Commons
Debate
10 September 2026
14 contributions
Social Housing Bill [Lords]
I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time.
Good housing is the foundation of a flourishing life. Decent, safe, secure and affordable homes provide a platform for families to live, grow and build a better life. They make for stronger, healthier and happier communities. Everyone—and I me…
My hon. Friend is right: we absolutely need to give local councils flexibility. We have already helped councils to build their capacity. We have, as I will mention later, allowed them to keep 100% of right to buy receipts. We are considering everything we need to do to move the dial when it comes to…
+12 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
7 September 2026
7 contributions
Topical Questions
I recognise the strength of feeling in the House on this matter. I want to ensure that every opportunity is taken to retain homes in the social housing sector. Although housing associations remain independent organisations that are responsible for their own asset management decisions, I can assure m…
As I have said, there are strong protections in the national planning policy framework. It is for local authorities to decide whether exceptional circumstances exist for the release of green-belt land, and whether very special circumstances exist that would outweigh the harms involved when it comes …
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
7 September 2026
2 contributions
Train Stations: Walking Distance Definition
The definition of “reasonable walking distance” is set out in the glossary of the national planning policy framework. For the purposes of policies relating to land around well connected stations, the glossary makes it clear that it should be considered to be about 800 metres, or about 10 minutes’ wa…
We need more housing in all parts of the country. We do have a brownfield-first approach, and we do want to see infrastructure delivered in a timely manner alongside housing developments, but it is absolutely right that we focus development within reasonable walking distance of train stations within…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
7 September 2026
5 contributions
Housing Revenue Account: Council Houses
We recognise that many councils are facing significant financial pressure on their HRAs. The Government have already taken a number of steps to rebuild the capacity of councils to borrow and invest in new and existing homes, including fundamental reform of the right to buy scheme, a 10-year social h…
As I made clear, we have already acted to build capacity in the sector, and will continue to explore further ways in which we might increase the headroom available to councils and housing associations, not least through low-cost borrowing options. With regard to the HRA, we remain of the view that t…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
7 September 2026
2 contributions
Green-belt Planning Policy: Esher and Walton
The national planning policy framework contains strong protections for the green belt, making clear that inappropriate development in it should not be approved unless justified by very special circumstances. It is for local planning authorities themselves to set and review green-belt boundaries in a…
I fully appreciate the hon. Lady’s concerns about inappropriate development around stations, such as Hersham and Claygate in her constituency. It is right that we seek to promote good development around well-connected stations, outside of settlements or on green-belt land, as those are some of the m…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
7 September 2026
5 contributions
New Housing: Infrastructure
Local planning authorities are expected to plan effectively for infrastructure provision through local development plans and infrastructure funding statements. To support them, the Government have strengthened national planning policy in respect of community facilities and public service infrastruct…
My colleagues on the Front Bench will have heard the hon. Member’s request on the devolution offer that needs to be made to Cornwall. He cited a case where the developers backed out of their commitments: specifically on developer contributions, I should say that communities rightly expect necessary …
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
7 September 2026
4 contributions
Urban Housing: Densification
The new national planning policy framework, published on 17 August, includes a number of new policies designed to increase densification inside settlements, including by encouraging the upward expansion of existing homes and the creation of new dwellings in existing plots.
We have not got it wrong: the new NPPF does prioritise urban development and densification. As I have made clear to the hon. Gentleman a number of times, local authorities can justify a lower housing requirement than the figure set by the standard method on the basis of local constraints, such as la…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
7 September 2026
2 contributions
Grey Belt: Shropshire
The Government do not collect data on how much land within green belts has been formally identified as grey belt by individual local authorities. It is for local authorities themselves to determine whether land in their areas constitutes grey belt, either through plan making or through looking at sp…
I am aware of the case. My understanding is that Shropshire council refused planning permission for the development on the basis that the land was not grey belt and therefore building on it would constitute inappropriate development in the green belt. In general terms, when it comes to determining w…
Commons
Debate
3 September 2026
Large-scale Development Masterplans
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent South (Dr Gardner) on securing this important debate. I commend her for the compelling argument she makes about the importance of planning effectively for large-scale residential developments to ensure that they are well-connected, well-des…
Commons
Statutory Instrument
2 September 2026
4 contributions
draft Nature Restoration Levy regulations 2026
I beg to move,
That the Committee has considered the draft Nature Restoration Levy Regulations 2026.
