Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans her Department has to (a) engage and (b) work with (i) cooperatives and (ii) community-led not-for-profit organisations to build new homes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government recognises that community-led housing delivers a wide range of benefits, including additional housing supply, empowering communities, achieving high quality design and strengthening the co-operative economy.
I am committed to working with representatives of the sector - including the Co-operative housing movement and Community Land Trust Network - to consider how the Government may support the growth of community led housing over the long term.
We will shortly launch a review of the National Planning Policy Framework, and this will provide an opportunity for all organisations with an interest in community-led housing to express their views on how the planning system can support this important sector.
Asked by: Kemi Badenoch (Conservative - North West Essex)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her Department's policy is on (a) Strategic Environmental Assessments and (b) Environmental Impact Assessments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The powers secured through the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 would allow Strategic Environmental Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment to be replaced with a new framework of Environmental Outcomes Reports.
The government is committed to securing better environmental outcomes alongside securing the development we need, and will consider how best to reform environmental assessment with this objective in mind. In the meantime, the current legislation on environmental assessment and its supporting guidance continues to apply.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the number of households in (a) the UK and (b) Hitchin constituency that are located on estate roads that have not been adopted by their local authority as of 23 July 2023.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The requested information is not held by the department.
The Government is committed to taking steps to bring the injustice of ‘fleecehold’ private estates and unfair maintenance costs to an end and we will consult on the best way to achieve this.
In the interim, we will act quickly to provide residential freeholders with greater protections by implementing the relevant provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her planned timescales are for banning new leasehold flats and ensuring that commonhold is the default tenure.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to bringing the feudal leasehold system to an end.
As part of that commitment, we intend to reinvigorate commonhold through a comprehensive new legal framework and ban the sale of new leasehold flats so commonhold becomes the default tenure.
As set out in the King’s Speech, draft legislation will be published on leasehold and commonhold reform during this session.
Asked by: Kemi Badenoch (Conservative - North West Essex)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the impact of net immigration on housing supply.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Immigration is one of a number of factors that impacts on housing demand and future housing supply. We will continue to monitor both and update Parliament on our commitment to build 1.5m homes over five years.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to invite representatives of (a) Cornwall and (b) the Isles of Scilly to the Council of the Nations and Regions.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Council of Nations and Regions will bring together the Prime Minister, the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, the First and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, and the Mayors of Combined Authorities. On 16 July 2024 the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to all areas that do not have a devolution deal to invite them to come forward with a proposal. New Mayors established through this process would be eligible to sit on the Council of Nations and Regions. The Government is committed to working productively with local government in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, including as part of regular, sustained engagement with councils across England.
Asked by: Kemi Badenoch (Conservative - North West Essex)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to recruit additional planning inspectors to support the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project process.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to ensuring that the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime is capable of delivering the UK’s infrastructure needs, including sufficient resourcing in the Planning Inspectorate and government expert bodies to support infrastructure consenting.
Asked by: Kemi Badenoch (Conservative - North West Essex)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Deputy Prime Minister kickstarts new devolution revolution to boost local power, published on 16 July 2024, how she plans to assess local growth plans; and over what timeframe such assessments will be made.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government has set out its intention to work with Combined Authorities to develop ambitious, long-term Local Growth Plans, setting out how local leaders will put their powers to use to deliver growth in every corner of the country.
Local Growth Plans will be delivered through partnership, and my department will provide further detail on the approach to developing these Plans to local leaders in due course.
Ministers have already spoken with metro Mayors about the possibilities of local growth plans and the benefits they can provide for residents and businesses alike.
Asked by: Kemi Badenoch (Conservative - North West Essex)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Deputy Prime Minister kickstarts new devolution revolution to boost local power, published on 16 July 2024, whether there will be penalties for areas that do not sign local growth plans.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government has set out its intention to work with Combined Authorities to develop ambitious, long-term Local Growth Plans, setting out how local leaders will put their powers to use to deliver growth in every corner of the country.
Local Growth Plans will be delivered through partnership, and my department will provide further detail on the approach to developing these Plans to local leaders in due course.
Ministers have already spoken with metro Mayors about the possibilities of local growth plans and the benefits they can provide for residents and businesses alike.
Asked by: Kemi Badenoch (Conservative - North West Essex)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her planned timetable is for completion of each of the revised National Policy Statements.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As the Chancellor set out on 8 July, the Government will review relevant National Policy Statements over the next twelve months, ensuring the planning system is simplified and improved to deliver Government missions around growth and clean energy. This is one of a number of changes the Government intends to make to build the infrastructure that we need.