Written questions by Cocking.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help ensure local planning authorities enforce Construction Environmental Management Plans.

Construction environmental management plans are usually required by conditions imposed on the grant of planning permission. Local planning authorities already have a wide range of powers to deal with breaches of planning condition. It is for authorities themselves to decide when and how they use those powers.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2025 to Question 97317 on Local Government: Reorganisation, whether he expects the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners and the re-organisation of local government structures to have any impact on Department spending.

The Government is committed to cutting the cost of politics by reducing unnecessary layers of governance and bureaucracy. Both the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners, alongside local government reorganisation is intended to deliver savings for the taxpayer over time, with efficiencies reinvested in frontline services. Exact savings from local government reorganisation will vary depending on the area and the final decisions on which proposals, if any, are implemented.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2024 to Question 90424 on New Towns, in which sections of the New Towns Taskforce: Report to government and the Initial government response - September 2025 are references made to consultations with neighbouring local authorities before new towns are built.

The independent New Towns Taskforce final report and the government’s initial response to it stress the importance of community engagement and working with local partners in delivering the New Towns programme. The government will publish draft proposals and a final Strategic Environmental Assessment for consultation early next year, before confirming the locations that will be progressed as new towns later in the Spring. At that point, we will publish a full response to the New Towns Taskforce’s report including details of what relevant consultations will take place in respect of each new town location.

Communities and Local Government, what his Department's policy is on local authorities who do not wish to engage in local government reorganisation.

On 5 February 2025, the Government invited two-tier authorities and their neighbouring small unitary councils to develop proposals for unitary local government. All areas have engaged with their invitation although not all councils have submitted proposals. I am grateful for the vast amount of work undertaken by councils to develop proposals, which have now been received from every area invited, and expect local leaders to continue working collaboratively and proactively with each other as we go through the next stages of this process. It was for councils to decide whether to submit a proposal in response to the invitation by the deadline that was specified. Whether they submitted a proposal or not, they will be a named consultee in the Government’s statutory consultations. This Government is determined to streamline local government by replacing the current two-tier council system with new single-tier unitary councils. Empowered local government, based on unitary councils and strategic authorities, is the foundation for growth across the country – the government’s number one mission.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to make it easier for local planning authorities to decline repeat applications for development that has already been refused.

Under Sections 70A and 70B of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, local planning authorities already have powers to decline to determine applications if they have previously refused permission for two or more substantially similar applications on the same site, or if a substantially similar application has been rejected by the Secretary of State on appeal or following call-in, within the past two years.

Communities and Local Government, whether it is his Department's policy that neighbouring local authorities will be consulted before new towns are built.

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of offering publicly funded (a) services and (b) activities to asylum seekers on local community cohesion.

The Home Office are responsible for asylum policy and the support provided to asylum seekers while they await the outcome of their asylum claim. The department has not carried out an assessment of the impact of providing publicly funded services and activities to asylum seekers. On community cohesion more broadly, we are committed to bridging divisions between communities and challenging hatred, and we continue to work closely with community groups, charities, and public sector partners to achieve this. That is why MHCLG has launched a landmark £5 billion Pride in Place programme — backing the true patriots who build their communities up and choose unity over division.

Communities and Local Government, what data his Department holds on the number of newly built homes purchased by non-UK nationals in each of the last five years.

My Department does not hold data on new built homes purchased by non-UK nationals.Overseas entities who want to buy, sell, or transfer property or land in the UK, must register with Companies House and declare who their registrable beneficial owners or managing officers are.Data on property ownership by overseas companies in England and Wales is published by HM Land Registry and is publicly available on gov.uk.

Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on the (a) use of Special Development Orders to obtain planning approval, (b) planning application call-in and (c) planning appeal recovery for asylum seeker accommodation.

The Secretary of State’s powers relating to Special Development Orders are set out in section 60 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Policies on calling in planning applications and recovering appeals are set out in the Written Ministerial Statements of 26 October 2012 and 30 June 2008 respectively.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has issued on whether an elector can register to vote in three different localities.

