Housebuilding in the capital has faced a range of challenges over recent years including high interest rates, spiralling construction costs, planning and regulatory complexity and wider economic conditions.

The government is therefore working with the Mayor of London to increase housing supply and accelerate delivery. Following consultations, the government and the Greater London Authority (GLA) confirmed a package providing targeted, time-limited support for housebuilders to improve the viability of schemes and get quicker approvals on new housing schemes across every borough. This includes the GLA’s fast-tracked planning process for sites with at least 20 per cent affordable housing, removal of design guidance that constrains density, an expansion of the Mayor’s planning powers, and temporary, partial relief from development levies for schemes able to start promptly and guarantee affordable homes for Londoners.

The package sits alongside the government’s wider reforms to the planning system, significant funding for social and affordable homes and the announcement of New Towns to drive regional growth.

The Government recognises the significant contribution that AI companies make to economic growth and innovation.

Demand for commercial office space in London is influenced by a range of factors, including wider economic conditions, business investment and workplace trends. The expansion of AI companies may contribute to demand for office space, particularly in innovation and technology clusters, but the Government does not routinely assess the impact of individual sectors on the commercial property market.

Data on starts and completions at the Old Oak Opportunity area in West London are not centrally collected.

The Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) is a Mayoral Development Corporation established by the Mayor of London to regenerate the Old Oak opportunity area.

My Department will continue to work with the Mayor and OPDC to deliver up to 9,000 new homes, as set out in the Old Oak Masterplan Framework, and ensure the best use of public sector land to bring forward new housing and regeneration.

My Department is aware of occasions where affordable housing schemes have been unable to proceed and where, as a result, Homes England has made use of clauses set out in the relevant grant agreement to reclaim grant that has already been paid and reinvest it back into affordable housing.

The Greater London Authority (GLA) also operates grant recovery arrangements for schemes funded through its Affordable Homes Programme. Where a funded scheme does not proceed, or where other circumstances arise that trigger recovery under the terms of the funding agreement, the GLA may recover grant and reinvest those funds in the delivery of affordable housing. The GLA's Affordable Housing Capital Funding Guide, which can be found here, contains specific rules set out regarding grant recovery where schemes cannot proceed.

The current UK property taxes are an important source of revenue for both the Exchequer and Local Authorities. They raise over £75 billion each year to help pay for essential public services. Any reforms to the property tax system would need to carefully consider positive or negative implications for the Exchequer, Local Government finances, taxpayers and the wider economy. The government keeps all taxes under review.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 124786 on 24 April 2026.

I have not made a specific assessment of this London Plan policy. The current London Plan was published in 2021 and was the subject of public consultation in 2018, an Examination in Public in 2019 and Secretary of State consideration in 2020, where the policy would have been considered.

We inherited a criminal courts system in crisis. There are over 80,000 criminal cases currently waiting to be heard in the Crown Court, which means that some victims – and those seeking to clear their name – are waiting years for justice. Only by pulling every lever we have – investment, efficiency and structural reform – can we turn the tide on the backlog and begin to deliver swifter justice for all.

The Deputy Prime Minister has announced several measures we are taking forward to drive efficiency, including enabling the Crown Court judiciary - through the allocation of unlimited sitting days - to undertake targeted approaches to listing to enable cases can be resolved more quickly and efficiently.

Judges based at the Old Bailey, but hearing cases from across London, are using targeted listing to help reduce further court delays that have left some emergency workers waiting years for justice after being attacked while protecting the public.

Between 6 April and 29 June 2026, 107 cases involving offences under the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 were listed for hearing. Of these, 64 have been dealt with already.

It should be noted that the decision to list a case is taken by the independent judiciary. This data has been manually collated from locally held operational records and is unpublished management information. It is not subject to the same level of quality assurance as official published statistics. Figures may be subject to change as case records are updated or amended.

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 117748 on 11 March 2026.

This Local Government Finance Settlement is our most significant step yet to make English local government more sustainable. The government is making good on long overdue promises to fundamentally update the way we fund local authorities. As a result of the fair funding review reforms, nine in ten councils will receive funding that broadly matches their assessed need by the end of the multi-year Settlement, up from around a third before our reforms.

The vast majority of councils in London will see a real-terms increase between 2024-25 and the end of the multi-year Settlement. Outer London boroughs will see the biggest increases in available Core Spending Power over the multi-year Settlement.

Details for the multi-year Settlement allocations for each of the 32 London councils are published in the Core Spending Power tables, available here (and attached): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/core-spending-power-table-final-local-government-finance-settlement-2026-27-to-2028-29

The government published its equalities impact analysis for the Fair Funding Review reforms as part of the consultation response, published August 2025 here (and attached): Fair Funding Review 2.0 government response.

We continue to review the wider local government finance system to ensure it remains fit for the future and delivers value for taxpayers. The government will continue to use the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement process to consult on relevant decisions for future years.

HS2 will deliver faster, more reliable journeys between London and Scotland, while providing additional capacity on the West Coast Main Line to support improved rail services.

The final timetable has not yet been agreed and will be subject to consultation closer to the start of service. However, current assumptions involve maintaining the frequency of services from London to Glasgow and delivering significantly faster end-to-end journeys for passengers.

HS2 will deliver significant benefits for Scotland. Subject to future timetable and operational development, HS2 will aim to maintain the frequency of services to Scotland, increase the number of available seats for Anglo-Scot journeys and deliver an end-to-end journey experience that is an estimated 20 minutes faster.

What assessment has the Secretary of State made of the potential impact of HS2 on west coast main line services between Glasgow and London?

The Government's national transport strategy, Better Connected, published on 2 April 2026, committed to updating the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions. The proposed changes include the introduction of side road zebra crossings in England, supporting safer, more accessible and convenient crossing facilities for people walking and wheeling.

In developing these changes the Department will be considering all relevant evidence.

The Department has received representations from the Mayor of London and Transport for London regarding the potential devolution of Great Northern Inner rail services. These services operate both within Greater London and to destinations beyond the Greater London boundary. The Government continues to engage with the Mayor of London and Transport for London on these proposals.

Water reuse (water recycling) plays a key role in helping to improve water supply resilience.

Water companies have a statutory duty to provide a secure supply of water for customers and set out how they plan to continue to supply water to their customers through statutory Water Resources Management Plans (WRMPs).

Where selected in WRMPs, indirect potable reuse (water recycling) schemes have been fully assessed to ensure they form part of the best package of options across a region to manage supplies. They are subject to ongoing assessment through the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) programme to ensure appropriate design and permit.

By 2030, 11 government buildings will close, including 102 Petty France and 39 Victoria Street, delivering £94m in savings per year from 2032. More departments in London will colocate, enabling greater collaboration on delivering the Government’s Plan for Change.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for the delivery of the short-term let registration scheme. The register is national and will be accessed online. The department has carried out multiple rounds of testing with potential users across England including hosts and management agents to ensure the registration service is accessible, user-friendly and reliable. User testing is ongoing.

Council tax levels are decided by councils. The government does not intend to set council tax referendum principles for six local authorities (Westminster, Windsor and Maidenhead, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, City of London, and Wandsworth) in financial years 2027-28 and 2028-29. For these authorities, the estimate made by the government assumes a 3% core principle, a 2% adult social care precept and a £150 increase in Band D council tax.

Core Spending Power allocations for individual local authorities through the final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2026-27 and 2028-29 can be found here. The government does not publish alternative council tax scenarios for Core Spending Power.

The final 2026-27 Local Government Finance Settlement makes available £78 billion in CSP for local authorities in England in 2026-27, a 6.1% cash-terms increase compared to 2025–26.