Written questions by Hollinrake.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, what financial resources will be made available by her Department to support mayoral combined authorities in bringing forward spatial development plans.

We recognise that strategic authorities will require effective capacity so that they can deliver on the ambitions set out in the English Devolution White Paper, including in relation to proposed Spatial Development Strategies. Any decisions on funding will be a matter for the upcoming Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, how many households were on social housing waiting lists in (a) England and (b) London in each year since 2009-10.

The number of households on social housing registers (waiting lists) in (a) England) and (b) London each year since 2009-10 is available in live table 600 here. The number of households on the housing register (waiting list) is not the same as the number of households waiting. Local authorities periodically review their registers to remove households who no longer require housing, so the total number of households on housing registers may overstate the number of households who still require social housing at any one time. The frequency of reviews varies between local authorities. Housing register size may also be affected by other factors. For example, there is the potential for some households to be on the housing register of more than one local authority.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2024 to Question 15453 on Local Government: Accountability, if she will take steps to make the data published under the Transparency Code more (a) accessible and (b) shareable as open data.

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. 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.We are supporting the Office for National Statistics to lead a refresh of the government’s subnational data strategy, including supporting “ONS Local to gather user needs and understand data gaps, provide data access, analytical support, and capability to local data leaders”.

Communities and Local Government, what the average grant subsidy per unit is to build an average affordable dwelling under the (a) social rent, (b) affordable rent and (c) affordable home ownership tenures for the current Affordable Housing Programme.

The Department delegates delivery of the Affordable Homes Programme to Homes England outside London and to the Greater London Authority (GLA) in London. The government agrees budgets and targets with both agencies to deliver the programme’s overall targets for additional homes and specific types of tenure, as well as types of home, including those built using of Modern Methods of Construction and Supported Housing.In awarding contracts under the programme Homes England and the GLA assess the need for grant on a site-by-site basis. In agreeing how much grant a project requires they will take into account the costs for building out the site with how much grant is needed to make that project viable, and the overall value for money for the programme. The most recent publication, with data reflecting grant allocations to the end of March 2023, can be found here.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 3.35 of Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, how much and what proportion of the £46 million in funding allocated to her Department will be spent on (a) recruitment and training for graduates and apprentices, (b) accelerating large sites waiting for planning approval and (c) upskilling local planning authority capacity.

Details of precisely how the £46 million committed to support capacity and capability in local planning authorities will be allocated is subject to departmental planning, and negotiations are ongoing with delivery partners. Further detail will be provided in due course and the House will be updated in the usual way.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) increases to (i) capital gains tax and (ii) stamp duty, (b) fixed term tenancies and evictions in the Renters’ Rights Bill and (c) requiring landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their properties to a EPC C rating by 2030 on the private rented sector by the end of this Parliament.

There were no changes made to Capital Gains tax residential property rates at Autumn Budget and Spending Round 2024.The increase of the higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) by two percentage points does not affect existing landlords, only those looking to enter the market or expand their portfolio. Landlords can still benefit from the lower non-residential rates of SDLT when purchasing six or more properties in a single transaction, or mixed (commercial and residential) property.The Department published the Renters’ Rights Bill Impact Assessment on 22 November 2024. It received a ‘Green’ rating from the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC), indicating that it is ‘fit for purpose’. For landlords that already provide decent homes and a prompt repair service to their tenants, the costs of our reforms, including abolishing fixed terms and introducing reformed possession grounds, are estimated to be just £22 per rented property annually – only 0.2% of mean annual rents.The government will consult shortly on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector to achieve Energy Performance Certificate C or equivalent by 2030. The consultation will be accompanied by an assessment of the potential impacts of the proposals.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of biodiversity net gain on the cost of housebuilding.

Mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain was introduced by the previous government through the Environment Act 2021. To support this, an impact assessment was undertaken in 2019 estimating the overall assessed cost of biodiversity net gain to developers and the effect on developable land prices. No subsequent assessment has been made under the current government.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department’s English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, what the evidential basis is for the decision to set new unitary council sizes at 500,000 or more.

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. For most areas this will mean creating councils with a population of 500,000 or more, but there may be exceptions to ensure new structures make sense for an area, including for devolution, and decisions will be on a case-by-case basis.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2024 to Question 15451 on Renters’ Rights Bill, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Impact Assessments (a) receive clearance from the Regulatory Policy Committee and (b) are published no later than the First Reading of a Bill.

The Department aims to publish Impact Assessments in a timely manner, in line with the ‘Better Regulation Framework’ guidance, which states that an Impact Assessment ‘should be published alongside relevant legislation when it is laid before Parliament.’In exceptional circumstances this may not be possible, for example, where the legislation is urgent, further work is needed following concerns expressed by the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) or where the assessment is with RPC for review. In those circumstances, the Department works with the RPC to ensure the Bill Impact Assessment and RPC opinion is published as soon as possible.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) family-owned businesses and (b) changes to Business Property Relief on the economy of local communities.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government took a number of difficult but necessary decisions on tax, welfare, and spending to restore economic stability, fix the public finances, and support public services. These were tough decisions given the situationwe inherited from the previous administration, but the Government has done so in a way that makes the tax system fairer and more sustainable. The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms. In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

Communities and Local Government, what the (a) full time equivalent and (b) headcount number of staff assigned to work in each of her Department’s offices is.

