Written questions by Perteghella.

Communities and Local Government, what legislative measures are being considered to regulate the operation of vape shops within grade-listed or historically significant buildings, including any statutory powers local councils may exercise to prevent occupancy by high-risk commercial tenants.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 120420 on 19 March 2026.

Communities and Local Government, when detailed guidance and criteria for neighbourhood governance structures will be published.

The government continues to engage with local government and the communities sector to ensure that we understand best practice. We will lay regulations and in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on how to balance (a) disability determinations made by (i) the Department for Work and Pensions and (ii) the NHS, and (b) the expressed needs and preferences of applicants when assessing Disabled Facilities Grant applications.

Government guidance for local authorities in England Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) delivery: Guidance for Local Authorities in England sets out best practice local delivery of the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). It covers the eligibility criteria, the application process, and the statutory timeframes for both approvals and delivery. It also covers the grant means test, including that an applicant can be passported through the means test if they are already in receipt of means tested welfare benefits. The guidance explains the local flexibilities available to authorities in delivering the grant, such as waiving the means test or fast-tracking the delivery of the grant in certain cases, with publication of a local housing assistance policy, and outlines best practice partnership working between housing, health, and other relevant local services. MHCLG funds a national body—currently Foundations—to support local authorities in the with their delivery of DFGs. Foundations provides practical support, advice, and training, and helps authorities develop or update their local housing assistance policies. Further information is available on their website: https://www.foundations.uk.com

Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on ensuring that temporary accommodation includes access to basic (a) cooking and (b) washing facilities.

The government does not collect data on the furniture and appliances provided in temporary accommodation. Local authorities can use the Household Support Fund up until March 31, and from April, the Crisis and Resilience Fund, to provide discretionary help with essential items such as furniture and household appliances. Chapter 17 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance includes information on the suitability of accommodation and makes clear that accommodation which may lack or require sharing of important amenities, such as cooking and laundry facilities, should be avoided wherever possible. You can access the Code of Guidance on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which temporary accommodation provided by local authorities includes access to essential (a) furniture and (b) household appliances.

The government does not collect data on the furniture and appliances provided in temporary accommodation. Local authorities can use the Household Support Fund up until March 31, and from April, the Crisis and Resilience Fund, to provide discretionary help with essential items such as furniture and household appliances. Chapter 17 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance includes information on the suitability of accommodation and makes clear that accommodation which may lack or require sharing of important amenities, such as cooking and laundry facilities, should be avoided wherever possible. You can access the Code of Guidance on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, when he expects to lay before Parliament the secondary legislation required to implement the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 relating to estate management charges.

I refer the hon. Members to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 18 December 2025 (HCWS1210).

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on existing freehold homeowners of the time taken in commencing the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 relating to estate management charges.

I refer the hon. Members to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 18 December 2025 (HCWS1210).

Communities and Local Government, whether he expects the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 relating to estate management charges for freehold homeowners to be commenced during the 2026 calendar year.

I refer the hon. Members to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 18 December 2025 (HCWS1210).

Communities and Local Government, if his Department will reform the Disabled Facilities Grant system to improve support for families who need to move to access an adaptable property.

Government recognises how important the right home environment is in enabling disabled people to live as safely, well and independently as possible.As part of the legislative framework for social housing allocations, Local Housing Authorities are required to give reasonable preference (priority) to people who need to move on medical or welfare grounds, including grounds relating to a disability. This is to ensure that social housing goes to those who need it most.The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, requires local planning authorities to assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including those of disabled people, and to reflect this in planning policies. Where an identified need exists, plans are expected to help bring forward an adequate supply of accessible housing. This can include setting out the proportion of new homes to be delivered to accessibility standards. The government will shortly set out its policies on accessible new build housing, reinforcing our commitment to ensuring everyone has access to a safe, suitable home.The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is a capital grant administered by local authorities in England that can help meet the cost of adaptations for people of all ages and tenures to make their home safe and suitable for their needs.The DFG is there to enable all eligible disabled people to access vital home adaptations, subject to a needs assessment and means test. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test, and have powers to agree a more generous local policy. To support this duty, government have boosted funding for the DFG to £711 million for both 2024-25 and 2025-26.Government continues to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. We have consulted on a new approach to allocating DFG funding to local authorities in England to ensure funding for the grant is better aligned with local needs. Responses have been carefully analysed and we are now considering next steps.

Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to strengthen national guidance on accessible housing provision within local plans.

