Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need for Land Registry staff to work in their offices, and of the effects, if any, of staff working from home on the completion of housing transactions.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
HM Land Registry operates a hybrid working model under which all staff are expected to spend at least 60% of their time on average working in an office, in line with the guidance published by Cabinet Office.
HM Land Registry’s productivity is continuously assessed by management, looking at a variety of factors. It has continued to improve as the hybrid model has evolved over recent times. The majority of HM Land Registry’s information services, which are the most essential services for the completion of property transactions, are now automated.
HM Land Registry’s current processing times are published on GOV.UK here.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effects of flooding in the North West of England in December 2024 and January 2025 on new urban commercial and housing construction.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government recognises the devastating impact that recent flooding has had on the communities affected. The existence of areas of high flood risk is something that local planning authorities should take into account when preparing their plans and assessing the suitability of different locations for development. Our national planning policy is clear that development should be directed to areas with the lowest risk of flooding. Where no alternative sites are available, permission should only be granted where it can be demonstrated that it will be safe for its lifetime taking account of the vulnerability of its users, without increasing flood risk elsewhere, and, where possible, will reduce flood risk overall.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government which councils in England are in special measures as of 8 October, and what is the level of overspending in each such council.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Given the noble Lord’s question on overspending, I have interpreted the use of the term ‘special measures’ to refer to the statutory intervention framework relating to councils’ Best Value Duty and to the operation of the previous Government’s Exceptional Financial Support framework.
As of 8 October 2024, six councils are currently subject to statutory interventions for best value failure, details of which councils can be found on the gov.uk website. Under the previous Government’s Exceptional Financial Support framework, additional support was most recently agreed for nineteen councils in February 2024. Details of the amounts agreed, including for previous years, can be found on the gov.uk website.
Councils are responsible for their own financial management, and the Department does not monitor their day-to-day business. For those councils subject to statutory intervention, Commissioners or Improvement Panels appointed by the Government will have a role overseeing delivery of council improvement plans, including in relation to financial management.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government which specific counties are included within the term "the west country of England" when they refer to this region.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne
The West Country is not an official region, but could be loosely and approximately defined to match the South West region. The West of England, covers a much smaller area, focussed around the Greater Bristol and Bath city region. The West of England Combined Authority is made up of the following local authority areas: South Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath & North East Somerset.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, have they made of the cultural and economic welfare of the permanent residents of the Scilly Isles.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) is committed to levelling up all parts of our country. We have also recognised the unique circumstances and needs of island communities and their residents, including by establishing the Islands Forum. The Forum is a mechanism for discussing the challenges and opportunities faced by island communities, and for considering how by working together local government and the UK Government (and where relevant the devolved administrations) can support the people of islands across the UK.
The Isles of Scilly has been awarded up to £6 million to fund a museum and cultural centre on St Mary’s. In addition, the final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 makes available up to £6.8 million to the Council of the Isles of Scilly, an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £0.5 million or 8% in cash terms on 2023-24. This includes an additional £150,000 in funding in recognition of the unique circumstances facing our island authorities, and their physical separation from the mainland.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the efficacy of current planning legislation in limiting light pollution of the night skies in England.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The National Planning Policy Framework states that planning policies and decisions should “limit the impact of light pollution from artificial light on local amenity, intrinsically dark landscapes and nature conservation.”
The character of the area and the surrounding environment is already a material consideration about what will be considered an appropriate level of lighting for a development. This applies to both new housing and new commercial developments.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government in which years since 1945 they estimate that 300,000 houses or more houses were built in England.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Housebuilding is a priority for this Government. The Government is on track to meet its manifesto commitment to deliver a million homes over this Parliament. Since April 2010, over 2.5 million additional homes have been delivered, and the four highest annual rates of housing supply in 30 years have all come since 2018. Last year for example we saw delivered 234,400 net additional homes, which is over 75% towards the Government’s aspiration to see 300,000 new homes a year. But we recognise there is more to do.
