Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether work has been postponed on (1) plans to introduce 100 per cent business rate retention, and (2) the Fair Funding Review; and what steps they are taking to progress reforms to local government finance.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
In April the government announced that it would not be implementing the Review of Relative Needs and Resources and the planned increase to the rate of business rates retention in 2021-22. This decision was taken to allow councils to focus on meeting the immediate public health challenges posed by the pandemic. As the local government finance system moves into a more stable position, we will engage with our partners in local government on a suitable timetable for continuing consultation and subsequently implementing a reform package.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Greenhalgh on 8 June (HL Deb, col 1542), whether they are considering any further measures to take planning powers from local councils such as the creation of development corporations.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Government has already set out an ambitious programme to modernise our planning system. Our 'Planning for the Future' reforms will support the delivery of homes that local people need and create greener communities with more beautiful homes. Further details will be published in due course.
The Government is also going to examine and develop the case for up to four new development corporations in the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, subject to public consultation, as well as explore options for regeneration around Toton, including the potential for delivery vehicles such as development corporations.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many homes were built for social rent in England (1) in each of the last five years for which figures are available, and (2) in 2010.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The number of social rent completions for 2009-10 and each of the last five years for which there are available data, including new build, can be found in the table below:
| 2009-10 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
Social Rent, of which: | 33,491 | 9,331 | 6,798 | 5,895 | 6,679 | 6,287 |
New Build | 30,396 | 8,464 | 6,066 | 5,296 | 5,597 | 5,320 |
Acquisitions | 2,786 | 867 | 684 | 596 | 1,058 | 956 |
Not Known | 309 | 0 | 48 | 3 | 24 | 11 |
This information, broken down by tenure and whether the units are new build and acquisitions, is published in Live Table 1009 which can be found (attached) here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they make any distinction between (1) social housing, and (2) affordable housing, when collating statistics on the number of homes built exclusively for rental.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Yes, the department makes this distinction. Information on affordable housing by tenure is publicly available, including for social rent and affordable rent, for both starts on site and completions.
This information can be found (attached) here https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the scale of the loss of income incurred by local authorities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and what steps they intend to take to assist local authorities financially.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The department has engaged closely with councils from across the country, and across different tiers, since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Allocations of the additional £1.6 billion support for councils to respond to COVID-19 were announced on Tuesday 28 April. This is a significant package of support which responds to the range of pressures councils have told us they are facing, and takes the total amount provided to local councils to over £3.2 billion.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what adjustments they will make, if any, to (1) the target of delivering one million homes in the forthcoming five years, and (2) the Housing Delivery Test methodology, following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Building the homes the country needs is vitally important, and we are committed to working with partners to find a safe way of continuing work across the country during this difficult time. Over the last few days we are beginning to see more developers reopening sites following careful consideration of public health guidance. And together, we will continue to work towards our goal to get Britain building again. We note the concerns some authorities are raising on the housing delivery test and we will continue to monitor the situation.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Local Government Association about (1) the administration of and (2) the effectiveness of the COVID-19 business rate relief scheme.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Businesses are expected to receive almost £10 billion in business rate relief as part of the Government’s comprehensive package of support for the economy during the coronavirus pandemic
In line with usual practice, the Government has worked with the Local Government Association and local government practitioners to support the administration and implementation of this relief.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to encourage local authorities to deliver the required number of new homes; whether the Housing Delivery Test will continue; and if so, what are the penalties for under-performing authorities.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We introduced the Housing Delivery Test in order to encourage local authorities to play a more active role in delivering the homes this country needs. This will continue, and the next results will be published in due course. The consequences where under-delivery occurs are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework, and range from the need to prepare an action plan to the application of the presumption in favour of sustainable development, which will allow housing to come forward in areas where it is needed.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the essential differences between the existing legislation for Starter Homes and the new First Homes Initiative announced in the Queen’s Speech; and whether they have a timetable for the proposed consultation on the initiative.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to increasing the number of homes available for local people to buy at a discount. These new ‘First Homes’ will be made available at a discount of at least 30% and will be funded through developer contributions, reducing the cost to both local and national government. Unlike Starter Homes, First Homes will offer a larger discount to buyers that is retained in perpetuity, so that future generations can also benefit from the discount. Local Authorities will be able to prioritise these homes for local residents and key workers, such as nurses, teachers or police officers.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government on what aspects of housing and planning reform announced in the recent Queen's speech they plan to introduce legislation; and whether they have a timetable for the introduction of those housing and planning related initiatives.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Queen's Speech set out a range of measures for housing and planning, including the Renters' Reform Bill, Fire Safety Bill and Building Safety Bill, First Homes, and the Planning White Paper. The Government will release further details on all of these measures over the next few weeks and months, with legislative timetables set as parliamentary time allows. We will also publish a Planning White Paper later this year.