Every parliamentary written question tabled by Kevin Hollinrake this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1,121–1,140 of 1,583 · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2025 to Question 24422 on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, if she will publish the correspondence between the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and her Department on the notification of the Chinese Embassy planning application.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 23149 on 27 January 2025.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 20653 on Planning: Reform, whether her Department has a policy on the publishing of lists of respondents to consultations.
The policy in question is set out in Chapter 15 of the consultation document which can be found on gov.uk here.
Communities and Local Government, how many (a) headcount and (b) full-time equivalent trade union representatives in her Department receive trade union facility time; what proportion of their working hours are spent on facility time on average; what the potential cost to the public purse is of facility time; and whether she has had discussions with unions on potential changes to these arrangements.
Paid facility time is captured and published in line with the Cabinet Office guidance on statutory reporting requirements Public-sector trade union facility time data - GOV.UK. As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2025, to Question 23815, on Housing: Construction, what steps her Department is taking to continuously review the Party Wall Act 1996.
The Party Wall Act is an important piece of legislation which safeguards the interests of individuals and organisations where building work takes place adjacent to, or bridges, neighbouring properties.While no date or decision has been made to review the party wall act, my officials are tasked with keeping the Act under continuous review by noting, recording and considering how issues concerning the Party Wall Act raised by members of the public and parliamentarians relate to wider government policies on housing, building safety and the built environment.
Communities and Local Government, whether she has changed community engagement principles since 4 July 2024.
The engagement principles have not been further updated since July 2024. The existing principles remain valid.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 24225 on Conditions of Employment: Departmental Responsibilities, whether her Department has plans to recruit individuals to advise on (a) employment law and (b) industrial relations.
Strengthening employment rights is a key priority across Government. The Deputy Prime Minister is the Chair of the Future of Work Cabinet Committee, which is responsible for considering and taking decisions on matters related to the Make Work Pay package of reforms to the Employment Law framework. The department, alongside the Department for Business and Trade, and other Government departments will ensure the Deputy Prime Minister has the necessary support to carry out that role.
Communities and Local Government, whether she has conducted opinion research on default payment options for council tax bills.
I refer the hon Member to my statement made on 18 December 2024 (Official Report HC, Volume 759, Column, 47WS), which set out the government’s planned consultation on council tax billing.
Communities and Local Government, what her Department's timetable is for the publication of a White Paper on Elections and Democracy; and whether she plans to consult with political parties before it is published.
We will be setting out the Government’s approach to elections and electoral reform for this Parliament in a published document before summer recess. This will include our approach to the delivery of our manifesto commitments and the outcomes of our review of electoral registration and conduct, in which we are consulting with various sector stakeholders.
Communities and Local Government, whether (a) her Department and (b) the Planning Inspectorate has provided guidance to planning inspectors on planning representations subject to foreign interference.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 22643 on 27 January 2025
Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's Local government transparency code 2015, last updated 29 January 2025, if she will make edits to the Code to support the consistent publication of local government data in accessible open data formats including via public application programming interfaces.
We are keeping the Code under review in the context of work to fix the foundations of local government and ensuring that it continues to support local accountability. Currently local authorities are expected to provide data in an open and reusable format – the Code states “Public data should be published in a format and under a licence that allows open reuse, including for commercial and research activities, in order to maximise value to the public”. Our approach to reforming local government is set out in the English Devolution White Paper. This includes fundamentally reforming the local audit system, rebuilding the vital early warning system to recover a key part of our assurance mechanisms, restoring local government standards, and ensuring transparency.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 25704 on Business Rates, what assessment she has made of the number of hereditaments which did not claim (a) any or (b) the full rate of (i) retail (ii) hospitality and (ii) leisure rate relief due to the £110,000 cap when costing the policy for (A) 2024-25 and (B) 2025-26.
The Government does not hold data on the number of hereditaments not claiming retail, hospitality and leisure relief due to the £110,000 relief cap in 2024-25 or 2025-26.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2025 to Question 26034 on Local Government: Reorganisation, if she will place a copy of the report entitled Population size and local authority performance, published by the Department for Communities and Local Government in 2006, in the Library of the House.
A House of Commons Library Research Briefing (https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9056/CBP-9056.pdf) published on 11 February 2025 includes information on the 2006 report commissioned by the Department; ‘population size and local authority performance’. This briefing also includes access to the published report.I have also made arrangements for a copy of the report to be made directly available within the House of Commons Library.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 24794 on Local Government: Reorganisation, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of breaking up a county council social care department into multiple unitary councils on economies of scale.
