Written questions by Savage.

Communities and Local Government, what recent steps she has taken to help ensure the effectiveness of reforms to permitted development rights for farms in South Cotswolds constituency since the Oxford farming conference 2025.

The government continues to keep permitted development rights under review.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department had discussions with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on the composition of the Service Charge Residential Management Code expert panel.

Responsibility for reviewing and updating the current edition of the Service Charge Management Code rests wholly with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), as owners of the Code. The Department had no role or influence in determining the composition of the expert panel or the terms of reference of the review. A draft 4th edition of the Code was published by RICS for public consultation in April 2022, and it will be for RICS to decide if and when the 4th edition of the code is published, or subject to further scrutiny. Once the revised code is published, Ministers will decide whether or not formally to approve it, in whole or in part, using powers under Section 87 of the Leasehold Reform and Urban Development Act 1993.

Communities and Local Government, which teams in her Department are reviewing the draft of the 4th edition of the Service Charge Residential Management Code for (a) legal, (b) policy and (c) other considerations.

Responsibility for reviewing and updating the current edition of the Service Charge Management Code rests wholly with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), as owners of the Code. The Department had no role or influence in determining the composition of the expert panel or the terms of reference of the review. A draft 4th edition of the Code was published by RICS for public consultation in April 2022, and it will be for RICS to decide if and when the 4th edition of the code is published, or subject to further scrutiny. Once the revised code is published, Ministers will decide whether or not formally to approve it, in whole or in part, using powers under Section 87 of the Leasehold Reform and Urban Development Act 1993.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department approved the membership of the expert panel that contributed to the draft of the fourth edition of the Service Charge Residential Management Code.

Responsibility for reviewing and updating the current edition of the Service Charge Management Code rests wholly with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), as owners of the Code. The Department had no role or influence in determining the composition of the expert panel or the terms of reference of the review. A draft 4th edition of the Code was published by RICS for public consultation in April 2022, and it will be for RICS to decide if and when the 4th edition of the code is published, or subject to further scrutiny. Once the revised code is published, Ministers will decide whether or not formally to approve it, in whole or in part, using powers under Section 87 of the Leasehold Reform and Urban Development Act 1993.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to (a) publish for the purposes of public scrutiny and (b) make available to hon. Members for the purposes of parliamentary scrutiny the draft 4th edition of the Service Charge Residential Management Code prior to its formal adoption.

Responsibility for reviewing and updating the current edition of the Service Charge Management Code rests wholly with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), as owners of the Code. The Department had no role or influence in determining the composition of the expert panel or the terms of reference of the review. A draft 4th edition of the Code was published by RICS for public consultation in April 2022, and it will be for RICS to decide if and when the 4th edition of the code is published, or subject to further scrutiny. Once the revised code is published, Ministers will decide whether or not formally to approve it, in whole or in part, using powers under Section 87 of the Leasehold Reform and Urban Development Act 1993.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department had discussions with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on the inclusion of service charge payer representatives on the Service Charge Residential Management Code expert panel.

Responsibility for reviewing and updating the current edition of the Service Charge Management Code rests wholly with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), as owners of the Code. The Department had no role or influence in determining the composition of the expert panel or the terms of reference of the review. A draft 4th edition of the Code was published by RICS for public consultation in April 2022, and it will be for RICS to decide if and when the 4th edition of the code is published, or subject to further scrutiny. Once the revised code is published, Ministers will decide whether or not formally to approve it, in whole or in part, using powers under Section 87 of the Leasehold Reform and Urban Development Act 1993.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department provided terms of reference to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors for the review and update of the Service Charge Residential Management Code; and if she will publish the terms of reference.

Responsibility for reviewing and updating the current edition of the Service Charge Management Code rests wholly with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), as owners of the Code. The Department had no role or influence in determining the composition of the expert panel or the terms of reference of the review. A draft 4th edition of the Code was published by RICS for public consultation in April 2022, and it will be for RICS to decide if and when the 4th edition of the code is published, or subject to further scrutiny. Once the revised code is published, Ministers will decide whether or not formally to approve it, in whole or in part, using powers under Section 87 of the Leasehold Reform and Urban Development Act 1993.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of existing regulatory mechanisms for property management companies on mixed tenure estates; and what her planned timetable is for the implementation of provisions in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill designed to support freeholders seeking to change their management company.

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of reforms to the taxation of (a) rental income, (b) shareholder dividends and (c) other passive income on the levels of funding for local authorities.

Income tax is the largest source of Government revenue and helps to fund the UK’s schools, hospitals, and other essential services that we all rely on. In 2024-25, the Office for Budget Responsibility expect income tax to raise around £302.7 billion. Taxes can be raised to support the Government’s priorities, but income tax is not formally hypothecated for specific uses, such as for local authorities.The additional funding announced by the Chancellor at the Autumn Budget and through the 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement will provide over £5 billion of new funding for local services over and above local council tax. We are delivering a Settlement that begins to fix the foundations of local government by providing significant investment redirecting funding towards the services and places that need it most. The Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Housing Ombudsman Service's report Special Report on GreenSquareAccord, published in October 2024, what discussions she has had with the Housing Ombudsman Service on GreenSquareAccord.

As has been the case under successive administrations, government does not normally disclose details of internal discussions.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to regulate property management companies to protect homeowners from (a) unprofessional practices and (b) additional charges.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support survivors of domestic violence in South Cotswolds constituency.

