Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the criteria used to determine the increase in rateable value as regards business rates in the recent rates revaluation.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
Business rates are based on valuations from the Valuation Office Agency and we do not intervene in their independent assessments. Rateable values are assessed to consistent standards and generally reflect the open market rental value of the property. And it is for the Valuation Office Agency to decide how to apply these standards to the circumstances of each property. A £3.6 billion transitional relief scheme will provide support for the minority who do face an increase.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the appeals procedure against a proposed increase in rateable value; and what estimate they have made of the average length of time which will be required for an appeal to be considered.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
A ratepayer that wishes to appeal in relation to their rateable value has the right to make a proposal to Valuation Office Agency. If it is not resolved, the proposal is considered by the Valuation Tribunal for England as an appeal. The Government will introduce a new appeals system from April 2017 which streamlines the process and promotes early engagement by all parties to help resolve cases quickly. However, the time required for resolving appeals will depend on the complexity of the issues in any particular case.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on the planning permission required for the sale and development of village halls; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
National policy makes clear that planning should promote the retention of community facilities, including meeting places such as village halls. As well as empowering villages to create neighbourhood plans, we have introduced the Community Right to Bid to help protect Assets of Community Value such as village halls.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent representations he has received on recording of council meetings in public.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
I refer the hon. Member to my written answer of 9 October 2014, PQ 208759, and the answer to her of 8 April 2014, Official Report, Column 222W.
We receive correspondence on a range of local government issues.
We have published a plain English guide on the openness of council meetings to help councils, the press and members of the public.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-and-accountable-local-government-plain-english-guide
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to promote community rights under the Localism Act 2011.
Answered by Stephen Williams
This Government wants to put communities in control; giving people more power to make decisions about their local area. The community rights are promoted through local, national and consumer press, broadcast media (tv and radio), ministerial visits, conferences, workshops and social media.
Over 1,200 assets of community value have been listed and we have helped 150 organisations to acquire a community asset or obtain significant investment towards doing so. More than 900 neighbourhood planning areas have been designated, and all 21 plans which have reached referendum so far have passed with significant majorities in favour. Our network of 50 neighbourhood planning champions host awareness raising events and provide informal local advice based upon their experiences to promote and support neighbourhood planning.
In March we ran two ‘Information Exchange' events focussed on the community rights for local councillors in Essex and Buckinghamshire and will be offering these out across the country. We are also running a series of workshops for local authorities focused on the Community Right to Bid and Asset Transfer.
But the rights form just one part of the wider package of policies which drive our ‘communities in control' agenda.
We are supporting 21 local campaigns for new parish councils covering local populations of more than half a million people. Over 100 new Our Place areas are starting work within their communities to transform neighbourhood level service delivery. Community share issues have raised over £24 million for community ventures.
Over £60 million has been made available, across a number of different programmes, to help communities take more control of their areas. This encompasses grants, advice and professional expertise to use the community rights, setting up an Our Place area, campaigning for a new parish, supporting community pubs, promoting the use of community shares and empowering tenants to ensure their landlord provides the services they want.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of local councillors who will resign as a result of new arrangements to allow the press and public to film local authority public meetings; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
None. Council meetings are public meetings which already can be reported by the press. We are merely reforming the access rules to allow the press and public to report such meetings through digital and social media. It will help bring greater awareness of the good work that councillors do for their local communities.
I would observe that the cause of openness in council meetings was championed by Margaret Thatcher, in her maiden speech to this House. As a backbencher, she successfully introduced a Private Members' Bill – the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 – to open up meetings to the press and public, spurred on by the practice of the print unions getting Labour councillors to kick out journalists from council meetings who had crossed picket lines.
Whilst that the 1960 Act did not expressly permit filming, I note from perusing the Bill Committee Hansard that Mrs Thatcher was firmly of the view that broadcast journalists should have the same rights as other members of the press and public (Official Report, Standing Committee C, 13 April 1960). We are updating those analogue rights for a digital age.