The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has issued a press release, detailing the clear expectations of the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, and Building Safety Minister, Rushanara Ali for regulators and partners to increase the pace of the remediation of unsafe buildings at a roundtable convened on 28 August 2024. Rayner outlined her priorities, including speeding up the remediation of buildings and ensuring the safety of people in buildings undergoing remediation. Ali further commented that ‘it is absolutely essential that central and local government, regulators, and partners come together, as we have today, to drive fast and effective change to get buildings fixed, made safe and make sure residents are protected’.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced that the New Towns Taskforce held its first meeting. During the meeting, the final list of members, along with their responsibilities, was confirmed. These responsibilities include identifying and selecting potential locations for new towns, placemaking, agreeing on design and standards, exploring ways to secure funding and investment, as well as unlocking the delivery and innovation of new towns. This work will form the publication of a final report, expected to be submitted to ministers next year, with plans to engage with mayors, local leaders, and communities in the upcoming months. The meeting also confirmed working arrangements, with the Taskforce expected to report to the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, and meet on a monthly basis. The Taskforce is scheduled to meet again in early October 2024 for its second official meeting.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has issued a letter to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Administering Authorities, clarifying that Regulation 64A of the LGPS Regulations 2013 should not be used to modify contribution rates for managing fund surpluses outside triennial valuations. MHCLG highlights that Regulation 64A was intended to allow flexibility for administering authorities in managing employer contribution rates in response to changes in employers’ liabilities or a change in the ability of the employer to meet its obligations. It was not intended to allow administering authorities to modify contribution rates for scheme employers as a way to manage pension fund surpluses or deficits outside of the triennial valuation cycle. MHCLG has annouced that the government will consult on regulatory changes regarding contribution rate revision, following concerns about authorities using these powers beyond their intended scope. MHCLG emphasises that contribution rate adjustments should align with formal valuation processes and that revised contribution rates should not be applied to local authority employers in order to manage surpluses or deficits that have not yet been confirmed as part of the valuation process.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published the full implementation roadmap for the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, confirming the timetable for the most significant reform of residential tenants’ rights in a generation. The government has now set out a clear, phased plan for delivering the changes, beginning with the abolition of Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions on 1 May 2026. From this date, all new and existing tenancies in England’s private rented sector will convert to Assured Periodic Tenancies, giving renters open-ended tenures and ending the routine use of fixed-term contracts. Landlords will still be able to regain possession of their properties for defined and reasonable grounds, such as sale, moving in, rent arrears, or serious anti-social behaviour.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced the introduction of the Building Safety (Remediation of Unsafe Cladding etc) Bill to Parliament. The Bill would introduce duties to assess and remediate life-critical external wall fire safety risks in qualifying multi-occupied residential buildings in England. Deliberate failure to mitigate or take remediation steps without reasonable excuse could result in prosecution and up to two years' imprisonment on conviction, or an alternative financial penalty of up to £500,000. Directors could face prosecution where breaches result from their consent, connivance or neglect. The Bill would also criminalise unreasonable obstruction and extend certain penalties to controlling companies. A last-resort remediation backstop would allow Homes England or local authorities to undertake works through tribunal-authorised orders where duty-holders fail to remediate. Amendments to section 149 of the Building Safety Act 2022 would facilitate claims against construction product manufacturers, including by developers who funded remediation.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has announced a comprehensive set of leasehold reforms, scheduled for implementation in 2025, aimed at providing increased rights and protections for owners of five million leasehold homes. Key measures include the implementation of the provisions in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 (LFRA 2024) in January 2025, which remove the current ‘two-year-rule’, enabling leaseholders to extend their lease or purchase their freehold without waiting two years after their initial purchase and those which will allow homeowners to take over the management of their building, and ensure more cost transparency and facilitating challenges to unfair service charges.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced that it will bring forward legislation to postpone the May 2026 local elections for 29 councils. These councils have demonstrated that delaying the elections would enable them to better reallocate capacity for local government reorganisation. In contrast, the remaining 34 councils undergoing reorganisation will hold their local elections in May 2026.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced reforms to England's local government funding system, replacing decades-old formulas with allocations based on 2025 Indices of Multiple Deprivation, population projections and service demand. The changes include a £5bn funding boost over three years and consolidation of more than 30 funding streams into five streams worth £47bn over three years. Specific measures include £2.4bn for children's social care reforms, £2.4bn for a new ring-fenced Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse grant, and a £600m Recovery Grant for areas with greatest immediate needs. The reforms introduce councils retaining all additional council tax from new homes, funding floors and phased implementation changes. MHCLG stated this represents the first multi-year settlement in a decade, following extensive consultation with English councils, and aims to direct funding towards areas less able to meet needs through locally raised income.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced that new plan-making regulations will be laid early next year, abandoning the previous 'waves' rollout approach. Local planning authorities must commence formal plan-making by 31 October 2026 (for NPPF transitional arrangements) or 30 April 2027 (for plans over five years old), with final submissions under the existing framework due by 31 December 2026. The Duty to Cooperate requirement is being removed to accelerate plan adoption, while £14m funding will support implementation.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced the local planning authorities awarded Legacy System Plan Funding and New System Plan Funding to support Local Plan implementation in England. More than £15.7 million has been allocated to eligible authorities producing plans under the legacy and new plan-making systems to support plan-making at pace. The funding follows the November 2025 announcement that at least £14 million would be made available for local plan implementation and is in addition to the £29 million awarded in 2025 to authorities with plans at regulation 18 and 19 stages and those carrying out Green Belt reviews. 82 local planning authorities received Legacy System Plan Funding and 117 received New System Plan Funding.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced a new devolution package, adding six areas to the Devolution Priority Programme: Cumbria, Cheshire & Warrington, Norfolk & Suffolk, Greater Essex, Sussex & Brighton, and Hampshire & Solent, with mayors to be elected by May 2026. This measure brings 8.8 million more people under mayoral devolution. In addition, the Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority Order 2025, SI 2025/113, has come into force, establishing four new devolution institutions, including two mayoral authorities and two combined county authorities. The government has also agreed to postpone the May 2025 local elections to May 2026 for nine local councils, with legislation to facilitate this expected to be introduced in Parliament soon, subject to parliamentary timetables. In addition, Lancashire, which is establishing a non-mayoral institution, will review its devolution arrangements by autumn 2025, while Surrey's county election has been postponed to May 2026 to expedite reorganisation and devolution efforts.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced a new social and affordable housing package. The package introduces new funding and financial flexibilities for councils, housing associations and other providers to accelerate social and affordable housebuilding. It also sets out upgraded standards to tackle damp, mould and poor insulation and to reduce the cost of living, including energy bills, for tenants. The announcement comes ahead of bidding opening in February 2026 for the £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme, which is expected to deliver around 300,000 social and affordable homes over its lifetime, with at least 60% for social rent. The measures include a new Decent Homes Standard, updating standards for the first time in 20 years, new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, reforms to Section 106 agreements and changes to the Housing Revenue Account threshold to allow councils to build up to 1,000 new homes without opening a new account, with the aim of reducing the number of families in temporary accommodation and on housing waiting lists.