Written questions by Hollinrake.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the nature mitigation mechanisms in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on the use of bat tunnels in new developments.

The government is confident that the Nature Restoration Fund proposed in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill provides a mechanism to avoid the kind of expensive intervention epitomised by the Sheephouse Wood Bat Protection Structure and instead drive meaningful outcomes for nature at the right scale.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56832 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Public Expenditure, if she will make it her policy to reinstate the (a) SME data and (b) voluntary and community sector spending data.

MHCLG publishes its monthly spend data in line with Cabinet Office guidance including all mandatory fields specified in that guidance.

Communities and Local Government, what restrictions exist on installing air conditioning under the (a) planning regime and (b) building regulations regime in new build dwellings.

The Building Regulations are set in performance terms, to provide developers with the flexibility to select the most appropriate solutions for their developments. Part O of the regulations ensures that new residential buildings are built to mitigate the risk of overheating. Mechanical cooling can be used to meet regulations, however, given the Government’s net zero commitment, our preferred means of mitigating overheating is through passive means. Developers must demonstrate that all possible passive means of cooling a dwelling have been implemented before adopting mechanical cooling,As part of the Future Homes and Buildings Standard consultation, which closed in March 2024, we sought evidence on whether current overheating standards are appropriate or require amendment. The Government will set out the evidence it received on Part O during this consultation and its response to this in Autumn 2025, when the Future Homes and Buildings Standard consultation response will be published.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Fair Funding Review 2.0 proposals on levels of (a) council tax and (b) funding of local authorities in (i) London and (ii) other areas.

Local authorities are responsible for setting council tax levels. The Spending Review set out government’s intention to maintain the 3% core council tax referendum principle and a 2% principle for the adult social care precept to protect taxpayers from excessive increases. These principles are in line with the previous government’s policy and OBR forecasts. Final referendum principles will be confirmed at the local government finance settlement each year, subject to approval by the House of Commons, in the usual way. Our proposals are subject to consultation and decisions have yet to be taken that will determine final allocations and the design of transitional arrangements. Subject to consultation, the proposals set out mean that the most relatively deprived places will on balance see larger increases in income than the least deprived places. We will publish further information in the consultation response by early October, followed by the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to publish reports by the Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred and Islamophobia.

As noted in the Terms of Reference, the advice provided to government by the independent Working Group will be private. Once the Government has had time to review the advice, it will consider its next steps.

Communities and Local Government, what the budget is of the Community Cohesion and Resilience Programme in the 2025-26 financial year; what its terms of reference are; and whether local authorities will be required to bid for funding.

The Community Cohesion and Resilience Programme made awards to Local Authorities in the 2024-25 financial year. There are no plans to run the Programme again in the 2025-26 financial year.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of the contract with the Belong Network; if she will publish the (a) contract and (b) terms of reference; and whether the contract was subject to a public tender process.

MHCLG does not have any contracts with the Belong Network.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2025 to Question 63619 on Permitted Development Rights, which local authorities have issued Article 4 directions to remove the Class E change of use rights.

46 local authorities have issued Article 4 directions for part of their area to remove the permitted development right which enables buildings in the Class E Commercial, Business and Service use class to change to residential use. These are: City of LondonWestminsterKensington and ChelseaLambethWandsworthCamdenTower HamletsHackneyIslingtonWindsor and MaidenheadBromleyHillingdonKingston upon ThamesRichmondRedbridgeOld Oak CommonWaltham ForestGreenwichLewishamHammersmith and FulhamHounslowBexleyBroxbourneCrawleyManchesterNorwichMilton KeynesHarlowReadingLutonBrighton and HoveRushmoorHertsmereStevenageThree RiversSeftonDacorumWelwyn and HatfieldWaverleyNorth HertfordshireWatfordColchesterSouthwarkBrentTunbridge WellsBasingstoke and Deane

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 31879 on Councillors: Data Protection, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to include the reforms to the Localism Act 2011 on councillor’s home addresses.

Our continued aim is to remove the requirement for councillors’ home addresses to be published. We intend to legislate when parliamentary time allows.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Reforms to Building Safety Regulator to accelerate housebuilding, published on 30 June 2025, if she will set out how Building Safety Regulator processes will change under the Fast Track Process; and what steps she is taking to reform the Building Safety Regulator (a) to implement the Fast Track Process (b) more broadly.

