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.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published an update letter confirming that no decision has yet been made regarding proposals for local government reorganisation (LGR) in East Sussex and Brighton and Hove. The letter indicates that further consideration is being given before finalising any arrangements for the area. In addition MHCLG published consultation outcomes and accompanying letters confirming that proposals will be implemented in four devolution priority areas establishing: (1) five unitary councils in Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock; (2) five unitary councils (option 1A) in Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton and (3) three unitary councils in each of Norfolk and Suffolk. Council leaders were formally notified of the decisions via the letters.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a direction on the rent standard 2026. The direction requires the regulator of social housing to set a rent standard for registered providers of social housing, replacing the directions on the rent standard 2019 and 2023. It is accompanied by a new policy statement on rents for social housing, replacing the December 2022 policy statement. The direction comes into effect on 1 April 2026.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill on 27 January 2026 for pre-legislative scrutiny.  It sets out proposals to reform the commonhold model, making it easier for existing leaseholders to voluntarily convert their buildings to commonhold and to ban the use of leasehold for most new flats. This follows recommendations from the Law Commission and the Commonhold White Paper published in March 2025.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published the outcome to the consultation on Awaab's Law and timescales for repairs in the social housing sector along with draft guidance to support social landlords in preparing for the implementation of Awaab’s Law, which will come into force on 27 October 2025, subject to Parliamentary approval. This guidance accompanies the draft Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025 (also known as Awaab's Law) and outlines landlords’ responsibilities in Phase 1 to address health hazards including damp and mould and all emergency repairs, within fixed timeframes. These requirements will be incorporated into tenancy agreements, enabling tenants to seek legal redress if landlords fail to act. The reforms form part of a broader initiative to improve safety and quality in the social rented sector. The phased implementation will expand to further categories such as fire, electrical hazards and structural risks with Phases 2 and 3 due to be implemented in 2026 and 2027. In the consultation outcome, the government has also pledged to extend Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector to improve living conditions and standards across the board, with details to be consulted in due course.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published draft guidance detailing how local planning authorities must make local plan documents available for public inspection. The guidance requires authorities to publish documents on their websites in machine-readable and searchable formats and to maintain physical copies at main offices and other appropriate locations during normal office hours. For joint local plans, authorities may publish certain documents on shared websites, although specific documents, including notices of intention, adoption statements, withdrawal statements and revocation statements, must appear on individual authority websites. The guidance establishes that authorities must provide paper copies of documents on request as soon as reasonably practicable, with reasonable charges permitted to cover printing, postage and packaging costs. Plan-making information must be made available online in accordance with applicable approved data standards and authorities must meet legal accessibility obligations when providing documents to the public.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published draft guidance on all three mandatory gateways under the new local plan-making system, established under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (PCPA 2004) as amended by the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023 (LURA 2023) and The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/186. Gateway 1 requires local planning authorities (LPAs) to self-assess readiness across five areas prescribed in regulations, including: (1) the local plan timetable; (2) project management and governance; (3) consultation approach; (4) anticipated plan content and (5) Strategic Environmental Assessment. LPAs are required to publish a summary of the self-assessment, which marks the start of the 30-month plan preparation process. Gateway 2 requires LPAs to submit documentation to a Planning Inspectorate gateway assessor, including: (1) a draft Statement of Compliance; (2) a draft Statement of Soundness; (3) a Project Initiation Document and (4) a cover letter identifying up to five soundness issues. The assessor is required to provide observations on progress towards prescribed requirements, conformity with any operative spatial development strategy and soundness issues. The assessment must occur over 4–6 weeks. Gateway 3 constitutes the final assessment of whether a plan meets prescribed requirements before submission for examination, occurring over 4–6 weeks. Failure requires LPAs to address identified deficiencies and resubmit, with no limit on the number of repetitions. Each repetition must be reflected in the local plan timetable.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a policy paper setting out proposed reforms to modernise the UK’s electoral system. The strategy outlines planned changes across the electoral franchise, voter registration processes, political finance framework, campaigning rules and voting procedures and measures to address harassment, abuse and intimidation of voters, elected representatives, candidates and electoral staff. Key reforms include lowering the voting age to 16, introducing automated voter registration and expanding the list of accepted voter ID to include UK-issued bank cards. In addition, the Electoral Commission will be granted stronger enforcement powers, including the ability to impose increased maximum fines of up to £500,000 for breaches of political finance rules. The government intends to implement these reforms through an elections and democracy bill to be brought forward in the current Parliament.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published Explanatory Notes to the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (RRA 2025), which received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025. The Explanatory Notes set out how the RRA 2025 will operate in practice by detailing the effect of each provision, the background to existing legal rules being amended or replaced and the intended use of new regulatory powers, including practical examples of how tenancy, possession, rent, enforcement and discrimination measures will function once commenced. The notes explain how the Act amends or repeals provisions across multiple statutes and highlight consequential and transitional adjustments required as all assured shorthold tenancies move to assured periodic tenancies and section 21 is abolished. Practitioners are directed to the notes for section‑by‑section guidance, including operational procedures, notice requirements, Tribunal processes, enforcement mechanisms, and how the Act’s interaction with existing legal frameworks (such as rent repayment orders, tenancy deposits, investigatory powers, and the Decent Homes Standard) should be understood and applied.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a factsheet on government amendments tabled to the Social Housing Bill at Commons Committee stage to protect social housing, strengthen tenant protections and tackle homelessness in England. The amendments would extend the notification period before private registered providers can complete sales outside the regulated sector from four to eight weeks, giving councils and other providers more time to consider buying the homes. Sale notifications would also need to specify the type of rent previously charged. Councils would be able to designate eligible rural areas for exemption from Right to Buy without applying to the Secretary of State. Further changes would strengthen domestic abuse protections, clarify when perpetrators’ interests in joint tenancies end and improve oversight of tenant management organisations, including enabling courts to intervene in cases of serious failure. To address homelessness, the amendments would allow local housing authorities to require private registered providers to offer suitable accommodation to households owed the main housing duty, unless providers have good reason not to. New duties would replace the existing duty to refer, requiring specified bodies to identify homelessness risks, notify and work with local housing authorities and take appropriate action to prevent or address homelessness. A further power would allow the government to prevent veterans seeking homelessness assistance from being referred to another authority on local connection grounds.