Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will intervene to prevent (a) Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council selling its portfolio of beach huts without inviting open market bids and (b) a company owned and controlled by that Council from acquiring the beach huts with debt finance; and if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of that transaction on that Council's compliance with his Department's guidance on the flexible use of capital receipts.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
We want to support local authorities to invest in projects that increase efficiency and deliver future savings.
On 4 April, the government announced details under which it would extend the general direction that permits receipts from asset disposals to be used to fund the revenue costs of projects that reduce costs and improve service delivery. The direction issued will allow authorities to continue to use this freedom until 2024/25.
Local authorities are responsible for ensuring they comply with the direction and guidance, and will need to demonstrate - including to their auditors - that they have used the flexibility appropriately.
Further, the government expects authorities to act within the intent and spirit in which these freedoms are provided. If there are indications that authorities are not using the direction as intended, we will carefully consider what further action is needed.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to require that overview and scrutiny committees established by local authorities in England are chaired by a councillor chosen by opposition councillors, or where there are no opposition councillors, chosen solely by backbenchers.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
On 7 May 2019, the government published statutory guidance for local and combined authorities in England that sets out the role of scrutiny committees in holding authorities to account over local decision-making.
The guidance advises on how to select committee members and chairs to encourage effective and independent scrutiny. While there are proportionality requirements that must be met, the selection of the chair and other committee members is for each authority to decide for itself. Members of the executive cannot be members of a scrutiny committee.
The guidance states that chairs should pay special attention to the need to guard the committee’s independence. Importantly, however, they should take care to avoid the committee being, and being viewed as, a de facto opposition to the executive.
The guidance recognises that authorities have democratic mandates and are ultimately accountable to their electorates.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will call in for his determination planning application number 8/21/0207/FUL to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council for the construction of an incinerator on green belt land at Hurn; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We have received requests to call-in the application in question. These are being considered and a decision will be issued in due course.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether it is the Government's policy that a local authority in England should be able to set up a company in which it holds 100 per cent of the shares for the specific purpose of buying council owned assets with money provided on loan from government and private sources; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Local authorities are responsible for their own capital strategies and remain accountable to their electorate for their decisions. They may invest and lend to companies to deliver capital projects within their local objectives, but must appropriately comply with the Prudential Framework to make sure that such decisions are prudent, affordable and comply with the Best Value duty. Local authorities should not use companies to circumvent the requirements of the capital framework.
On 28 July we announced that we are strengthening the capital system to support effective, sound capital decisions that facilitate local objectives and government priorities and makes the best use of taxpayer's money. Our approach includes local authority companies and complex capital transactions. One of the ways in which we will be addressing local authority company concerns is through a review on governance and skills, which seeks to identify and address governance issues in local authority borrowing and investing, including where companies are used. Furthermore, we maintain close engagement with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and they are producing best practice guidance for local authorities on council-owned companies which will focus on strengthening risk management and internal monitoring and assurance processes. The guidance will be available early 2022.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department's policy on the flexible use of capital receipts by local authorities in England includes using the receipts from the sale of capital assets to a local authority controlled company for the purpose of funding current revenue expenditure; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The current statutory guidance on Flexible Use of Capital Receipts which is applicable until 31 March 2022 details that qualifying expenditure is expenditure on any project that is designed to generate ongoing revenue savings in the delivery of public services, transform service delivery to reduce costs, or transform service delivery in a way that reduces costs or demand for services in future years for any of the public sector delivery partners. Within this definition, it is for individual local authorities to decide whether a project qualifies for the flexibility as they are best placed to decide which projects will be most effective for their areas. Government is not able to provide advice.
Each local authority’s Section 151 officer has statutory responsibility for proper administration of financial affairs; and authorities using the flexibility will need to satisfy their auditors that they have complied with the Direction and supporting Statutory Code in the normal way. The Code requires local authorities to prepare a strategy setting out the amounts spent on allowable projects on a project by project basis and to get this approved by full Council or the equivalent. This can be done as part of the annual budget setting process.
It was announced as part of the local government finance settlement in February 2021 that the Department would extend the flexibility to use capital receipts for further three years and at the time we said we would follow up with the details of the flexibility. Information on the parameters beyond 31 March 2022 are still in the process of being finalised. We understand that local authorities need time to plan for their spending over the years and will publish these details shortly.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2021 to Question 64598, for what reason it is the Government's policy to object to the Mobile Homes Act 1983 (Amendment) Bill receiving a second reading; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government was unable to support the Mobile Homes Act 1983 (Amendment) Bill printed in June 2020, because the proposal for maintenance costs not to be included in pitch fees at the next review would have had a negative impact on residents.
The Bill printed on 24 January 2022 set out a new proposal to change the pitch fee review inflationary index from the Retail Price Index to the Consumer Price Index. We will consider the proposal in detail and make a statement at the Bill's Second Reading.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 20 September 2021 to Question 49020 on Members: Correspondence, when a response to the invitation will be issued and what the reason is for the delay.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
I apologise for the delay in replying to the Honourable Member. A reply to his invitation has been sent to him.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when (a) he or (b) a Minister in his Department plans to respond to the email invitation to attend a meeting of the all-party Parliamentary group on park homes.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The invitation is under consideration and a response will be issued shortly.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Minister responsible plans to respond to the invitation to attend a meeting of the Park Homes APPG which was sent to him by the Chair of the APPG on 26 April 2021; and if he will attend a meeting of the APPG in place of the junior Minister responsible as an alternative.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The invitation is under consideration and a response will be issued shortly.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the negotiations with the five learned societies resident at Burlington House, Piccadilly, on an affordable rent will be concluded; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Department has written to the Learned Societies and has invited them to work with us to find a viable solution that will enable the Learned Societies to deliver public value and remain in situ at New Burlington House. The Department is not yet in a position to state when discussions with the Learned Societies will conclude.