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Written Question
Metals: Sales
Tuesday 6th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the process for the sale of scrap metal from the ex-Redcar Steelworks has brought value for money for the public.

Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)

The independent panel’s report was published on Monday 29 January and found no evidence of illegality of corruption. The report also made several recommendations on governance and oversight. The Secretary of State asked the mayor to consider these carefully, working with the Combined Authority and partners as appropriate, to provide him with an initial report by 8 March on how he intends to respond to the panel’s recommendations.

The Secretary of State is clear that he will not take decisions on further action until he has considered that response.

As they were appointed to do so independently of government, the panel themselves have made their own assessments of all relevant evidence presented within the terms of reference within which they were established.


Written Question
Teesworks
Tuesday 6th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the report commissioned by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in May 2023 about the activity of the Tees Valley combined authority with regard to Teesworks Ltd. and the sale of land formerly part of the Redcar Steelworks will be published.

Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)

The independent panel’s report was published on Monday 29 January and found no evidence of illegality of corruption. The report also made several recommendations on governance and oversight. The Secretary of State asked the mayor to consider these carefully, working with the Combined Authority and partners as appropriate, to provide him with an initial report by 8 March on how he intends to respond to the panel’s recommendations.

The Secretary of State is clear that he will not take decisions on further action until he has considered that response.

As they were appointed to do so independently of government, the panel themselves have made their own assessments of all relevant evidence presented within the terms of reference within which they were established.


Written Question
Teesworks
Tuesday 6th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have scrutinised the published accounts for Teesworks Ltd. in 2022–23; and what assessment they have made of the price at which the 90 acres of land were sold to Teesworks Ltd.

Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)

The independent panel’s report was published on Monday 29 January and found no evidence of illegality of corruption. The report also made several recommendations on governance and oversight. The Secretary of State asked the mayor to consider these carefully, working with the Combined Authority and partners as appropriate, to provide him with an initial report by 8 March on how he intends to respond to the panel’s recommendations.

The Secretary of State is clear that he will not take decisions on further action until he has considered that response.

As they were appointed to do so independently of government, the panel themselves have made their own assessments of all relevant evidence presented within the terms of reference within which they were established.


Written Question
South Tees Development Corporation
Tuesday 6th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the governance arrangements for the South Tees Development Corporation are adequate to oversee the public interest.

Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)

The independent panel’s report was published on Monday 29 January and found no evidence of illegality of corruption. The report also made several recommendations on governance and oversight. The Secretary of State asked the mayor to consider these carefully, working with the Combined Authority and partners as appropriate, to provide him with an initial report by 8 March on how he intends to respond to the panel’s recommendations.

The Secretary of State is clear that he will not take decisions on further action until he has considered that response.

As they were appointed to do so independently of government, the panel themselves have made their own assessments of all relevant evidence presented within the terms of reference within which they were established.


Written Question
Combined Authorities: Audit
Thursday 1st February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the auditing arrangements for combined authorities.

Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)

All combined authorities are legally required to have an audit committee. The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016, and the Combined Authorities (Overview and Scrutiny Committees, Access to Information Audit Committees) Order 2017, set the requirements for audit committees in combined authorities. These arrangements ensure that there is independent assurance of combined authorities governance, internal control and risk management arrangements, as well as the statutory financial reporting process.

Separately, combined authorities, in line with the requirements on all local authorities, are required to publish audited annual financial accounts. Combined authorities are not immune to the cross-system challenges currently facing the local audit market. The government working with system partners has developed proposals to tackle the exceptional circumstance of the current backlog and ensure a return to timely delivery of high-quality financial reporting and external audit in local bodies. We will consult on these imminently.


Written Question
Towns Fund: North East
Wednesday 5th August 2020

Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria were used in the Town Deals selection process in rejecting four of the eleven towns in the north east of England that had been recommended by officials to ministers.

Answered by Lord Greenhalgh

Ministers considered a range of factors as part of the selection process for Town Deals, including income deprivation, productivity and exposure to economic shocks. We recognise that there are more towns in need than we were able to support through this first set of Town Deals and have committed to a further competitive element of the Towns Fund. More information will be provided in due course.


Written Question
Council Tax: North East
Thursday 14th April 2016

Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they estimate will be the amount raised as a result of the two per cent flexibility increase in council tax rates by (1) Newcastle City Council, (2) Northumberland County Council, (3) North Tyneside Council, (4) South Tyneside Council, (5) Gateshead Council, (6) Sunderland City Council, and (7) Durham County Council, in the next financial year.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

Each of these authorities chose to use the full two per cent adult social care precept. Local authorities have estimated how much they expect to raise in council tax receipts, and this is among the information in the Department’s recent National Statistics publication, Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2016 to 2017.

The additional receipts as a result of the adult social care precept for 2016-17 for these authorities are shown in the table.

Estimated additional council tax revenue in 2016-17 as a result of each local authority's use of the adult social care precept (£)

Durham

3,574,000

Gateshead

1,485,000

Newcastle upon Tyne

1,752,000

North Tyneside

1,512,000

Northumberland

2,828,000

South Tyneside

974,000

Sunderland

1,602,000

Source: Table 9, Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2016 to 2017, Department for Communities and Local Government (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/council-tax-levels-set-by-local-authorities-in-england-2016-to-2017)


Written Question
Social Services: Living Wage
Thursday 31st March 2016

Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated cost to the public purse as a result of the introduction of the National Living Wage for social care workers in each of the seven authorities in the Northeast Local Economic Partnership area in the next financial year.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

No such estimate has been made. The Spending Review took account of the costs of implementing the National Living Wage and set out a sustainable basis for local authorities to discharge their functions. The Government outlined a package of support, providing up to £3.5 billion a year by 2019-20, to ensure councils are able to support some of their older and most vulnerable residents.


Written Question
Empty Property
Wednesday 3rd February 2016

Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many houses they expect to be brought back into use through the Empty Homes programme in 2015–16.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The Empty Homes Programme created 9,044 homes from empty properties between 2012-2015. The number of empty homes is now at its lowest level since records began.

Local authorities have powers and strong incentives to tackle empty homes, and through the New Homes Bonus they earn the same financial reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one. In addition, councils may also charge up to 150 per cent council tax for homes empty for over two years. Given these levers, the Government has no plans for a further empty homes funding programme.


Written Question
Empty Property
Wednesday 3rd February 2016

Asked by: Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many houses have been brought back into use through the Empty Homes programme.

Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)

The Empty Homes Programme created 9,044 homes from empty properties between 2012-2015. The number of empty homes is now at its lowest level since records began.

Local authorities have powers and strong incentives to tackle empty homes, and through the New Homes Bonus they earn the same financial reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one. In addition, councils may also charge up to 150 per cent council tax for homes empty for over two years. Given these levers, the Government has no plans for a further empty homes funding programme.