Written questions by Hayes.

Communities and Local Government, how many new social homes will be delivered in Bournemouth as a result of the 10 year Social and Affordable Homes Programme.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771).

Communities and Local Government, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of the Social and Affordable Homes Programme on housing affordability in Bournemouth.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771).

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the 10 year Social and Affordable Housing Programme. how many new council homes will be built in (a) Bournemouth and (b) Dorset.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July 2025 (HCWS771).

Communities and Local Government, whether she is taking steps to encourage local authorities to buy playground equipment from UK manufacturers.

Playgrounds are a vital part of our social infrastructure. They contribute to the health and development of children and young people across the nation and build on the government’s mission of opportunities for all by ensuring everyone has the best start in life.Local authorities work locally to support adults and children to lead more active lives through access to public leisure services, green space, parks and playground spaces. Their public health budgets are used to deliver local physical activity interventions such as the purchasing of playground equipment. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities and that procurement is up to the discretion of Local authorities rather than the Government.

Communities and Local Government, how much and what proportion of funding under the Towns Fund was allocated to projects involving (a) formal and (b) informal play spaces.

There are 8 Town Deal projects worth £15.9m which explicitly contain a play space element.There are also 8 Future High Streets Fund (FHSF) projects which explicitly contain a play space element, however MHCLG only has FHSF allocations by place and does not track spend at the project level.Please note that a play space is often one element of a broader Towns Fund project; hence departmental spend data may not reflect the actual amount of Towns Fund spent on play spaces (formal or informal) at the local authority level.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to evaluate the impact of Phase One of her Plan for Neighbourhoods; and whether she plans for Phase Two to include neighbourhoods beyond the initial 75 identified.

The new £1.5 billion Plan for Neighbourhoods will deliver up to £20 million of funding and support over the next decade into 75 communities across the UK, a long-term commitment to building the foundations to kickstart local growth and drive-up living standards. We will publish a monitoring and evaluation strategy in due course. The current 75 places that are part of the programme were all selected via a selection methodology that has been published on gov.uk here. Expanding the Plan for Neighbourhoods programme would be a decision for the upcoming Spending Review. The Deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister have been clear that the Spending Review will need to support the delivery of the government’s plan for a decade of national renewal and raising living standards in every part of the United Kingdom.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Renters Rights Bill on landlords with fewer than five properties.

83% of landlords own fewer than five properties, representing 51% of tenancies. It is essential that our Renters’ Rights Bill provides confidence for good landlords, whether they have small or larger portfolios.The government values responsible landlords who provide quality homes to their tenants and believes they must enjoy robust grounds for possession where there is good reason to take their property back.The Department published an Impact Assessment on 22 November 2024. It received a ‘Green’ rating from the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC), indicating that it is ‘fit for purpose’.

What steps her Department is taking to improve standards in the private rented sector in Bournemouth East constituency.

Our Renters’ Rights Bill will deliver the government’s manifesto commitment to transform the experience of private renting, including by applying a Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector to drive up standards within it.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing Mayoral Strategic Authorities with statutory duties on play via the proposed English Devolution Bill.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that formal play spaces and recreational areas should not be built on unless they are no longer needed, equivalent or better alternatives are provided, or the new development is for alternative sports or recreational provision which offers greater benefits. The Government believes that individual local authorities are best placed to make local planning decisions. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will introduce powers for strategic authorities to produce strategic spatial plans for their area. These powers are about planning for growth across a larger than local area, and do not include specific duties in relation to play. Local planning authorities will still be responsible for developing and agreeing a Local Plan in line with the strategic spatial plan and it is at this level that specific decisions about issues like playgrounds would be made.

Communities and Local Government, when she plans to introduce the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 24890 on 29 January 2024.

