We maintain our commitment to the Right to Buy for council tenants. Right to Buy gives people from a broad sector of the community the opportunity to own their home, encouraging stronger links and a wider interest in their local communities.

The Government is grateful for the participation of the Midlands housing associations in piloting the VRTB and for the valuable partnership working with the sector. This has enabled over 1,800 housing association tenants to become homeowners, and enjoy the benefits that homeownership brings. The Government is looking at the findings from the Midlands evaluation, which will be used to help inform future policy. We will announce further details on Voluntary Right to Buy in the coming months.

The statistics on local authority Right to Buy sales, as well as information on the total number of sales to tenants by local authority area (which includes Right to Acquire and other social landlord schemes) can be found in the open data here: www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-social-housing-sales#social-housing-sales-open-data.

There is no information by parliamentary constituency, as it is all collected by local authority area.

Statistics on numbers of dwellings owned by local authorities and private registered providers as at 31 March by local authority area are published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the gov.uk website in live tables 116 and 115 respectively, which can be found at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants.

Statistics on the supply of new affordable housing in each local authority area, including acquisitions of existing stock for affordable housing, are also published on the gov.uk website, in live tables 1008C and 1011 at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply. The open datafile available at the same link breaks these statistics down into those that are new build and acquisitions of existing stock, and by provider. The Department does not collect these data by parliamentary constituency.

Statistics on numbers of dwellings owned by local authorities and private registered providers as at 31 March by local authority area are published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the gov.uk website in live tables 116 and 115 respectively, which can be found at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants.

Statistics on the supply of new affordable housing in each local authority area, including acquisitions of existing stock for affordable housing, are also published on the gov.uk website, in live tables 1008C and 1011 at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply. The open datafile available at the same link breaks these statistics down into those that are new build and acquisitions of existing stock, and by provider. The Department does not collect these data by parliamentary constituency.

There is no legislation or national planning policy which specifically prohibits the installation of double-glazed windows in listed buildings or buildings in conservation areas. Original windows can be central to the special historic or architectural character of a building or area and so each case needs to be considered on its own merits. Historic England, the Government's adviser on heritage, produces a range of guidance on this matter, including Traditional Windows: Their Care, Repair and Upgrading : https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/traditional-windows-care-repair-upgrading/heag039-traditional-windows-revfeb17/ .

Whole building fire risk assessments are already required in England for residential premises including common parts under the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005 (FSO). Not all buildings require statutory fire risk assessments. For example, single private dwellings with no common parts are not within the scope of the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005. Buildings which already have a suitable and proportionate assessment of their external walls will not need to be reassessed.

We have worked with BSI to develop new guidance for fire safety professionals on the undertaking of fire risk appraisals of the external wall construction and cladding of existing residential buildings. This guidance (PAS 9980) will enable more proportionate appraisals when necessary.

This Government remains committed to the Right to Buy and to spreading the dream of home ownership. The Midlands pilot of the Voluntary Right to Buy scheme concluded in 2021 and an independent evaluation of the pilot was published in February 2021. The Government is considering the evaluation's findings, which will be used to inform future policy. We will announce further details on the Voluntary Right to Buy in due course.

Fire risk assessments must be proportionate to make sure that unnecessary remediation costs are avoided and leaseholders are protected from unreasonable costs. Where remediation of a building is recommended by an assessor, material supporting this conclusion should be transparent and there should be evidence that alternatives, such as management or mitigation measures, have been clearly considered.

Leaseholders can request that a building owner seek a second opinion from another fire risk assessor on the necessity of the works or their costs. The building owner would need to agree to this and leaseholders would be responsible for any additional costs.

The Building Safety Bill will make it a requirement in law that a freeholder needs to explore all alternative sources of funding before passing these costs on to leaseholders.

The Department publishes annual data on local authority borrowing including the Housing Revenue Account Capital Financing Requirement (HRA CFR).

