Written questions by Hollinrake.

Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government has taken to tackle (a) anti-semitism and (b) anti-Muslim hatred since 5 July 2024.

Rooting out these abhorrent forms of hatred is an absolute priority for this Government, and we have already taken a number of steps to achieve this.In July, the Prime Minister reappointed Lord John Mann as the Government’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism to continue providing advice on the most effective methods to tackle antisemitism.In response to public disorder in August which targeted Muslims and mosques, the Government introduced a rapid protective security response process for places of worship. We have provided security to more than 700 additional places of worship during this period. Protective security continues to be a priority, with up to £29.4 million per year being made available for protective security at mosques and Muslim faith schools from 2024/25 to 2027/28. Further, we have committed £1 million this year to support Tell MAMA to continue their work of monitoring and tackling Islamophobia. We have also committed to reversing the previous government’s decision to downgrade the recording and monitoring of antisemitic and Islamophobic non-crime hate incidents – capturing this data will aid the prevention of more serious crimes.We are finalising our renewed, more strategic approach to tackling antisemitism and Islamophobia, working in partnership with communities, and will provide further updates shortly.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 15805 on Mo Baines, for what reason Mo Baines’ declaration of political activity was not published when her appointment as Lead Non-Executive Director was announced on 23 October 2024.

Non-Executive Board Members’ relevant interests are updated and published bi-annually as part of an established process as set out on the following gov.uk page: Non-Executive Board Member declaration of interests process - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2024 to Question 16197 on Prisoners’ Release: Homelessness, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Justice to monitor levels of homelessness of people released under the SDS40 early release scheme.

Data on the number of prisoners released under SDS40 who were released homeless is retained locally at each prison. Ministry of Justice is currently collating data relating to the September and October SDS40 release dates and this will be published in due course.MHCLG collects and regularly publishes management information from local authorities on rough sleeping. The most recent data, for September, was published here on 28 November. The management information includes the number of people seen sleeping rough following release from prison.MHCLG collect information on duties owed to those have been in custody through the homelessness case level collection (H-CLIC) on a quarterly basis and the figures for April to June are published here. This data will be used to monitor the impact of the SDS release scheme on homelessness levels, once received.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential effect of the APPG on British Muslims definition of Islamophobia on (a) free speech and (b) the ability to criticise criminal practices such as grooming gangs.

The Government has been clear that our approach to tackling religious hatred will never inhibit free speech or allow cultural or religious sensitivities to get in the way of delivering justice. We have been focused on a more integrated and cohesive approach to tackling religious hatred. While we are carefully looking at the issue of a definition for Islamophobia as part of this approach, this would not be legislative and would be used as a guidance tool for institutions.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 31 July 2024 to Question HL46 on Faith Matters, what payments have been made to (a) Faith Matters and (b) Tell MAMA since 4 July 2024; and what the progress she has made on renewal of the grant funding agreement for 2025 onwards in relation to monitoring and supporting victims of anti-Muslim hatred.

The Government works closely with police and community partners, including Tell MAMA, to monitor and support victims of Islamophobia. Tell MAMA has been funded by government since 2012 to deliver a reporting service and provide support for victims of Islamophobia. In 2024/25, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has made up to £1 million of funding available to Tell MAMA via Faith Matters to continue this work.All relationships with government-funded partners are kept under constant review and subject to regular monitoring and evaluation. The Government is actively considering its approach to tackling Islamophobia more broadly. We will provide further details on this soon.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2024 to Question 16198 on Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, if she will make it her policy to facilitate use of the QE2 Conference Centre for Parliament to assist any partial decant under the Restoration and Renewal programme.

There is no formal agreement with the Houses of Parliament or the Restoration and Renewal Programme regarding the use of the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre. Therefore, there is no policy in place. Nevertheless, the Department continues to collaborate with the Houses of Parliament ahead of Restoration and Renewal proposals coming to the House in 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the written statement of 28 November 2024 on Local Government Finance, HCWS265, what estimate her Department has made of what business rate receipts will be in absolute terms in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial year on which the settlement is based.

For 2024-25, English local authorities estimate business rates receipts will be £26.3 billion, of which £16.2 billion is retained locally. Local authorities have not yet submitted their estimates of business rates income for 2025-26. In addition, authorities receive income from Section 31 grant as part of the business rates retention system.Core Spending Power, published alongside the settlement, includes Settlement Funding Assessment which is comprised of Revenue Support Grant and a component linked to business rates - Baseline Funding Levels. Baseline Funding Levels represent an authority’s need that is funded via business rates.

Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government plans to take to amend the rules on (a) donations to political parties and (b) the permissibility of donations from foreign business owners through UK-registered businesses.

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN HL3289 on 20 December 2024.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to mandate local government restructuring as part of her plan for devolution.

The English Devolution White Paper announced that we will facilitate a programme of local government reorganisation for two-tier areas, and for unitary councils where there is evidence of failure or where their size or boundaries may be hindering their ability to deliver sustainable and high-quality public services. The White Paper was clear that reorganisation should not delay devolution and plans for both should be complementary, also that we will deliver this process as quickly as possible, including through legislation where it becomes necessary to ensure progress.All levels of local government have a part to play in bringing improved structures to their area through reorganisation, and we expect all councils in an area to work together to develop unitary proposals that are in the best interests of the whole area.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department issues on whether the erection of an electricity pylon close to a dwelling is a material consideration in relation to the current valuation and council tax dwelling of a property.

The erection of a new electricity pylon close to a dwelling (property) will give the owner or occupier the right to submit a proposal (formal challenge) to alter the Council Tax list. The proposal can be made if they believe there has been a “material reduction” in the value of the dwelling due to “any change in the physical state of the dwelling’s locality”. Material reduction is defined in section 87 part 10 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.Forms and guidance for making a proposal can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the transparency data entitled Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: procurement pipeline, published on 3 December 2024, what Project Heart is.