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Sir Alec. The draft regulations were laid before the House on 18 June.
When it comes to development and the environment, this Government have been …
I thank both my hon. Friend the Member for North East Hertfordshire and the shadow Minister for those questions. Let me deal with them each in turn. It may be useful if I set out in plainer terms how an EDP will be made and how the levy will be set.
The shadow Minister asked first about Natural Eng…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Statutory Instrument
2 September 2026
4 contributions
Delegated Legislation Committee
I beg to move,
That the Committee has considered the draft Nature Restoration Levy Regulations 2026.
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Sir Alec. The draft regulations were laid before the House on 18 June.
When it comes to development and the environment, this Government have been …
I thank both my hon. Friend the Member for North East Hertfordshire and the shadow Minister for those questions. Let me deal with them each in turn. It may be useful if I set out in plainer terms how an EDP will be made and how the levy will be set.
The shadow Minister asked first about Natural Eng…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Statutory Instrument
2 September 2026
4 contributions
General Committees
I beg to move,
That the Committee has considered the draft Nature Restoration Levy Regulations 2026.
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Sir Alec. The draft regulations were laid before the House on 18 June.
When it comes to development and the environment, this Government have been …
I thank both my hon. Friend the Member for North East Hertfordshire and the shadow Minister for those questions. Let me deal with them each in turn. It may be useful if I set out in plainer terms how an EDP will be made and how the levy will be set.
The shadow Minister asked first about Natural Eng…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Statutory Instrument
2 September 2026
4 contributions
Draft Nature Restoration Levy regulations 2026
I beg to move,
That the Committee has considered the draft Nature Restoration Levy Regulations 2026.
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Sir Alec. The draft regulations were laid before the House on 18 June.
When it comes to development and the environment, this Government have been …
I thank both my hon. Friend the Member for North East Hertfordshire and the shadow Minister for those questions. Let me deal with them each in turn. It may be useful if I set out in plainer terms how an EDP will be made and how the levy will be set.
The shadow Minister asked first about Natural Eng…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
8 July 2026
Point of Order
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I would like to correct an inadvertent error I made earlier today. During the Ninth Delegated Legislation Committee debate on the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation (Establishment) Order 2026, I inadvertently stated that a relevant powers and functio…
Commons
Debate
25 June 2026
8 contributions
Houses in Multiple Occupation
I start by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for South Shields (Emma Lewell) on securing this important debate, and I thanking my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Daniel Francis) and the hon. Member for Bridgwater (Sir Ashley Fox) for their contributions.
I fully apprecia…
As I have said, I am more than happy to sit down with my hon. Friend and other hon. Members to hear their suggestions on where the regulations need to be strengthened. As a Department, our experience has been that, in some areas of the country, the powers are being properly enforced and the regulati…
+6 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
23 June 2026
3 contributions
Forest City: West Suffolk
Madam Deputy Speaker, please accept my sincere apologies for being slightly late to the Chamber.
Excellent. I am very glad to hear it. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.
I congratulate the hon. Member for West Suffolk (Nick Timothy) on securing this debate. I assure him that I have heard loud and clear his concerns about the high-level Forest City 1 proposals, and that I will reflect carefully o…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Statutory Instrument
22 June 2026
2 contributions
Draft Private Landlord Redress Schemes (Approval and Designation) Regulations 2026
I beg to move,
That the Committee has considered the draft Private Landlord Redress Schemes (Approval and Designation) Regulations 2026.
