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  • Vicky Foxcroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Vicky Foxcroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 2.110 of the Summer Budget 2015, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of limiting backdating in housing benefit to four weeks on homelessness provision reliant on funding from that benefit.

    Justin Tomlinson

    No assessment has been made. Housing Benefit is not designed to provide support for homelessness funding – that is a matter for the Department for Communities and Local Government and the devolved Governments in Scotland and Wales.

  • Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support private landlords in evicting tenants who are in breach of contract.

    Brandon Lewis

    Assured shorthold tenancies give landlords the automatic right to possession at the end of the initial fixed term on giving the tenant two months’ notice. Possession through the courts can also be sought before the end of the initial fixed period, where the tenant has broken certain terms of the tenancy, such as by not paying the rent.

    We have made it easier for landlords to evict a tenant where it would be legitimate to do so, by introducing a prescribed form of notice which will reduce errors and remove the need for a landlord to specify the exact date a tenancy comes to an end, while retaining the requirement to give two months’ notice. The legislation came into effect on 1 October 2015 and we have published guidance and the required forms are at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/465275/Retaliatory_Eviction_Guidance_Note.pdf

    “

  • Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve supported accommodation for homeless young people in (a) Easington constituency, (b) County Durham, (c) the North East and (d) England.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government is committed to preventing youth homelessness and we are taking specific action across England to support young homeless people into stable accommodation, education training or employment.

    We have invested £14 million to enable Crisis to support 10,000 vulnerable single people into privately rented tenancies, of which 41 projects are specifically targeted at young people.

    Our £15 million Fair Chance Fund payment by results scheme is supporting 1,600 vulnerable homeless 18-25 year olds into accommodation, education training and employment. Projects for the scheme are being delivered across the country including North East areas such as Newcastle, Northumberland, South Tyneside, North Tyneside, Gateshead, Durham and Sunderland.

    In addition, the Government is investing £40 million in Platform for Life, a lower rent shared accommodation programme to provide young homeless people a stable base for work and study. We have also implemented the ‘Youth Accommodation Pathway’, good practice model that supports young people to remain in the family home where it is safe to do so and offers tailored support for those who cannot. This has been disseminated across all English local authorities.

  • Mike Freer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Mike Freer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Freer on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of (a) extending and (b) making permanent permitted development rights to convert offices to residential buildings.

    Brandon Lewis

    To further support new housing supply and home ownership we are announcing further changes to permitted development rights. When the Government brought forward measures from the summer 2014 ‘Technical consultation on planning’ we undertook to further consider the case for extending the office to residential reforms, which are helping to provide more new homes on brownfield land. These rights are being used, with almost 4,900 applications received by councils in the five quarters ending June 2015 and 4,000 approved during the same period, without needing to go through the whole planning process.

    Given the extensive use of the right, I can confirm that the Government intends to make permanent the permitted development right that provides for offices to change to residential use and extend the right to allow for demolition of the office and replacement by new housing on a like for like basis. This has the potential to allow for a new building to better accommodate new homes and improve design quality. We will allow for those applicants who already have prior approval or who secure a new prior approval to have three years from the date of their approval in which to complete the change of use.

    Those areas that are currently exempt from the office to residential permitted development right, such as the City of London, the London Central Activities Zone and Central Manchester will remain so until May 2019. This will provide time for local authorities with exemptions to bring forward an Article 4 direction in line with national policy for these areas if they wish. Alongside this, we will also bring forward new permitted development rights for three years that allow buildings up to 500m2 used for light industry compatible with housing, to change to residential use. There will also be a permanent right for launderettes of up to 150m2 to change to residential. These changes will further increase the contribution to housing delivery and reduce unnecessary planning regulations.

    These permitted development rights allow more development to take place without the need for a planning application. They will be subject to prior approval, allowing consideration by the local planning authority of specific planning matters.

  • Chris White – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Chris White – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local government representatives on ensuring social value is taken into account in proposals for greater devolution; and what his policy is on the recommendation of the Local Government Association’s National Procurement Strategy for Local Government on the wider adoption of Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government is looking at the full costs and benefits of devolution proposals in line with Government guidance. This is supported by detailed conversations with areas to help them refine their work such as guidance about onward devolution to neighbourhoods.

    The Government fully supports local authorities applying the concept of social value more widely than required by the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 and this is reflected in the Revised Best Value Statutory Guidance which was published in March of this year and can be viewed at the link below:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/revised-best-value-statutory-guidance

  • Alison Thewliss – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Alison Thewliss – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to foster links with travelling showpeople.

    Brandon Lewis

    DCLG has an on-going dialogue with a range of partners. For example DCLG consulted travelling showpeople on recent changes to planning policy.

  • John Pugh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    John Pugh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what data her Department holds on the carbon footprint and emissions of local authorities.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Department of Energy and Climate Change has requested local authorities in England to annually measure, and report on their websites, greenhouse gas emissions data for their own estate and operations. A collation of the data extracted from local authority websites for the years 2008/09 to 2012/13 can be found on gov.uk:

    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sharing-information-on-greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-local-authority-own-estate-and-operations-previously-ni-185#summary-of-local-authorities-ghg-emissions-data-for-20112012-and-20122013.

    From 2013/14 DECC ceased to collate and publish the data on gov.uk.

    “

  • Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what meetings his Department has had with representatives of (a) the Taxpayers’ Alliance, (b) the Confederation of British Industry, (c) the Institute of Economic Affairs, (d) the Adam Smith Institute, (e) the Freedom Association, (f) the Politics and Economic Research Trust and (g) the Midlands Industrial Council in the last 12 calendar months.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries meetings with external organisations are published up to 31 March 2015 and can be accessed on Gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications

    Further publications of Ministerial and Permanent Secretaries meetings will be published in due course.

    “

  • Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to ensure that women’s refuges (a) have a sustainable source of funding and (b) continue to enable women to move between local authority areas after 31 March 2016.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government is committed to a secure future for refuge provision, as set out in our Manifesto, and is determined to ensure that no victim is turned away from the support they need. At Budget the Chancellor announced an additional £3.2 million to increase specialist accommodation support for victims, including refuges, and provide more help for victims to access that support. This is in addition to the £10 million announced in 2014 to enable local authorities to strengthen refuge services. Our significant investment shows our clear commitment to maintaining and boosting refuge provision. Future funding arrangements are a matter for the Spending Review.

  • Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many 16 and 17 year olds were presented as homeless to Durham County Council in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Department for Communities and Local Government collects data on the numbers of households accepted as owed a homelessness duty, where the reason the household is in priority need is that the applicant is aged 16 or 17 years old. There have been no such cases in County Durham in the last 12 months.