The location of every departmental office and the number of staff assigned to work in each of those offices as at 31 December 2024, in both (a) full time equivalent and (b) headcount, is set out below.Office LocationFTEHeadcountBelfast2121Birmingham144147Birkenhead8791Bristol163167Cambridge5053Cardiff4445Darlington125127Edinburgh5152Exeter2426Hastings2326Hemel Hempstead5658Leeds163168London2,1632,220Manchester196201Newcastle6667Norwich1212Nottingham7072Plymouth2424Sheffield4851Truro1415Warrington5659Wolverhampton269277Grand Total3,8673,979

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2024 to Question 16200 on Local Government: Productivity, for what reason her Department does not routinely publish letters issued to local authorities. .

In line with the practice of successive previous governments, MHCLG does not regularly publish non-public correspondence between Ministers and local authorities. Local authorities are free to publish these letters if they believe it is beneficial to do so.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2024 to Question 15441 on Local Government: Staff, how the Local Government Workforce Development Group members will be selected; and whether the membership will be politically balanced.

Membership of the Workforce Development Group is composed of officers from both national and local government organisations. The group is focussed on the common interest of tackling local government workforce issues and is not party political. The inaugural meeting was chaired by the Minister for Local Government, and future meetings will be chaired by a senior official from MHCLG.

What steps her Department is taking to support small high street businesses reliant on Small Business Rate Relief.

Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) is available to businesses with a single property below a set rateable value. Eligible properties under £12,000 receive 100 per cent relief, which means over a third of businesses in England (more than 700,000) pay no business rates at all. There is also tapered support available to properties valued between £12,000 and £15,000. The Government has no plans to withdraw SBRR, which is a permanent relief set down in legislation. As highlighted in the Transforming Business Rates Discussion Paper, the Government is interested in hearing stakeholders’ views on the extent to which the current system acts as a barrier to investment and specifically, whether the current eligibility criteria for SBRR impacts businesses' incentives to invest and expand into a second property.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's publication entitled English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, if she will make it her policy to ensure elections to principal and strategic authorities take place concurrently.

The Government has no plans to change the timing of elections for principal and strategic authorities to ensure that they take place concurrently.

Whether properties with a rateable value of £15,000 or less will be able to continue to claim Small Business Rate Relief for the 2026-27 year.

Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) is available to businesses with a single property below a set rateable value. Eligible properties under £12,000 receive 100 per cent relief, which means over a third of businesses in England (more than 700,000) pay no business rates at all. There is also tapered support available to properties valued between £12,000 and £15,000. The government is committed to retaining SBRR, which is a permanent relief set down in legislation. As highlighted in the Transforming Business Rates Discussion Paper, the Government is interested in hearing stakeholders’ views on whether the current eligibility criteria impact businesses' incentives to invest and expand into a second property.

What assessment her Department has made of the financial impact of potential changes to Small Business Rate Relief after the introduction of new non-domestic rate multipliers on small businesses; and whether she plans to take steps to mitigate this impact.

Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) is available to businesses with a single property below a set rateable value. Eligible properties under £12,000 receive 100 per cent relief, which means over a third of businesses in England (more than 700,000) pay no business rates at all. There is also tapered support available to properties valued between £12,000 and £15,000. The government is committed to retaining SBRR, which is a permanent relief set down in legislation. As highlighted in the Transforming Business Rates Discussion Paper, the Government is interested in hearing stakeholders’ views on whether the current eligibility criteria impact businesses' incentives to invest and expand into a second property.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answers of 3 December 2024 to Question (a) 15923 and (b) 15934 on Mayors: Elections, for what reason Greater Lincolnshire is not listed as having a mayoral election in 2025.

Questions UIN 15923 and UIN 15934 concerned combined authorities. Greater Lincolnshire will be established as a combined county authority under legislation currently before Parliament. When that legislation is approved by Parliament, and made, the Greater Lincolnshire mayoral election will be added to the published list of elections.

Communities and Local Government, on what dates the public hearings will be held for the Planning Inspectorate's inquiry into the Chinese Embassy planning application; and which planning inspector will be chairing the inquiry.

The desired information can be found here on the Appeals Casework Portal reference APP/E5900/V/24/3353754.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2024 to Question 15439 on Local government finance, if she will list each of the bidding schemes that have operated in her Department in 2024-25.

The government is committed to pursuing a comprehensive set of reforms for public services to return the local government sector to a sustainable position. This will be done in partnership with local government. We are inviting views on our objectives and principles for local government funding reform via a consultation that is open until the 12 February.In regard to Local Growth funding, this Government was elected on a manifesto that stressed a partnership approach with local authorities and an intention to stabilise the funding system by providing multi-year funding settlements and ending competitive bidding which was the requirement for funds such as Future High Streets Fund, Town Deals and the Levelling Up Fund.