Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take to help (a) revitalize commercial areas and (b) encourage new businesses to occupy vacant properties in Dudley constituency.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government is fully committed to rejuvenating our high streets and supporting the businesses and communities that make our town centres successful.
Through the English Devolution Bill we will introduce a strong new ‘right to buy’ for valued community assets which will help this Government safeguard our high streets. This measure will empower local communities to reclaim and revitalise empty shops, pubs, and community spaces, helping to revamp our high streets and eliminate the blight of vacant premises.
Outside of local government grants Dudley as a borough has received over £182 million of central government funding over the last ten years, in addition to devolved funding and powers worth £1.1 billion as part of the WMCA.
Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what data her Department holds on investment in Dudley town centre in the last 10 years.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government is fully committed to rejuvenating our high streets and supporting the businesses and communities that make our town centres successful.
Through the English Devolution Bill we will introduce a strong new ‘right to buy’ for valued community assets which will help this Government safeguard our high streets. This measure will empower local communities to reclaim and revitalise empty shops, pubs, and community spaces, helping to revamp our high streets and eliminate the blight of vacant premises.
Outside of local government grants Dudley as a borough has received over £182 million of central government funding over the last ten years, in addition to devolved funding and powers worth £1.1 billion as part of the WMCA.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to (a) support communities across the UK in taking ownership of assets at risk of closure and (b) ensure their continued use for community benefit through the Community Ownership Fund.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The English Devolution Bill will empower communities with a strong new ‘right to buy’ beloved community assets, such as empty shops, pubs and community spaces. We will make further announcements in due course.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether funding through the Shared Prosperity Scheme will continue after March 2025.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to structural or economic development funding and we will provide further details regarding funding beyond March 2025 at the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Spen Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether it is her policy to publish a statutory code of practice under the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We will set out policies on the Private Parking Code of Practice in due course.
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, 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, what her expected timetable is for signing off the first local growth plan.
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: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 assessment of the potential impact of the terms of the financial support package given by her Department to Stoke-on-Trent City Council in February 2024 on the Council's future financial stability.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government is under no illusions about the scale of the pressures that councils are facing, and is committed to providing councils with greater certainty and stability. In February 2024, Stoke-on-Trent City Council received in-principle capitalisation support of £21.7 million and £20.5 million, for financial years 2023/24 and 2024/25, under the previous Government's Exceptional Financial Support framework. Details of this support were published on gov.uk.
Under the previous Government's framework, financial support was agreed in-principle, with formal support and any associated conditions to be confirmed at a later date, subject to the outcome of an external assurance review of the council. The Government will consider the overall impact of any support provided when final decisions are taken.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 publish the terms of the financial support package given by her Department to Stoke-on-Trent City Council in February 2024.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government is under no illusions about the scale of the pressures that councils are facing, and is committed to providing councils with greater certainty and stability. In February 2024, Stoke-on-Trent City Council received in-principle capitalisation support of £21.7 million and £20.5 million, for financial years 2023/24 and 2024/25, under the previous Government's Exceptional Financial Support framework. Details of this support were published on gov.uk.
Under the previous Government's framework, financial support was agreed in-principle, with formal support and any associated conditions to be confirmed at a later date, subject to the outcome of an external assurance review of the council. The Government will consider the overall impact of any support provided when final decisions are taken.
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 plans her Department plans to take to ensure local residents are consulted on any proposed construction on designated grey belt land.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to preserving the greenbelt which has served England’s towns and cities well over many decades.
We intend to move away from a system that allows greenbelt land to regularly be released for development in a haphazard manner and often for speculative development that does not meet housing need.
Without changing its purpose or general extent, Labour will take a more strategic approach to greenbelt land designation and release to build more homes in the right places.
The release of lower quality grey belt land will be prioritised, and we will introduce ‘golden rules’ to ensure development benefits communities and nature.
Further details on how grey belt land will be designated and the methods by which it might be released will be provided in due course.