Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

The Government will continue to protect the Green Belt in line with our manifesto commitment. The new method for calculating local housing need introduced last year and reforms to the planning system through the Planning Bill will not change national planning policy on the protection of Green Belt. Local communities will still use local plan policies to establish and protect their Green Belts, and the National Planning Policy Framework will remain a material consideration. The Government has also made clear that local authorities should consider local constraints, such as Green Belt, in the process of planning for new homes.

The Government will continue to protect the Green Belt in line with our manifesto commitment. The new method for calculating local housing need introduced last year and reforms to the planning system through the Planning Bill will not change national planning policy on the protection of Green Belt. Local communities will still use local plan policies to establish and protect their Green Belts, and the National Planning Policy Framework will remain a material consideration. The Government has also made clear that local authorities should consider local constraints, such as Green Belt, in the process of planning for new homes.

Our £5.1 billion investment in grant funding for cladding remediation on residential buildings of 18 metres and taller in England will protect hundreds of thousands of leaseholders from the cost of remediating unsafe cladding on their homes.

We are also stepping in to provide a generous finance scheme for the remediation of combustible cladding on medium-rise residential buildings, where the risk is lower. Under this scheme leaseholders in residential buildings between 11-18 metres will pay no more than £50 per month towards the cost of combustible cladding remediation.

Government funding does not absolve building owners of their responsibility to ensure that their buildings are safe. They should consider all routes to meet costs, protecting leaseholders where they can - for example through warranties and recovering costs from contractors for incorrect or poor work.

Under the Defective Premises Act, compensation can be claimed from anyone responsible for the defective work, such as developers, builders and other contractors, architects and designers.

We have seen many responsible developers and building owners stepping up to take responsibility for correcting these defects - for example, in more than half of the high-rise private sector buildings with ACM.     

The new policy in relation to Article 4 directions came into immediate effect on 1 July 2021. The National Planning Policy Framework was updated with the new wording on 20 July 2021.

There is nothing I can add to the decision letter of 14 January 2021 and the application therefore remains for determination by the Mayor of London.

Due to the Secretary of State’s quasi-judicial role in the planning system, it would not be appropriate to meet to discuss an individual planning application.

The Government encourages local planning authorities to increase the number of traveller sites in appropriate locations and are supporting efforts through the new Affordable Homes Programme. Local authorities, and social housing providers can bid for funding through the £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26 which will leverage up to £38 billion of private and public investment, and includes funding for permanent traveller sites and transit sites.

Sir Michael Fallon has not contacted the Department. Any representations on planning matters are handled in accordance with published propriety guidance.

The information is not held in the format requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The information is not held in the format requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Government welcomes the NAO report and is carefully considering each recommendation

Further details of how we intend to work with local government to reach net zero will be set out in the Net Zero Strategy, to be published prior to COP26.

Changing Futures will work in 15 local areas to test new approaches to improve outcomes for adults experiencing multiple disadvantage, with almost £64 million in total programme funding from the Government's Shared Outcomes Fund (£46 million) and aligned funding from The National Lottery Community Fund (£17.9 million)

Northumbria is one of these local partnerships, covering South Tyneside and five other local authority areas (Northumberland, Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside, Sunderland). The Northumbria partnership will receive £5.089 million in grant between 2021/22-2023/24 to support their delivery plan for the Changing Futures programme

I can confirm that all six of the current Non-Executive Directors within the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government were appointed through fair and open competition. Recruitment campaigns were run in line with standard practice for public appointments as set out in the Cabinet Office guidance.

The Impact Assessments published alongside changes to permitted development rights (available at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2020/79/pdfs/ukia_20200079_en.pdf and https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2020/43/pdfs/ukia_20200043_en.pdf ), set out an assessment of their impacts, including on leaseholders.

We announced in January changes to enfranchisement valuation to make it easier, cheaper and simpler for leaseholders to extend their lease or buy their freehold. This includes allowing leaseholders to voluntarily agree to a restriction on future development of their property to avoid paying 'development value'.

The bidding prospectus, guidance notes and application form for the community ownership fund were published on 15 July and the first bidding round is now open. Applicants will be able to complete the online application form from 30 July and the first bidding round will close on 13 August. There will be future bidding rounds in December 2021 and May 2022.

The UK Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support during the pandemic, which is available to tenants.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and £20 per week uplift in Universal Credit are in place until the end of September helping renters to continue paying their rent. Local housing allowance rates have been maintained at their increased level in cash terms in 2021/22, meaning claimants renting in the private rented sector continue to benefit from the significant increase in the local housing allowance rates applied in April 2020.