In the UK, citizens are entitled to be registered at more than one address in certain circumstances. It is the responsibility of the local Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) to consider each application to register to vote on its own merits and to be satisfied that a person meets the residence criteria for each address.The Electoral Commission as the independent electoral regulator, holds responsibility for issuing guidance on electoral registration.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help tackle fraudulent electoral registration.

The Government is committed to upholding the integrity of electoral registers. A robust system of identity verification forms part of the electoral registration process. This includes the ability to match an applicant’s data with Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) records, or to request documentary evidence to verify their identity. The Electoral Commission, which is responsible for issuing guidance on electoral registration, has also published guidance for Electoral Registration Officers on identifying suspicious registration applications and working with local police to investigate any potential registration fraud.

Communities and Local Government, how many dwellings in each local authority in England are classified as Class F under regulation 2 of the Council Tax (Liability for Owners) Regulations 1992.

The Department publishes local authority level data on the number of dwellings receiving the Class F exemption as part of the Council Taxbase statistics. The latest data is based on a snapshot taken in October 2024 and can be found at the following link Council Taxbase Local Authority Level Data 2024 in the ‘Supplementary_Data’ tab.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued on whether public disturbances outside asylum hotels are a material consideration in relation to (a) planning harm and (b) change of use from a hotel into asylum hostel accommodation.

My Department has not issued any such guidance.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with (a) district and (b) county councils in Norfolk and Suffolk on cancelling the planned local elections in May 2026.

The Department has had no discussions with district or county councils in Norfolk or Suffolk about cancelling the planned local elections in May 2026.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 40156 on Green Belt, whether allotments are deemed to be Grey Belt land.

My Department published updated guidance on Green Belt policy on 27 February 2025 to assist local authorities and other decision-makers in determining whether land is grey belt. It can be found on gov.uk here. It is for decision-makers to consider how to apply this to particular local circumstances and assess whether a site constitutes grey belt, as it will depend upon the circumstances of each case. The government does not maintain a definitive list of land uses or categories which constitute grey belt land.

Communities and Local Government, what the average amount of time is for the Land Registry to update the title deeds on gov.uk following a purchase of a dwelling.

HM Land Registry’s processing times are publicly available on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, whether councillors and mayors will be able to sit on her Department's new social cohesion taskforce.

As set out in my response to UIN 78208, the Social Cohesion Taskforce is an internal Civil Service team comprised of civil servants. As part of our work, we have been engaging with a wide range of relevant stakeholders, including those with experience of delivering cohesion programmes within local government.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions the Government had with the US Government on the definition of Islamophobia.

The government does not have an official definition of anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia and so it has not engaged with any foreign government on this. However, we have established a working group to advise government on a definition of anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, including on how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims. Alongside drawing on their own expertise, the working group have engaged widely to ensure the definition accounts for the variety of backgrounds and experiences of communities across the United Kingdom.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with (a) Brighton and Hove council, (b) Tower Hamlets council and (c) Birmingham City Council on the taking down of St George’s flags.

The Prime Minister has been clear that he supports the flying of flags across the country. Flags should be an embodiment of bringing our country and our communities together. Decisions about whether flags should be removed are devolved to local authorities and it is for them to assess the impacts of removing or allowing flags to remain. My Department engages with local authorities on a regular basis across numerous meetings. Where the subject has been raised we have been clear that everyone can make their own decisions, including local councils, on flying flags and that guidance exists to support them, such as ‘Flying flags: a plain English guide” - as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 2007 (as amended in 2012 and 2021) – which outlines the regulations related to the flying of flags in England. It is important that the decisions taken by local authorities reflect the character and values of the communities they serve. Where symbols are used in ways that threaten public safety, it is right that action is taken to address this.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2025 to Question 38045 on Councillors: Planning, if she will make it her policy to require the Mayor of London to undertake the same compulsory training on planning that will be required of councillors on a planning committee.

As set out in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, it is the intention that mayors will be required to undertake mandatory training.