Government recognises how important the right home environment is in enabling disabled people to live as safely, well and independently as possible.As part of the legislative framework for social housing allocations, Local Housing Authorities are required to give reasonable preference (priority) to people who need to move on medical or welfare grounds, including grounds relating to a disability. This is to ensure that social housing goes to those who need it most.The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, requires local planning authorities to assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including those of disabled people, and to reflect this in planning policies. Where an identified need exists, plans are expected to help bring forward an adequate supply of accessible housing. This can include setting out the proportion of new homes to be delivered to accessibility standards. The government will shortly set out its policies on accessible new build housing, reinforcing our commitment to ensuring everyone has access to a safe, suitable home.The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is a capital grant administered by local authorities in England that can help meet the cost of adaptations for people of all ages and tenures to make their home safe and suitable for their needs.The DFG is there to enable all eligible disabled people to access vital home adaptations, subject to a needs assessment and means test. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test, and have powers to agree a more generous local policy. To support this duty, government have boosted funding for the DFG to £711 million for both 2024-25 and 2025-26.Government continues to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. We have consulted on a new approach to allocating DFG funding to local authorities in England to ensure funding for the grant is better aligned with local needs. Responses have been carefully analysed and we are now considering next steps.

Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to help families in which at least one person has a serious medical condition to access appropriate housing.

Government recognises how important the right home environment is in enabling disabled people to live as safely, well and independently as possible.As part of the legislative framework for social housing allocations, Local Housing Authorities are required to give reasonable preference (priority) to people who need to move on medical or welfare grounds, including grounds relating to a disability. This is to ensure that social housing goes to those who need it most.The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, requires local planning authorities to assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including those of disabled people, and to reflect this in planning policies. Where an identified need exists, plans are expected to help bring forward an adequate supply of accessible housing. This can include setting out the proportion of new homes to be delivered to accessibility standards. The government will shortly set out its policies on accessible new build housing, reinforcing our commitment to ensuring everyone has access to a safe, suitable home.The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is a capital grant administered by local authorities in England that can help meet the cost of adaptations for people of all ages and tenures to make their home safe and suitable for their needs.The DFG is there to enable all eligible disabled people to access vital home adaptations, subject to a needs assessment and means test. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test, and have powers to agree a more generous local policy. To support this duty, government have boosted funding for the DFG to £711 million for both 2024-25 and 2025-26.Government continues to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. We have consulted on a new approach to allocating DFG funding to local authorities in England to ensure funding for the grant is better aligned with local needs. Responses have been carefully analysed and we are now considering next steps.

Communities and Local Government, if he will meet with the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon and their constituents to discuss how to improve access to appropriate accommodation for families with significant medical needs.

Government recognises how important the right home environment is in enabling disabled people to live as safely, well and independently as possible.As part of the legislative framework for social housing allocations, Local Housing Authorities are required to give reasonable preference (priority) to people who need to move on medical or welfare grounds, including grounds relating to a disability. This is to ensure that social housing goes to those who need it most.The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, requires local planning authorities to assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including those of disabled people, and to reflect this in planning policies. Where an identified need exists, plans are expected to help bring forward an adequate supply of accessible housing. This can include setting out the proportion of new homes to be delivered to accessibility standards. The government will shortly set out its policies on accessible new build housing, reinforcing our commitment to ensuring everyone has access to a safe, suitable home.The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is a capital grant administered by local authorities in England that can help meet the cost of adaptations for people of all ages and tenures to make their home safe and suitable for their needs.The DFG is there to enable all eligible disabled people to access vital home adaptations, subject to a needs assessment and means test. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test, and have powers to agree a more generous local policy. To support this duty, government have boosted funding for the DFG to £711 million for both 2024-25 and 2025-26.Government continues to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. We have consulted on a new approach to allocating DFG funding to local authorities in England to ensure funding for the grant is better aligned with local needs. Responses have been carefully analysed and we are now considering next steps.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled UK government response to the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) market study into housebuilding, published on 22 October 2024, when he plans to implement the recommendations agreed to in that paper.

The government is already acting on many of the CMA’s recommendations and remains fully committed to delivering solutions that address the challenges identified in its October 2024 market study into housebuilding.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve the provision of supported accommodation for (a) young people and (b) adults with special needs and disabilities in (i) Stratford-on-Avon constituency and (ii) Warwickshire.

The government recognises the important role played by supported housing in helping disabled young people and adults, as well as other vulnerable people, to live safely, well and independently. The Affordable Housing Programme 2021-26 includes delivery of supported housing. At the Spending Review, the government announced £39 billion for a new Social and Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36. In particular, the government recognises some types of homes that are much needed can often cost more to deliver. The new programme is designed to be flexible to support the greater diversity of supply needed, and we are asking providers, including supported housing providers, to come forward with ambitious bids that reflect this diversity.In addition, social housing rent policy exempts ‘specialised supported housing’ - serving those with the most complex needs, including people with learning disabilities and or autism, and mental health issues – from the Rent standard. This means providers can set rents that enable them to finance and bring forward high cost, high-specification housing to meet the needs of this cohort.

