Written questions by Hollinrake.

Communities and Local Government, whether embassies are required to apply for planning permission for development within the curtilage of their land; and whether the Government has issued guidance for embassies on planning law.

Embassies are required to apply for planning permission for development proposals, including those within the curtilage of their land, similar to other properties. They are expected to comply with the same planning regulations as other entities. Enforcement powers are available at the discretion of the relevant local planning authority.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2024 to Question 17009 on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, whether (a) the Prime Minister and (b) 10 Downing Street had discussions with (i) her and (ii) her Department on the proposed Chinese Embassy before her decision to call in the planning application.

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 17009 on 6 December 2024.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking with the Council for the Nations and Regions to support the (a) English national identity and (b) interests of England.

The Council of the Nations and Regions brings together the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, and the Mayors of Combined Authorities and County Combined Authorities in England.As Government delivers on its devolution agenda, more English regions will be covered by Mayors and have the opportunity to have their identities and interests represented at the Council of the Nations and Regions.

Communities and Local Government, what the monthly amount payable to hosts under the Homes to Ukraine scheme will be in (a) 2024-25, (b) 2025-26 and (c) 2026-27.

Applications will open on the 4 February 2025 for eligible Ukraine scheme visa holders to apply for further permission to remain in the UK for an additional 18 months under the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme.The department has recently confirmed that to support guests still in sponsorship under UPE and to thank sponsors for their continued generosity, thank you payments for eligible sponsors will be extended for 18 months under the new scheme where guests were previously on a Homes for Ukraine visa.Sponsors will continue to be eligible for thank you payments for the full duration of a Homes for Ukraine guest’s 18 month UPE visa period if they remain in sponsorship, but no further.To fund this support and ensure it is affordable within government budgets, from 1 April 2025, all thank you payments will be paid at a flat rate of £350 per month for all sponsors of guests on Homes for Ukraine and UPE visas, regardless of how long guests have been in the UK.To support this transition, we are signposting sponsors to the Government’s ‘rent a room’ scheme for those who wish to convert their lodging arrangements with their sponsors. If sponsors move to an arrangement where they charge rent, they will no longer be eligible for thank you payments.The department also confirmed that we are maintaining the existing local authority tariff arrangements of £5,900 (£10,500 for eligible minors) per Homes for Ukraine arrival. This should support local authorities with ongoing administration of the scheme and allow local authorities to continue supporting guests to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 3.35 of Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, in which financial years will the additional funding for the training and recruitment of planning officers be allocated; and whether that funding will be baselined into the Local Government Finance Settlement in future years.

At the Budget, the Chanceller announced a £46 million package of investment into the planning system as a one-year settlement for 2025-2026. A proportion of this funding will be used to support capacity and capability in local planning authorities, including the recruitment and training of 300 graduate and apprentice planners and developing the skills needed to implement reforms and unlock housing delivery.As part of the government’s commitment to simplify the local government funding landscape, we intend to significantly reduce the number of housing, planning, resettlement, and numerous other smaller grants owned by MHCLG – rolling them into the Local Government Finance Settlement wherever possible. More detailed proposals for simplification will be announced in due course.More broadly, the Department’s established Planning Capacity and Capability programme is also developing a wider programme of support, working with partners across the planning sector, to ensure that local planning authorities have the skills and capacity they need, both now and in the future, to modernise local plans and speed up decision making, including through innovative use of digital planning data and software.The government has also recently consulted on increasing planning fees. This will support local planning authorities in the longer-term by putting them on a more sustainable financial footing.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2024 to Question 16746 on Devolution: East of England, if she will make it her policy to ensure that the Devolution White Paper follows the principles of (a) subsidiarity and (b) double devolution when determining which level to devolve power and responsibility.