The latest data available were published on 2 December 2021 and can be found in the table here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-capital-expenditure-and-receipts-in-england-2020-to-2021-individual-local-authority-data.

We are not aware of any First Homes schemes planned in Waltham Forest or Greater London. However, as of 28 June 2021, national planning policy now sets an expectation that new local plans should ensure 25% of all affordable homes delivered through developer contributions should be First Homes.

Prospective purchasers should look for First Homes on new developments in their area and approach developers directly. Developers and local authorities should publicise the necessary steps to demonstrate eligibility.

The revised Grant Funding Agreement (GFA) for the Building Safety Fund (BSF) will be made available to Applicants shortly. There should be no obstacle to the remediation of unsafe cladding being carried out without further delay.

The revised Grant Funding Agreement (GFA) for the Building Safety Fund (BSF) will be made available to Applicants shortly. There should be no obstacle to the remediation of unsafe cladding being carried out without further delay.

The Government is mindful of the potential effect that any changes to the existing publicity requirements for statutory notices might have on transparency and local democracy, as well as the potential effect on the sustainability of the local news sector as a whole. We recognise the continued importance of print local newspapers to the communities they serve and that there will continue to be a need to reach out to people who cannot digitally access information. We currently have no plans to change the statutory duty to publish statutory notices.

As part of the Provisional Local Government Finance settlement, we announced a new round of New Homes Bonus Allocations for 2022/23. Final allocations will be announced as part of the wider Local Government Finance Settlement shortly.

This Government has a manifesto commitment to protect and enhance the Green Belt. Our National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that a local authority can take land out of Green Belt only in exceptional circumstances, through the local plan process, and only if it can demonstrate that it has explored all other reasonable options. These strong protections for Green Belt land will remain firmly in place.

The National Planning Policy Framework expects local authorities to make the most of brownfield land for development. Local authorities are best placed to assess potential sites, and each authority now publishes a register of brownfield suitable for new homes. We have introduced Permission in Principle, an extra route to planning permission for land on these registers, giving certainty from the outset that the principles of a redevelopment scheme are acceptable.

This Government is putting significant investment into brownfield redevelopment through the £4.3 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund, the £4.95 billion Home Building Fund, and the £400 million Brownfield Housing Fund. Local authorities not eligible for support from the latter have been able to bid for assistance from the £75 million Brownfield Land Release Fund. This is designed to unlock brownfield sites and release serviced plots on local authority owned land. At Spending Review 2021, the Government announced a £1.8 billion package of investment to regenerate communities and level up the country, unlocking up to 160,000 new homes in total. There is tax relief on work to decontaminate land, and we have reformed permitted development and Use Class rules so yet more homes can be created on previously developed land.

The Government is aware that some buildings are currently unable to secure adequate, affordable building insurance. On the 28 January, I called on the FCA and the CMA to conduct a review of the buildings insurance market to review buildings insurance premiums for people living in medium and high rise blocks of flats. In his oral statement on the 10 January, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities noted Lord Greenhalgh’s intention to work with insurers on new industry-led approaches that bring down the premiums facing leaseholders. Lord Greenhalgh has written to the Association of British Insurers, encouraging them to investigate the possibility of an industry-led risk pool with their members.

Data on whether new build developments are used for the sole purpose of Airbnb or other short term holiday lets are not centrally collected.

On Public Sector Land, public bodies should generally dispose of surplus land (including property assets built on that land) at the best possible price reasonably obtainable. It is for individual departments to determine the most appropriate route to disposal. It is for local authorities to determine the most suitable use of land on each site in line with the National Planning Policy Framework and local planning policy.

As a general principle, the Government recognises the benefits that second homes and holiday lets can bring to local economies and to the tourism sector and does not wish to interfere with people’s freedom to live where they choose. However, the Government also recognises the adverse effect that large numbers of second homes and holiday lets can have on some areas.