The case for unitarisation in the English Devolution White Paper set out the opportunities available to areas for local government reorganisation. We will prioritise the delivery of high quality and sustainable public services to citizens and communities above all other issues. Unitary councils bring lower and upper tier services together, creating opportunities for service transformation which can support improvements in delivery.The potential impact of local government reorganisation on individual areas will be a matter for local councils to consider as they develop their proposals for reorganisation. As set out in the published criteria for proposals, unitary structures must prioritise the delivery of high quality and sustainable public services to citizens; proposals should show how new structures will improve local government and service delivery and should avoid unnecessary fragmentation of services.
Communities and Local Government, whether the agent of change principle applies to (a) licensing and (b) statutory nuisance complaints against (i) pubs and (ii) nightclubs.
National planning policy is clear about the importance of ensuring that new development can be integrated effectively with existing businesses and community facilities.The ‘agent of change’ principle in the National Planning Policy Framework applies to all forms of existing businesses and community facilities that could be adversely affected by new development in their vicinity and requires the applicant to provide suitable mitigation if development is to be allowed.Planning Policy Guidance on noise advises how planning can manage potential noise impacts in new developments. Further guidance on noise and statutory nuisance is published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Home Office.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 22386 on Local Government: Code of Practice, if she will make it her policy to ensure any mandatory, minimum code includes the free speech protection for councillors introduced by the London Borough of Bromley.
I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 22386 on 15 January 2025, which noted that the results of the ongoing consultation on a range of proposals to strengthen the local government standards regime, including views on the possible introduction of a mandatory minimum code of conduct for local authorities in England, will help to inform any policy or legislative change.The Government would likely set out any mandatory code in regulations to allow flexibility to review and amend in future. This would also provide the opportunity for further consultation on the detail.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 22 January 2025 on Local Government Best Value, HCWS378, whether councillors from each of the opposition parties represented on London Borough of Tower Hamlets council have been invited to (a) attend and (b) participate in meetings of the Transformation Advisory Board.
The Council has been directed to work with and to the satisfaction of the Ministerial Envoys to reconfigure the Council’s existing Transformation Advisory Board into a Transformation and Assurance Board. This includes deciding which two Opposition Councillors are invited to sit on its Transformation and Assurance Board, and whether Opposition party representation on this Board should increase.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the letter from the Permanent Secretary to the hon. Member for Hamble Valley of 3 February 2025, what the cost to the public purse was of logistical support for the Deputy Prime Minister to move into Admiralty House; and at what stage in the process of the provision of support the Permanent Secretary was consulted by the Deputy Prime Minister.
There was no cost to the department as a result of the Deputy Prime Minister’s move to her official residence. Professional removal and cleaning services were hired and paid for personally by the Deputy Prime Minister. The Permanent Secretary is regularly engaged in discussions about support provided for the Deputy Prime Minister and the same was the case in this instance.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 23786 on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, if she will place in the Library a copy of (a) the minutes and (b) any handouts or presentations from each of those meetings with representatives of the People’s Republic of China.
The government does not routinely publish details of meetings between officials and external organisations or place copies of such meeting records in the Library.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 26038 on Local Government: Reorganisation, whether unitary local government restructuring will be introduced in two-tier areas where all the local district councils oppose the proposals.
On the 5 February, I formally invited unitary proposals from all the councils in two tier areas and their neighbouring small unitaries. We therefore expect local leaders to work collaboratively and proactively, including by sharing information, to develop robust and sustainable unitary proposals that are in the best interests of the whole area to which this invitation is issued, rather than developing competing proposals. Following the submission of proposals, I will consider any and all proposals carefully before taking decisions on how to proceed.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 21621 on Unitary Councils, what was the (a) research or (b) methodological basis for the population figure of 500,000.
The overall case for local government reorganisation is set out the English Devolution White Paper. New unitary councils must be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks.On the 5 February, I formally invited unitary proposals from all the councils in two tier areas and their neighbouring small unitaries.The guidance provided with the letter sets out that: “As a guiding principle, new councils should aim for a population of 500,000 or more” and “There may be certain scenarios in which this 500,000 figure does not make sense for an area, including on devolution, and this rationale should be set out in a proposal”. It is for councils to develop and submit proposals that are in the best interests of the area.