Written questions by Hoare.

Communities and Local Government, what engagement with Park Home owners his Department has had during the past 12 months.

Officials from my Department have had six meetings with four residents’ associations representing park home owners over the past 12 months to deepen the Department’s understanding of their rights and obligations and how the former are enforced. I attended the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Park Homes meeting on 10 February 2025 to hear the sector’s views on a range of subjects, including the payment of a commission upon the sale of a park home.

Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to respond to the report from the Park Home owners JUSTICE campaign about the rationale for 10% commission rate.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97962 on 15 December 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has calculated the costs to park home owners that have been spent on commission during the 12 months since the Park Home Owners JUSTICE report was submitted to Government.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97962 on 15 December 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what support is available to families who are hosting Ukrainian citizens who need to extend their visas under the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme in financial year (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27.

Sponsors/hosts of Homes for Ukraine guests are eligible for a thank you payment of £350 a month for the duration of a guests’ Homes for Ukraine visa period and for 18-months of the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme visa period. The extension of thank you payments for 18-months of UPE provides time for guests and sponsors/hosts to plan for next steps, including securing independent accommodation if needed. Alternatively sponsors/hosts and guests may want to consider converting to a lodging arrangement and making use of the Government’s Rent a Room scheme. Where sponsors/hosts charge rent, they will not be eligible to receive a thank you payment.

Communities and Local Government, what funding will be made available to small and medium size businesses when transitional arrangements for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund end.

After March 2026, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will end. Beyond this, the government is providing targeted, long-term local growth funding to support growth across the UK, completing the transition from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This includes:Establishing a new local growth fund, including a 10-year capital settlement from 2026‑27 to 2035‑36, for specific mayoral city regions in the North and Midlands with the highest productivity catch-up and agglomeration potential.Investing in up to 350 deprived communities across the UK, to fund interventions including community cohesion, regeneration and improving the public realm.For local government as a whole, the government's funding reforms will move funding to the places that need it, ensuring that funding is targeted effectively at the places and services that need it most and allocated in a way that empowers local leaders to deliver against local priorities.DBT will lead on the broader SME strategy setting out the government's vision for SMEs and we will work across government to ensure effective support.Funding related to the Rural England Prosperity Fund is a matter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Communities and Local Government, what funding will be made available to small and medium size businesses when transitional arrangements for the Rural England Prosperity Fund end.

After March 2026, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will end. Beyond this, the government is providing targeted, long-term local growth funding to support growth across the UK, completing the transition from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This includes:Establishing a new local growth fund, including a 10-year capital settlement from 2026‑27 to 2035‑36, for specific mayoral city regions in the North and Midlands with the highest productivity catch-up and agglomeration potential.Investing in up to 350 deprived communities across the UK, to fund interventions including community cohesion, regeneration and improving the public realm.For local government as a whole, the government's funding reforms will move funding to the places that need it, ensuring that funding is targeted effectively at the places and services that need it most and allocated in a way that empowers local leaders to deliver against local priorities.DBT will lead on the broader SME strategy setting out the government's vision for SMEs and we will work across government to ensure effective support.Funding related to the Rural England Prosperity Fund is a matter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the impact of the provision of council services in rural areas on the cost of those services in (a) North Dorset constituency and (b) other rural areas.

The government is absolutely committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural communities. Places with a significant rural population will on average receive almost a 6% increase in their Core Spending Power (CSP) next year, which is a real terms increase. No council will see a reduction – and new funding will be available to rural areas in 2025-26 through guaranteed EPR payments.For Dorset Council this represents an increase of 5.9% in CSP - making available a total of up to £451.1 million in 2025-26.The government is currently inviting views on how best to consider the impact of rurality on the costs of service delivery, and demand, as part of our longer-term consultation on local authority funding reform. Within this, we propose continuing to apply Area Cost Adjustments to account for relative cost differences between local authorities, including differences between rural and urban areas.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the additional costs of providing council services in rural areas.

This government is committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural councils in England. Places with a significant rural population will on average receive around a 5% increase in their Core Spending Power next year, which is a real terms increase. No council will see a reduction – and new funding will be available to rural areas in 2025-26 through guaranteed EPR payments.  The government is keen to hear from councils about how best to consider the impact of rurality on the costs of service delivery, and demand, as part of our longer term consultations on local authority funding reform.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution in response to the hon. Member for North Dorset during the Oral Statement of 16 December 2024 on English Devolution, Official Report, column 53, when her Department will commence a review into fair funding for rural councils.

The government is absolutely committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural communities.We are committed to pursuing a comprehensive set of reforms for public services to fix the foundations of local government in partnership with the sector and on the principle of giving councils early certainty. As a core part of this plan, the government is committed to introducing an improved and updated approach to funding local authorities from 2026-27. We are inviting views on our principles and objectives for funding reform through a consultation (18 December – 12 February).These reforms will build on the proposals set out in the previous government’s review of Relative Needs and Resources (also referred to as the ‘Fair Funding Review’), using the best available evidence to inform local authority funding allocations. We will move gradually towards an updated system and will invite views on possible transitional arrangements to determine how local authorities reach their new funding allocations.