Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many refugees from Ukraine they estimate will have come to the UK by the end of 2022; and what public and private partnerships they have encouraged to provide (1) homes, (2) apprenticeships, (3) jobs, and (4) school education, to such refugees.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Homes for Ukraine is an uncapped humanitarian sponsorship pathway, a route to the UK for Ukrainians who may not have family ties here but are matched with individuals who can provide accommodation for at least six months.
Data on arrivals can be found (attached) via www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukraine-family-scheme-application-data/ukraine-family-scheme-and-ukraine-sponsorship-scheme-homes-for-ukraine-visa-data--2
Guidance about the various support mechanisms and full access to public services including healthcare, education, work and benefits etc. can be found (attached) via https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-scheme-frequently-asked-questions#sponsors
and (attached) www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils#role-of-councils
The Homes for Ukraine scheme relies on close working between government, local government, the voluntary sector, and faith/Ukrainian representative organisations. We have been engaging with local government and other partners through a number of different conversations and working groups to date.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ratify Protocol No. 3 to the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities concerning Euroregional Co-operation Groupings to promote cooperation among local authorities.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The UK has a long tradition of welcoming partnerships and cooperation among local authorities, and recognises that effective partnerships can enrich the economic, social and environmental success of communities.
For example, in 2019, the UK and French Governments hosted a Summit in London to bring together over 100 local authority leaders and mayors from across the UK and France. Following the Summit, the British Embassy in Paris launched a ‘call for projects’ from partnerships between the UK and France. Through this initiative, UK Government provided seed funding for 3 projects between UK/France partners, including Glasgow and Marseille, Manchester and Montpelier, and Kent and Pas de Calais.
To date, HMG has not considered the particular provisions of the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities and its Protocols, as necessary considering our existing legal framework, but this is something we will keep under review.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how the sustainability criteria of the National Home Building Fund will improve (1) food, (2) land, and (3) the environment, for communities across England.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The National Home Building Fund (NHBF) is made up of programmes of spending which support the regeneration of brownfield sites, unlock homes through provision of infrastructure, and diversify the housing market through support for SMEs, self and custom builders and modern methods of construction. The primary objective of NHBF is to support proposals that will deliver new homes and unlock housing supply. We will set out further criteria for NHBF funding in due course.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide incentives to commercial building firms to create housing developments that enhance the quality of life for rural and semi-rural communities.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Our National Planning Policy Framework is clear that in rural areas, planning policies and decisions should be responsive to local circumstances and support housing developments that reflect local needs, and that local planning authorities should also support opportunities to bring forward rural exception sites in rural areas. These are small sites which provide affordable housing to meet the identified local needs of rural communities, helping rural residents to remain in their communities.
As we set out in our recent consultation on Changes to the Current Planning System, we intend to protect the important role that rural exception sites play in delivering affordable homes in rural areas, retaining rural exception sites as a vehicle for delivering affordable housing in designated rural areas. However, we recognise that this delivery mechanism is currently underused in many cases, and we will update planning guidance in due course.
On top of this, our planning reforms intend to establish a clearer, quicker, and more accessible planning system. These reforms will improve the way new entrants and smaller businesses engage with the planning system, delivering the high quality and sustainable homes communities need.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to advance sustainable housing and community developments in rural and semi-rural areas in England; and how they are ensuring consistency with other national policies, including the National Planning Policy framework.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that in rural areas, planning policies and decisions should be responsive to local circumstances and support housing developments that reflect local needs. We introduced neighbourhood planning in 2011 to enable local communities to have the power to develop a shared vision for their area. Neighbourhood plans can shape, direct and help to deliver sustainable development, by influencing local planning decisions as part of the statutory development plan. In addition, our rural exception sites policy in the National Planning Policy Framework allows for small scale affordable housing available in perpetuity to local people to come forward in rural areas outside of the local plan. As we set out in our recent consultation on Changes to the Current Planning System, we recognise that rural exception sites policy is currently underused in many cases, and we will update planning guidance in due course to encourage wider uptake of these sites.
Our White Paper, Planning for the Future, proposes significant changes to the planning system to protect our precious countryside and environment alongside delivering the high-quality sustainable homes communities need. A Government response to these proposals will follow in the Spring.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what indirect support is available to (1) local authorities, (2) building firms, and (3) others, to create sustainable housing developments; what steps they are taking to advertise such indirect support; and whether it will be presented in a consolidated form to assist potential developers.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
This Government provides direct and indirect support to a wide range of stakeholders, including developers, and delivery partners to ensure the 1 million homes we want to see built over this Parliament are high-quality and consistent with our commitment to net zero.
