Written questions by Owen.

Communities and Local Government, what process will be followed in determining the location of the headquarters for a new Strategic Mayoral Combined Authority that would include Luton.

Any decision regarding the headquarters of a strategic authority would be the responsibility of that strategic authority, and not central Government.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the impact of Sport England’s consultee status on planning applications for playing fields.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed. A consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system is underway and can be found on gov.uk here. The consultation asks for views on the impacts of removing Sport England’s status as a statutory consultee as part of our work to align the statutory consultee system with the development and economic growth objectives set out in our Plan for Change.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to protect leaseholders from (a) poor-performing managing agents and (b) excessive service charges.

I refer the hon. Member to the proposals set out in the consultation on strengthening leaseholder protections over charges and services published on 4 July 2025 (which can be found on gov.uk here) and the answer given to Question UIN 77534 on 17 October 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure fire safety for new (a) high rise buildings, (b) complex or mixed use developments and (c) sites with known access or water-supply constraints and (d) other new build major residential developments.

The Department has taken steps to strengthen fire safety in all new buildings, including those that are high-rise, complex, or located on constrained sites.The Building Safety Act 2022 established the Building Safety Regulator, which since October 2023 has acted as the Building Control Authority for Higher Risk Buildings. Fire safety is considered from the earliest design stages through Planning Gateway One and Gateway Two.Approved Document B (Fire Safety) is subject to continuous review. Updates since 2017 include the ban on combustible materials in external walls over 18 metres, sprinkler requirements for buildings over 11 metres, evacuation alert systems, and provision for second staircases in buildings over 18 metres, which will apply to new buildings where applications are submitted after 30 September 2026.For complex or mixed-use developments, applications are assessed by multi-disciplinary teams. Where standard guidance is insufficient, expert advice should be sought.For sites with access or water-supply constraints, developers must demonstrate compliance with fire service access provisions or justify alternative approaches.All new residential developments, regardless of size, must comply with the Building Regulations, including Part B (Fire Safety). Approved Document B provides statutory guidance on how these requirements may be met in common building situations, but developers may choose alternative approaches provided they can demonstrate compliance with the functional requirements of the Regulations.

Communities and Local Government, whether it remains her policy for Homes England to acquire Ministry of Defence land through the Defence Infrastructure Organisation to meet the government's housebuilding commitments.

Homes England works closely with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, the Ministry of Defence and other landowning Departments, providing targeted and expert support to help prepare land for sale, tackling issues that have previously delayed or prevented land release.Homes England can acquire public sector sites where this offers the best option – and value for money – to accelerate the remediation and release of a site and its build out for housing.