It is an absolute pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mrs Barker—it is my first time doing so, which makes it all the more special. In our manifesto, we pro…
I thank both the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, and the Liberal Democrat spokesman, the hon. Member for Taunton and Wellington, for those questions. I will seek to answer them each in turn, beginning with giving the Committee a sense of when things will change fo…
Commons
Statutory Instrument
17 June 2026
6 contributions
Draft Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2026
I beg to move,
That the Committee has considered the draft Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2026.
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Ms Jardine. The draft regulations were laid before the House on 27 April. The Government were clear in their…
I thank right hon. and hon. Members for their considered contributions and questions, which I will try to address in turn.
It is first worth making clear that the two minor and consequential amendments before us do not implement the new strategic plan-making system. We will bring forward a package …
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
15 June 2026
Local Plans
The plan-led approach is and must remain the cornerstone of our planning system, and we have been very clear that we expect all local planning authorities to make every possible effort to get up-to-date local plans in place as soon as possible. To support LPAs seeking to protect their communities fr…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
15 June 2026
3 contributions
National Planning Policy Framework: Proposed Health Inequality Duty
As you are aware, Mr Speaker, the Government recently consulted on a new national planning policy framework. That consultation included proposals designed to promote healthy communities. We are currently analysing the extensive feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
I am in full agreement with my hon. Friend on the importance of local green spaces. Such spaces are vital community assets that provide significant benefits, not only for physical and mental health but to mitigate growing challenges, such as the urban heat island effect. Although I cannot speak for …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
15 June 2026
8 contributions
Leasehold Reform
The Government continue to implement those leasehold reforms that are already in statute and to progress the wider set of reforms necessary to end the feudal leasehold system for good. In respect of the latter, the King’s Speech confirmed our intention to introduce the substantive commonhold and lea…
I thank my hon. Friend for her advocacy on this issue. Homeowners should not be subject to unfair management charges or poor standards of service at the hands of managing agents, and I commend her for bringing this case to the House’s attention. Our recent consultation on enhanced protections for ho…
+6 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
15 June 2026
12 contributions
Topical Questions
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his constructive engagement on the new towns programme, and on Tempsford in particular. It helped to inform our approach, including to the decision that new town proposals will contribute to meeting the identified housing need of relevant authorities in all instan…
As the hon. Gentleman knows, we are in the process of establishing the greater Cambridge development corporation. We will set out further details, as we did just a few days ago, about its development management powers, its planning powers and the specific sites that it will look at.
+10 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
15 June 2026
3 contributions
Tenant and Resident Management Organisations: Regulation
The Government remain committed to the principle of tenants and leaseholders taking over certain management functions from their landlords, and following a review of arrangements for the oversight of tenant management organisations, we intend to take steps to make it easier to do so. Statutory guida…
I thank my hon. Friend for bringing this alarming case to my attention. We are clear that as we look to make it easier to establish TMOs—we want to do so; there are some very good ones out there—we must strengthen governance and accountability. I assure her that as part of that effort, the Secretary…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
15 June 2026
2 contributions
New Social and Affordable Homes: Blaydon and Consett
Me again, Mr Speaker. We remain focused on implementing the five-step plan we published in July last year to deliver a decade of social and affordable housing renewal. We received incredibly ambitious bids for our £39 billion social and affordable homes programme and are in the process of assessing …
My hon. Friend is right. I would go further than she did: I think the previous Government deliberately set out to engineer the decline of social rented housing, not least through the reforms that they made to the right to buy, which we are reversing through the Social Housing Bill. As I made clear, …
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
15 June 2026
4 contributions
Retirement Home Exit Fees
Event fees should be fair, transparent and communicated effectively. The Government continue to give careful consideration to the recommendations set out in the final report from the older people’s housing taskforce, including in respect of implementing the Law Commission’s 2017 recommendations to r…
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question—this is a really important issue. We consulted on a package of measures last year to strengthen leaseholder protections, including on the use of event fees, and will hopefully be responding to that consultation in the near future. More broadly, resale valu…
+2 more contributions in this session