We are committed to putting the right powers at the right levels, in line with the principle of subsidiarity, and this has informed development of the devolution framework.That is why Strategic Authorities (SAs) will focus on issues like strategic planning, adult education and local growth plans which require strategic oversight of the entire region.Local authorities will continue to shape their places and deliver the critical local public services residents rely on, and we are ending the destructive Whitehall knows best mindset that drives micromanagement by working to remove the need for Secretaries of State to sign-off on councils’ use of their powers.We will also empower communities with new rights and levers to influence their neighbourhoods, while protecting cherished community assets and high streets.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2024 to Question 15206 on Leasehold Forfeiture, whether she plans to introduce backstop measures to ensure compliance with lease agreements.

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement entitled Local Government Finance of 28 November 2024, Official Report, HCWS265, how she plans to manage the debts of councils subject to Section 114 notice following the proposed reorganisation of local government.

The decision to issue a Section 114 notice is for a council’s section 151 officer and government has no role in the process.Under the previous government, the then Secretary of State used statutory powers to intervene in a small number of councils failing their Best Value Duty partly associated with high levels of unsustainable debt. Government is engaging closely with Best Value Commissioners and Panel Members to understand these councils’ plans to return to a sustainable position. The Government has confirmed that there will be a framework in place to support councils in the most difficult positions.The English Devolution White Paper published on 16 December announced that the Government will facilitate 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.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16179 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Public Appointments, when she plans to deposit the correspondence in the Library of the House.

A copy of the letter has been deposited in the Library of the House and can be found at the following link: Deposited paper DEP2024-0794 - Deposited papers - UK Parliament.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of potential risks to investment returns from the proposed Local Government Pension Scheme reforms.

The Government is currently consulting on proposals to strengthen asset pooling in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) England and Wales. Asset pooling boosts the resilience and performance of investments by enabling administering authorities to diversify their portfolios across a wider range of asset classes, and to manage their assets more efficiently and at reduced risk. The consultation also makes proposals to ensure consistently high standards of governance across the scheme.LGPS members’ pension and benefits are guaranteed in statute and are not affected by the performance of investments, or by any other aspect of the Pensions Review.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's notification entitled Update on Homes for Ukraine Thank You payments and the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, published on 6 December 2024, whether her Department has made changes to the level of (a) funding, (b) thank you payments for hosts and (b) other support for the Homes for Ukraine Scheme since 5 July 2024.

Applications will open on the 4 February 2025 for eligible Ukraine scheme visa holders to apply for further permission to remain in the UK for an additional 18 months under the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme.The department has recently confirmed that to support guests still in sponsorship under UPE and to thank sponsors for their continued generosity, thank you payments for eligible sponsors will be extended for 18 months under the new scheme where guests were previously on a Homes for Ukraine visa.Sponsors will continue to be eligible for thank you payments for the full duration of a Homes for Ukraine guest’s 18 month UPE visa period if they remain in sponsorship, but no further.To fund this support and ensure it is affordable within government budgets, from 1 April 2025, all thank you payments will be paid at a flat rate of £350 per month for all sponsors of guests on Homes for Ukraine and UPE visas, regardless of how long guests have been in the UK.To support this transition, we are signposting sponsors to the Government’s ‘rent a room’ scheme for those who wish to convert their lodging arrangements with their sponsors. If sponsors move to an arrangement where they charge rent, they will no longer be eligible for thank you payments.The department also confirmed that we are maintaining the existing local authority tariff arrangements of £5,900 (£10,500 for eligible minors) per Homes for Ukraine arrival. This should support local authorities with ongoing administration of the scheme and allow local authorities to continue supporting guests to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the previous Government’s submission to the then Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee entitled Improving the home buying and selling process, published in April 2024, whether it remains her Department’s policy to bring forward legislative proposals to increase the information provided by sellers when a home is marketed for sale as set out in the April 2024 proposals.

Providing essential information upfront is important in supporting potential buyers to make important decisions about whether a property is suitable for them early in the process, reducing the risk of transactions falling through when this information comes to light at a later stage. With this in mind, we continue to work with stakeholders across industry, government and the public sector to understand the most effective way of supporting buyers to make the right decisions for them. We will set out more details in due course.

