Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Bill Esterson and Lord Stunell

Monday 30th January 2012 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Stunell]

The hon. Lady is absolutely right. An empty home already has planning permission and is capable of use without all the aggravation often created by new development. More than that, an empty home is often the cause of antisocial behaviour and other problems in a community, so it is a double win; in fact, a treble win. I agree entirely.

[Bill Esterson (Sefton Central) (Lab)]

Sefton has a shortage of land for building houses but has 6,000 empty homes. Why do the Government not let councils such as Sefton include those homes in their housing strategy? That would also be a way to protect the green belt and urban green space.

[Andrew Stunell]

I strongly urge Sefton council to develop a stronger policy on tackling empty homes. I hope that with the incentives that we have provided—the new homes bonus, the investment in affordable housing and the £50 million available to tackle the worst concentration of empty homes—it will do exactly that. The matter that the hon. Gentleman raises really relates to issues in the national planning policy framework and his council’s core strategy. I suggest that he watch this space.

Local Government Finance Bill

Debate between Bill Esterson and Lord Stunell

Tuesday 10th January 2012 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Andrew Stunell)]

Does the hon. Gentleman recognise that in the past five years Sefton has had an annual increase in its business rate of 6.1%, and Liverpool has had an annual increase of 8.2%?

[Bill Esterson]

I am glad the Minister made that comment, because it gives me the chance to make the point that that was before the massive cuts in Sefton, Liverpool and other metropolitan boroughs made it unlikely that such developments will continue. It is very likely that we will see a reduction in business growth as a result of the impact on the economy.

[Andrew Stunell]

It’s the same old record.

[Bill Esterson]

The Minister says it is the same old record—but it is the same old Tories doing the same old things to the most deprived communities.

The Government’s proposals in the Bill are unfair and hit the poorest communities hardest. They also ignore the reality that, as my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham East (Heidi Alexander) said, councils have a limited role in promoting growth. Only authorities that grow business rates above the level of the Government’s national assumption will benefit, while the others will lose, so the gap between the most prosperous and the less well-off will widen.

The Secretary of State retains many of the powers relating to business rates. The centralising tendency is very much in evidence, and the more the Bill is scrutinised, the clearer it becomes that localism will be dished out in very small doses, at the bidding of the Secretary of State. The Treasury is to take a cut of any growth in business rates. That undermines the stated aim of incentivising local councils, and it risks limiting the likely take-up by the vast majority of councils—a point being made by many local authority leaders.

I am aware of the many concerns about the plans for the local retention of business rates. Many questions still need to be answered. The Government plan to reward councils that exceed national growth expectations, so they will, by definition, artificially punish areas that have low growth, such as rural areas or areas where major industries have recently shut down.

The measures will also penalise areas such as Sefton, where there is a shortage of available industrial land, and where there are limits on the potential for economic development. Sefton is in the process of putting together its core strategy, and it is struggling to find the development land needed to benefit from the Secretary of State’s proposals. I hope he will take on board the very real concerns not only of council leaders, but of businesses that face the problem of being unable to create growth because they do not have land available.

Given the Government’s record in applying the current cuts unfairly, there is no confidence that they will not do the same with business rates localisation. Incentives for local councils to generate economic activity are one thing, but a system that undermines local authorities serving deprived communities and boosts those in least need is not the way forward. The Secretary of State should think again.

Green Belt (England)

Debate between Bill Esterson and Lord Stunell

Tuesday 18th October 2011 Westminster Hall

[Bill Esterson]

The shadow Minister has given the legal opinion presented to the CPRE. Does the Minister have a legal opinion of his own giving an alternative view? It would be helpful if we could see the counter-view.

[Andrew Stunell]

As I have four minutes remaining, it is sensible for me simply to say that I hope that the hon. Gentleman will find the opportunity to make that point on Thursday during the wider debate.

The Government value the green belt highly. It is an essential planning tool to prevent sprawl, and its retention is a coalition agreement commitment. The abolition of the regional spatial strategies through the Localism Bill will stop the top-down pressure to review green belts in many areas. Some 30 green belt areas are currently under the kind of pressure that my hon. Friend outlined eloquently, due to the pressure exerted by regional spatial strategies, which often impose highly inappropriate numbers on areas without the physical capacity to take them.

In future, local planning authorities will be in control. It is certainly not for central Government to decide where green belts should be; as my hon. Friend the Member for North Wiltshire (Mr Gray) correctly advised the House, that is a matter for local authorities. He discussed green fields as opposed to green belts. The NPPF says clearly that

“the planning system should aim to conserve and enhance the natural and local environment by protecting valued landscapes”.

There is a good deal more about environmental protection, to which I draw his attention.

My hon. Friend the Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole (Annette Brooke) asked about the transition from the current system to the new one. Whether anybody likes it or not, the existing planning system and its case law will remain in place until replaced by a new system. That new system will come into force upon the passage of the Localism Bill. At the moment, it is assumed that if the House is willing, that will happen on 1 April next year.

Authorities are free to make whatever assessment they believe they should make of their housing strategy and draw up plans in accordance with the current system as they think fit. They should, of course, pay full attention to current consultation procedures, and their core strategies will be subject to review by the independent planning inspectorate in exactly the same way.

That is not to say that legitimate concerns have not been raised about an interim situation. The hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington made the point that perhaps some will seek to exploit the difference. However, we want plans to be developed in accordance with the wishes of local communities and to create the homes, jobs, transport links and recreational facilities that we need to produce environmentally, socially and economically sustainable communities. It is the Government’s clear intention to do so.

On empty homes—