This government is committed to tackling violence against women and girls and supporting victims of domestic abuse, with a number of steps being taken across government.On 28 November, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced a £30 million increase to the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Grant, raising total funding for 2025/26 to £160 million. This will help local authorities in England to invest in essential services for victims of domestic abuse. On 18 December, MHCLG published funding allocations for local authorities, available here Core Spending Power table: provisional local government finance settlement 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK. Funding is all located at a local authority level. For 2024/25, Gloucestershire County Council, received £1,152,238 through the Safe Accommodation Grant, and in 2025/26, they have been allocated £1,435,985. It is for Gloucestershire County Council to allocate this funding based on local need, including in South Cotswolds. Future funding beyond April 2026 will be decided as part of Spending Review.On 24 September 2024, my department announced that domestic abuse survivors are to be exempt from local connection requirements for social housing.The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is also providing funding to the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) to assist survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, including those in the South Cotswolds constituency. In 2024/25, the Gloucestershire PCC received £1,343,073 to support victims.The MOJ, through Sections 13-14 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, will require local commissioners in England to collaborate when commissioning support services for domestic abuse victims. They must assess the needs of victims in their area and determine if those needs are being met by existing services. These assessments will inform a joint commissioning strategy. This duty aims to remove barriers to accessing support and ensure a more strategic approach to local commissioning.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure housing associations provide clear and consistent communication during tenancy transitions; and what steps she is taking to support tenants facing (a) rent increases and (b) upfront payment requirements.

Under the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard set by the independent Regulator of Social Housing, registered providers must ensure that communication with and information for tenants is clear, accessible, relevant, timely and appropriate to the diverse needs of tenants.Under the new consumer regulation regime, the Regulator proactively seeks evidence that providers are delivering the outcomes set by the standards.In terms of support with rent increases: if eligible, tenants of housing associations can receive Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit to help pay their rent. Support is also available through Discretionary Housing Payments, which are delivered via local authorities.The government recently consulted on a future long-term rent settlement, inviting views on a range of issues relating to social housing rent policy.The Renters’ Rights Bill will prohibit private registered providers, as well as private landlords, from requiring or accepting any payment of rent before an assured tenancy has been entered into.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to require new houses to be built to Passivhaus standards.

Passivhaus represents an example of innovative and efficient design that is leading the way in delivering highly efficient, low carbon buildings and stimulating the skills and supply chains that are needed to bring about a net zero future.We recognise the fact that some homebuilders are already building to standards above the current Building Regulations or installing low carbon heating systems. However, it is important we strike a balance by setting standards that enable all parts of industry to be ready to build homes at scale that are fit for a zero-carbon future.Future standards next year will set our new homes on a path that moves away from relying on volatile fossil fuels and towards more clean, secure energy. These homes will be future proofed with low carbon heating and high levels of energy efficiency. No further energy efficiency retrofit work will be necessary to enable them to become zero-carbon over time as the electricity grid continues to decarbonise.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to continue funding for previously agreed (a) Town Deals and (b) Levelling Up Round 3 awards.

All 101 places selected for Town Deals are now well progressed into delivery, using their share of £2.35 billion to support projects that boost economic regeneration. All Town Deal project business cases have been approved and all monies are now fully allocated. Annual payments are scheduled to be made as planned and the programme is due to close in March 2026. I refer the hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 3603 on 9 September 2024 pertaining to Round 3 of the Levelling Up Fund.

Communities and Local Government, what additional steps she plans to take to support district councils to reduce the levels of homelessness.

The Government is clear that homelessness is too high and too many families are living in temporary accommodation. We want to take a long-term approach and, working with Mayors and councils across the country, we will develop a new cross-government strategy to get us back on track to ending homelessness. The Deputy Prime Minister will chair an Inter-Ministerial Group to drive this forward.We are also tackling the root causes of homelessness, including by delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. We will abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions with immediate effect, preventing private renters being exploited and discriminated against, and empowering people to challenge unreasonable rent increases.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) building more social housing and (b) keeping families out of temporary accommodation on the economy.

The Government is clear that homelessness is too high and that too many families are living in temporary accommodation. We intend to take a long-term approach to prevent and end homelessness. Working with Mayors and councils across the country, we will develop a new cross-government strategy to get us back on track to ending homelessness. The Deputy Prime Minister will chair an Inter-Ministerial Group to drive this forward.We are also tackling the root causes of homelessness, including by delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. Our aspiration is to ensure that, in the first full financial year of this Parliament (2025-26), the number of Social Rent homes is rising rather than falling.Our proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework include setting a clear expectation that housing needs assessments must consider the needs of those requiring Social Rent homes, and that local authorities should specify their expectations on Social Rent delivery as part of broader affordable housing policies.We have asked Homes England and the Greater London Authority to maximise the number of Social Rent homes in allocating the remaining Affordable Homes Programme funding. The Government has started to review the increased Right to Buy discounts introduced in 2012, on which we will bring forward more details and secondary legislation to implement changes in the autumn. We have also announced new flexibilities for how councils can use their Right to Buy receipts to deliver replacement homes; these flexibilities will be in place for an initial 24 months, subject to review.We are committed to setting out details of future Government investment in social and affordable housing at the Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the role that district councils will have in a potential devolution deal for Gloucestershire.

This Government believes that the benefits of devolution are best achieved through the establishment of combined authorities or combined county authorities over sensible economic geographies and supported by a mayor.The Government recognises the vital role district councils play and strongly encourages their involvement in combined county authorities in a number of ways, including non-constituent membership, positions on overview and scrutiny and audit committees, and via local joint working on key issues.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in the level public sector pay on district council budgets over the last three years.

Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management and organisation of their own workforces, including remuneration. The Government recognises the challenges local authorities are facing as demand increases for critical services. Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the Budget and Local Government Finance Settlement in which we are engaged.