Written questions by Davies.

Communities and Local Government, what payment will replace the new homes bonus for local councils who (a) meet and (b) exceed their housing target; when this payment will take affect; and when the New Homes bonus will cease to exist.

The government has no plans to replace the New Homes Bonus. Further details on how the funding previously allocated to the New Homes Bonus was returned to the core Settlement are set out in the Final Local Government Finance Settlement published on 9 February 2026 which can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department requires each local area to have a local growth plan.

Local Growth Plans are a key pillar of our regional growth agenda and every Mayoral Strategic Authority in England should develop and publish a Local Growth Plan. We intend to make this a statutory requirement through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. Foundation Strategic Authorities and Local Authorities in non-devolution areas have an important role to play in driving local growth. They may wish to read the guidance on developing a Local Growth Plan when considering next steps for greater devolution and their own economic plans. We encourage all authorities to set out a vision for growth in their area that can help to attract investment and drive growth; however, the government does not require this.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the need for regeneration of housing stock in existing New Towns.

My Department has not made a specific assessment of the need for regeneration of housing stock in existing New Towns.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of his Department's progress towards its target of delivering 1,500,000 new homes over the course of this Parliament.

Progress toward the government’s Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in England in this Parliament will be measured through the number of net additional dwellings, the latest data on which can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen protections for nature through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 94311 on 4 December 2025.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the cap for the number of homes that a council can own without the need for a housing revenue account from 200 to over 1000 on the number of council homes in England.

The government recognise that the cost of opening a Housing Revenue Account (HRA) can deter non-HRA holding councils from increasing their current levels of housing delivery. As a result, we are already exploring whether the current 200 social and affordable home threshold is set at the right level, or if a different threshold would enable councils to reach a level of housing provision that would better enable them to meet the costs of opening and managing an HRA.

Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the total Revenue Support Grant provided to Telford and Wrekin Council for each year that data is available, including the provisional settlement for 2026/2027.

The total Revenue Support Grant provided to Telford and Wrekin Council has consistently been published as part of the annual Local Government Finance Settlement for each year. A full record of recent Local Government Finance Settlements can be found online on gov.uk. Local Government Finance Settlements prior to 2014-15 are now stored on the National Archives here. We have published provisional allocations of the Revenue Support Grant for the next three years at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement.

Communities and Local Government, if he will publish his Department's plan to replace the New Homes Bonus.

The government has no plans to replace the New Homes Bonus.

Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to support wards receiving funding through the Pride in Place programme in (a) Telford, (b) West Midlands and (c) England.

On 25 September, the Government launched its overarching Pride in Place Strategy, committing up to £5 billion in funding and support to 339 communities. The flagship Pride in Place Programme will provide up to £20 million in flexible funding and support to 244 places over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities, incorporating the existing 25 trailblazer areas announced at Spending Review and the 75 Phase 1 Plan for Neighbourhoods programme areas that were announced in March. The neighbourhoods selected to receive funding and support from the Pride in Place Programme include Woodside in Telford and 28 places in the West Midlands. In addition, 7 local authorities across the West Midlands have been awarded funding through the Pride in Place Impact Fund, with each receiving up to £1.5m over two years. In total, the Government is investing up to £570.5 million across the West Midlands through the Pride in Place Programme and the Pride in Place Impact Fund. Each area selected through the Pride in Place Programme will receive dedicated delivery support from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure the successful delivery of the programme. This support will be provided by the Communities Delivery Unit, which will work in partnership with Neighbourhood Boards and local authorities, and will include access to place-specific data, guidance and capability support tailored to local needs. The Communities Delivery Unit will establish a Network for Neighbourhoods across the UK to build connection and learning between community leaders, convene the partners that support and strengthen community organisations, groups and social clubs, and embed participatory approaches in how local decisions are made. With the Pride in Place Programme at its heart, the Network will share learning and best practice across the Neighbourhood Boards and beyond, to support strong, capable and empowered communities to lead change locally. The Communities Delivery Unit in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government will also work with other government departments to identify relevant programmes, data and support that Pride in Place neighbourhoods can draw on as they develop their local plans.

