The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published its updated building safety newsletter, with the edition covering developments in building safety regulation and remediation. The newsletter provides updates on the Building Safety (Remediation of Unsafe Cladding etc) Bill, which proposes strengthened duties to identify, assess and remediate unsafe external wall systems and the revised PAS 9980:2026 standard for fire risk appraisals of external walls. It also confirms that the Building Safety Levy came into force on 1 October 2026, with eligible residential developments subject to requirements to provide information for determining levy liability. Further updates include changes to building control requirements for certain telecommunications installations, government investment of £70 million in building control and fire engineering professions and progress under the building remediation programme. MHCLG reports that 1,849 buildings had completed remediation works as at the end of August 2026.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a collection of guidance, toolkits, practical resources and case studies on the use of digital tools to support planning activities. The collection covers two areas: planning consultations and community engagement, and site identification and assessment. It collates links to existing guidance on using community engagement platforms in planning consultations, published on 19 December 2025 and using digital tools to support site identification and assessment, published on 21 July 2026. The resources are intended to help local planning authorities (LPAs) learn from approaches adopted by other LPAs. The collection does not replace statutory planning guidance or requirements, and LPAs are not required to use the digital tools or external suppliers featured or linked to in the collection. Further guidance and case studies will be added overtime.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a communiqué of an in-person meeting between the UK Prime Minister and the Heads of Devolved Governments held on 11 October 2024 in Edinburgh. Subjects covered include economic growth, clean energy, and skills and infrastructure for investment. The next meeting is expected to take place in the spring.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published its response to the consultation on reforming the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England, announcing sweeping reforms to strengthen standards, rebuild confidence, and restore trust in local democracy. The government confirmed its intention to implement a mandatory minimum code of conduct, require formal standards committees, and introduce powers for local authorities to suspend councillors or mayors for serious breaches of conduct. The reforms will also give councils authority to withhold allowances from those found in breach, introduce interim suspension powers in complex cases, and create new disqualification categories for gross misconduct and repeated breaches. In addition, a new independent national appeals body will be established to ensure consistency and fairness across England. These measures are designed to create a more transparent, accountable, and fair system for handling misconduct in local government, addressing longstanding gaps in the current framework.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and HM Treasury have published their response to the consultation on an overnight visitor levy in England. The government will legislate during the current Parliamentary session to give mayoral and foundation strategic authorities the power to introduce a levy on commercially provided short-term visitor accommodation. Authorities will be required to consult locally and give businesses advance notice before introducing or changing a levy. Revenue may be invested in measures that support regional growth, including the visitor economy, and authorities will have to report annually on money collected and how it is spent.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published its response to the consultation on planning application fees, confirming that it will introduce a new national default fee schedule for England and increase most planning application fees to achieve an estimated 90% cost recovery for local planning authorities. The government will implement the revised fees through regulations, simplify several fee categories, introduce fees for some previously free prior approval applications, and increase fees for agricultural development, discharge of conditions, and Certificate of Appropriate Alternative Development applications. It also confirmed that local planning authorities will be able to set fees up to 30% above the national default where justified by evidence.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published its response to the consultation on reforming England’s statutory consultee system. The reforms aim to make planning consultations more proportionate and efficient while retaining specialist input for higher-risk cases. The government will retain Sport England as a statutory consultee but significantly narrow the applications referred to it. It will remove statutory consultee status from The Gardens Trust and Theatres Trust and introduce notification requirements instead.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published the government’s response to its consultation on streamlining infrastructure planning, setting out reforms to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime following the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025. The government confirmed changes to legislation, guidance and Planning Inspectorate services to make the planning process faster, more proportionate and more consistent while maintaining effective scrutiny. It will remove the statutory requirement for pre-application consultation and will no longer include consultation as part of the acceptance test, replacing it with principle-based guidance that encourages flexible, proportionate engagement with local authorities, statutory bodies, landowners and communities.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have published the government response to the supported housing regulation consultation, confirming the introduction of a locally administered licensing regime across England under the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023. The regime will apply to all supported housing where residents claim Housing Benefit, with licences issued per provider at local authority level and covering multiple properties within a district. The government has revised proposals to reduce administrative burdens, strengthen the fit and proper person test to include organisational leadership, and introduce clear licensing conditions covering accommodation quality, suitability, needs assessments, and oversight of care and support. National Supported Housing Standards will be enforced through licensing, with amendments to improve clarity and accountability, while a defined set of exemptions will apply to provision already subject to sufficient regulation. Discretionary local licensing conditions will not be permitted to ensure consistency, and no immediate planning changes will be introduced.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published its consultation outcome on proposals to improve council tax administration. The consultation received 3,158 responses, a majority supported the key measures, with 74% in favour of moving from 10 to 12 monthly instalments by default and 73% agreeing that households should retain the option to request 10–month payment plans. However, concerns were raised about administrative burdens, flexibility for vulnerable households and local authority cash flow. In response, the government confirmed it will amend regulations so that, from April 2028, council tax will be billed over 12 monthly instalments by default. To support the transition, new liable taxpayers will be placed on 12–month instalments from April 2027. The government will also ensure that households can continue to request 10–month billing, maintaining flexibility within the system. Additionally, it intends to update the name and definition of the Severely Mentally Impaired discount. A letter has also been issued to councils regarding proposed changes.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) have published a summary of responses to their consultation on enhancing energy efficiency in socially rented homes in England. The consultation, which closed on 12 September 2025, invited views on government proposals to introduce a minimum energy efficiency standard (MEES) for socially rented homes for the first time, setting the benchmark at Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C (or equivalent) by 2030. The evidence gathered has informed government decisions that were announced on 28 January 2026 as part of the Decade of Renewal in Social Housing update. This published document serves as an executive summary, with a full government response to be released shortly.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has published a decision by the Secretary of State regarding a proposed data centre campus at Ampthill Road, Bedford, MK45 3JP. In the decision, the Secretary of State has given a direction under section 35(1) of the Planning Act 2008 (PA 2008) for the development to be treated as one of national significance requiring a development consent order (DCO). The Secretary of State's decision also confirms that the development's application for planning permission can be treated as an application for a DCO under section 35ZA(3)(b) PA 2008. However, the applicants also requested that provision be made for the statutory duties of consultation under sections 24 and 47 PA 2008 to be considered met; this was refused, as consultation or engagement equivalent to statutory consultation was not carried out in respect of the application for planning permission and the applicants only provided evidence of limited stakeholder engagement.