There are numerous measures that are being delivered as part of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, the National Planning Policy Framework reforms, and future supporting policy and legislation to increase housebuilding. These measures aim to reduce planning delays, bureaucracy, slow build-out rates, and wider barriers to development. We have reformed rules around CPO and Hope Value. We are also introducing a new Infrastructure Levy which will reform the existing system of developer contributions, made up of Section 106 planning obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). The Government is committed to the delivery of on-site affordable housing through this Levy, and to delivering at least as much, if not more, affordable housing than the current system does.
As the Secretary of State set out in his speech in December, putting plan making at the heart of the planning system will help drive a new wave of housebuilding, and the Government is working intensively to support densification in the hearts of our inner cities. A reformed planning system will help bring certainty to communities and developers, enabling them to take positive steps in building more housing, regenerating their local areas, and supporting economic growth.
Annual estimates of building control reported new build dwelling completions, in England, for the period from 1946 to 2022, show that 300,000 or more dwellings were built in each year from 1964 to 1969. In these years there was a mix of new private and social housing built, including by many SMEs builders.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of providing advice to English local authorities seeking to avoid bankruptcies in 2023.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Examples of significant financial failure in local government are thankfully rare, however if a council is unable to set or maintain a balanced budget or unlawful expenditure has occurred it may be required to issue a Section 114 (s114) notice.
In 2022, three councils issued s114 notices: the London Borough of Croydon, Northumberland County Council and Woking Borough Council. The London Borough of Croydon issued a first s114 in January 2022 due to unlawful expenditure and a second in November 2022 due to being unable to maintain a balanced budget. Northumberland County Council's s114 notice was issued due to unlawful expenditure and Thurrock Council's was issued due to being unable to maintain a balanced budget.
In 2023, a further three councils issued s114 notices, all due to being unable to set or maintain a balanced budget. These were: Woking Borough Council, Birmingham City Council and Nottingham City Council.
We do not hold an estimate for the cost of providing advice to local authorities seeking to avoid issuing a s114 notice. Issuing a Section 114 notice is a local decision and one that Government has no role in.
The Government monitors the financial health of councils on a regular basis using a range of data as well as through extensive direct engagement. We stand ready to speak to any council that has concerns about its ability to manage its finances or faces pressures it has not planned for.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government which English local authorities filed section 114 notices of bankruptcy in (1) 2022, and (2) 2023.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Examples of significant financial failure in local government are thankfully rare, however if a council is unable to set or maintain a balanced budget or unlawful expenditure has occurred it may be required to issue a Section 114 (s114) notice.
In 2022, three councils issued s114 notices: the London Borough of Croydon, Northumberland County Council and Woking Borough Council. The London Borough of Croydon issued a first s114 in January 2022 due to unlawful expenditure and a second in November 2022 due to being unable to maintain a balanced budget. Northumberland County Council's s114 notice was issued due to unlawful expenditure and Thurrock Council's was issued due to being unable to maintain a balanced budget.
In 2023, a further three councils issued s114 notices, all due to being unable to set or maintain a balanced budget. These were: Woking Borough Council, Birmingham City Council and Nottingham City Council.
We do not hold an estimate for the cost of providing advice to local authorities seeking to avoid issuing a s114 notice. Issuing a Section 114 notice is a local decision and one that Government has no role in.
The Government monitors the financial health of councils on a regular basis using a range of data as well as through extensive direct engagement. We stand ready to speak to any council that has concerns about its ability to manage its finances or faces pressures it has not planned for.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the financial stability of Somerset Council.
Answered by Baroness Penn
I would like to assure my noble Friend that the Government monitors the financial health of local authorities on a regular basis using a wide range of data as well as through extensive direct engagement with councils.
We are aware of the recent concerns relating to Somerset council with regards its financial position. While individual councils are responsible for managing their budgets, the Department has been clear that we are willing to have discussions with any council that has concerns about its ability to manage its finances or faces pressures it has not planned for.
For 2023/24, the final Local Government Finance Settlement made available up to £59.7 billion for local government in England, an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £5.1 billion or 9.4% in cash terms on 2022/23.