Written questions by Morton.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the financial sustainability of local authorities that are implementing the maximum permitted council tax increase while also delivering more than £25 million of in-year service reductions; what information his Department holds on the number of councils that have both increased council tax by 4.99% and reduced services in excess of £25 million in the same financial year; and what monitoring his Department undertakes of council tax increases, reserves usage and projected future budget gaps.

It is for individual local authorities to decide their level of council tax, including whether to use their full flexibility and balancing the extra spending with the impact on taxpayers. Local authorities are expected to manage their financial position prudently, and the department does not monitor their day-to-day business. The department does not proscriptively set a level of expected reserves for local authorities to hold and is clear that that this should be a locally managed decision. We rely on local authorities to accurately reflect their reserve positions in the Revenue Outturn forms to ensure we have good quality data in the department to understand the reserves the sector hold. The recent Local Government Finance Settlement is our most significant step yet to make English local government more sustainable. We are delivering fairer funding, targeting money where it is needed most through the first multi-year Settlement in a decade. The department will continue to have a framework in place to support those in the most difficult positions. Any council that has concerns about its ability to set or maintain a balanced budget should approach the department in the first instance.

Communities and Local Government, whether affordable housing starts that remain uncompleted for multiple years are included in published figures cited as evidence of housing delivery; and whether official publications distinguish starts from completed homes when reporting delivery outcomes.

Published statistics on new affordable housing supply in England, which can be found on gov.uk here, are broken down into starts and completions. Individual units are not tracked from start-on-site to completion. This is because the data provided directly by local planning authorities is collected on an aggregate basis to reduce burden while providing sufficient detail for use. The integrity of the data is maintained through thorough quality assurance checks, including cross checking with other data sources, while consistency and comparability are ensured through the detailed published guidance for each question. The affordable housing supply statistics have been assessed by the Office for Statistics Regulation and at the last assessment their continued Accredited Official Statistics status was confirmed.

Communities and Local Government, what powers his Department has to recover, suspend, or reallocate affordable housing grant funding where homes recorded as started under the Greater London Authority’s 2016 to 2023 Affordable Homes Programme are not progressed to completion.

Published statistics on new affordable housing supply in England, which can be found on gov.uk here, are broken down into starts and completions. Individual units are not tracked from start-on-site to completion. This is because the data provided directly by local planning authorities is collected on an aggregate basis to reduce burden while providing sufficient detail for use. The integrity of the data is maintained through thorough quality assurance checks, including cross checking with other data sources, while consistency and comparability are ensured through the detailed published guidance for each question. The affordable housing supply statistics have been assessed by the Office for Statistics Regulation and at the last assessment their continued Accredited Official Statistics status was confirmed.

Communities and Local Government, what the total value of affordable housing grant funding allocated to homes recorded as started by the Greater London Authority under the 2016 to 2023 Affordable Homes Programme but not yet completed is; and how much of that funding has been (a) drawn down and (b) remains unspent.

Published statistics on new affordable housing supply in England, which can be found on gov.uk here, are broken down into starts and completions. Individual units are not tracked from start-on-site to completion. This is because the data provided directly by local planning authorities is collected on an aggregate basis to reduce burden while providing sufficient detail for use. The integrity of the data is maintained through thorough quality assurance checks, including cross checking with other data sources, while consistency and comparability are ensured through the detailed published guidance for each question. The affordable housing supply statistics have been assessed by the Office for Statistics Regulation and at the last assessment their continued Accredited Official Statistics status was confirmed.

Communities and Local Government, whether there is a maximum period for which an affordable housing start may remain uncompleted while continuing to be treated as a valid start for statistical purposes; and if there is no such limit, how the integrity of the affordable housing starts series is maintained.

Published statistics on new affordable housing supply in England, which can be found on gov.uk here, are broken down into starts and completions. Individual units are not tracked from start-on-site to completion. This is because the data provided directly by local planning authorities is collected on an aggregate basis to reduce burden while providing sufficient detail for use. The integrity of the data is maintained through thorough quality assurance checks, including cross checking with other data sources, while consistency and comparability are ensured through the detailed published guidance for each question. The affordable housing supply statistics have been assessed by the Office for Statistics Regulation and at the last assessment their continued Accredited Official Statistics status was confirmed.

Communities and Local Government, under what circumstances affordable homes recorded by the Greater London Authority as started under the 2016 to 2023 Affordable Homes Programme may be reclassified, adjusted, or removed from official affordable housing starts statistics; and whether any such cases have occurred to date.

Published statistics on new affordable housing supply in England, which can be found on gov.uk here, are broken down into starts and completions. Individual units are not tracked from start-on-site to completion. This is because the data provided directly by local planning authorities is collected on an aggregate basis to reduce burden while providing sufficient detail for use. The integrity of the data is maintained through thorough quality assurance checks, including cross checking with other data sources, while consistency and comparability are ensured through the detailed published guidance for each question. The affordable housing supply statistics have been assessed by the Office for Statistics Regulation and at the last assessment their continued Accredited Official Statistics status was confirmed.

