Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of removing the local connection test for care leavers seeking to access temporary accommodation.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Homelessness legislation includes eligibility criteria such as the local connection test, to ensure that resources are prioritised effectively, ensuring accommodation is there for people who need it most.
There are already existing provisions in homelessness legislation in respect of local connection for care leavers. Under the legislation, a young person owed leaving care duties under section 23C of the Children Act 1989 will have a local connection to the area of the children services authority that owes them the duties. If the children services authority is a county council and not a housing authority, the young person will have a local connection with every housing authority district falling within the area of the children services authority.
Where a care leaver is aged under 21 and normally lives in a different area to that of a local authority that owes them leaving care duties, and has done for at least two years including some time before they turned 16, the young person will also have a local connection in that area. This means a care leaver who is looked after by one area but is placed in another will have a local connection to both areas and if homeless may choose to either remain where they have been living or return to their home area.
We have already committed to improving access to social housing for care leavers under 25 and exempt them from local connection and residency tests for social housing. We will work with the sector and engage with relevant stakeholders to bring forward these changes in due course.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to mandate that swift bricks are required to be added to all new houses.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is considering what action may be appropriate to drive up rates of swift brick installation in new build properties.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the number of households in (a) the UK and (b) Hitchin constituency that are located on estate roads that have not been adopted by their local authority as of 23 July 2023.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The requested information is not held by the department.
The Government is committed to taking steps to bring the injustice of ‘fleecehold’ private estates and unfair maintenance costs to an end and we will consult on the best way to achieve this.
In the interim, we will act quickly to provide residential freeholders with greater protections by implementing the relevant provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to increase protections for house purchase expenses prior to exchange of contracts.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Announcements will be made in the usual way.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with local authorities on ensuring that residents do not live on estates without completed works of estate adoption.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Respecting the established framework of devolution of powers and responsibilities to local government it is mainly for developers and local planning authorities to agree appropriate managing and funding arrangements for developments with common areas or shared services. The Government is also closely examining the findings of the Competition and Market Authority report that was published on 26 February.
Simultaneously, the Government is making estate management companies more accountable to existing homeowners for how their money is spent. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill will make sure that existing homeowners who pay estate management charges have the right to challenge their reasonableness and to go to the tribunal to appoint a substitute manager to manage the provision of services. On freehold estates reform more generally, we understand the strength of feeling on this issue and we are considering it further.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing financial support to people that host Afghan refugees in their homes.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
The UK has a long history of supporting refugees in need of protection. Our resettlement schemes have provided thousands of people the chance to start new lives in the UK.
As set out previously, the Department of Levelling UP, Housing and Communities is exploring a range of other accommodation options to support ACRS households, whilst recognising the specific needs of Afghan families.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had discussions with Central Bedfordshire Council on the potential impact of increasing the number of car parking payment machines that accept cash on people without access to a smart phone in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Answered by Jacob Young
The Secretary of State wrote to all local authorities in England in April 2023 setting out expectations that parking services, for which councils are responsible, should remain accessible to older people or those with vulnerabilities. A copy of the letter was deposited in the Library of the House, and is available here.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the number of households in (a) the UK and (b) Mid Bedfordshire constituency that are located on estate roads that have not been adopted by their local authority as of 4 December 2023.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Local government is responsible for this request.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will publish the number of (a) social, (b) affordable rent and (c) shared ownership affordable homes as a percentage of homes completed in mid Bedfordshire constituency in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The numbers of new affordable homes, including social rent, affordable rent and shared ownership, are collected by local authority.
Data by local authority can be found in Live Tables 1006 to 1008 available here.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the supply of adapted housing for (a) adults and (b) children with disabilities in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 193596 on 17 July 2023. Local data is not held centrally, but planning rules already mean that councils must consider the needs of older and disabled people when planning new homes.