Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the study entitled Stepping Off the Road to Nowhere, published by Create Streets and Sustrans on 19 December 2023, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of adapting the funding model for new homes to incorporate gentle density and sustainable transport principles.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government is committed to supporting the development of high quality, well designed and sustainable communities through the construction of new homes and, where appropriate, the regeneration of towns and cities across the country.
Homes England’s Strategic Plan has a Strategic Objective focused on promoting the creation of high-quality homes in well-designed places. The Agency uses Building for a Healthy Life, a design toolkit for neighbourhoods, streets, homes and public spaces, which covers twelve different considerations including density and sustainable transport.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of enforcement of electoral finance laws.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Electoral Commission are the independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK. In accordance with the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, the Commission have a range of supervisory and investigatory powers which enable them to monitor compliance with electoral finance laws proactively and enforce suspected offences.
The Government considers the existing enforcement framework suitable to ensure that the regime is effective but does not cause a chilling effect on electoral participation and campaigning.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department have made of trends in the levels of homelessness amongst (a) lesbian, (b) gay, (c) bisexual and (d) transgender people in the last 24 months.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
It has been mandatory for local authorities to collate declared information on sexual orientation for Homelessness Case Level Information Collection since April 2023 and we will publish relevant data in due course. This will further improve the Government's ability to measure and understand the outcomes for LGBT individuals who are at a risk of homelessness or are homeless.
Our approach is locally led. We expect councils to commission services based on an assessment of the needs of their local community and to make sure that needs of all groups are considered, such as in programmes like the £500 million Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI).
Local authorities are responsible for ensuring their staff are trained to respond to the needs of all households experiencing homelessness. In May 2023, I chaired a round table raising awareness of the challenges faced by young LGBT people, and this was attended by colleagues from local authorities.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities receive adequate training on supporting LGBT young people (a) experiencing and (b) at risk of homelessness.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
It has been mandatory for local authorities to collate declared information on sexual orientation for Homelessness Case Level Information Collection since April 2023 and we will publish relevant data in due course. This will further improve the Government's ability to measure and understand the outcomes for LGBT individuals who are at a risk of homelessness or are homeless.
Our approach is locally led. We expect councils to commission services based on an assessment of the needs of their local community and to make sure that needs of all groups are considered, such as in programmes like the £500 million Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI).
Local authorities are responsible for ensuring their staff are trained to respond to the needs of all households experiencing homelessness. In May 2023, I chaired a round table raising awareness of the challenges faced by young LGBT people, and this was attended by colleagues from local authorities.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to take steps to improve Homelessness Case Level Information Collection data on sexual orientation.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
It has been mandatory for local authorities to collate declared information on sexual orientation for Homelessness Case Level Information Collection since April 2023 and we will publish relevant data in due course. This will further improve the Government's ability to measure and understand the outcomes for LGBT individuals who are at a risk of homelessness or are homeless.
Our approach is locally led. We expect councils to commission services based on an assessment of the needs of their local community and to make sure that needs of all groups are considered, such as in programmes like the £500 million Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI).
Local authorities are responsible for ensuring their staff are trained to respond to the needs of all households experiencing homelessness. In May 2023, I chaired a round table raising awareness of the challenges faced by young LGBT people, and this was attended by colleagues from local authorities.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the consultation entitled Social housing rents consultation, published on 31 August 2022, whether it is his policy to include people who pay rent under shared ownership schemes in those proposals.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The consultation on social housing rents closed on 12 October 2022. We will respond in due course, including with any policy announcements.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when the Government will announce the outcome of its consultation on capping rent rises.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The consultation on social housing rents closed on 12 October 2022. We will respond in due course, including with any policy announcements.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of section 21 notices on the level of rents in the private rented sector.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Government published a consultation in July 2019 “A New Deal for Renting” to understand the impact of any reform to Section 21. 19,697 consultation responses in total were received from a range of individuals and, since then, the Government has undertaken extensive stakeholder engagement to understand the issues raised.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of section 21 notices on the availability of social housing.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The July 2019 “A New Deal for Renting” consultation sought views on removing Section 21 in the social rented sector. 19,697 consultation responses in total were received from a range of individuals and, since then, the Government has undertaken extensive stakeholder engagement to understand the issues raised.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of section 21 notices on the housing supply of local authorities.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Tenancies provided directly by Local Authorities are governed by the Housing Act 1985, and Local Authorities are therefore unable to evict tenants using Section 21.