Yes if their role requires it.

Staff are already working in the new No10 North. This includes staff from Manchester and those who have come in from around the country. Staffing data, including relating to No10 North, will be made available in the Annual Report and Accounts in due course.

During the competitive assessment process for strategic partnerships under the Social and Affordable Homes Programme, Homes England asked bidders to consider how much of their grant funding would be drawn down each year. They were not asked to reduce the total grant they had bid for.

The government has no plans to publish the representations received.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is committed to supporting the transition to sustainable cooling in the UK and globally. As a signatory to the Global Cooling Pledge, endorsed by over 70 countries, the UK is committed to reducing cooling‑related emissions by at least 68% by 2050 while expanding access to sustainable cooling.

To support the delivery of the commitments, the Department will publish a UK Cooling Outlook by the end of 2026, a consolidated evidence base on current and projected cooling demand to 2050, alongside the policies in place to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency across cooling and refrigeration.

Local planning authorities have a wide range of planning enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance, available to them.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new National Planning Policy Framework. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to strengthening the policy on intentional unauthorised development. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer given to Question UIN HL7342 on 21 May 2025. Furthermore, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that planning policies and decisions should prevent new and existing development from contributing to, being put at unacceptable risk from, or being adversely affected by unacceptable levels of water pollution or land instability.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new NPPF, including proposals in a new standalone chapter dedicated to managing flood risk and coastal change, as well as proposals relating to pollution. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

The Government has no plans to update the guidance issued on 12 September 2016 concerning the submission of proposals under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007. The email address has been updated.

The Government has been clear that it wants to see devolution extended across the whole of England, with more areas benefiting from the powers and funding available to Strategic Authorities.

We have therefore written to leaders of councils in areas without devolution agreements, inviting them to work with neighbouring authorities to agree a suitable geography and submit proposals.

These proposals must meet the criteria set out in the English Devolution White Paper, in particular that they command the support of the proposed constituent councils and support effective delivery for communities. For areas undergoing local government reorganisation, we will continue to work closely with local partners, including any new unitary authorities, on potential future devolution arrangements.

We have not identified any proposals received from local authorities under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 relating to the promotion of sustainability in local government since 2015.

During the local government reorganisation process, councils are expected to continue to operate on a business-as-usual basis. Assets and liabilities remain locally managed by councils until reorganisation is complete. Decisions about the disposal or transfer of assets are matters for individual local authorities to determine.

The Government has issued explanatory guidance to councils undergoing local government reorganisation covering financial and asset‑related decision making. This makes clear that councils should take a responsible approach and avoid actions that could jeopardise the financial sustainability of successor authorities.

The Government plans to release further non-statutory guidance in the coming months, to assist councils undergoing reorganisation in determining a sustainable and equitable division of assets held by existing councils between new unitary authorities.

The Government has no current plans to amend section 245 of the Local Government Act 1972. Where local government reorganisation takes place, newly established unitary authorities will be district councils, who are already able to petition for borough status under the existing provisions of the Act, provided the statutory criteria are met, including a resolution passed by not less than two thirds of members at a meeting specifically convened for that purpose.

The High Value Council Tax Surcharge (HVCTS) levies a new charge on owners of residential property in England worth £2 million or more, ensuring those with the most valuable properties pay their fair share. The Government has published a consultation on the detailed design of the HVCTS, including inviting views on the billing and administration process, to support local authorities in delivering the surcharge and to provide clarity to taxpayers.

The Home Office has a dedicated function responsible for assessing matters relating to asylum accommodation and for considering representations made by local authorities.

Staff involved in this activity work across a range of grades and responsibilities, and their work forms part of wider operational roles rather than a separately recorded staffing group. As such, the Home Office does not hold a discrete breakdown of staff numbers by grade for this specific function.

The Department keeps staffing levels under regular review to ensure it can respond effectively and proportionately to operational demand, including the handling of local authority representations.

The government has no intention to extend the right for a local authority to apply for borough status to parish councils.

The Crown Estate is an independent commercial organisation, and the Government is not involved in its operations and day-to-day decision making.

Removal of abandoned vehicles is primarily the responsibility of the relevant local authority; therefore, where vehicles are abandoned on land under the Crown Estate’s control and management, they will engage with the relevant authorities to address the issue.

Crown Estate land is not automatically considered “off road” for Statutory Off Road Notification purposes.

The Crown Estate does not manage escheated land, which is effectively ownerless. The Crown Estate has a limited remit in relation to escheated property and the only action that it may take is to dispose of the land to an appropriate person or body. This disposal would create a new freehold interest in the property.

Consequently, there is no requirement for the Crown Estate to be notified of escheated property, and it does not maintain a comprehensive register of such properties.

The Crown Estate does have a record of properties that has been notified to it by external parties as potentially subject to escheat, but this information has not been verified and is not published.

Subject to constituent authorities’ consent, we will establish the Mayoral Strategic Authorities in the six Devolution Priority Programme areas as soon as possible, to ensure sufficient time for preparatory work ahead of the Mayor taking office and allowing areas to build local collaboration.

The governance of these new Mayoral Strategic Authorities will be specified in the establishing Statutory Instruments. We laid the establishing Statutory Instruments for Cumbria and Cheshire and Warrington on 18 December 2025,

There are currently no plans for council leaders or mayors to sit on Local Resilience Forums (LRFs). Through the Devolution White Paper and the UK Resilience Action Plan, the Government has committed to working with local leaders to clarify and strengthen the role of local government and mayors in local resilience. The Government believes stronger links to elected leaders will increase our overall resilience as responses will be better tailored to geographic areas, accounting for local challenges and needs. As part of MHCLG’s Stronger LRF Trailblazers Programme, five local areas have begun testing new methods to strengthen accountability to democratically elected local leaders.

The Government will review the Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) and its supporting regulations through the next Post-Implementation Review, with a report due to be laid in Parliament by March 2027. This review will consider the impact of wider reforms on English devolution and will look to clarify and strengthen the role of Strategic Authorities and Mayors in local resilience.

In general, as with previous restructures, there is no proposal for council debt to be addressed centrally or written off as part of reorganisation. It is the Government’s expectation that any debt held by a council will be transferred to the new council. Councils remain responsible for managing their budgets, and it is standard for councils to borrow and to hold debt, which they will do in the normal course of business. Local government re-organisation does not change this and it is essential that councils continue to deliver their business-as-usual services and duties during and after local government reorganisation.

In relation to the high needs deficit, the Fair Funding Review 2.0 announced a two-year extension to the Dedicated Schools Grant Statutory Override, now due to end in March 2028. We will set out more detail on our plans to support local authorities with historic and accruing SEND deficits later in the Settlement process.

Once the Statutory Override ends in March 2028, funding for SEND deficits will be managed within the overall government DEL envelope and would not be expected to fall to local authority general funds.