Written questions by Bool.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of further permitted development protections for registered historic battlefields in England.

The government is committed to the protection of the historic environment.We consider new permitted development rights, and amendments to existing ones, on a case-by-case basis.Changes to permitted development rights are generally made following public consultation, including consideration of any impacts on the historic environment.Local planning authorities can also remove national permitted development rights where it is necessary to protect local amenity or the well-being of an area by introducing an ‘Article 4’ direction.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to update building regulations to require the inclusion of solar panels on new warehouse developments.

The Future Buildings Standard, which will be set through changes to the Building Regulations in autumn this year, will apply to new non-domestic buildings, including new warehouse developments. The Government published a consultation on the Future Buildings Standard which closed in March 2024. We consulted on two potential performance requirement options for non-domestic buildings, both of which included the use of solar panels. The Government will respond to the consultation and publish the new standard later this year.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed consolidation of small grants into larger funding pots on North Northamptonshire Council.

The Government is delivering its commitment to simplify the local government funding landscape by consolidating as much revenue funding as possible across departments into the Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS). This will significantly streamline and rationalise local government funding, giving local authorities much greater certainty about their budgets in the coming years, allowing them to make more effective financial decisions.The consolidation of grants will also reduce the resources that local authorities spend monitoring and reporting on grant conditions. This will free-up resources for public services and enable local authorities to decide the most effective way to spend money in their communities.Further detail will be published at the provisional LGFS later this year.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed Fair Funding Review 2.0 on the financial settlement for North Northamptonshire Council.

On 20 June 2025, we launched the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation on proposals to update and reform the funding system through the 2026-27 Local Government Finance Settlement. Subject to consultation, our proposals will create a balanced, more transparent and simpler Settlement.We will publish the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year, which will inform local authorities, including North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire Councils, of their provisional multi-year allocations, and allow authorities to make budget decisions and plan for the course of the multi-year Settlement.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed Fair Funding Review 2.0 on the financial settlement for West Northamptonshire Council.

On 20 June 2025, we launched the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation on proposals to update and reform the funding system through the 2026-27 Local Government Finance Settlement. Subject to consultation, our proposals will create a balanced, more transparent and simpler Settlement.We will publish the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year, which will inform local authorities, including North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire Councils, of their provisional multi-year allocations, and allow authorities to make budget decisions and plan for the course of the multi-year Settlement.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the written statement of 20 June 2025 entitled Fair Funding Review 2.0 and Modernising and Improving the Administration of Council Tax, HCWS724, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that North Northamptonshire Council is adequately supported to implement the modernised council tax administration system.

The Government has been clear in its council tax administration consultation, that it aims to strike a balance between delivering a fairer system for taxpayers and giving councils the tools to collect the council tax they require to deliver public services. The Government will engage directly with councils on how best to implement any changes in relation to council tax administration.One element of supporting councils is changes to funding: At the 2025 Spending Review, the government committed a further £3.4 billion of grant funding to local government over the Spending Review period (2026-27 to 2028-29). Furthermore, the government’s Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation includes proposals which target funding where it’s needed most, this can be found here.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed consolidation of small grants into larger funding pots on West Northamptonshire Council.

The Government is delivering its commitment to simplify the local government funding landscape by consolidating as much revenue funding as possible across departments into the Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS). This will significantly streamline and rationalise local government funding, giving local authorities much greater certainty about their budgets in the coming years, allowing them to make more effective financial decisions.The consolidation of grants will also reduce the resources that local authorities spend monitoring and reporting on grant conditions. This will free-up resources for public services and enable local authorities to decide the most effective way to spend money in their communities.Further detail will be published at the provisional LGFS later this year.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the written statement of 20 June 2025 entitled Fair Funding Review 2.0 and Modernising and Improving the Administration of Council Tax, HCWS724, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that West Northamptonshire Council is adequately supported to implement the modernised council tax administration system.

