Contributions
1,009 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationI thank the Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee for her questions. I reassure her that I have imposed nothing. I took representations and listened to…22 Jan 2026HANSARDChinese EmbassyThis statement follows the decision I made today to grant planning permission and listed building consent for a new embassy in London. The proposal is for the redevelopment of the…20 Jan 2026HANSARDTower Hamlets Council: Best Value DutyThis Government will do what it takes to fix the foundations of local government. That includes taking prompt and direct action in the small number of councils that are failing…19 Jan 2026HANSARDHouse Building: LondonThe Mayor of London and I discussed the rate of house building in London as soon as I came into office at the beginning of September last year. House building in London is…12 Jan 2026HANSARDLocal House Building Targets: Affordability AssessmentI am always happy to listen to suggestions from the right hon. Gentleman and ensure that he gets a response. I reassure him that housing targets reflect the baseline of local…12 Jan 2026HANSARDLocal House Building Targets: Affordability AssessmentThe Government are committed to building the new homes people need so that we can end the housing crisis that we inherited. The method for calculating local housing need aligns…12 Jan 2026HANSARDHouse Building: LondonOf course it is not the Mayor of London who can change planning legislation but the Government, and despite knowing the problems, the previous Government did nothing for 14 years.…12 Jan 2026HANSARDHouse Building: LondonI am more than happy to add my congratulations to those of my hon. Friend to Wandsworth council on ensuring that it is increasing the supply of affordable housing around Battersea…12 Jan 2026HANSARDHouse Building: LondonBecause of the time it takes between submitting an application and getting spades in the ground, we are seeing the tail-end of what was going on under the previous Government. We…12 Jan 2026HANSARDNew HomesWe are making changes to building standards and the Building Safety Regulator, as the hon. Gentleman will be aware. I am happy to look at the proposal that he makes and to engage…12 Jan 2026HANSARDNew HomesMy hon. Friend makes the important point that we are trying to build not just homes but communities. Those communities need the facilities and infrastructure that allow them to…12 Jan 2026HANSARDNew HomesMy hon. Friend describes a situation in Blackpool that I am sure Members across the House will recognise from many other constituencies, with the desperate need for more social…12 Jan 2026HANSARDNew HomesI certainly urge all local authorities to ensure that they have a local plan in place. When we came into government, two thirds of local authorities did not have a plan, but they…12 Jan 2026HANSARDSocial Housing: Damp and MouldI am very sorry to hear of how my hon. Friend’s constituent and her children have suffered in that circumstance, and I thank him for his question. Awaab’s law, which is now in…12 Jan 2026HANSARDSocial Housing: Damp and MouldThe death of Awaab Ishak, aged just two years old, was tragic and it was avoidable. Awaab’s law came into force for the social rented sector last October, and it forces landlords…12 Jan 2026HANSARDNew HomesIf the hon. Gentleman’s party had not scrapped house building targets around the country, we might see more of the kinds of homes that we need in every single part of the…12 Jan 2026HANSARDNew HomesThis Government inherited a housing crisis, with the sector flatlining nationally since 2023. In October, the Mayor of London and I launched a joint package to speed up house…12 Jan 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsOf course high streets are vital to local communities. That is why it was so sad to see high streets up and down the country fall into severe decline in the 14 years in which the…12 Jan 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsOur planning changes will support affordable rural housing by giving rural authorities greater flexibility to require affordable housing on smaller sites. Our £39 billion social…12 Jan 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am sure that the right hon. Gentleman knows that the measures put in place during the pandemic were always intended to come to an end; his Government were going to do the same…12 Jan 2026