Written questions by Holmes.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department’s policy paper entitled Planning Reform Working Paper: Development and Nature Recovery, published on 15 December 2024, whether Biodiversity Net Gain expenditure can be scored against mitigation measures.

The proposals set out in the Development and Nature Recovery Planning Reform Working Paper would not be expected to have a direct impact on the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). They would, however, complement the implementation of BNG in securing better outcomes for nature. BNG incentivises nature positive choices on development sites, with a developing private marketplace for off-site biodiversity units which the government continues to support. Our proposals for a Nature Recovery Fund would apply specifically to protected habitats and species. As we continue to develop this new model, we will consider any opportunities which it may offer to support the ongoing implementation of BNG.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to promote the English language other than through (a) schemes for people from Ukraine and Hong Kong and (b) English for Speakers of Other Languages training.

Local authorities signpost new arrivals to English language provision as needed. Government also signposts to English language provision and resources for new arrivals in published guidance. For Afghan arrivals, the Home Office provides local authorities with £850 for English language provision for adults requiring this support. In addition to specific English language schemes, Government also provides tariff funding to local authorities to support Ukrainian and Afghan arrivals to integrate into their local communities, which includes supporting them to access English language training where needed. This includes integration tariff funding of up to £20,520 per person, over three years, for each Afghan household they move into settled accommodation in their area. For Ukrainian arrivals, local authorities continue to receive a tariff of £5,900 per Homes for Ukraine arrival in their area to support guests to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question HL3199 on Government department: cost effectiveness, what requirements local authorities will have to make efficiency savings as part of the Spending Review Phase 2.

The government has committed to a multi-year Spending Review in Spring 2025.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 and on the principle of giving forward notice and certainty to allow time for councils to plan.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 4.2.3 of the Devolution White Paper (CP 1218), published on 16 December 2024, at what administrative level social care will be administered in areas where counties and districts are replaced with new unitaries.

Where there is a single tier of local government unitary councils are responsible for delivery of adult social care.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 6 January 2025, HCWS353, on Community Ownership Fund Round 4, how much funding has been distributed under each of the individual rounds of the Community Ownership Fund.

In Round 1, over £10 million was awarded to 37 projects. In Round 2, around £22.8m was awarded to 95 projects. In Round 3, around £65.7m was awarded to 190 projects. In Round 4, around £36.2m was awarded to 85 projects.A full breakdown of funding is available on the Community Ownership Fund successful bidders page on GOV.UK.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2024 to Question 18954 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Public Appointments, for what reason her Department was without Non-Executive Board Members since 7 July 2024.

Following the decision to appoint new non-executive board members to the Departmental Board, Mo Baines was appointed as Interim Lead Non-Executive Director in October 2024. An open competition for Non-Executive Directors is also underway to bring the Board to full complement and these appointments will be announced in due course. We have full confidence in our ongoing governance arrangements.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has received representations from local authorities on increasing the council tax referendum threshold for councils with Section 114 notices; and what her policy is on this issue.

The Government is currently analysing results of the consultation on the provisional local government finance settlement for 2025-26 including the council tax referendum principles that will be set. The ability for councils in exceptional financial circumstances to request council tax increases is not new. As with previous years the government will consider requests for bespoke referendum principles from councils seeking exceptional financial support, but this government will put taxpayers at the forefront of their consideration.The government will consider requests on a case-by-case basis and expects that any additional increases would only be agreed in exceptional circumstances. The government has been clear it will look carefully at councils’ specific circumstances, for example their existing levels of council tax relative to the average and the strength of plans to protect vulnerable people. As with previous years, referendum principles for all councils will be set out at the final Local Government Finance Settlement in February.

Communities and Local Government, whether the Local Audit Office will have the authority to (a) undertake inspections of individual local authorities, (b) commission external research and (c) exercise best value powers.

As outlined in the Local Audit Strategy, the government has committed to establish the Local Audit Office (LAO) to streamline and simplify the system. The LAO will have responsibility for co-ordinating the local audit system, contract managing and appointments, the code of audit practice, quality and oversight, and reporting and insights (which could include undertaking or commissioning research related to local audit).While the LAO will oversee the quality of the local audit regime, it will not be responsible for carrying out inspections of local authorities. The government is consulting on the need for public provision to supplement private market capacity and whether this function should be delivered by the LAO which could result in the LAO undertaking some audits of individual local authorities.Best value powers (under the Local Government Act 1999) will remain with the Secretary of State and the department.

Communities and Local Government, which individual funding streams to local government in 2025-26 are ring-fenced.

The provisional Settlement for 2025-26 makes available £69 billion for local government, which is a 3.5% real terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. The consultation on the provisional settlement launched on 18 December 2024 and closed 15 January 2025. The Government is considering responses and will publish a response at the final settlement. As with previous years, the majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities. As set out in the consultation on the provisional settlement, it is our intent to ringfence a number of the social care grants and we will set out details in due course.The government has committed to simplifying the wider local funding landscape, reviewing and reducing the number of grants and ringfences, and consolidating grants into the Local Government Finance Settlement wherever possible. This will support local authorities to plan budgets more effectively and have greater freedom to deliver local priorities. We are inviting views until 12 February 2025 on our principles and objectives for local government funding reform through a consultation.

Communities and Local Government, which councils which received Rural Services Delivery Grant in 2024-25 will not receive Recovery Grant in 2025-26.

