exploring all possible options with the BSR to ensure it is equipped for the high demand of applications. The Department has already provided additional funding to bring further capacity into the BSR for building control caseworkers and in-house technical specialists. The benefits of this additional funding will continue to scale up in the coming months. The BSR is conducting a systematic review of all of its building safety guidance and service content to identify where improvements are needed. This includes understanding themes emerging from user and stakeholder feedback. User testing will form an integral part of any changes made. The BSR will also continue to work with the Construction Leadership Council and other representative bodies to support industry written guidance. A significant number of poor quality applications that do not meet the regulatory standard are contributing to overall processing times resulting in delays. MHCLG recognises that changes are still bedding in. However, it is clear that the sector must also take responsibility for the projects it delivers. The BSR is supporting applicants to ensure they are meeting the functional requirements of the building regulations. On 28 April, the Minister for Building Safety, Fire & Local Growth hosted a roundtable with the BSR and developers to discuss industry’s concerns. The BSR meets weekly with the Construction Leadership Council to work through, address and resolve issues associated with the new Gateway processes for building control applications. Both MHCLG and the BSR welcome direct engagement with industry and are prioritising the need to improve the rate in which applications can progress through the system first time, lessening the rate of invalidated and rejected applications.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Renters' Rights Bill on traveller pitches.

The Renters' Rights Bill is focused on the assured tenancy regime.Traveller pitches do not fall within the assured tenancy regime and an assessment is unlikely to provide significant new insights into the issues affecting those who occupy traveller pitches.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued on the consultation process in the planning system; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of that guidance on the (a) efficiency and (b) cost of the planning application process.

Guidance on consultation within the planning application process is set out in the relevant planning practice guidance. The government keeps planning practice guidance under review.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 43904 on Local Government Pension Scheme, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of local government restructuring on upfront costs of (a) early retirement and (b) redundancy.

Councils will be responsible for implementing local government reorganisation including taking decisions at a local level on the restructuring of the workforce.In our invitations to councils to submit proposals for unitary local government we said that proposals should set out how an area will seek to manage transition costs. We expect that areas will be able to meet potential costs, including those related to redundancies or early retirement, over time from existing budgets, including the flexible use of capital receipts and invest-to-save projects, and the efficiencies from reorganisation.

Communities and Local Government, how often the Deputy Prime Minister has used her office in Room 111 in 70 Whitehall in the last six months.

This information is not held centrally.