For those who require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available. For 2021-22 the Government has made £140 million available in DHP funding, building on the £180m provided last year.

To help those at risk of homelessness we are providing local authorities with £310 million through the Homelessness Prevention Grant. This funding represents a £47 million increase on the previous year's funding and can be used to offer financial support for people to find a new home, to work with landlords to prevent evictions, and to ensure families have a roof over their head. Tenants in need of additional support should speak to their local council for more information.

Renters also continue to benefit from longer notice periods, giving them more time to make alternative arrangements. As of 1 June, until at least 30 September, notice periods must be at least 4 months except in the most egregious cases.  Bailiffs have been asked not to carry out an eviction if anyone living in the property has Covid-19 symptoms or is self-isolating.

The bidding prospectus for the Community Ownership Fund was published on 15 July and the first bidding round is now open. Applicants will be able to complete the online application form from 30 July and the first bidding round will close on 13 August. There will be future bidding rounds in December 2021 and May 2022.

It is essential that everyone continues to follow national guidance on self isolation, it remains a legal requirement for people to self-isolate if they test positive and are told to do so, or are told to isolate as a close contact of a positive case by NHS Test and Trace. The public should continue to download and use the latest version of the NHS Covid-19 app to help reduce the spread of the virus

Local authorities in England have a statutory duty to provide a range of services to their communities. Local authorities have business continuity plans in place in order to continue to deliver these services and mitigate against any disruptions. Ministers and officials from my Department continue to have regular discussions with local partners to ensure appropriate plans are in place.

The Freeport model will comprise a broad coalition of local partners, including businesses, local authorities and ports. Trustees and employers have a wide range of legal duties in respect of workplace schemes, including and are responsible for compliance with legislative funding requirements. The Pension Regulator is the regulator of work based pension schemes, and has a range of powers that it may use to intervene, and to take action, primarily against trustees and employers, where they do not comply with their duties.

As set out in the Bidding Prospectus, each Freeport was asked in their bid proposals to summarise their preferred governance structure. The Freeport Governance Body will need to meet core standards and criteria on governance, including compliance with MHCLG requirements on monitoring and evaluation. The Government is assessing the proposals and will work with the Freeports to ensure that governance is robust. The relevant public body (Local Authority or Authorities or Mayoral Combined Authority) of the Freeport Governance Body will be accountable to MHCLG for the expenditure and management of public money.

The Freeport Governance Body will be responsible for the effective delivery of the Freeport according to the economic strategy determined through the bidding process and the Freeport Governance Body will work with Government to ensure the Freeport stays aligned with national policy and delivers on its monitoring and evaluation commitments.

The Government recognises rigorous monitoring and evaluation will be key to the success of the Freeports. The Government fully intends to evaluate the impact of Freeports and will be publishing its monitoring and evaluation strategy in due course.

The Freeport model will comprise a broad coalition of local partners, including businesses, local authorities and ports. Trustees and employers have a wide range of legal duties in respect of workplace schemes, including and are responsible for compliance with legislative funding requirements. The Pension Regulator is the regulator of work based pension schemes, and has a range of powers that it may use to intervene, and to take action, primarily against trustees and employers, where they do not comply with their duties.

As set out in the Bidding Prospectus, each Freeport was asked in their bid proposals to summarise their preferred governance structure. The Freeport Governance Body will need to meet core standards and criteria on governance, including compliance with MHCLG requirements on monitoring and evaluation. The Government is assessing the proposals and will work with the Freeports to ensure that governance is robust. The relevant public body (Local Authority or Authorities or Mayoral Combined Authority) of the Freeport Governance Body will be accountable to MHCLG for the expenditure and management of public money.

The Freeport Governance Body will be responsible for the effective delivery of the Freeport according to the economic strategy determined through the bidding process and the Freeport Governance Body will work with Government to ensure the Freeport stays aligned with national policy and delivers on its monitoring and evaluation commitments.

The Government recognises rigorous monitoring and evaluation will be key to the success of the Freeports. The Government fully intends to evaluate the impact of Freeports and will be publishing its monitoring and evaluation strategy in due course.

The Freeport model will comprise a broad coalition of local partners, including businesses, local authorities and ports. Trustees and employers have a wide range of legal duties in respect of workplace schemes, including and are responsible for compliance with legislative funding requirements. The Pension Regulator is the regulator of work based pension schemes, and has a range of powers that it may use to intervene, and to take action, primarily against trustees and employers, where they do not comply with their duties.