The government recognises that there is a long road to recovery ahead.The Recovery Grant is intended to be a short-term, interim measure to lay the groundwork for more fundamental reform from 2026-27 which is part of our longer-term plan to fix the foundations of local government.We have published a full methodology alongside the provisional Settlement. We consulted with local authorities on proposals for the 2025-26 Settlement, including on the Recovery Grant and the repurposing of the Rural Services Delivery Grant. The consultation launched on 18 December 2024 and closed on 15 January 2025. The Government is considering responses and will publish a response in the usual way at the final Settlement.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 64 of the Devolution White Paper (CP 1218), published on 16 December 2024, whether Spatial Development Strategies will (a) include targets and (b) propose sites for authorised traveller pitches by local planning authority.

The English Devolution White Paper, Power and Partnership: Foundations for Growth, sets out that Spatial Development Strategies will guide development for the local planning authorities in any given area, and that local plans will need to be in general conformity with them. Spatial Development Strategies will identify the infrastructure that is needed and strategic locations for development. Further detail will be set out in legislation in due course.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 16948 on Planning Permission, what previous guidance has been provided by (a) her Department and (b) the Planning Inspectorate on whether representations made advocating a planning call-in or planning recovery must be publicly disclosed.

No guidance exists which requires that representations advocating a planning call-in or planning recovery be published.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the draft Local Government Finance Settlement published on 18 December 2024, HCWS342, what her Department's estimated increase in council tax receipts is in 2025-26 compared to 2024-25; and what proportion of the increase in core spending power will be funded through higher council tax receipts.

The provisional Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available £69 billion for local government, which is a 3.5% real terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. An estimated 55% of the increase to CSP is a result of increased council tax income.Further information on Core Spending Power, including council tax, is available at Core Spending Power table: provisional local government finance settlement 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK

Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 4 of her Department's College of Experts recruitment pack, published in December 2024, whether strengthening and consolidating employment rights is a formal Ministerial responsibility of her Department.

Strengthening employment rights is a key priority across Government. The Deputy Prime Minister is the Chair of the Future of Work Cabinet Committee, which is responsible for considering and taking decisions on matters related to the Make Work Pay package of reforms to the Employment Law framework. The Deputy Prime Minister is working closely with the Department for Business and Trade, and other government departments, to deliver the Employment Rights Bill. There has been no change to formal departmental responsibilities.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 January 2025 to Question 20827 on Religious Freedom, what steps the Government is taking to protect freedom of speech in relation to the expression of lawful statements which may be critical of organised religion.

This is a tolerant multi-faith country in which all faiths contribute towards creating a richer society. There are no blasphemy laws in this country and there are no plans to introduce blasphemy laws. This Government will always recognise British citizens’ unchanging right to freedom of speech and expression.

Communities and Local Government, Pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2025 to Question 21478 on Local Government: Correspondence, and with reference to the letter of 16 December 2024 to local council leaders from the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution, what her policy is on requests for Principal Area Boundary Reviews by local authorities related to such changes.

My letter of 16 December 2024 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-government-reorganisation-letter-to-two-tier-areas) set out Government’s plans for a joint programme of devolution and local government reorganisation. In this letter I set out my intention to formally invite unitary proposals in January 2025 from all councils in two-tier areas, and small neighbouring unitary councils. In this invitation, I will set out further detail on the criteria I will consider when taking decisions on the proposals for reorganisation, and any requests for boundary reviews related to such changes, that are submitted to Government. I intend to ask for interim plans by March 2025 and full proposals later in the year.

Communities and Local Government, Pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2025 to Question 21478 on Local Government: Correspondence and with reference to the letter of 16 December 2024 to local authority leaders from the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution, how the (a) number of councillors and (b) electoral wards will be decided for new unitary local authorities; and what plans she has to consult the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.

My department is working closely with the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to ensure that they are involved at the appropriate time to ensure fair electoral arrangements across the area of any new unitary local authorities.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2025 to Question 21478 on Local Government: Correspondence and with reference to the letter of 16 December 2024 to council leaders from the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution, for what reason local elections in May 2025 may be delayed before the conclusions of the statutory consultation on specific unitary proposals.

As set out in in my letter of 16 December, I have heard from some areas that the timing of elections affects their planning for devolution, particularly alongside reorganisation, and to help manage these demands, I will consider requests made by 10 January to delay elections. I also set out that these requests would only be considered where it is clear that postponement will help the area to deliver both reorganisation and devolution to the most ambitious timeframe. This is a high bar to reach and it is not expected that all councils who have applied to be on the priority programme will go forward as a result.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, what her timetable is for the (a) publication and (b) passage of the English Devolution Bill; and whether she plans to consult on the provisions of the Bill before it is published.

In the English Devolution White Paper, we committed to introducing the English Devolution Bill in this session, subject to parliamentary time. There is extensive engagement ongoing between my department, mayoral combined authorities, local authorities and other stakeholders on how we can best implement the policy set out in the White Paper. The Bill will deliver on the vision of the White Paper and will be published upon introduction to Parliament.

Communities and Local Government, what the (a) cash and (b) real terms change in total government grant in (i) monetary and (ii) percentage terms is for each local authority in England from 2025-26 to 2026-27.

Taken together, the additional funding announced by the Chancellor at the Autumn Budget and the 2025-26 provisional Local Government Finance Settlement will provide over £5 billion of new funding for local services over and above local council tax.Provisional individual local authority allocations can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/core-spending-power-table-provisional-local-government-finance-settlement-2025-to-2026.