The Government has been clear in its council tax administration consultation, that it aims to strike a balance between delivering a fairer system for taxpayers and giving councils the tools to collect the council tax they require to deliver public services. The Government will engage directly with councils on how best to implement any changes in relation to council tax administration.One element of supporting councils is changes to funding: At the 2025 Spending Review, the government committed a further £3.4 billion of grant funding to local government over the Spending Review period (2026-27 to 2028-29). Furthermore, the government’s Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation includes proposals which target funding where it’s needed most, this can be found here.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to review the development consent order process for solar projects to increase local authority input on battery storage safety.

National planning policy and guidance clearly considers safety aspects of a proposed energy development, with expectations set out early for applicants to submit supporting information with their application for the proposed development.The overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) sets out the role of the Health and Safety Executive as a statutory consultee in the planning system as well as how the Secretary of State should account for safety concerns in their decision making.The government updated its Planning Practice Guidance (August 2023) to encourage battery storage developers to engage with Local Fire and Rescue Services before submitting a planning application. National Fire Chiefs guidance sets out how risks should be identified early on in the design process. Local authorities are consulted by applicants and can engage in the Development Consent Order process formally through relevant representations, local impact reports or through hearings at examination.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to standardise the approval process for battery safety management plans across local planning authorities.

National planning policy and guidance clearly considers safety aspects of a proposed energy development, with expectations set out early for applicants to submit supporting information with their application for the proposed development.The overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) sets out the role of the Health and Safety Executive as a statutory consultee in the planning system as well as how the Secretary of State should account for safety concerns in their decision making.The government updated its Planning Practice Guidance (August 2023) to encourage battery storage developers to engage with Local Fire and Rescue Services before submitting a planning application. National Fire Chiefs guidance sets out how risks should be identified early on in the design process. Local authorities are consulted by applicants and can engage in the Development Consent Order process formally through relevant representations, local impact reports or through hearings at examination.

Communities and Local Government, what (a) training and (b) resources her Department has provided to fire and rescue services to respond to battery energy storage system-related incidents.

It is the responsibility of fire and rescue authorities to ensure that firefighters receive the appropriate equipment and training to safely respond to the wide range of incidents that they attend. The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) also provides guidance to fire and rescue services to help keep firefighters and the public safe. In 2023, the NFCC published guidance on Battery Energy Storage System sites.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued to fire and rescue services on responding to incidents involving large-scale battery energy storage systems.

It is the responsibility of fire and rescue authorities to ensure that firefighters receive the appropriate equipment and training to safely respond to the wide range of incidents that they attend. The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) also provides guidance to fire and rescue services to help keep firefighters and the public safe. In 2023, the NFCC published guidance on Battery Energy Storage System sites.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to ensure that new housing developments in rural areas are accompanied by appropriate infrastructure.

I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to Question UIN 26106 on 5 February 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to take steps to monitor the adequacy of the professional indemnity insurance required for architects; and what steps her Department is taking to help support consumers with consumer recourse.

It is important for all architects to maintain appropriate financial protection against liability so that clients and building users have a route to redress in the event of a negligence claim. The independent regulator, the Architects Registration Board (ARB), has set expectations for architects to hold adequate insurance arrangements. MHCLG is supportive of the ARB’s work on this topic and has no plans to implement a monitoring regime for architects’ professional indemnity insurance at the moment.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department takes to monitor the response times of complaints made against registered architects to the Architects Registration Board.

The Architects Registration Board (ARB) is an independent regulator. As the sponsoring department, MHCLG regularly engages with the ARB to stay abreast of its activities. This includes consideration of performance figures, which the ARB publishes quarterly, and any potential risks regarding compliance with its statutory responsibilities. However, MHCLG has no role in the oversight of individual cases or ARB’s operational decisions, to maintain ARB’s regulatory independence.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing water reed to be used as an alternative to thatching straw for protected thatched roofs.

My Department has no plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing water reed as an alternative thatching material for historic buildings.Any works to demolish any part of a listed building or to alter or extend it in a way that affects its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest require listed building consent. It is for local planning authorities to decide whether to grant listed building consent depending on the particular circumstances of each case.