Through the National Planning Policy Framework, we empower local authorities to make place-based decisions to best reflect local needs and the importance of sustainable development. The revised Framework, which is currently out for consultation, makes a number of changes to strengthen environmental policies, and introduces climate change adaptation and mitigation as part of sustainable development.
The Construction Leadership Council, which is jointly chaired by industry and the BEIS Construction Minister, works with and supports the wider construction industry. The Green Construction Board, the sustainability work stream of the Construction Leadership Council, has worked with industry, experts and Government officials to produce recommendations on sustainable new homes and the retrofit of existing housing. Homes England also plays an important role in supporting the housing sector to deliver more sustainable homes and places.
The Government also provides direct support to the delivery of high-quality housing. For example, my Department is committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing and is investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over five years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This includes the new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, which will provide up to 180,000 new homes across the country and leverage £38 billion of private investment. All homes built through the programme must meet current building regulations and the Decent Homes standard. Through our new £11.5 billion programme we will be incentivising Providers to build well-designed places by building the National Design Guide into our scoring criteria for Strategic Partnerships.
The forthcoming Heat and Buildings Strategy, will set out further actions we will take for reducing emissions from buildings, while continuing to deliver greater numbers of safe and affordable new homes.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what direct support they plan to provide to (1) local authorities, (2) building firms, (3) housing associations, and (4) others, to create sustainable housing developments in England.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
This Government provides direct and indirect support to a wide range of stakeholders, including developers, and delivery partners to ensure the 1 million homes we want to see built over this Parliament are high-quality and consistent with our commitment to net zero.
Through the National Planning Policy Framework, we empower local authorities to make place-based decisions to best reflect local needs and the importance of sustainable development. The revised Framework, which is currently out for consultation, makes a number of changes to strengthen environmental policies, and introduces climate change adaptation and mitigation as part of sustainable development.
The Construction Leadership Council, which is jointly chaired by industry and the BEIS Construction Minister, works with and supports the wider construction industry. The Green Construction Board, the sustainability work stream of the Construction Leadership Council, has worked with industry, experts and Government officials to produce recommendations on sustainable new homes and the retrofit of existing housing. Homes England also plays an important role in supporting the housing sector to deliver more sustainable homes and places.
The Government also provides direct support to the delivery of high-quality housing. For example, my Department is committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing and is investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over five years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This includes the new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, which will provide up to 180,000 new homes across the country and leverage £38 billion of private investment. All homes built through the programme must meet current building regulations and the Decent Homes standard. Through our new £11.5 billion programme we will be incentivising Providers to build well-designed places by building the National Design Guide into our scoring criteria for Strategic Partnerships.
The forthcoming Heat and Buildings Strategy, will set out further actions we will take for reducing emissions from buildings, while continuing to deliver greater numbers of safe and affordable new homes.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of measures other than the devolution of powers to enhance local democracy within Council of Europe member states; and what actions they have taken, or plan to take, to support such measures both in other Council of Europe member states and within the United Kingdom.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We and other member states have regular exchanges on democracy issues in the Council of Europe. Acting to strengthen democracy in the United Kingdom, and to support such measures in other member states, is a priority, as shown by the action of the Conservative-led Coalition Government to improve the transparency and openness of local authorities through the introduction of the Transparency Code. We have provided practical support to assist the Ukrainian Government in their decentralisation reforms, led by the visit of the former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my noble Friend Lord Ahmad, to Kiev in September 2014.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of devolving powers as a means of improving local democracy within Council of Europe member states; and whether there are lessons they have drawn from devolution settlements in the other Council of Europe member states as regards plans for the further devolution of powers within the United Kingdom.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We and other member states have regular exchanges on democracy issues in the Council of Europe Steering Committee – the European Committee on Democracy and Governance – where, for example, in December 2014, the former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my noble Friend Lord Ahmad, provided an overview of the Northern Powerhouse and other devolution issues. In April 2015 Ministers from Armenia and Georgia and the Deputy State Secretary of Moldova also gave presentations on the process of decentralisation and territorial reform in their countries.