Written questions by Hollinrake.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, Eighteenth Report, 2024-25, HL Paper 84, para 32, what steps her Department is taking to to improve (a) consultation and (b) engagement with local residents.

On 5 February, the Government issued invitations to councils in two-tier areas in England and neighbouring unitary councils to prepare proposals for local government reorganisation. The invitation is clear on the importance of local engagement, and asks councils to ensure there is wide engagement with local residents as well as other public service providers, workforce and their representatives, Members of Parliament and businesses as they prepare their proposals for strong, stable unitary councils that are fit for the future. The guidance is clear that the final proposals put forward should include evidence of local engagement, an explanation of the views that have been put forward and how concerns will be addressed. Once a proposal has been submitted it will be for the Government to decide on taking a proposal forward and to consult as required by statute.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 38372 on MHCLG: Cost Effectiveness, if she will list each of those individual media campaigns which were halted; and the previously estimated cost of each.

A number of 24/25 campaigns were halted or postponed following the election. The campaigns and estimated cost of each (excluding VAT) were:Levelling Up – up to £3.15mLeasehold Reforms campaign (planned but didn’t run) - £1mPrivate Rented Sector Reform campaign (planned but didn’t run) - £750,000 No costs were incurred for these campaigns.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2025, to Question 38621, on Combined Authorities, and with reference to the publication of the report by Professor Alice Sullivan, Independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender, published in March 2025, if she will ensure that questions about the sex of a respondent ask for their sex.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 38621 on 24 March 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether the Ministerial residence in Admiralty House pays council tax as a (a) sole or main residence, (b) single person discount or (c) second home.

The council tax arrangements for Admiralty House are as has been the case for successive governments and Ministers occupying it as an official residence. The Deputy Prime Minister’s council tax responsibility is properly discharged.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the number of houses that will be built in each year between 2025-26 and 2029-30.

As the hon. Member is aware, the government has not set interim annual targets in respect of its ambitious Plan for Change milestone of delivering 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament. However, due to the reduced levels of housing supply that we inherited, the government has been clear that rates of housebuilding will have to increase significantly in the later years of the Parliament to meet that milestone.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has undertaken Environment Act environmental principles assessments when issuing (a) new and (b) revised planning practice guidance since July 2024.

Planning practice guidance published since July 2024 supports the implementation of matters that have been set through legislation or policy. Environmental principles assessments were undertaken for the changes to policy once the requirement for them had been commenced.

Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the minutes of her meeting with Birmingham City Council on 5 April 2025; and what the conclusions were of the meeting.

The government has been in frequent dialogue with the leadership of the City Council to ensure the welfare of Birmingham residents and a swift resolution to the dispute. The 5 April meeting provided an update on the clean-up of the waste backlog and industrial relations negotiations. The government will continue to support the Council in creating the sustainable, fair and reliable waste service that its residents deserve. In line with normal practice, the minutes of the meeting will not be published.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department engages with Palestine Action.

No, my department has not engaged with Palestine Action. The responsibility for decisions around who departments engage with sits with those departments and the appropriate policy areas.

Communities and Local Government, whether there was a cost to the public purse for the hire of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club for the roundtable event she attended on 4 April 2025.

There was no cost to the public purse.

Communities and Local Government, what the value is of the baseline spending on (a) communications and (b) consultancy on which her Department's targets to reduce such spending is based.

Part A: The baseline for communications in 2024/25 was £8m. Part B on consultancy: The baseline against which reductions will be measured is £15.2m. This is based on the initial values included in the 24/25 Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance she has issued on whether not collecting refuse waste could lead to a best value intervention at a local authority.

All local authorities are under a statutory duty to comply with Best Value and must make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way their functions are exercised, as outlined in the existing statutory guidance on Best Value standards and intervention. Where there are concerns about a local authority's compliance with this duty, the Secretary of State may consider a range of evidence before deciding whether to intervene. No specific, separate guidance on whether the collection of refuse waste could lead to a best value intervention has been issued.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's statutory guidance entitled, Best value standards and intervention: a statutory guide for best value authorities, published on 8 May 2024, if she will take steps to intervene in the bin collection strike in Birmingham City Council area.

The Department is closely monitoring the situation regarding the ongoing bin collection strike in the Birmingham City Council area and stands ready to play its part in supporting the Council where necessary. The Council should remain responsible for managing local service delivery, as is normal practice across local government, and is working to deal with the backlog of waste swiftly. Commissioners, who were appointed in October 2023 under the previous government to oversee the Council’s broader improvement journey, have been working constructively with the Council to ensure that a meaningful, sustainable resolution is found as quickly as possible. We recognise the importance of this issue for local people and are clear that this must be resolved, with regular services returned, and the accumulated waste and fly-tipping removed from the streets of the city as a matter of urgency.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to conduct a review of compliance costs from building regulations.

All costs associated with updates to the building regulations are considered prior to publication. Full impact assessments including economic, environmental and equalities considerations, are published alongside amendments to the Building Regulations.

Communities and Local Government, how many special advisers are employed by her Department.

The Deputy Prime Minister has appointed six Special Advisers to the department.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2025 to Question 25780 on Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners: Elections, what her planned timetable is for the alignment of the Police Force and Police and Crime Commissioner areas with mayoral combined authority areas.

As outlined in my previous response, the timing of the transfer of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner functions to new mayors established through the Devolution Priority Programme will be determined in due course.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has issued guidance to local authorities on making (a) licensing, (b) planning and (c) gambling decisions during local election periods.

Local authorities are required to consider the Recommended Code of Practice for Local Authority Publicity (‘the Code’) in coming to any decision on any communication, in whatever form, addressed to the public or a section of the public. A Code principle is that publicity be issued with care during periods of heightened sensitivity, such as in the pre-election period.The pre-election period of heightened sensitivity does not prevent a local authority from carrying out routine business.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 39016 on Nature Restoration Fund, whether planning permission can be refused if a self-build developer declines to pay the voluntary levy.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 39016 on 26 March 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions the Best Value Commissioners in Birmingham City Council have had with (a) council officers and (b) the Unite trade union on bin collection industrial action.

Commissioners, who have been appointed to oversee Birmingham City Council’s improvement journey, continue to work constructively with the Council and encourage opportunities to resolve the ongoing waste dispute in a sustainable, meaningful way. There are ongoing and regular discussions. Commissioners are not directly involved in negotiations between the Council and Unite.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2025 to Question 38374 on Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill, whether her Department has a policy on (a) grant recipients of funding and (b) local authorities (i) boycotting and (ii) divesting in (A) investments and (B) contracts with (1) Israel and (2) firms which trade with Israel.

The UK government is committed to promoting our trade and business ties with Israel and strongly opposes boycotts. The government has published guidance to public authorities prohibiting procurement boycotts against Israeli firms or firms which trade with Israel.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to Birmingham City Council for pest control services.

The government is working closely with Birmingham and continues to monitor the disruption caused by the bin strikes and the associated public health risks to the residents of the city. The council continues to manage local service delivery and has put in place measures to deal with the accumulated street backlog which has developed, and is supported by mutual aid from neighbouring authorities. The council has also taken measures to deal with pests including setting baiting stations in key waste hotspot areas, and are considering further measures to support households. The department continues to play its part in supporting the council where necessary and cross government mechanisms have been activated to ensure a coordinated response.