Communities and Local Government, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to give local authorities primary responsibility for building inspections.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) registers and sets competency standards for all building inspectors. As part of that work, it is clear that there are capacity issues across the sector. We have invested £16.5 million to support capacity building in local authorities and continue to encourage all authorities to invest in this area.We will keep the powers of building inspectors under review and are working to see if there are ways in which they should be strengthened. For all higher risk buildings, the BSR remains the building control authority.The role of local authorities within the building control system is linked to recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report. The Government is carefully considering all such recommendations, and we will respond by March.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the (a) resourcing and (b) powers of Local Authority building inspectors.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) registers and sets competency standards for all building inspectors. As part of that work, it is clear that there are capacity issues across the sector. We have invested £16.5 million to support capacity building in local authorities and continue to encourage all authorities to invest in this area.We will keep the powers of building inspectors under review and are working to see if there are ways in which they should be strengthened. For all higher risk buildings, the BSR remains the building control authority.The role of local authorities within the building control system is linked to recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report. The Government is carefully considering all such recommendations, and we will respond by March.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to require a minimum height for letterboxes in new build homes.

Guidance on letterplate specifications are already referenced in Approved Document Q (ADQ), but the Government has recently published a Frequently Asked Question alongside ADQ on gov.uk (Frequently asked questions - GOV.UK), providing guidance on letterbox and letterplate positioning.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of hostile architecture on persons experiencing rough sleeping.

Rough Sleeping levels are far too high, and this can have a devastating impact on those affected. This Government is committed to addressing this and delivering long term solutions.We have set up a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, to bring together ministers from across government to develop a long-term strategy.We are committed to providing the services rough sleepers need to leave the street and the support they need to prevent a return to rough sleeping.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 58 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, what plans she has to include (a) parish and (b) town councils in (i) consultations and (ii) subsequent work by her Department on moving towards simpler administrative structures for local areas; and if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of her Department's consultation with such councils on those plans as of 18 November 2024.

The Government recognises the importance of town and parish councils for the role they play in empowering the communities they represent. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is involved in regular engagement with the sector.

Communities and Local Government, if she will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on the potential impact of planning policy on target reductions in the UK carbon account, in the context of section 1 of the Climate Change Act 2008.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today, and the planning system can play a powerful role in helping to mitigate and adapt to its effects. Our recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework consultation sought views on how best to reflect climate change adaptation and mitigation in strengthened planning policies. The consultation closed on the 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses with a view to publishing a government response before the end of the year.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to respond the consultation on Future Homes and Buildings Standard.

The Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation was published in December 2023 and closed in March 2024, and a government response has not yet been issued. We fully support the need for low carbon homes, fit for a net zero future. We are reviewing proposals and feedback from the Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation and will publish the government response in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to improve the terms of employment as a local authority planning officer.

Proactive planning is vital to delivering the housing we desperately need and to support economic growth. The Government recognise that local authority planning departments face capacity and capability challenges due to prolonged underfunding of services and that this has placed significant strain on the planners that provide these services.Within weeks of taking office, the Government consulted on increasing planning fees to put planning services on a firmer footing and to reflect the real costs. We have now gone further and committed an additional £46 million in the spending review to fund 300 additional planners in local government and to support local planning authorities to deliver the essential reforms to local plans and development management.Planning officers play a vital role, and I wrote to the President of the RTPI to underline the value we place on them and the work they do.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to reform (a) planning policy and (b) permitted development rights to support the high quality retrofit of existing buildings.

Improving energy efficiency and decarbonising buildings is a crucial element in our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. The National Planning Policy Framework encourages the reuse of existing resources, including through the conversion of existing buildings. It also expects local authorities to support applications for energy efficiency and low carbon heating improvements to existing buildings, where these do not already benefit from permitted development rights. We continue to keep permitted development rights under review.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 December 2023 on Planning – Local Energy Efficiency Standards Update, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reversing the effects of that Statement.

The Written Ministerial Statement my honourable friend has asked about sets out that local authorities may set higher energy efficiency standards than the planned Building Regulations. Local authorities must, though, ensure that development remains viable and that the performance targets of increased standards are expressed in the same terms as are used in the Building Regulations.The Written Ministerial Statement was recently the subject of a judicial review. The judgement from the High Court may be appealed and, while legal proceedings are ongoing, I cannot comment further.