Commons
Debate
15 January 2026
3 contributions
New Towns
It is a pleasure to close this debate for the Government. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch (Katrina Murray) and thank her for securing the debate, and I thank the Backbench Business Committee for granting the House an opportunity to debate this incredibly im…
I will come on to talk about financing in more detail, in particular the options that we are considering, but I am afraid that the hon. Gentleman will, again, have to wait for the publication of the SEA report and the programme that will go out to consultation. He and other hon. Members, as well as …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Proceedings
13 January 2026
32 contributions
Chinese Embassy
This question relates to the proposals for a new Chinese embassy at Royal Mint Court. It is a decision to be taken by Planning Ministers, independent of the rest of Government. As I have said before in the House, this Government are committed to the probity of the planning process at all levels, to …
I thank the shadow Minister for her questions. I am obviously not going to comment on speculation in the press. On the specific case before Ministers, at the application stage it was a matter for parties what information was put forward for consideration, and it was a matter for Tower Hamlets what i…
+30 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 January 2026
7 contributions
Topical Questions
While I appreciate my hon. Friend’s concern, we have strengthened policies in the draft national planning policy framework, which is currently out for consultation, that will ensure that major residential schemes are built out in reasonable time. I am more than happy to have a conversation with her …
I thank my hon. Friend for that question. We have made proposals in the draft NPPF, which is out for consultation, to set new, higher requirements for authorities to deliver more accessible housing. This includes proposals to make meeting accessibility standards mandatory for 40% of new builds, and …
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 January 2026
2 contributions
House Building: Stoke-on-Trent
The Government are taking concerted action to boost rates of house building across England, including reforming the planning system and allocating record levels of grant funding support for social and affordable house building over the coming years, to the benefit of Stoke-on-Trent and the rest of t…
My hon. Friend is a doughty champion for his constituency, and he continues to make a powerful case for the renewal of Hanley city centre as the commercial heart of north Staffordshire. I have had a series of constructive meetings with him and other local leaders about the Hanley masterplan. I know …
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 January 2026
2 contributions
Social and Affordable Homes: Aldershot
At the spending review in 2025, we announced record investment to kick-start social and affordable housing at scale across the country. Alongside regulatory certainty and stability and measures to rebuild the capacity of registered providers after their weakening over the previous 14 years, we are e…
I am sorry to hear about the long wait that the veteran in question is facing. It is important that we build more social rented homes after 14 years of engineered decline, which is why 60% of our £39 billion social and affordable homes programme will be allocated to social rented homes. However, it …
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 January 2026
2 contributions
Social and Affordable Homes: Camborne and Redruth
On 11 November last year, I set out the full details of our £39 billion, 10-year social and affordable homes programme. In the coming weeks, we will provide registered providers with the remaining information that they need to finalise their business and future supply plans, so that they can submit …
I think the thrust of my hon. Friend’s question was about what arrangements can be put in place for Cornwall so that it can better deliver housing and regenerate areas that have been identified by the council. As he will know, strategic place partnerships are reserved for mayoral strategic authoriti…
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 January 2026
3 contributions
Private Rent Inflation
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 contains provisions allowing tenants to challenge unreasonable rent increases. The new tenancy system will come into force on 1 May this year, at which point landlords will only be able to increase rents once a year to the market rate, and tenants will be able to challen…
We will of course keep the implementation of the Act under continual review, but, as I have said, it allows tenants to challenge unreasonable rent increases at the first-tier tribunal, which will make a judgment on whether the increases are fair and meet that market-rate definition. We have, however…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 January 2026
2 contributions
Social and Affordable Homes: Blaydon and Consett
In July last year we set out a detailed five-step plan to deliver a decade of renewal in social and affordable housing. The plan includes the biggest boost to grant funding in a generation, the establishment of an effective and stable regulatory regime, and action to rebuild the sector’s capacity to…
The Government remain committed to implementing social rent convergence to support additional investment in new and existing social housing. We will announce a decision on how it will be implemented later this month, before the launch of the social and affordable homes programme. That decision will …