Project Heart was an internal term previously used by officials to describe the anticipated works associated with the Grenfell Memorial. This term is no longer in use.The final design for a fitting and lasting memorial will be determined by the Grenfell community. The government is committed to supporting the independent Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission in delivering a memorial to honour those who lost their lives and those whose lives were forever changed by the tragedy.The Commission launched the process, in July 2024, to appoint a Multi-Disciplinary Design Team to work with the community to design the memorial.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the compliance rate of public sector buildings with requirements to display energy certificates.

The Government does not routinely hold or collect data to identify public buildings that are frequently visited by the public. Therefore, we have not made an assessment of the current levels of non-compliance in relation to Display Energy Certificates (DECs).We are currently consulting on the Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime which includes proposals to support compliance with the requirements of the regulations includes those for DECs.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department issues to local authorities about (a) planning, (b) licensing and (c) statutory nuisance aspects of noise complaints about (i) long-standing clocks and bells and (ii) other established uses.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that planning policies and decisions should ensure that new development is appropriate for its location including the likely effects of pollution on health, living conditions and the natural environment, as well as the potential sensitivity of the site to the wider area. Where the operation of an existing business or community facility could have a significant adverse effect on new development in its vicinity, the Framework expects the applicant to provide suitable mitigation before the development has been completed. 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 27 November 2024 to Question 16498 on Affordable Housing: Construction, if she will publish the grant given to each (a) developer and (b) consortium under the last Affordable Housing Programme with the number of affordable homes due to be delivered broken down by type of affordable tenure.

The Greater London Authority (GLA) publish a quarterly update of all approvals for grant in their delegated approvals log which can be found on the GLA website here. Due to the nature of negotiations with partners on individual site delivery, the GLA does not publish grant levels for specific projects or tenures. Under the Affordable Homes Programme 2016-23, programme-level grants per unit levels were applied. Homes England has published data on the 2016-23 Affordable Homes Programme, with data reflecting grant allocations to the end of March 2021. It can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, whether site specific viability assessments should be undertaken to assess whether the affordable housing requirement on development in the Green Belt is viable and developer contributions should be adjusted as a result.

As set out in the Planning Practice Guidance on viability, where development takes place on land situated in, or released from, the Green Belt and is subject to the ‘Golden Rules’ set out in paragraph 156 of the National Planning Policy Framework, site specific viability assessment should not be undertaken or taken into account for the purpose of reducing developer contributions, including affordable housing. The government intends to review the guidance on viability and will be considering whether there are circumstances in which site-specific viability assessment may be taken into account, for example, on large sites and Previously Developed Land.

Communities and Local Government, whether private landlords will be required to pay an ongoing fee to register with the (a) Private Rented Sector database and (b) private rented sector landlord ombudsman in addition to licensing fees payable to local authorities with selective licensing requirements.

The Renters’ Rights Bill includes provisions for the Private Rented Sector Database to be funded through fees charged to private landlords when they register. The new service will bring substantial benefits to landlords – providing a single source of information about their legal responsibilities and helping them showcase their compliance. The fees charged will also support local councils to enforce against unscrupulous landlords who undercut the responsible majority.  Further details on fees will be set out in secondary legislation. We will take steps to make sure costs remain reasonable, proportionate, and sustainable. Landlords will be required to pay for membership of the PRS Landlord Ombudsman. This is in line with practice across other sectors where there are ombudsmen already established, including for social landlords who currently pay £8.03 per unit annually. The Ombudsman will set the fee on the basis of their running costs and service provision and the government will ensure that the fee is proportionate and good value. We will seek to maximise operational efficiency of the database service and ombudsman, including through sharing of data. The Private Rented Sector Database will operate alongside selective licensing to drive improvement in standards in the private rented sector, not as a replacement for these schemes. We will continue to review the use of selective licensing as we implement the Private Rented Sector Database. We are clear in guidance that local authorities should be mindful of any cost impacts to landlords, particularly those who are already fully compliant with their obligations.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 20555 on Elections: Kent, if she will publish the letter dated 16 December 2024.

The letter dated 16 December, which I sent to leaders of all two-tier councils and neighbouring unitary authorities, has now been published and can be found here.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Ministers set to unleash biggest building boom in half a century, published on 5 December 2024, what metrics will be used to measure the number of new homes delivered in the third year of the Parliament.

I refer the hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 19066 on 20 December 2024.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2024 to Question 15443 on Government departments: trade unions, which recognised trade unions in her Department have their membership subscriptions collected via check-off; and how many staff members have their memberships so collected for each union.

120 members of staff pay their trade union membership subscriptions via check off, all are members of PCS.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the consultation entitled Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime, published on 4 December 2024, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of these proposals on the rating of an average dwelling with an EPC rating of C.

The average cost of an energy performance certificate (EPC) is estimated to be £70 for domestic properties and £400 for non-domestic properties. The average costs for private sector landlords who need to make improvements to their domestic properties as a result of the consultation proposal are between £1,500 - £2,500, with estimated lifetime savings of £6,400. An Impact Assessment has been published alongside the consultation (impact assessment).The EPC is an information tool designed to support people making decisions at the point of buying, renting and retrofitting their properties. The changes in the proposal are intended to help people manage their energy costs and reduce their carbon emissions. Adding new metrics for fabric performance, heating system type and smart readiness to the EPC will provide further information for people about how to reduce their costs and transition to low carbon heating. These new metrics will potentially highlight additional areas for improvements, even for those who have already achieved an EPC C rating under the current system.