The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has confirmed reforms to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime under the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 (PIA 2025), which will take effect on 24 July 2026. The reforms remove mandatory pre-application consultation requirements for NSIPs, a change the MHCLG says could reduce pre-application periods by up to 12 months. Instead, developers will receive earlier technical input and advice from the Planning Inspectorate before submitting applications, while examinations will place greater emphasis on key issues. The changes are intended to support more timely decisions on major infrastructure projects, including energy, transport and water infrastructure.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced new regulations removing local connection requirements for care leavers under 25 and domestic abuse survivors seeking social housing in England. The changes, effective from 10 July 2025, will apply to approximately 90% of councils currently using local connection criteria. The announcement includes £39bn for a new Affordable Homes Programme, £160m for councils to support domestic abuse survivors and proposed legislation to prevent care leavers from being classified as intentionally homeless. The regulations follow similar reforms for UK Armed Forces Veterans implemented last year.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced that the government would repeal the Vagrancy Act 1824 on 29 June 2026. The Act has criminalised rough sleeping and begging since 1824. The repeal is intended to shift the policy approach from criminal sanctions towards prevention and support through the National Plan to End Homelessness. The plan is accompanied by funding commitments of £3.6 billion over the next three years and £39 billion for social and affordable housing over the next 10 years. MHCLG has stated that existing powers will remain available to address antisocial behaviour, while new offences are proposed to target organised begging gangs. Members of the public have also been encouraged to use the StreetLink service to alert local authorities to people who are rough sleeping and may require support.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced that a national landlord registration service will launch in England on 15 December 2026. The service will initially be introduced in the West Midlands before being rolled out across other regions over 12 months. Landlords whose properties are occupied or become occupied during the rollout will have three months to register once registration opens in their region. Registration will be a legal requirement and all landlords actively letting properties must register by 14 November 2027 and may face a fine for failing to do so. The service will give local authorities access to information to help identify non-compliant landlords and take enforcement action. Future legislation will also require landlords to register unoccupied properties before marketing them for rent, while landlords and letting agents will have to include registration numbers in advertisements. HMRC’s Valuation Office will assume responsibility for deciding challenges to rent increases in England, with the aim of resolving disputes more quickly. Until the new arrangements take effect, tenants wishing to challenge a rent increase must continue to apply to the First-tier Tribunal and will not be required to pay the higher rent until the Tribunal makes its final decision.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced that the second phase of Awaab’s Law will come into force on 30 November 2026, extending legal duties on social housing landlords to address seven additional hazard categories, including electrical hazards, falls, fire and explosions, excess cold and heat, structural collapse and falling elements, and domestic hygiene. Under the new rules, hazards posing an immediate danger must be investigated and made safe within 24 hours, while serious but non-immediate hazards must be investigated within 10 working days, with landlords required to provide tenants with a written summary within three working days setting out the findings of the investigation and the action they will take, complete urgent safety work within five working days of the investigation and begin longer-term repairs within 12 weeks. The regulations for phase two are being laid before Parliament on 13 July 2026 alongside new guidance for landlords, with the third and final phase due to be introduced in 2027 to extend the requirements to all remaining hazards in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, except overcrowding.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has initiated a statutory intervention in Spelthorne Borough Council under the Local Government Act 1999. This action follows a Best Value Inspection that highlighted significant financial issues, including a £1.096bn debt—the second highest relative debt among district authorities in England. Local Government Minister Jim McMahon has appointed Commissioners to manage the Council until January 2026, with statutory Directions issued to remain in force until 31 May 2030. The intervention's goal is to ensure the Council complies with its Best Value Duty, particularly in light of concerns about its debt-funded investments and affordable housing initiatives.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced the creation of a new expert group, the New Homes Accelerator, to speed up the delivery of stalled housing sites, supporting plans to boost economic growth. A call for evidence has also been launched, where developers, local authorities, and landowners are invited to identify large-scale housing developments that are delayed or stuck so the government can better understand the scale of the challenge and evaluate what support it can provide to help overcome barriers to development and accelerate delivery. The deadline for the submission of site applications is 31 October 2024.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced pilot schemes for the May 2026 local elections to trial weekend voting and the use of shopping centres as polling stations in parts of England. Four local authorities will participate. In Milton Keynes, a central voting hub will operate in the Midsummer Place shopping centre, allowing electors to vote there rather than at a single designated polling station. In Cambridge, Tunbridge Wells and North Hertfordshire, voters will be able to cast their ballot in person before polling day, including at weekends, at specified central venues. Traditional polling stations, as well as postal and proxy voting, will remain available.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a letter from the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announcing the withdrawal of the previous Secretary of State's direction from March 2024 to conduct a partial review of the London Plan. Rayner stated that this withdrawal will enable the government and the Greater London Authority to adopt 'a new partnership approach' to tackle the housing crisis, boost economic growth, and deliver the homes London needs, while recognising the issues the city faces. Rayner also noted that in the upcoming months, the Minister for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook, will convene a roundtable with stakeholders to discuss ways to increase housing delivery and will work closely with London's Deputy Mayors to implement key strategic priorities with the sector.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has unveiled a £1.5bn plan for neighbourhoods, with Wales receiving a £100m share to support community regeneration. The £1.5bn funding programme will support 75 selected communities across the UK. Each designated area will receive up to £20m over a decade, administered through newly established neighbourhood boards comprising residents, businesses and local campaigners. The programme, which supersedes and expands upon the previous long-term plan for towns, enables communities to invest in various initiatives including high street regeneration, community facilities and public services. Areas were selected based on deprivation metrics and healthy life expectancy data. The scheme demonstrates significant devolution of spending control to local level, with communities able to utilise pre-approved interventions and existing statutory powers. Implementation will begin in April 2025, with investment delivery commencing in 2026.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Home Office have announced £19m additional funding for local authorities in England to support the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Duty, bringing total funding to £499m over three years. The announcement forms part of the forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls strategy and is expected to support an additional 4,900 households, with total funding intended to help nearly 140,000 people including women and children. The funding supplements £550m allocated over three years across justice services for counselling, court guidance and children services to support domestic abuse victims and witnesses. Local government funding for homelessness, rough sleeping and domestic abuse has been streamlined into a single ringfenced grant to enable councils to plan holistically and adopt prevention strategies. The government has also created a practical toolkit drawing on best practice including the Whole Housing Approach and sanctuary schemes to help councils provide trauma-informed support.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has unveiled a £350m investment package to address the UK's housing crisis. This includes a £300m boost to the Affordable Homes Programme, set to deliver 2,800 additional homes, with half designated for social rent. A further £50m will be allocated to the Local Authority Housing Fund, providing over 250 council homes for improved temporary accommodation. The government also plans to implement measures from the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act, introducing a new licensing scheme and tougher standards to combat exploitative practices by rogue landlords in supported housing. These initiatives form part of the government's broader commitment to construct 1.5m homes and enhance living standards across the UK.