David Simmonds MP: written questions
1010 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122211More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the OBR’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook, 3 March 2026, para 3.41, and Table A.5, what estimate he has made of the potential impact on policy changes on referendum
Answer: The Government has provided councils with longer-term certainty through the first multi-year Settlement in a decade. As part of this, we have set out our intention to maintain 3% + 2% referendum principles for the vast majority of councils in each year of...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122210More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what methodology his Department uses when calculating a council taxbase in the context of the Local Government Finance Settlement.
Answer: The government believes it is right to continue to calculate Core Spending Power in line with the approach used at previous Settlements. We are therefore assuming each authority’s council tax base increases in line with the average annual growth in their ...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSecret BallotSpeaker's Committee on the Electoral CommissionTabled 19 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 122209More
Question: To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if he will take steps to help reduce family voting.
Answer: The Electoral Commission takes allegations of electoral fraud very seriously. It is a criminal offence to attempt to pressure someone to vote in a certain way. The Commission encourages anyone who believes an offence has occurred to report it to the polic...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121214More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 20 February 2026, to Question 111685, on Local Government Finance, if he will publish the underlying datasets referenced in each of the technical notes
Answer: The technical notes published as part of the final multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement published on 9 February 2026 include footnotes, which provide links to the underlying datasets such as the ONS’ population projections and the 2025 Indices o...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: Local GovernmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121213More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2026 to Question 109265 on Local Government: Elections, which (a) people and (b) organisations submitted evidence, excluding ordinary member
Answer: A summary of the representations submitted is set out in the Explanatory Memorandum prepared at the time and can be found on gov.uk here. The government currently has no plans to publish individual representations received.
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordTravellers: Caravan SitesHome OfficeTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121212More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance has been given on whether Public Space Protection Orders can be used against unauthorised traveller sites.
Answer: The Home Office does not issue specific guidance on the use of PSPOs against individual crime or ASB types, including unauthorised traveller sites.
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordHouseboatsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121211More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance has been given to local authorities on removing unauthorised moorings on rivers; and what is the division of responsibilities between (a) councils and (b) Environment Age
Answer: Navigation authorities are responsible for managing operations on their waterways and the Government does not direct that. Boaters are expected to comply with the terms of their licences for the benefit of all waterway users, including any restrictions on...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordSecond Homes: Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 16 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121210More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has issued guidance to local billing authorities on (a) the hierarchy of liability for the second homes council tax premium and (b) who is responsible for
Answer: The government has not published guidance on the assessment of council tax liability. Liability for council tax is determined by billing authorities who will consider the facts of each case against the hierarchy of liability set out in section 6 of the Lo...
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government Pension SchemeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120478More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been of the potential impact of the Local Government Pension Scheme pooling has (a) increased and (b) reduced (i) administrative costs and (ii) fund performan
Answer: The scale and expertise of the asset pools have delivered a step change in the expertise, capacity and resilience of the Local Government Pension Scheme. Since the inception of asset pooling, the total costs reported by LGPS asset pools is £792 million, b...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic DigitalCabinet OfficeTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120477More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Public Digital staff are currently seconded to the UK Government to work on the Test, Learn and Grow Programme.
Answer: Public Digital are a commercial partner to the Test, Learn and Grow programme, led by the Cabinet Office, and their staff are now secondees.
Answered 24 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: Pilot SchemesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120476More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Electoral Commission was consulted by his department prior to the publication of the prospectus on local election pilots in May 2026.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 84647 on 29 October 2025, UIN 118656 on 16 March 2026, and UIN 116760 on 25 March 2026. The government have worked closely with the Electoral Commission in the design of the pilots, and will co...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordVoting Rights: Young PeopleMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120475More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what is the planned implementation date for the lowering of the voting age to 16.
Answer: The government was elected on a manifesto commitment to extend the right to vote to 16- and 17-year-olds in all UK elections. To deliver this commitment, the Representation of the People Bill was introduced Parliament on 12 February 2026 and received its ...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElection Offences: DisinformationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120474More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered updating the electoral offence of making a false statement of fact in relation to the candidate’s personal character or conduct to help tackle the disse
Answer: The government recognises the threat that deepfakes and misleading material pose to elections and the importance of ensuring that electoral law is fit for a modern electoral environment. The government continually assesses the effectiveness of electoral l...