As set out in the Bidding Prospectus, each Freeport was asked in their bid proposals to summarise their preferred governance structure. The Freeport Governance Body will need to meet core standards and criteria on governance, including compliance with MHCLG requirements on monitoring and evaluation. The Government is assessing the proposals and will work with the Freeports to ensure that governance is robust. The relevant public body (Local Authority or Authorities or Mayoral Combined Authority) of the Freeport Governance Body will be accountable to MHCLG for the expenditure and management of public money.

The Freeport Governance Body will be responsible for the effective delivery of the Freeport according to the economic strategy determined through the bidding process and the Freeport Governance Body will work with Government to ensure the Freeport stays aligned with national policy and delivers on its monitoring and evaluation commitments.

The Government recognises rigorous monitoring and evaluation will be key to the success of the Freeports. The Government fully intends to evaluate the impact of Freeports and will be publishing its monitoring and evaluation strategy in due course.

The Freeport model will comprise a broad coalition of local partners, including businesses, local authorities and ports. Trustees and employers have a wide range of legal duties in respect of workplace schemes, including and are responsible for compliance with legislative funding requirements. The Pension Regulator is the regulator of work based pension schemes, and has a range of powers that it may use to intervene, and to take action, primarily against trustees and employers, where they do not comply with their duties.

As set out in the Bidding Prospectus, each Freeport was asked in their bid proposals to summarise their preferred governance structure. The Freeport Governance Body will need to meet core standards and criteria on governance, including compliance with MHCLG requirements on monitoring and evaluation. The Government is assessing the proposals and will work with the Freeports to ensure that governance is robust. The relevant public body (Local Authority or Authorities or Mayoral Combined Authority) of the Freeport Governance Body will be accountable to MHCLG for the expenditure and management of public money.

The Freeport Governance Body will be responsible for the effective delivery of the Freeport according to the economic strategy determined through the bidding process and the Freeport Governance Body will work with Government to ensure the Freeport stays aligned with national policy and delivers on its monitoring and evaluation commitments.

The Government recognises rigorous monitoring and evaluation will be key to the success of the Freeports. The Government fully intends to evaluate the impact of Freeports and will be publishing its monitoring and evaluation strategy in due course.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK in places most in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers.

This Government will ensure that the UK Government and its institutions are working effectively to realise the benefits of four nations working together as one United Kingdom.

Spending Review 2020 set out the main strategic elements of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in the Heads of Terms.  The Government will publish a UK-wide investment framework later this year and confirm its funding profile at the next Spending Review.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK in places most in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers.

This Government will ensure that the UK Government and its institutions are working effectively to realise the benefits of four nations working together as one United Kingdom.

Spending Review 2020 set out the main strategic elements of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in the Heads of Terms.  The Government will publish a UK-wide investment framework later this year and confirm its funding profile at the next Spending Review.

The Government has no plans to review the council tax banding of properties in England or carry out a council tax revaluation. A revaluation would be expensive to undertake and could result in increases in bills for many households. This happened following the council tax revaluation in Wales when 33% of all homes there were placed in a higher band compared to 8% of homes that were placed in a lower band.

In its response to the parking Code Enforcement Framework consultation in March 2021, the Government announced its intention to implement a series of fairer parking measures which will benefit motorists. These include the creation of a single independent appeals service for motorists to turn to if they receive a private parking charge and an Appeals Charter which will protect motorists from charges that are unfair or issued in error.

On 26 May, the Government announced that it will conduct a further technical consultation on its proposed changes to parking charges, seeking views from motorists, parking operators and landowners on the level of private parking charges, including the Appeals Charter. This will help deliver a fair, proportionate and consistent system across the country. Further details of the consultation, including delivery timescales for the single appeals service, will be announced shortly.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK in places most in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers.

This Government will ensure that the UK Government and its institutions are working effectively to realise the benefits of four nations working together as one United Kingdom.

Spending Review 2020 set out the main strategic elements of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in the Heads of Terms. This stated that UK Shared Prosperity investment should be aligned with the government's clean growth and net zero objectives. The Government will publish a UK-wide investment framework later this year and confirm its funding profile at the next Spending Review.

The UK Community Renewal Fund aims to support people and communities most in need across the UK to pilot programmes and new approaches and will invest in skills, community and place, local business, and supporting people into employment.

The deadline for bid submission has now passed. Officials are currently assessing the bids received and funding decisions will be announced in due course. Successful project applicants will have until 31st March 2022 to deliver their projects.

