James Cleverly MP: written questions
1632 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Business Rates: ValuationTreasuryTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118188More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2026 to Question 109139 on Business Rates: Valuation, if she will publish that analysis.
Answer: The government does not routinely publish analysis and advice used during the policy making process.
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLeisure: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118187More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 91847 on Leisure: Business Rates, when the analysis on the effects of the multiplier arrangements will be published.
Answer: The Government published its assessment of the business rates retail, hospitality and leisure multipliers on the 26 November 2025, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/effects-of-the-business-rates-retail-hospitality-and-lei...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: DevolutionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118186More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the status is of each locality within the Devolution Priority Programme.
Answer: Government will establish Mayoral Strategic Authorities in the Devolution Priority Programme areas as quickly as possible following the consent of the constituent councils. The Combined Authorities for Cumbria and Cheshire & Warrington were establishe...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: SurchargesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118185More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the administrative cost per year of (a) valuing and (b) collecting the Council Tax surcharge.
Answer: The Government has set out, in its guidance, that it will carry out a new burdens assessment to ensure local authorities are fully funded for these costs.
Answered 11 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: StandardsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118184More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the UK anti-corruption strategy 2025, CP 1454, of December 2025, para 88, what is the separate agreement relating to (a) the Code of Conduct and (b) Independent
Answer: The Government published its response to the consultation “Strengthening the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England” in November 2025. The response sets out the Government’s intention to introduce measures including a mandatory C...
Answered 11 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLeasehold: Fees and ChargesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118183More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2025 to Question 89939 on Leasehold: Fees and Charges, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to (a)
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 75605 on 16 September 2025.
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: ElectionsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118182More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2026 to Question 102399 on Local Government: Elections, whether the new unitary councils will be elected (a) in full and (b) by (i) halves an
Answer: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 74954 on 15 September 2025.
Answered 11 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: ReorganisationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118181More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of local government reorganisation on the (a) services provided by, (b) responsibilities of and (c) parish precepts for coun
Answer: Town and parish councils are not in scope for local government reorganisation and will continue to operate as they do now. The power to create and restructure town and parish councils is devolved to principal local authorities, which can review and make ...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 5 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 118180More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 30 of the Budget 2025 policy costings document, published in November 2025, if she will make an assessment of the reasons for the change in business rate RHL multipliers between 2026-27 and 20
Answer: The retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) multipliers being introduced from April are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties in England. The Exchequer impact of the new RHL multipliers can be found on page 30 of the ‘Pol...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordHospitality Industry: Business RatesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117749More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether pubs with hotel rooms, VOA SCAT Code 227, are eligible for the new pub rate relief.
Answer: Local authorities are responsible for the administration of business rates, including decisions on the awarding of various reliefs. Guidance for local authorities on the administration of the pubs and live music venues relief 2026 to 2027 was published on...
Answered 12 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117748More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the council tax referendum policy decision for the six councils with no thresholds was subject to an equality impact assessment.
Answer: We have considered the equalities impacts of the proposals and decisions in the multi-year Settlement across the period 2026-27 to 2028-29, including the council tax referendum policy decision for the six councils with no thresholds. Councils are responsi...
Answered 11 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117747More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will commission an assessment of the impact of council tax levels on the cost of living for average households.
Answer: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to my answer provided on 11 February to Question UIN 110405. Final council tax referendum principles were published as part of the final settlement and are available here.
Answered 11 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117746More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2026 to Question 104668 on council tax, what the monetary amount is of that national average Band D rate in 2025-26.
Answer: As set out in the response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0, the level of notional council tax is calculated based on the England average rather than the Band D average. The average band D council tax level in England, including parishes in 2025-26 is £2,28...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: ElectionsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117745More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether any council elections will be (a) delayed and (b) cancelled in May 2027.
Answer: The Government remains committed to the indicative timetable for local government reorganisation set out in July, with elections to the new councils scheduled for May 2027.
Answered 11 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCommunity Infrastructure LevyMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117744More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2026 to Question 105228 on Community Infrastructure Levy, whether he plans to amend (a) planning practice guidance and (b) legislation in res
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 105228 on 21 January 2026. Any announcements will be made to Parliament in the usual way.
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordHigh Rise Flats: Fire PreventionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117743More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that fire and rescue authorities are effectively assessing the fire risk of high-rise buildings.
Answer: Each fire and rescue authority (FRA) in England is responsible for enforcing the provisions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO), which covers fire safety in non-domestic premises, including those within high-rise buildings. The Fire an...
Answered 12 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordRadicalismMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117742More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2025 to Question 26030 on Radicalism, when he plans to publish the minutes of the steering group.
Answer: The terms of reference for the Communities and Recovery Steering Group (Ministerial) were published on GOV.UK in March 2025. As referenced in the answer given to Question UIN 33045 on 10 March 2025, in keeping with general practice, we do not currently in...
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: ValuationTreasuryTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117741More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason the council tax surcharge and the ordinary council tax charge for new builds will be based on different antecedent valuation dates from April 2028.
Answer: Council Tax bands are based on the price a property could have sold for on a fixed date set in law. The High Value Council Tax Surcharge (HVCTS) is in addition to Council Tax. This will be a new charge on owners of residential property in England worth £2...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: Empty PropertyMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117740More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance he has issued to local authorities on access to empty homes council tax data held by local billing authorities.
Answer: The government expects precepting and billing authorities to work constructively and share data where this is appropriate. The government has not issued guidance to local authorities on accessing this information.
Answered 11 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: LobbyingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117739More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of trends in the number of local authorities hiring public affairs consultants for lobbying.
Answer: Section 26 of the Recommended Code of Practice for Local Authority Publicity (‘the Publicity Code’) states that Local authorities should not incur any expenditure in retaining the services of lobbyists for the purpose of the publication of any material de...
Answered 12 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPlanning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117738More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2026 to Question 107987 on Planning Permission, whether his Department holds a list of (a) councils with Article 4 directions in force and (b
Answer: While Local Planning Authorities are required to send a copy of all Article 4 directions to the Secretary of State when made, my Department does not hold a record of those currently in force. A full list of permitted development rights is set out in Sched...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: BuildingsCabinet OfficeTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117737More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2026 to Question 108091 on MHCLG: Repairs and Maintenance, on what date the PFI contract for 2 Marsham Street expires; and which organisation will own the building on expiry.
Answer: The PFI expiry date is 2nd April 2031. It is anticipated an option will be called to allow the property to revert to His Majesty’s Government ownership from that date.
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: FinanceHome OfficeTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117736More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether organisations subject to a policy of non-engagement are barred from (a) applying for and (b) receiving government funding.
Answer: Organisations who do not meet due diligence checks will not be eligible for government funding. It is up to each department to carry out due diligence when choosing to engage with, or fund, any organisation or individual and, if asked, we will advise and ...
Answered 2 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: ExemptionsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117735More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his Department supports the changes to council tax practiced exemptions proposed through the Property (Registration and Valuation) Bill.
Answer: The government will respond to this Private Members Bill in the usual way.
Answered 11 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: ElectionsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117734More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2026 to Question 104964 on Elections, whether there are any other (a) prospectus documents, (b) calls for evidence, (c) bidding documents, (d
Answer: There are no such documents relating to the flexible voting pilots that have not been published in the last six months.The Government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of t...
Answered 13 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
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