Communities and Local Government, how many affordable homes recorded as started by the Greater London Authority under the 2016 to 2023 Affordable Homes Programme remained uncompleted at the end of the most recent reporting period; and of those, how many had recorded no further construction activity in that period.

Published statistics on new affordable housing supply in England, which can be found on gov.uk here, are broken down into starts and completions. Individual units are not tracked from start-on-site to completion. This is because the data provided directly by local planning authorities is collected on an aggregate basis to reduce burden while providing sufficient detail for use. The integrity of the data is maintained through thorough quality assurance checks, including cross checking with other data sources, while consistency and comparability are ensured through the detailed published guidance for each question. The affordable housing supply statistics have been assessed by the Office for Statistics Regulation and at the last assessment their continued Accredited Official Statistics status was confirmed.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the transparency of local authority budget-setting processes in instances where increases in council tax are accompanied by reductions in discretionary services and increases in fees and charges; and if he will require councils to publish a standardised breakdown of the household-level financial impact of such combined measures.

The Department has not made an assessment of the adequacy of the transparency of local authority budget-setting processes. It is for individual councils to decide their level of council tax, the discretionary services they deliver, and their fees and charges. In doing this they should take into consideration a range of factors including the impact on taxpayers. Councils are required to publicise their decisions with their residents in accordance with legislation.

Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have forecast a structural budget deficit beyond 2026–27 at the same time as applying the maximum council tax increase; and what assessment he has made of the level of likelihood of further Section 114 notices.

The recent Local Government Finance Settlement is our most significant step yet to make English local government more sustainable. Our reforms are delivering a fairer Settlement which puts funding where it is needed most. Before our reforms, only around a third of councils were given the funding that broadly matched their assessed need. Our reforms bring that up to nine in ten councils by 2028-29. However, delivering reform will take time, and the government recognises the challenging financial context for local authorities as they continue to deal with the legacy of the previous flawed system. That is why the government previously confirmed that there will continue to be a framework in place to support councils in the most difficult financial positions ahead of 2026-27, as councils start the transition to new funding allocations. On 23 February 2026 we wrote to a number of councils to confirm in-principle support through the Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) process. Details of these councils and the support provided have been published on GOV.UK. Councils are responsible for their own financial management and under the relevant legislation the decision to issue a Section 114 notice is an entirely local one. It would not be appropriate for the government to speculate on these decisions.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of mayoral combined authorities in delivering regional growth plans; what metrics his Department uses to evaluate performance against investment commitments, job creation and housing delivery; and whether he will publish comparative performance data across combined authorities, including the West Midlands Combined Authority.

Local Growth Plans are a key pillar of our regional growth agenda, and government continues to work with Mayoral Strategic Authorities to co-agree regional growth priorities.Mayoral Strategic Authority delivery, including on investment commitments and job creation, is monitored through relevant programme governance arrangements. For areas with an Integrated Settlement, delivery will be overseen via a single Outcomes Framework agreed with all relevant departments, HMT, and the Mayoral Strategic Authority. The outcome and targets that the Mayoral Strategic Authorities agree with central government may be different to reflect their priorities for local growth.Progress on housing will also be measured through the number of net additional dwellings (published on an England-wide, regional and local authority basis) and we will update Parliament in the usual manner.

Communities and Local Government, what oversight mechanisms are in place to ensure that funding allocated to mayoral combined authorities is delivering value for money; how often such authorities are subject to independent audit or review; and whether he will publish all recent evaluations of programme delivery, including those relating to skills, infrastructure and housing investment.

Mayoral Strategic Authorities are expected to follow the existing principles and processes described in the English Devolution Accountability Framework and Scrutiny Protocol, which sets out how Mayors will be held to account by central government, at local level and by the public. This includes a duty to ensure value for money. All relevant local bodies defined by the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 are required to have their accounts independently audited.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the cumulative infrastructure impact of developments approved on appeal on former green belt land, including pressures on local roads, GP provision, school places and drainage; whether inspectors are required to quantify those impacts against existing local capacity; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local objections, including those submitted through statutory consultation processes, are given material weight in appeal decisions.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 26508 on 05 February 2025 and UIN 90834 on 21 November 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the impact of Planning Inspectorate decisions overruling local councils in respect of development on land designated as green belt; how many such decisions have been taken since July 2024; what proportion of those decisions relied on the application of “grey belt” or similar reclassification; what guidance has been issued to inspectors on the evidential threshold required to justify such reclassification; and if he will publish all correspondence, internal guidance and ministerial submissions relating to the interpretation and use of “grey belt” in decision-making.