Communities and Local Government, what steps is she taking to ensure that ECP assessment reports include the full list of recommendations.

The recommendations included within an EPC are generated automatically by the software used, based on the information collected during an assessment. The department sets out a number of requirements to ensure that EPCs are accurate and therefore contain appropriate recommendations for the building which has been assessed. We require accreditation schemes to verify that any prospective members have met the competency criteria for the strand applied for (by way of a qualification or through Approved Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)) before they are accredited as an energy assessor. Assessors are also required to undertake ongoing continuing professional development to maintain their competency. We also require accreditation schemes to audit a sample of assessments to ensure they are accurate and have been undertaken as per agreed requirements. Additionally, any software used for undertaking an energy assessment must be validated to ensure that it is operating in line with the relevant approved calculation methodology.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure developers complete (a) roads and (b) pavements on new housing developments in a timely manner.

The government recognise the frustrations that stalled or delayed sites can cause to communities. Once housebuilders have been granted permission for residential development, meeting local housing needs and preferences, we expect to see them built out as quickly as possible. Local planning authorities have powers to issue a completion notice to require a developer to complete their development if it is stalled. If they fail to do so, the planning permission for the development will lapse. The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 includes policies designed to support increased build out rates, including the promotion of mixed tenure development. On 25 May, the government published a Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out (which can be found on gov.uk here) inviting views on further action the government should take to speed up homes being built. On the same day, we launched a technical consultation on implementing measures to improve the transparency of build rates from new residential development, which includes proposals to implement provisions in Section 113 of the LURA on the power to decline to determine applications. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here. Subject to the outcome of the consultation, the government intends bring forward the regulations to implement these measures at the earliest practical opportunity with the new build out reporting framework coming into force from 2026. Local planning authorities have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance, which they can use where development has not taken place in accordance with the planning permission given. It is for authorities to decide how and when they use their powers depending on the circumstances of each case.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support residents’ associations in securing completion of outstanding works on housing developments.

The government recognise the frustrations that stalled or delayed sites can cause to communities. Once housebuilders have been granted permission for residential development, meeting local housing needs and preferences, we expect to see them built out as quickly as possible. Local planning authorities have powers to issue a completion notice to require a developer to complete their development if it is stalled. If they fail to do so, the planning permission for the development will lapse. The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 includes policies designed to support increased build out rates, including the promotion of mixed tenure development. On 25 May, the government published a Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out (which can be found on gov.uk here) inviting views on further action the government should take to speed up homes being built. On the same day, we launched a technical consultation on implementing measures to improve the transparency of build rates from new residential development, which includes proposals to implement provisions in Section 113 of the LURA on the power to decline to determine applications. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here. Subject to the outcome of the consultation, the government intends bring forward the regulations to implement these measures at the earliest practical opportunity with the new build out reporting framework coming into force from 2026. Local planning authorities have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance, which they can use where development has not taken place in accordance with the planning permission given. It is for authorities to decide how and when they use their powers depending on the circumstances of each case.

Communities and Local Government, what proportion of public assets in freeports has been acquired by private (a) companies and (b) corporations.

While the Department oversees the Freeports Programme, it does not collect data on the ownership of individual assets within Freeport areas. However, the vast majority of Freeport sites were in private ownership at the point of designation, reflecting the Programme’s aim to stimulate private investment and create jobs in parts of the country that see too little of it.

Communities and Local Government, what the target number of jobs was for UK (a) freeports and (b) special economic zones; and how many jobs UK (i) freeports and (ii) special economic zones have delivered to date.

As policies developed in partnership with local partners, MHCLG has not set specific targets for job creation in Freeports, nor in Investment Zones, its other major economic zone policy.However, Freeports have set out the economic impacts they expect to deliver through business cases, available on Freeports’ websites once approved by government. MHCLG-commissioned analysis projects that the 8 English Freeports alone will directly create 60,000 additional jobs and will support another 42,000 jobs across the supply chain. Local partners expect that Investment Zones across the UK will create over 90,000 jobs over the life cycle of the programme.The Department will track job creation by Freeports and Investment Zones, as a key indicator of their economic impact. To date, Freeports have attracted £6.4 billion in private investment, which is expected to create at least 7,200 jobs.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure that planning (a) policies and (b) decisions support UK (i) nature and (ii) climate targets.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 41339 on 3 April 2025.