In July 2021, the Government published a Tourism Recovery Plan. As part of the plan, the Government will consult on the introduction of a Tourist Accommodation Registration Scheme in England. A Registration Scheme is one potential route through which to create a data-driven approach, creating an improved national picture of the precise shape of the accommodation landscape which could feed into a wider Data Hub.

Any such scheme could encompass the breadth of the sector, from ‘traditional’ accommodation such as hotels and B&Bs, to short term lets in the sharing economy and could be used to underpin future government interventions, for example regarding the regulation of the sharing economy. The rise of the sharing economy has and will continue to play an important role in attracting tourists to destinations across the country and contributing to the UK economy.

However, it has created concerns about uneven regulatory requirements and negative impacts on local communities compared to other types of accommodation. The Government is committed to hearing the views of all interested parties on the merits and drawbacks of a Registration Scheme, and how any potential scheme could be implemented proportionately to avoid placing a significant regulatory burden on the sector.

The Government will launch a consultation later in 2022, but will begin the process by launching a call for evidence in the coming weeks. The call for evidence will seek views on a range of issues that arise from the increase in short-term holiday letting, not just on housing supply but also on matters such as compliance with health and safety regulations and the impact on anti-social behaviour.

The consultation will enable the Government to put forward proportionate policy options based on a firm evidence base.

Data on whether new build developments are used for the sole purpose of Airbnb or other short term holiday lets are not centrally collected.

On Public Sector Land, public bodies should generally dispose of surplus land (including property assets built on that land) at the best possible price reasonably obtainable. It is for individual departments to determine the most appropriate route to disposal. It is for local authorities to determine the most suitable use of land on each site in line with the National Planning Policy Framework and local planning policy.

As a general principle, the Government recognises the benefits that second homes and holiday lets can bring to local economies and to the tourism sector and does not wish to interfere with people’s freedom to live where they choose. However, the Government also recognises the adverse effect that large numbers of second homes and holiday lets can have on some areas.

In July 2021, the Government published a Tourism Recovery Plan. As part of the plan, the Government will consult on the introduction of a Tourist Accommodation Registration Scheme in England. A Registration Scheme is one potential route through which to create a data-driven approach, creating an improved national picture of the precise shape of the accommodation landscape which could feed into a wider Data Hub.

Any such scheme could encompass the breadth of the sector, from ‘traditional’ accommodation such as hotels and B&Bs, to short term lets in the sharing economy and could be used to underpin future government interventions, for example regarding the regulation of the sharing economy. The rise of the sharing economy has and will continue to play an important role in attracting tourists to destinations across the country and contributing to the UK economy.

However, it has created concerns about uneven regulatory requirements and negative impacts on local communities compared to other types of accommodation. The Government is committed to hearing the views of all interested parties on the merits and drawbacks of a Registration Scheme, and how any potential scheme could be implemented proportionately to avoid placing a significant regulatory burden on the sector.

The Government will launch a consultation later in 2022, but will begin the process by launching a call for evidence in the coming weeks. The call for evidence will seek views on a range of issues that arise from the increase in short-term holiday letting, not just on housing supply but also on matters such as compliance with health and safety regulations and the impact on anti-social behaviour.

The consultation will enable the Government to put forward proportionate policy options based on a firm evidence base.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been clear lower household projections do not mean fewer homes are needed – in some cases they reflect existing under-supply, where lack of provision stops new households from forming. The ONS has also been clear that household projections are not forecasts; they do not attempt to predict the impact of future public policy, changing economic circumstances or other factors that may influence household growth.

The 2014-based household projections are used within the standard method to provide stability for planning authorities and communities, to ensure that historic under-supply and declining affordability are ultimately reflected in housing requirements, and to support the Government’s objective of significantly boosting the supply of homes.

The application is currently being considered against call-in policy, as set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 26 October 2012*.

The question of call-in does not relate to determining the merits of the scheme, but rather whether it raises issues of more than local importance. Policy is to be very selective about calling in planning applications.

*https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121026/wmstext/121026m0001.htm#12102628000003