From 1 July 2024 to 31 December 2025, the Planning Inspectorate overturned the 849 Local Planning Authoritiy decisions on cases concerning the Green Belt. 811 of these are Planning and 38 are Enforcement. 2523 decided cases were identified as within Green Belt, over that time period. No Ministerial correspondence or guidance has been provided to the Planning Inspectorate on the evidential threshold required to justify reclassification on Green Belt. Inspectors deal with appeals on a case-by-case basis having regard to relevant development plan policies, national planning policy and guidance, and any relevant material considerations. I otherwise refer the Rt. hon. Member to the answers given to Question UIN 111723 on 24 February 2026 and Question UIN 36396 on 12 March 2025.

Communities and Local Government, 2ith reference to the written statement of 27 January 2026 on Commonhold and leasehold reform, HCWS1278, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reducing the commonhold conversion threshold to 50% of qualifying leaseholders; what steps he is planning to take to help support minority leaseholders who oppose conversion; what steps he is planning to take to protect lenders' security interests; what estimate he has made of the number of blocks that will convert in the first five years; and what guidance his Department will issue to leaseholders on (a) conversion costs and (b) dispute resolution.

To ensure that commonhold is viable for existing buildings as well as new developments, the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill includes provisions to make conversion to commonhold from leasehold more accessible. An Impact Assessment for the draft Bill will be published in due course.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement by the Minister of State for Housing and Planning of 27 January 2026, HCWS1278, how many freehold homeowners are estimated to be affected by estate rent charges; what transitional protections will apply following repeal of enforcement powers; how communal estate maintenance will continue to be funded; what rights homeowners will have to challenge unreasonable charges; and what measures will be introduced to prevent future abuse of estate management arrangements.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement published on 18 December 2025 (HCWS1210).

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 28 January 2026 on Resetting the S106 system, whether his Department plans to monitor disparities between authorities in renegotiation outcomes; and if he will publish comparative data on affordable housing retained versus lost following S106 variations.

My Department will closely monitor data relating to the time-limited process in question.We have no current plans to collate re-negotiated S106 agreements and publish comparative data.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement by the Minister of State for Housing and Planning of 27 January 2026, HCWS1278, when he plans to bring forward remedial legislation; when enfranchisement provisions will be commenced; what consultation will take place on valuation rates for enfranchisement premiums; and what assessment has been made of the potential financial impact of revised valuation methodology on leaseholders and freeholders.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 103549 on 14 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement entitled Resetting the S106 system, HCWS1286, published on 28 January 2026, whether additional legal, valuation, and planning resources will be made available to local planning authorities.

The Planning and Infrastructure Act includes powers that allow the Secretary of State to delegate planning fee-setting to local planning authorities, enabling them to recover costs and reinvest to provide a more efficient and responsive planning service, including in respect of making timelier decisions. At the Autumn Budget 2024, the Chanceller announced a £46 million package of investment into the planning system as a one-year settlement for 2025-2026. At the Budget on 26 November 2025, the Chancellor announced a further £48 million of investment over three years to support local planning authorities to attract, retain and develop skilled planners over a sustained period. Of this, £28.8 million has been allocated to MHCLG’s Planning Capacity and Capability Programme, equating to £9.6 million additional per year for the next three years. This allocation will supplement existing budgets. In total, the Programme now aims to deliver around 1,325 planners by the end of this Parliament, significantly exceeding our original manifesto commitment to deliver 300 new planning officers. Wider cross-government recruitment and investment in planning capacity and capability will increase this figure further to approximately 1,400 planners. The new funding will support both graduate and mid-career entry routes into planning, including by means of expanding the Pathways to Planning Graduate Scheme and establishing a Planning Careers Hub.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement by the Minister of State for Housing and Planning of 27 January 2026, HCWS1278, what enforcement framework will replace leasehold forfeiture; how landlords and managing agents will recover legitimate arrears under the new regime; what assessment has been made of the potential risk of increased non-payment or moral hazard; what assessment has been made of the potential impact of these policies on tribunal and court caseloads; and whether he plans to take steps to help ensure building finances remain sustainable.

The draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill includes provisions that abolish the right to forfeit a long residential lease for breach of covenant and introduce a new statutory lease enforcement scheme. An Impact Assessment for the draft Bill will be published in due course.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement by the Minister of State for Housing and Planning of 27 January 2026, HCWS1278, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of capping ground rents at £250 per year on the economy; what estimate he has made of the number of affected leaseholders; what assessment has been made of the potential impact of this policy on freeholders, pension funds and investor confidence; and whether any compensation or mitigation measures are under consideration.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 27 January 2026 (HCWS1278) and to the policy statement on ground rents published on the same date which is available on gov.uk here. An Impact Assessment for the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Bill will be published in due course.