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 January 2026
3 contributions
Social and Affordable Homes: Banbury
Our manifesto committed us to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable house building in a generation, and we intend to do just that. Our £39 billion social and affordable homes programme will build around 300,000 homes over its 10-year lifetime, of which at least 60% will be social …
My hon. Friend is a powerful advocate for the interests of Banbury, and he has rightly and forcefully conveyed the message that the communities he represents expect homes, infrastructure and services that have been promised as part of a planning approval to be delivered as quickly as possible. I am …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 January 2026
12 contributions
Leasehold Reform
Leasehold and commonhold reform are key priorities for this Government, and we remain absolutely determined to honour the commitments made in our manifesto and finally bring the feudal leasehold system to an end in this Parliament. We have already brought into force a range of provisions from the Le…
I appreciate fully that leaseholders with leases approaching 80 years remaining want clarity on when the enfranchisement provisions in the 2024 Act will be brought into force. To bring those provisions into force, we need to not only consult on valuation rates, but rectify through primary legislatio…
+10 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
17 December 2025
4 contributions
Housing Development: Cumulative Impacts
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Twigg. I congratulate the right hon. Member for East Hampshire (Damian Hinds) on securing this important debate today, and for introducing it with his customary clarity and civility. It has been a thoughtful and considered debate and I thank all ot…
The point was well made and well understood, and I will address it shortly. The new standard method that we introduced relies on a baseline set at a percentage of existing housing stock levels to better reflect housing pressures right across the country. It uses a stronger affordability multiplier t…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Proceedings
16 December 2025
Points of Order
Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. It sounds like there was an error made by the Department, and for that I sincerely apologise. I will discuss this with Ministers and officials to make sure that it does not happen again.
Commons
Ministerial Statement
16 December 2025
43 contributions
Planning Reform
With your permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will make a statement on the Government’s ongoing efforts to overhaul the planning system.
As the House is fully aware, England remains in the grip of an acute and entrenched housing crisis. It is a crisis, first and foremost, that is blighting countles…
I thank the shadow Minister for his questions. I appreciate that he has not had a huge amount of time to look over today’s announcement, but he has completely misunderstood one of the primary thrusts of the changes we are making, which is to double down on a brownfield-first approach. Through the dr…
+41 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
11 December 2025
Historical Interim Development Orders
I congratulate the hon. Member for Thornbury and Yate (Claire Young) on securing this important debate. She has made a strong case on behalf of her constituents in Pilning and other nearby communities, who, while not directly affected, still have an interest in this matter. I appreciate fully the co…
Commons
Debate
8 December 2025
2 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
I beg to move,
That this House does not insist on its disagreement to Lords amendment 33, but proposes amendment (a) to the Lords amendment.
Today is a pivotal day, because, subject to agreement from this House—and, in due course, the other place—on a single remaining issue, the Government’s landm…
With the leave of the House, I will close what has been an extremely brief but nevertheless necessary and important debate, which has moved us another step closer to the Bill becoming law. I thank all hon. Members who have spoken for their contributions. In the time I have available to me, I will se…
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 December 2025
3 contributions
Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor
It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Sir Jeremy. I warmly congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridge (Daniel Zeichner) on securing this debate. I thank him for his enthusiasm: despite the shadow Minister’s attempt to cast doom and gloom on the situation, there is a huge amount to be p…
I have already had a conversation with my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford East (Anneliese Dodds) about the importance of Kennington bridge to supporting growth and the transformation of Oxford’s west end, and I recognise the significant interdependencies with the Oxford flood alleviation sch…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
24 November 2025
13 contributions
Topical Questions
I say gently to the hon. Gentleman that I think he misrepresents the proposal that has been announced. It is not an automatic removal for all planning applications relating to more than 150 homes; it is simply a referral process, which applies in other situations already, that allows the Secretary o…
I thank my hon. Friend for that question. The Government obviously recognise the importance of ensuring that new housing development is supported by appropriate infrastructure. On the individual company that he references, I will ask my officials to reach out to it directly to discuss its delivery m…
