Written questions by Wrigley.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to create a single independent appeals process for parking.

The Government is committed to delivering a single Code of Practice for private parking companies to follow, as part of this process we will undergo a public consultation to assess the impact of the Code. We are currently reviewing all options and will announce our plans regarding the code in due course. My officials meet regularly with the two private parking trade associations and consumer groups and I am due to meet with them soon.

Communities and Local Government, what meetings she has had with the private parking industry since 5 July 2024.

The Government is committed to delivering a single Code of Practice for private parking companies to follow, as part of this process we will undergo a public consultation to assess the impact of the Code. We are currently reviewing all options and will announce our plans regarding the code in due course. My officials meet regularly with the two private parking trade associations and consumer groups and I am due to meet with them soon.

Communities and Local Government, when the Minister for Housing and Planning will meet with the hon. Member for Newton Abbot.

My private office has contacted the hon. Member by email to offer a meeting.

Communities and Local Government, how new local authorities with overlapping national park authorities will (a) interact with each other, (b) have stakeholder obligations and (c) be statutory consultees to each other.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 32529 on 3 March 2025.

Communities and Local Government, when the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution will meet with the hon. Member for Newton Abbot.

I meet with members routinely, and am pleased to do so. My office have contacted the hon. Member.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of Community Infrastructure Levy monies being contributed towards childcare provision and infrastructure.

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is used to fund infrastructure needed to support development in a local authority’s area. This may include childcare facilities.Any local planning authority that has received developer contributions is required to publish an Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS) at least annually. The IFS report should include summary details of CIL expenditure during the reported year, including the items of infrastructure to which CIL has been applied.There is no statutory requirement for a consolidated Infrastructure Funding Statement for England to be published, and one has not been published to date.The government is committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes proposed by clause 1 of the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill on future trends in the level of local authority funding for fiscal years (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27 and (c) 2027-28.

Raising the revenue required to fund public services and restore economic stability requires difficult decisions on tax. The government is providing an additional £2 billion in grant funding through the Settlement, including £502 million to address the impact of employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) changes on council budgets. A further £13 million has been allocated to Mayoral Combined Authorities, totalling £515 million. Payments will be unringfenced to allow funding to be used across direct, commissioned, and externally provided local services. Spending decisions beyond 2025-26 are a matter for the upcoming Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, if the Department will make an assessment of the merits of redefining childcare as infrastructure.

The Planning Act 2008, Part 11, provides the legislative framework for the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL).Section 216(1) of the 2008 Act means that CIL must be spent on the provision, improvement, replacement, operation, or maintenance of infrastructure.Section 216(2) of that Act contains an illustrative list of kinds of infrastructure that CIL may be spent on and in subsection (2)(c) express reference is made to schools and other educational facilities.This allows the levy to be used to fund a broad range of facilities, which may include childcare facilities.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to require new local authorities to consult National Park authorities on potential planning applications.

New local authorities, including unitary authorities, are required to consult the National Park authority concerned on “development likely to affect land in a National Park,” as prescribed in Sch. 4 of The Town and Country (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015.

Communities and Local Government, if her Department will introduce a community right to buy for social landlords and community-led housing organisations.

Through the English Devolution Bill, we will introduce a ‘right to buy’ to empower local people to bring community assets, such as shops, pubs and community centres, into community ownership. There are no plans for this to apply to social or community-led housing.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce a community right to buy for (a) social landlords and (b) community-led housing organisations.

Through the English Devolution Bill, we will introduce a ‘right to buy’ to empower local people to bring community assets, such as shops, pubs and community centres, into community ownership. There are no plans for this to apply to social or community-led housing.

Communities and Local Government, if she will ensure that building management companies covering new developments have adequate (a) investment funds and (b) fees for continued (i) maintenance and (ii) rejuvenation of public spaces.

As part of our manifesto commitment to bring the injustice of ‘fleecehold’ private housing estates to an end, the government intends to consult on options to reduce the prevalence of private management arrangements for new estates which are the root cause of the problems faced by many residential leaseholders.The government is clear that new housing estates must have a sustainable plan for their long-term maintenance, upkeep and regeneration. The National Design Guide and National Model Design Code, which are both part of the suite of planning practice guidance that supports the National Planning Policy Framework, emphasise that well designed places consider management and maintenance regimes from the early stages of the design process and set them out in a management plan.

Communities and Local Government, if she will introduce legislation to regulate political donations made by foreign nationals via companies.

Effective regulation of political finance is crucial for maintaining public trust in our electoral systems. The Government is committed to strengthening our democracy and upholding the integrity of elections and, as stated in our manifesto, we intend to strengthen the rules around donations to political parties to protect our democracy. My department is developing proposals to give effect to these commitments and will share details with Parliament in due course.Political parties play a vital role in our democracy, and it is important that they are able to fundraise effectively and communicate with the electorate. The law sets out that it is the responsibility of political parties to take reasonable steps to verify the identity of a donor and whether they are permissible. The Government will take any necessary steps to ensure those requirements are tightened and abided by.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to commission a review into the potential merits of introducing a cap on political donations including (a) at what level a cap should be and (b) what the potential impact of such a cap would be.