Communities and Local Government, how many business pay business rates for each year that data is available in (a) Telford constituency and (b) Telford and Wrekin Local Authority area broken down by type of business rate charge.

The Department does not collect data on the number of businesses paying business rates from local authorities. The Department does not collect business rates data for parliamentary constituencies.

Communities and Local Government, what resources his department is providing to those wards within the government Pride in Place program in a) Telford, b) West Midlands and c) England.

On 25 September, the Government launched its overarching Pride in Place Strategy, committing up to £5 billion in funding and support to 339 communities. The flagship Pride in Place Programme will provide up to £20 million in flexible funding and support to 244 places over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities, incorporating the existing 25 trailblazer areas announced at Spending Review and the 75 Phase 1 Plan for Neighbourhoods programme areas that were announced in March. The neighbourhoods selected to receive funding and support from the Pride in Place Programme include Woodside in Telford and 28 places in the West Midlands. In addition, 7 local authorities across the West Midlands have been awarded funding through the Pride in Place Impact Fund, with each receiving up to £1.5m over two years. In total, the Government is investing up to £570.5 million across the West Midlands through the Pride in Place Programme and the Pride in Place Impact Fund.Each area selected through the Pride in Place Programme will receive dedicated delivery support from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure the successful delivery of the programme. This support will be provided by the Communities Delivery Unit, which will work in partnership with Pride in Place Boards and local authorities, and will include access to place-specific data, guidance and capability support tailored to local needs.The Communities Delivery Unit in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government will also work with the Department for Work and Pensions and other government departments to identify relevant programmes, data and support that Pride in Place neighbourhoods can draw on as they develop their local plans.

Communities and Local Government, what resources his department is directing to support those wards within the governments Pride in Place program in a) Telford, b) West Midlands and c) England.

On 25 September, the Government launched its overarching Pride in Place Strategy, committing up to £5 billion in funding and support to 339 communities. The flagship Pride in Place Programme will provide up to £20 million in flexible funding and support to 244 places over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities, incorporating the existing 25 trailblazer areas announced at Spending Review and the 75 Phase 1 Plan for Neighbourhoods programme areas that were announced in March. The neighbourhoods selected to receive funding and support from the Pride in Place Programme include Woodside in Telford and 28 places in the West Midlands. In addition, 7 local authorities across the West Midlands have been awarded funding through the Pride in Place Impact Fund, with each receiving up to £1.5m over two years. In total, the Government is investing up to £570.5 million across the West Midlands through the Pride in Place Programme and the Pride in Place Impact Fund.Each area selected through the Pride in Place Programme will receive dedicated delivery support from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure the successful delivery of the programme. This support will be provided by the Communities Delivery Unit, which will work in partnership with Pride in Place Boards and local authorities, and will include access to place-specific data, guidance and capability support tailored to local needs.The Communities Delivery Unit in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government will also work with the Department for Work and Pensions and other government departments to identify relevant programmes, data and support that Pride in Place neighbourhoods can draw on as they develop their local plans.

Communities and Local Government, what extra resource his department is providing those wards within the governments pride in place program.