+11 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
24 November 2025
2 contributions
Flood Resilience: New Housing
The national planning policy framework sets out a sequential approach to flood risk management, requiring inappropriate development to be directed away from areas at highest risk and providing strong safeguards where development is necessary in these areas. The updates to the framework made in Decem…
I would say a number of things to the hon. Gentleman. First, local plans are tested for their soundness by the Planning Inspectorate. He will appreciate that I cannot comment on individual sites, but I again draw the attention of the House to the strong protections in national planning policy which …
Commons
Oral Questions
24 November 2025
3 contributions
Estate Management Companies
This Government are determined to end the injustice of fleecehold entirely, and we will publish consultations before the end of this year on how we best implement the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, on new consumer protection provisions for residential freeholders and on options for reducing…
As my hon. Friend may be aware, in response to widespread concerns raised in a recent debate on property service charges, I met Martin King, managing director of FirstPort, on 17 November. In our meeting, I pressed Mr King and his associates on a wide range of issues stemming from reports of poor se…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
24 November 2025
3 contributions
Proposed New Town: Tempsford
Although Tempsford—along with Crews Hill in Enfield and Leeds South Bank—looks like a promising site, no final decisions on new town locations will be made until the strategic environmental assessment that was commenced on 28 September has concluded. Alongside the SEA process, my Department will con…
I stress again that no decisions have been made or will be made until the SEA process concludes. We have been clear that the next generation of new towns must be well connected, well designed, sustainable, healthy and attractive places where people want to live and, importantly, that they must have …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
18 November 2025
2 contributions
Infrastructure: Cramlington and Killingworth
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Dowd. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Cramlington and Killingworth (Emma Foody) on securing the debate. I also note the comments from my hon. Friend the Member for Blyth and Ashington (Ian Lavery). I remind hon. Members, as I always do…
I well understand the point that my hon. Friend makes. It is not for me, as the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, to make determinations on individual transport projects that are being considered through the road investment strategy pipeline. My Department has additional capital funds of i…
Commons
Debate
13 November 2025
18 contributions
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
I beg to move, That this House disagrees with Lords amendment 1.
Sustained economic growth is the only route to delivering the improved prosperity our country needs and the higher living standards working people deserve. That is why it has always been this Government’s No. 1 mission. This landmark Bill, which will speed up and streamline the delivery of new homes…
+16 more contributions in this session
Commons
Statutory Instrument
12 November 2025
6 contributions
Draft Infrastructure Planning (Business or Commercial Projects) (Amendment) Regulations 2025
I beg to move,
That the Committee has considered the draft Infrastructure Planning (Business or Commercial Projects) (Amendment) Regulations 2025.
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Dr Murrison—for the first time, I believe. The regulations were laid before the House on 15 October.
…
I thank the shadow Minister and the Liberal Democrat spokesman for that series of points and questions, to which I will do my best to respond—I note that some of them stray outside of my departmental responsibilities. We are talking specifically about putting in place necessary changes to the planni…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
5 November 2025
6 contributions
House Building: London
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Mundell. I start by congratulating the hon. Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup (Mr French) on securing this important debate, and I thank other hon. Members who have spoken for their passionate and—with some notable exceptions—thoughtful contribution…
As I have said, there will be consultation on the specifics of many parts of this package, but I will address his particular point about the new time-limited planning route. This route, which will be open for two years, will allow schemes on private land in London to proceed without a viability asse…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
30 October 2025
4 contributions
Property Service Charges
It is a genuine pleasure to follow that constructive speech by the shadow Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for Braintree (Sir James Cleverly). I congratulate the hon. Member for Reigate (Rebecca Paul) on securing a debate on what is without question a critically important and pressing issue…
If the hon. Lady had been present for the debate, she would have heard extensive exchanges on this subject, but I will set out what the Government intend to do to provide leaseholders and residential freeholders with redress in these areas.
+2 more contributions in this session