A statement was made to the house on 28 June 2021 about supporting tourism in England. This introduced temporary provisions to stay in force over the course of this holiday season, due to expire on 31 October 2021. The statement instructs local authorities to exercise their discretion in regard to planning enforcement, and only take action against pop up campsites or the expansion of existing campsites where there are significant adverse effects on amenity, public health and safety or the environment.

We will be publishing a full response to the Planning for the Future White Paper.

In November, we announced nearly £700,000 to train up to 2,000 more assessors, which should speed up the valuation process for homeowners in cases where an EWS1 form is required. This training is being delivered by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). This training commenced in January, and there are now around 880 candidates enrolled on the course. Following successful completion, they will be able to carry out EWS1 assessments.

We do not collect information on the number of planning applications that are delayed or not approved due to the nutrient pollution issue, but this data may be held at a local level by Local Planning Authorities. As such as we have not made a direct assessment of the number of planning applications that have not been approved due to the nutrient pollution issue in the Somerset Levels and Moors Ramsar. The Government is working to tackle nutrients pollution. Together with DEFRA, we have set up a monthly Government task force involving Natural England and the Environment Agency to ensure a clear action plan is in place, focusing on solutions for both permitting housebuilding to resume while not compromising the condition of Protected Sites. Alongside this, we are continuing to support Local Planning Authorities through the work of the Planning Advisory Service.

The Department does not hold information on the information requested.

It is for each local authority to consider how best the land in its area should be used, and to plan accordingly, and to identify and publish in its Brownfield Register those sites it finds suitable for housing-led redevelopment.

The development of the Spatial Framework is at a very early stage. In preparing the Spatial Framework we are committed to going through a robust process of building our evidence base to understand the most sustainable approach to housing growth for the Arc, and will go beyond the typical local planning horizon by planning to 2050. The Spatial Framework therefore presents the opportunity to set future expectations for affordable housing that can be delivered in a way that meets the needs of local residents.

In February, when we formally launched the process to develop the Spatial Framework, we committed to conducting wide and meaningful engagement to give as many people as possible the opportunity to help shape the Spatial Framework.

Today we launched the first of three public consultations on the Spatial Framework, which will include consulting on the issue of affordable housing and meeting the future housing needs of the area: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-vision-for-the-oxford-cambridge-arc.

We intend to carry out three phases of planned public consultation for the Spatial Framework over a two-year period, so there will be two further opportunities for people to have their say. The next stage of the Spatial Framework consultation, which we hope will take place in Spring 2022, will focus on policy options to deliver sustainable growth in the Arc to 2050, including policy options relating to housing.

When we formally launched the process to develop the Spatial Framework, we announced our intention to work closely with local partners throughout its development. Local authorities will therefore be encouraged to engage in all three public consultations and will have the opportunity to further engage through on-going discussions with government.

We also frequently engage with a wide range of local representatives and partners from across the breadth of the Arc’s communities to ensure all local views shape how we unlock the unique potential of the region.

An analysis of stakeholder engagement on the Spatial Framework will be released following the first public consultation this Summer, which was launched today, when we will publish a summary of comments received and our response to the consultation.

Due to potential commercial and political sensitivities, we are unable to provide the names of councils with schemes under consideration.

Housing associations are independent organisations and are responsible for ensuring that they appropriately assess any expenditure on their homes. Those that are registered with the Regulator of Social Housing must ensure they comply with the regulator's consumer and economic standards.

The Regulator's Home Standard requires that registered providers ensure a prudent, planned approach to repairs and maintenance of homes and communal areas. This should demonstrate an appropriate balance of planned and responsive repairs, and value for money.  The Home Standard is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-standard/home-standard-2015

The Regulator of Social Housing's Value for Money Standard requires that providers ensure that their resources and assets are used optimally, ensuring economy, efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of their organisation's strategic objectives. Registered providers must demonstrate consideration of value for money across their whole business. The Value for Money Standard and the Value for Money Report are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/value-for-money-standard/value-for-money-standard-april-2018

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2020-global-accounts-of-private-registered-providers/value-for-money-metrics-report-annex-to-global-accounts-2020

Providers are expected to demonstrate to the Regulator of Social Housing that their approach to achieving value for money is robust and there is a rigorous appraisal of potential options for improvement. Performance in achieving value for money should be regularly monitored and reported against and they must annually publish evidence in their statutory accounts to enable stakeholders to understand their performance against their value for money targets. Where underperformance is identified, providers must clearly outline their plans to address this or provide a rationale for why this would not be appropriate.

The law is already clear that service charges, and any increase in costs, must be reasonable and where costs relate to work or services, the work or services must be of a reasonable standard. The consultation process set out in Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 further sets out a process associated with major works. A determination of the Tribunal is required if the consultation requirement is to be dispensed with. In addition residents may make an application to the First-tier Tribunal for it to make a determination on the reasonableness of their service charges or on section 20 grounds.

