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  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the proportion of new build properties excluding flats that has been sold as leasehold in each of the last here years.

    Gavin Barwell

    The department does not hold this information. The department published an estimate of the number of leasehold dwellings in 2014. As Table 1 (see link below) shows, in 2012-13 there were approximately 1.3 million leasehold properties that were not flats. The remaining 2.8 million leasehold dwellings were flats.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/342628/Residential_Leasehold_dwellings_in_England.pdf

  • Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on maintaining the ring-fence on devolved funding for supported housing; and what steps he plans to take to ensure such funding changes in line with future demand for such services.

    Gavin Barwell

    We announced on 15 September that from 2019/20 there will be a new funding model for supported housing where core rent and services charges will be funded through Housing Benefit or Universal Credit up to the level of the applicable Local Housing Allowance rate.

    In acknowledgement of the higher than average costs of offering supported housing accommodation we will devolve an amount of funding for disbursement locally. As we also recognise the need to manage the transition to a new funding regime carefully, this top-up funding will be ring fenced to ensure it continues to support vulnerable people and the amount of top-up funding will be set on the basis of current projections of future need.

    We will continue to work with the sector to develop the detail that underpins the new funding model.

    Budgets for future years will be determined in the usual way at future Spending Reviews.

  • Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jon Trickett on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many residential properties were owned by private landlords in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014, (f) 2015 and (g) 2016.

    Gavin Barwell

    These data are published in Live table 104 here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/519499/LT_104.xls

    “

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of areas of the country with a relatively low level of social care provision; and what steps he plans to take to reduce that number.

    David Mowat

    There has been no estimate of the number of local authorities with low level of social care provision. Access to adult social care is based on the level of need an adult has and not on the number of users.

    In April 2015, the Care Act 2014 introduced a national eligibility criteria for access to adult social care. The Act requires that local authorities must meet the needs of any adult whose needs meet this national criteria. Authorities cannot restrict eligibility beyond this threshold. This ensures that the most vulnerable adults have their eligible needs met.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how combined authorities are assisting his Department in delivering new housing schemes.

    Gavin Barwell

    Combined authorities enable local authorities to work jointly to take strategic decisions and improve the delivery of statutory functions such as transport, economic development and regeneration in the local area. Combined authority areas with devolution deals can support the delivery of new housing schemes in a number of ways, including, for example, through preparing strategic plans for their area, forming partnerships with the Homes and Communities Agency and committing to increasing house building.

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to provide financial assistance to local authorities which are increasing their insurance cover against the risk of terrorism.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Local authorities are democratically elected organisations, and as such are responsible for managing their budgets and insurance arrangements in line with local priorities and risks.

  • William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proposals he has to enhance and extend neighbourhood plans.

    Gavin Barwell

    The Government is fully committed to neighbourhood planning and recently introduced regulations that implement powers in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to speed up and simplify the neighbourhood planning process. To support the Government’s approach, the Neighbourhood Planning Bill, which went through Second Reading in Parliament on 10 October, contains measures to further strengthen neighbourhood planning.

    We are also supporting neighbourhood planning through a £22.5 million support programme which has made over 1,500 payments to groups since April 2015. All groups can apply for a grant of up to £9,000. Additional grant and technical support is available to priority groups, including those in urban and more deprived areas. Groups can also access a range of tools and templates, and a dedicated advice service, to help them prepare their plans.

  • Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make available to the hon. Member for Easington, in electronic form, (a) all Local Government Pension Scheme pooling bids and (b) the investment cost data provided by CEM Benchmarking which have been used to calculate investment costs under each fund and that underpin each bid in each of the last three years.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    I will place copies of the final proposals on local government pension scheme pooling in the Library of the House.

    Investment cost data was provided by CEM Benchmarking to the individual administering authorities and is not held by my Department.

  • Sue Hayman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Sue Hayman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sue Hayman on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on the removal of asbestos from public buildings.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, responsibility for managing the risk from asbestos in non-domestic (including public) buildings rests with the individual duty holder. This is the owner or person with responsibility for maintaining the building. The duty holder must assess for the presence of asbestos and put in place a plan to manage any resulting risk. This includes: monitoring the condition of asbestos-containing materials; arranging for repair or enclosure/encapsulation if required; or, in those cases where the assessment shows this to be necessary, arranging for their safe removal.

  • Hugo Swire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Hugo Swire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will assess the merits of increasing the penalty charged to developers who regularly build without planning permission.

    Gavin Barwell

    Legislative changes which came into effect in March 2015 mean that both the magistrates’ and the crown court can already impose an unlimited fine on conviction for the most serious enforcement related offences – non compliance with enforcement notices, temporary stop notices and stop notices and for giving false or misleading response to a planning contravention notice. In determining the amount of the fine, the courts are required to “have regard to any financial benefit which has accrued or appears likely to accrue to him in consequence of the offence”.

    In addition, where a local planning authority achieves a successful conviction for failure to comply with an enforcement notice, they can apply for a Confiscation Order, under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, to recover the financial benefit obtained through unauthorised development.

    We believe these penalties remain appropriate and have no plans to amend them at this time.