Effective regulation of political finance is crucial for maintaining public trust in our electoral systems. The Government is committed to strengthening our democracy and upholding the integrity of elections and, as stated in our manifesto, we intend to strengthen the rules around donations to political parties to protect our democracy. My department is developing proposals to give effect to these commitments and will share details with Parliament in due course.Political parties play a vital role in our democracy, and it is important that they are able to fundraise effectively and communicate with the electorate. The law sets out that it is the responsibility of political parties to take reasonable steps to verify the identity of a donor and whether they are permissible. The Government will take any necessary steps to ensure those requirements are tightened and abided by.

Communities and Local Government, whether the Government has plans to introduce a cap on political donations.

Effective regulation of political finance is crucial for maintaining public trust in our electoral systems. The Government is committed to strengthening our democracy and upholding the integrity of elections and, as stated in our manifesto, we intend to strengthen the rules around donations to political parties to protect our democracy. My department is developing proposals to give effect to these commitments and will share details with Parliament in due course.Political parties play a vital role in our democracy, and it is important that they are able to fundraise effectively and communicate with the electorate. The law sets out that it is the responsibility of political parties to take reasonable steps to verify the identity of a donor and whether they are permissible. The Government will take any necessary steps to ensure those requirements are tightened and abided by.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of her Department's Exeter regional office on the career prospects of civil servants in the South West.

The department has made the decision to close six offices over the next two years, including its office in Exeter, in order to create a more coherent office estate across the UK. The department will continue to have an office in every English region, and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and that will include an office in Plymouth, to ensure we maintain a presence in Devon.The department has recently invested in a new office in Plymouth, giving our staff based there a more modern working experience. The new office also has a greater capacity than our previous office in Plymouth, which will allow any staff who are currently based in Exeter the opportunity to work from there should they wish. We will provide a package of measures to support Exeter-based staff who want to transition to Plymouth. All staff in the six offices which will close will be able to continue in their roles and there will be no compulsory redundancies.

Communities and Local Government, for what reason she decided to close the Department's regional office in Exeter.

The department has made the decision to close six offices over the next two years, including its office in Exeter, in order to create a more coherent office estate across the UK. The department will continue to have an office in every English region, and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and that will include an office in Plymouth, to ensure we maintain a presence in Devon.The department has recently invested in a new office in Plymouth, giving our staff based there a more modern working experience. The new office also has a greater capacity than our previous office in Plymouth, which will allow any staff who are currently based in Exeter the opportunity to work from there should they wish. We will provide a package of measures to support Exeter-based staff who want to transition to Plymouth. All staff in the six offices which will close will be able to continue in their roles and there will be no compulsory redundancies.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the decision to close her Department's regional office in Exeter on civil servants in Devon.

The department has made the decision to close six offices over the next two years, including its office in Exeter, in order to create a more coherent office estate across the UK. The department will continue to have an office in every English region, and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and that will include an office in Plymouth, to ensure we maintain a presence in Devon.The department has recently invested in a new office in Plymouth, giving our staff based there a more modern working experience. The new office also has a greater capacity than our previous office in Plymouth, which will allow any staff who are currently based in Exeter the opportunity to work from there should they wish. We will provide a package of measures to support Exeter-based staff who want to transition to Plymouth. All staff in the six offices which will close will be able to continue in their roles and there will be no compulsory redundancies.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure adequate funding for local government in Devon.

For Devon Council, the final Local Government Finance Settlement represents an increase in Core Spending Power of up to 5.4% – making available a total of up to £837.2 million in 2025-26. Taken together, the additional funding announced by the Chancellor at the Autumn Budget and through the 2025-26 Settlement will provide over £5 billion of new funding for local services over and above local council tax. This includes an additional £2 billion of grant through the Settlement in addition to a guarantee that local authorities in England will receive at least £1.1 billion in total in 2025-26 from the new Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) scheme.

Communities and Local Government, if she will ensure that her Department does not close its regional office in Exeter.

The department has made the decision to close six offices over the next two years, including its office in Exeter, in order to create a more coherent office estate across the UK. The department will continue to have an office in every English region, and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and that will include an office in Plymouth, to ensure we maintain a presence in Devon.The department has recently invested in a new office in Plymouth, giving our staff based there a more modern working experience. The new office also has a greater capacity than our previous office in Plymouth, which will allow any staff who are currently based in Exeter the opportunity to work from there should they wish. We will provide a package of measures to support Exeter-based staff who want to transition to Plymouth. All staff in the six offices which will close will be able to continue in their roles and there will be no compulsory redundancies.