The new Fast Track process established within the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) will launch on 4 August and will initially focus on new-build applications before being broadened to include other application categories once the effectiveness of the process has been proven.The Fast Track process will expedite the building control process by bringing in expertise in-house, whilst still assuring the delivery of safe, high-quality buildings. BSR has increased the level of feedback and two-way discussion with applicants and is also approving applications with requirements in appropriate circumstances thereby enabling work to commence whilst still ensuring building regulations compliance will be demonstrated.BSR is now publishing regular data which sets out application volumes and processing times. These datasets can be found here: Building Safety Regulator building control approval application data October 2023 to March 2025 - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2025 to Question 64086 on Local Government: Cost Effectiveness, if he will publish the Local Government Association’s Corporate Peer Challenge.

The Corporate Peer Challenge report concerning the London Borough of Croydon has been published by the Local Government Association and the Council on their respective websites.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2025 to Question 64088 on Civil Servants: London Allowance, what her Department's policy is on paying London weighting to staff living in Hertfordshire.

MHCLG has separate National pay ranges and London pay ranges. Whether an individual is paid via the National or London pay range is based on the office they are formally assigned to. The MHCLG London pay range is only applicable to colleagues formally assigned to 2 Marsham St and MHCLG’s Hemel Hempstead office.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2025 to Question 59791 on Greater Manchester Combined Authority: Housing Investment Programmes, if he will publish the Facility Agreement.

The Department does not publish commercially sensitive contract documents where publication could compromise effective programme delivery. Summaries of the current terms and oversight of the programme are publicly available here and here.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it a requirement for all documents published by her Department to be written in plain English.

While there is no legal requirement for government documents to be published in plain English, the department always asks teams to use clear, understandable language in its publications.

Communities and Local Government, what criteria will be used to determine eligibility for the Building Safety Regulator's fast track process.

The new Fast Track process established within the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) will launch on 4 August and will initially focus on new-build applications before being broadened to include other application categories once the effectiveness of the process has been proven.The Fast Track process will expedite the building control process by bringing in expertise in-house, whilst still assuring the delivery of safe, high-quality buildings. BSR has increased the level of feedback and two-way discussion with applicants and is also approving applications with requirements in appropriate circumstances thereby enabling work to commence whilst still ensuring building regulations compliance will be demonstrated.BSR is now publishing regular data which sets out application volumes and processing times. These datasets can be found here: Building Safety Regulator building control approval application data October 2023 to March 2025 - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question 62598 on Right to Buy Scheme, what the monetary amount was of Right to Buy receipts allocated to local government in each year from 2012.

My Department does not publish the amount of Right to Buy receipts retained by local authorities in each financial year.

Communities and Local Government, if she will hold discussions with London boroughs on abolishing council directly elected mayors.

The government is proposing to accept the continuation of directly elected council mayors where they are currently in place, while introducing new measures to ensure a more consistent approach to local authority governance arrangements in England. The government remains open to discussion with any council currently operating a directly elected local mayoral model, where they wish to adopt the leader and cabinet model. Any such change would be undertaken using pre-existing routes. Further detail on the government’s approach to simplifying local leadership structures can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 24 June 2025 (HCWS736).

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to publish regular reports on the outcomes of the fast track process of the Building Safety Regulator.

The new Fast Track process established within the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) will launch on 4 August and will initially focus on new-build applications before being broadened to include other application categories once the effectiveness of the process has been proven.The Fast Track process will expedite the building control process by bringing in expertise in-house, whilst still assuring the delivery of safe, high-quality buildings. BSR has increased the level of feedback and two-way discussion with applicants and is also approving applications with requirements in appropriate circumstances thereby enabling work to commence whilst still ensuring building regulations compliance will be demonstrated.BSR is now publishing regular data which sets out application volumes and processing times. These datasets can be found here: Building Safety Regulator building control approval application data October 2023 to March 2025 - GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2025 to Question 64086, on Local Government: Cost Effectiveness, what formal and informal representations have been received on escalating the intervention.

On 17 July, I announced my final decision, following consideration of representations received and all relevant information, to exercise powers of direction under section 15(5) and 15(6) of the Local Government Act 1999 and appointed Commissioners to ensure London Borough of Croydon’s compliance with the Best Value Duty. Details of the representations can be found in the Explanatory Memorandum to the Directions, copies of which were deposited in the House library and are also available on gov.uk.

Communities and Local Government, whether Articles 13 and 141 of the EU Treaty Articles have been assimilated into the English planning system.

Articles 13 and 14 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU have not been incorporated into the planning system in England.