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: ElectionsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120473More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local authority Returning Officers, in the areas with cancelled council elections in May 2026 which have now been reinstated, will be financially indemnified by HM Govern
Answer: Local government elections are the responsibility of local authorities, which appoint and fund Returning Officers and meet the costs of administering local polls. Returning Officers are personally legally liable for the conduct of local elections and make...
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: Pilot SchemesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120472More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the written statement of 2 March 2026, HCWS1375, on Flexible Voting Pilots, how many and which councils applied to be pilots; and what were the criteria used to selec
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 84647 on 29 October 2025, UIN 118656 on 16 March 2026, and UIN 116760 on 25 March 2026. The government have worked closely with the Electoral Commission in the design of the pilots, and will co...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordHorse Racing: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120471More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to 3/2026: Pubs and Live Music Venue Relief local authority guidance, whether race courses are still designated as retail, hospitality and leisure for the purposes of the RHL multiplier.
Answer: I refer the member to the answer given to UIN 97815 on the 8 December 2025
Answered 20 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordEden Project: MorecambeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120470More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2026, to Question 105396, on Eden Project: Morecambe, what assessment has his department made for the reasons to the scaling back of the Eden
Answer: Since July 2024 the Eden Project Morecambe team has continued design work. An update on potential options for the development, including their size and scale, was presented to MHCLG in March 2025. These options were subject to ongoing community conversati...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordDomestic Waste: Waste DisposalMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120469More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Local Outcomes Framework of 9 February 2026, what consideration was given to having a metric on the frequency of household bin collections.
Answer: The Local Outcomes Framework sets out 16 national priority outcomes delivered at the local level and driven by councils as local leaders of place. Metrics in the Local Outcomes Framework were chosen from publicly available data adhering to clear quality s...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: Proof of IdentityMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120468More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his proposed changes to voter identification requirements, whether Bank Cards would need to have a (a) photograph and (b) full name to be accepted as identifica
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 116475 answered on 9 March 2026.
Answered 18 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordNew Towns: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120467More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to split the funding of New Towns into separate waves.
Answer: On 23 March 2026, the government launched a public consultation on the proposed New Towns Programme and its environmental implications. This can be found on gov.uk here. The consultation makes clear that the seven locations we propose to take forward as p...
Answered 1 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: Pilot SchemesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120465More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the written statement of 2 March 2026, HCWS1375, on Flexible Voting Pilots, how much additional central government funding will be provided to each council to assist
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 84647 on 29 October 2025, UIN 118656 on 16 March 2026, and UIN 116760 on 25 March 2026. The government have worked closely with the Electoral Commission in the design of the pilots, and will co...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordEngland: AnniversariesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120464More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2026, to Question 109808, on England: Anniversaries, if he will hold discussions with (a) the Mayor of London and (b) any other local author
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 85176 on 24 November 2025, which confirmed that MHCLG currently is not responsible for anniversaries of this type. If the hon. Member is keen to raise this with the Mayor of London himself, his o...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Houses: PlanningMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120463More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of HC6 in the new draft National Planning Policy Framework on the last public house in a locality.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 105500 on 20 January 2026.We are currently analysing the feedback received to the consultation and will publish our response in due course.
Answered 23 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordElections: Pilot SchemesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120462More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Written Statement of 2 March 2026 on Flexible Voting Pilots, HCWS1375, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending such measures nationwide.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 84647 on 29 October 2025, UIN 118656 on 16 March 2026, and UIN 116760 on 25 March 2026. The government have worked closely with the Electoral Commission in the design of the pilots, and will co...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: SurchargesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120068More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations has he received from (a) local authorities and (b) the LGA on the high value council tax surcharge being described as a council tax.
Answer: The Government has not yet formally consulted on the High Value Council Tax Surcharge. A consultation will be published in the coming months, to invite views and representations from the sector and other stakeholders on details relating to the Surcharge.
Answered 20 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
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