Tag: Roberta Blackman-Woods

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much funding was awarded by the (a) Arts and Humanities Research Council, (b) Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, (c) Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, (d) Economic and Social Research Council, (e) Medical Research Council, (f) Natural Environment Research Council and (g) Science and Technology Facilities Council to each university in the UK in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14 and (v) 2014-15.

Greg Clark

This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of commissioners from local government have attended the Commissioning Academy; and by which local authorities those commissioners are employed.

Mr Francis Maude

Through its programme of Civil Service Reform, the Government is taking urgent action to address long-standing skills gaps in the Civil Service. Our pioneering Commissioning Academy is building commercial capability across the public sector, and improving how public services are delivered.

To date 392 individuals have attended the central Commissioning Academy programmes, including 206 (52%) from central government. In the last year there was a 50% increase in demand for places on the programme, and it will be expanded to deliver 1,500 places by March 2016.

Commissioners have attended from the following local authorities:

Basildon Borough Council

Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council

Birmingham City Council

Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council

Bristol City Council

Canterbury and Coastal Clinical Commissioning Group

Cheltenham Borough Council

Cherwell District, South Northants and Stratford on Avon Councils

Cheshire East Council

Cheshire West and Chester Council

Cheshire West and Chester (a place-based group)

Cumbria County Council

Devon County Council

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

Essex County Council

Fenland District Council

Gloucestershire County Council

Harborough District Council

Horsham District Council

Kent County Council

Knowsley Council (Health and Social Care Integration)

Lancashire County Council

Leicestershire County Council

London Borough of Barnet

London Borough of Haringey

London Borough of Lambeth

London Borough of Lewisham

London Borough of Sutton

London Borough of Waltham Forest

Lowestoft Rising (Place based group)

Manchester City Council

Milton Keynes Council

Norfolk County Council

Northamptonshire County Council

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council

Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council

Shropshire

Somerset County Council

Southend-on-sea Borough Council

Staffordshire County Council

Stoke-On-Trent City Council

Suffolk Coastal

Sunderland City Council

Surrey County Council

Swindon Borough Council

Tamworth Borough Council

Tri-borough councils: Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster

Wakefield Metropolitan District Council

Walsall Council

Warrington Borough Council

Waverley Borough Council

West Sussex County Council

Westminster City Council

Wirral Council

Worcestershire County Council

A number of other programmes sit alongside the central programme under the Commissioning Academy umbrella. 78 officials have attended local programmes in Norfolk and Staffordshire, modelled on the central programme, with participants drawn from local authorities and other public sector bodies in the local area. In addition, 8 councillors have attended a streamlined programme for Local Authority elected members.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government of 15 January 2015, Official Report, Public Bill Committee, column 386, when and in what ways part M of the building regulations have been strengthened as a baseline accessibility standard since 2010.

Stephen Williams

The statutory guidance in Approved Document M was most recently updated in 2013. The changes in Approved Document M resulted from a rationalisation of guidance supporting Parts M, K and N (Access, Protection from falling, collision and impact and Glazing respectively) to address areas of conflict and overlap to make it easier to comply with requirements. At the same time the guidance on Access Statements in Approved Document M was amended to promote a more proportionate, risk-based approach and guidance relating to Changing Places toilets was strengthened.

New, improved guidance will be issued as part of the Housing Standards Review and we are also introducing new optional Building Regulations requirements for wheelchair adaptable and accessible housing.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the amount of undeveloped brownfield land which his Department considers suitable for development.

Brandon Lewis

The National Land Use Database provides data from local authorities on all previously developed land in England that may be available for development.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-land-use-database-of-previously-developed-land-nlud-pdl

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether it is his policy that his Department’s proposed Mayoral Development Orders will be subject to the same guidance under the National Planning Practice Guidance as Local Development Orders.

Brandon Lewis

Mayoral development orders will be a new power available to unlock development in London. We will work with the Mayor and London local authorities in developing any guidance in support of the legislation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to bring forward housing development on sites where construction has been delayed.

Brandon Lewis

I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 30 October 2014, Question UIN 207630.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the implementation by local authorities of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Mr Rob Wilson

The Cabinet Office asked Lord Young of Graffham, the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Enterprise, to conduct a review of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

The report, published on 13 February, shows the Act is having a positive effect where it is taken up. It finds that a number of local authorities have taken a leading role in implementing social value and names Durham Council as an example.

The report makes a number of recommendations. The Government is considering these to ensure that the Act fulfils its full potential.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to bring forward housing development on brownfield land.

Brandon Lewis

We have introduced a package of measures designed to accelerate the development of brownfield land and deliver more homes. We expect local authorities to be proactive in bringing forward housing on brownfield land and to ensure they have local development orders in place, granting planning permission for new homes on over 90 per cent of brownfield land suitable for housing by 2020. This reflects the priority given to re-using brownfield in the National Planning Policy Framework. In particular:

• We have reformed the planning system to ensure that it supports the delivery of housing, including homes on brownfield land. The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that planning should encourage the effective use of land by re-using brownfield sites, provided they are not of high environmental value and that local councils can set locally appropriate targets for using brownfield land.
• We have amended planning practice guidance to stress the importance of bringing brownfield land back into use
• Local authorities have been invited to bid for funding from a £4.4million incentive fund to support up to 100 local development orders.
• We are currently consulting on measures to underpin the Government’s programme.
• We are developing a support package, including local development order templates, to help authorities develop local development orders on smaller sites.
• Included powers in the Infrastructure Act which will enable the Mayor of London to produce Mayoral Development Orders that will remove planning obstacles to help deliver more housing in London.
• We are providing £400 million of recoverable investment funding to create Housing Zones to support development on brownfield land. 9 housing zones have already been announced in London.
• We have changed the Community Infrastructure Levy rules to provide an increased incentive for brownfield development, and extended exemptions for empty buildings being brought back into use.
• We have also introduced changes to national policy to lift Section 106 burdens on vacant buildings being returned to use or demolished for re-development and made it easier to convert empty buildings into homes.
• We have introduced a new national Starter Homes exception site planning policy to make it easier to secure planning permission for Starter Homes on underused or unviable commercial and industrial land which is not currently identified for housing – to be offered exclusively to young first time buyers at a 20% discount
• We have provided tax relief where brownfield land suffers from contamination
• We have provided access to funding for developers through initiatives such as the Local Infrastructure Fund, Get Britain Building investment fund and the Growing Places Fund
• We have secured the release of enough unused public sector land to build over 103,000 new homes and announced the establishment of a London Land Commission, based at the Greater London Authority, which will be tasked with identifying public sector brownfield land that is no longer needed in London.

We have also, as outlined in Question UIN 227326 of 17 March, implemented a package of proposals to get empty homes back into use.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which organisations and individuals responded to his Department’s recent consultation on the proposed zero carbon homes exemptions for small sites; and which such responses were (a) in favour of and (b) against the Government’s proposals to exempt sites of 10 homes or fewer from the allowable solutions.

Stephen Williams

The consultation on ‘Next steps to zero carbon homes – allowable solutions’ closed on 7 January 2015 and we are currently considering responses. We will be publishing a report on the summary of all responses received in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of sites where planning permission for housing development has been granted but where construction has been stalled for more than five years.

Brandon Lewis

I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 30 October 2014, to Question, UIN 207630.

We do not hold the requested figures on planning permission and the length of time.