Communities and Local Government, whether the policy set out in the Written Ministerial Statement entitled Protecting Public Money of 23 February 2015, HCWS292, on the payment of lobbyists by local authorities remains her Department’s policy; and if she will take steps to ensure that local authorities do not pay lobbyists for work on (a) local government restructuring, (b) the local government finance settlement and spending review and (c) devolution deals.

The policy as set out in the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity has not changed.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2024 to Question 16736 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Public Expenditure, if she will list the activities previously undertaken by her Department that have been (a) curtailed, (b) suspended and (c) discontinued, in the context of the efficiency savings of £5 million.

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 16736 on 6 December 2024. Departmental budgets are currently under review and will be announced by His Majesty’s Treasury in due course.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a formal consultation on reductions to Right to Buy discounts.

In line with our manifesto commitment, the government undertook a review of the increased Right to Buy discounts introduced in 2012. The review was conducted internally within government but was informed by external analysis and reports, as well as engagement with local authorities, social housing tenants, and other stakeholders.This engagement informed the conclusions of the review, which was to reduce maximum cash discounts to pre-2012 levels of between £16,000 and £38,000. More information about the review can be found on gov.uk here and details of the stakeholder engagement undertaken to inform it is set out within Annex B to the review document.The reduced discounts will remain in place until further notice, but will be kept under review to ensure that we strike the right balance between protecting social housing stock and enabling tenants to access home ownership.On 20 November, the government published a consultation on wider reforms to the Right to Buy scheme, including percentage discounts. This can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has a policy on location-neutral recruitment.

MHCLG adheres to the Civil Service Recruitment Principles for all advertised recruitment campaigns, ensuring roles are offered on a fair, open and merit basis. Alternative working patterns and flexible working arrangements can be discussed with successful candidates on a case-by-case basis. Some roles are offered in specific and limited locations where they are related to a particular place or region, whilst other roles are offered in a broader range of locations.

[SUGGESTED RE-DRAFT] To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many away days her Department has held for senior officials since the 30 May 2024.

The department uses a range of forums and approaches to bring senior leadership teams together to plan work to deliver ministerial priorities and ensure we are developing necessary leadership capability. These are dependent on team need and priorities and are not directed centrally but we are confident our arrangements are proportionate.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2024 to Question 11925 on Council Tax: Greater London, and with reference to the Urgent Question on Council Tax on 14 November 2024, Official Report, columns 907-914, what estimate her Department has made of the average Birmingham City Council Council Tax rate in 2025-26, expressed as (a) a Band D amount in pounds and (b) the percentage difference from 2024-25, in the context of her Department's local government core spending power estimate of £68,459m for that year and the consequential assumptions on council tax referendum principles for 2025-26.

Council tax levels are decided by each council following the local government finance settlement. As such the government cannot comment on individual council tax levels or band D rates. The Local Government Finance Policy Statement published on 28 November sets out proposed council tax referendum principles for 2025 to 2026 of up to 3% and an adult social care precept of 2% for all local authorities responsible for adult social care services. This is in line with the previous government’s policy for 2024-25, and together with central government grant and locally-retained business rates provides a real-terms increase in core spending power of around 3.2% next year. The full statement can be found at: Local government finance policy statement 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2024 to Question 6111 and 6401 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Civil Servants, how many people appointed under exception one worked in their previous role for (a) the Labour Party, (b) Labour Together and (c) a Labour Parliamentarian.

It is the longstanding convention of government under successive administrations that we do not comment on matters relating to individual staff.As part of our recruitment and onboarding process, we ask all candidates to disclose any perceived, actual or potential conflicts of interest in line with Cabinet Office guidance.All disclosures made by candidates are explored and discussed with the hiring manager.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to extend the statutory override for the Dedicated Schools Grant.

We will work with the sector when considering how we can help councils manage the impacts of Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficits on their finances.This government recognises the vital work that local councils do for their communities, and we stand ready to speak to any council that is experiencing financial difficulties.We will set out the government’s plans for the future of the Statutory Override at the provisional Settlement in December.