The Government's policy statement on rents for social housing tenants (published in February 2019) states that where new or extended services are introduced, and an additional service charge may need to be made, registered providers of social housing should consult with tenants.

Undertaking carbon reduction retrofitting is a crucial step in achieving our commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and will contribute towards our Carbon Budget targets and our legally binding fuel poverty targets. The 2019 Conservative Manifesto included a commitment to a £3.8 billion Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) over a 10-year period, ​administered by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to support local authorities and housing associations to improve the energy performance of social rented homes. £62 million has so far been awarded to 19 local authority-led Demonstrator projects across the country, covering over 2,300 social homes, to test innovative approaches to retrofitting at scale. Beyond these projects, there will be around £160 million total funding for the first wave of the SHDF programme in 2021/22 to make further progress towards delivering the government's commitment to invest in the energy performance of homes.

The Department did not instruct local authorities to end the use of hotels and emergency accommodation by 31 March 2021. We have been working closely with local authorities throughout this pandemic to ensure that all those accommodated have access to the support that they need, including move-on into longer-term, sustainable accommodation. As part of this we are working with local authorities to gradually reduce dependence on the use of hotels, intended as an interim measure, to save life and before people were supported into longer-term, more sustainable options. By the end of January, we had supported over 37,000 people with over 11,000 in emergency accommodation and over 26,000 already moved on into longer-term accommodation. To support this, we have provided:

• £203 million investment through the Rough Sleeping Initiative this year (2021-2022) - an 81% increase from the £112 million provided last year - funding up to 14,500 bed spaces and 2,700 support staff across England. This includes immediate work to support people off the street, moving people on from emergency accommodation as well as longer-term housing-led solutions and more sustainable accommodation such as private rented sector access schemes.
• The £433 million Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme to provide 6,000 move-on homes, available as long-term assets, and accompanying support services to those who are rough sleeping or who have a history of sleeping rough.

We've been clear with councils and partners that everyone helped into accommodation should be offered the tailored support they need to move forwards.

This Government remains committed to ending rough sleeping this parliament, recent data shows that rough sleeping has fallen 43% under this administration, with a 37% fall in the last year alone.

On 15 July the Government launched the first bidding for the UK wide £150 million Community Ownership Fund to help community groups to save assets at risk of loss. The fund will run for 4-years and help communities protect assets which are locally important and deliver a community benefit

The Government has also taken steps to safeguard local heritage through a campaign to encourage local authorities, working with their communities, to identify locally important historic buildings and assets for inclusion in their local heritage list. £1.5 million of funding has been made available to 22 areas across England to take forward this work.

The Department does not collect this information. Statistics collected by the Department show that, in October-December 2020 (the latest period for which data is available) the vast majority of tenants were up to date with their rental payments.

The Department has been clear throughout the coronavirus pandemic that tenants must continue to pay their rent and has put in place an unprecedented package of support to assist them in doing so. This includes the furlough scheme and boosting the welfare safety net with billions of pounds, preventing widespread rent arrears. .

Legislation was in place to prevent bailiffs from serving eviction notices and carrying out evictions, except in the most serious circumstances, from 17 November 2020 until 31 May 2021. However, there were exemptions for the most serious circumstances, including serious rent arrears.

Since 1 June, bailiffs have been permitted to enforce valid warrants of possession. This ensures that landlords can exercise their right to justice and reflects the gradual easing of national restrictions. Bailiffs must provide 14 days' notice of an eviction and have been asked to reschedule the eviction appointment if the tenant has coronavirus symptoms or is self-isolating.

We have taken huge steps working with local authorities and their partners to protect rough sleepers during the pandemic. This work has not stopped, and by the end of January, we had supported over 37,000 people with over 11,000 in emergency accommodation and over 26,000 already moved on into longer-term accommodation.

We are committed to ending rough sleeping within this parliament, and that means making sure as few people supported return to the streets as possible.

Our work focuses on helping people find longer term accommodation, as well as supporting those new to the street. Our work includes:

• The £433 million Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme to provide 6,000 move-on homes, available as long-term assets, and accompanying support services to those who are rough sleeping or who have a history of sleeping rough.
• £203 million investment through the Rough Sleeping Initiative this year (2021-2022) - an 81% increase from the £112 million provided last year - funding up to 14,500 bed spaces and 2,700 support staff across England. This includes immediate work to support people off the street as well as longer-term housing-led solutions.