On 25 September, the Government launched its overarching Pride in Place Strategy, committing up to £5 billion in funding and support to 339 communities. The flagship Pride in Place Programme will provide up to £20 million in flexible funding and support to 244 places over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities, incorporating the existing 25 trailblazer areas announced at Spending Review and the 75 Phase 1 Plan for Neighbourhoods programme areas that were announced in March. The neighbourhoods selected to receive funding and support from the Pride in Place Programme include Woodside in Telford and 28 places in the West Midlands. In addition, 7 local authorities across the West Midlands have been awarded funding through the Pride in Place Impact Fund, with each receiving up to £1.5m over two years. In total, the Government is investing up to £570.5 million across the West Midlands through the Pride in Place Programme and the Pride in Place Impact Fund.Each area selected through the Pride in Place Programme will receive dedicated delivery support from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure the successful delivery of the programme. This support will be provided by the Communities Delivery Unit, which will work in partnership with Pride in Place Boards and local authorities, and will include access to place-specific data, guidance and capability support tailored to local needs.The Communities Delivery Unit in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government will also work with the Department for Work and Pensions and other government departments to identify relevant programmes, data and support that Pride in Place neighbourhoods can draw on as they develop their local plans.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending capitalisation flexibilities to police forces.

Police and Crime Commissioners already fall under the definition of local authorities in the relevant parts of the Local Government Act 2003, under which the Secretary of State may grant capitalisation flexibilities to local authorities.

Communities and Local Government, how many lower-layer super output areas are within Telford constituency; how those areas are ranked by top (a) 1%, (b) 5% and (c) 10% in the index of multiple deprivation; and what impact that data has on the allocation of funding by her Department.

The indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) are publicly available, including information about the lower super output areas.The government has consulted on updating the distribution of local government finance in the Fair Funding Review 2.0. This includes proposals for a 'Foundation Formula' to assess relative demand for most non-social care services. More detail about the formula, including how it incorporates IMD data, can be found in the consultation document.The consultation has now closed and the government is considering the comments received.

Communities and Local Government, how many (a) wards and (b) super output areas are within the top (i) 1%, (ii) 5% and (iii) 10% for deprivation in Telford constituency.

The government uses the English Indices of Deprivation, most recently published in 2019, to assess relative levels of deprivation across small areas in England. These indices are based on Lower-layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs), which are statistical geographies designed to improve the reporting of small area statistics typically containing between 400 and 1,200 households.According to the latest available data:In the Telford constituency, there are:2 LSOA within the top 1% most deprived areas in England7 LSOAs within the top 5% most deprived,and 6 LSOAs within the top 10% most deprived.The government continues to work with local partners to address deprivation and support communities through targeted investment and regeneration programmes.

Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the criteria by which communities may qualify for capital grants from upper tier local authorities for physical and social regeneration funding.

At Spending Review, we announced support for up to 350 deprived communities, which includes the 75 places named in the Plan for Neighbourhoods in March 2025. The investment will support communities to drive forward the changes they want to see in their neighbourhoods, championing local leadership, fostering community engagement and strengthening social cohesion. Further details will be published in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to enable upper-tier councils to increase council tax bills by a set amount rather than a fixed percentage through future reviews of local government funding.

As an important part of local democracy and accountability, it is for individual councils to set their own level of council tax. The Spending Review assumed 5% council tax increases over the period made up of a 3% core referendum principle and a 2% adult social care precept. The final set of referendum principles will be set out each year as part of the local government final settlement in the usual way.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with social housing providers on (a) the Decent Homes Standard and (b) the provision of furnished tenancies in social housing in relation to levels of furniture poverty.

My Department engages actively with registered providers of social housing on all issues facing social housing tenants.We will be consulting this year on a reformed Decent Homes Standard for the social and private rented sectors.People in need may be able to get help for essential furniture from their local council through the ‘Household Support Fund’ and other services available locally.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has set a deadline for councils to publish their (a) local growth plans and (b) local housing development plans.

The Deputy Prime Minister wrote to the 11 Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority in September to invite them to begin the process of developing their Local Growth Plans. These will be locally owned, long-term strategic plans that set out how the authority will use its devolved powers and funding to support the national growth mission. Local Growth Plans will also help inform the development of the UK Industrial Strategy and will support its delivery. They will be published after the multi-year spending review.All local development plans should be submitted for examination by December 2026 with the exception of plans that reach pre-submission consultation stage (Regulation 19) on or before 12 March 2025. These plans will proceed on the basis of the transitional arrangements set out in the revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024.