Lord Stunell
Main Page: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Chris Skidmore (Kingswood) (Con)
11. What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of empty homes.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Andrew Stunell)
We have put in place powerful tools and incentives to support local communities to tackle empty homes. Through the new homes bonus, communities will receive a direct financial reward for bringing an empty home back into use, and we are investing £100 million to tackle empty homes directly.
Chris Skidmore
Under the previous Government, together with local residents I fought to prevent thousands of homes from being built on the Kingswood green belt, particularly since there are 2,260 empty homes in south Gloucestershire, an increase of more than 660 empty homes since 2004. What encouragement can the Minister give my constituents that we will do all we can to get these homes back into use?
Andrew Stunell
The new homes bonus will give local councils every incentive to bring empty homes back into use. They will get matching council tax receipts for six years for each home brought back into use, and that extra funding can be spent on things that benefit the local community, such as council tax discounts, boosting local services, renovating more empty properties or improving local facilities. The £100 million of investment is part of our affordable homes programme. Applications for that will be opened in the autumn, but I can tell my hon. Friend that 100 organisations have already expressed keen interest in it.
Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op)
Will the hon. Gentleman take a look at the issue of empty offices that might be appropriate for housing? I walk past 200 Aldersgate, a massive office complex in the centre of our city that has been empty for years. That is a disgrace. Why cannot we use that for people who have nowhere to live?
Andrew Stunell
I am happy to tell the hon. Gentleman that he is just in time. There is a consultation on precisely the issue he has raised. It closes on 30 June, and I look forward to receiving his submission.
Steve Baker (Wycombe) (Con)
12. What steps he is considering in relation to senior pay in local government.
Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)
The village of Braybrooke in my constituency is gradually being surrounded by unauthorised developments in open countryside as a result of applications from the Gypsy and Traveller community. What additional powers and guidance will the Secretary of State give to the local planning authority to ensure that the village is not completely encircled?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Andrew Stunell)
The current consultation on the planning guidelines is open for a few more days, and we will be interested to hear my hon. Friend’s views if he has not already submitted them. We are determined to tackle this problem, and the Localism Bill and the changes to the guidelines are designed to achieve just that.
David Wright (Telford) (Lab)
The 1% increase in mortgage activity over the past 12 months is largely focused on remortgages. Why is that?