Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
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 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
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 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
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 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
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 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
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.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the minimum housing density is which local planning authorities can impose as a condition of granting planning permission for housing on (a) greenfield sites and (b) brownfield sites in England; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
This Government does not impose a minimum density requirement nationally, but our National Planning Policy Framework provides strong encouragement to local authorities to make the most of suitable brownfield sites, especially for new homes. It is for each local authority to consider what housing density would be appropriate for any part of its area, and to incorporate relevant policies in its local plan as necessary.
This should take into account local constraints, which the local authority is best placed to assess. A local authority may also specify what density is appropriate in a housing scheme by imposing planning conditions on the planning permission. We have empowered local communities to create local design guidance and design codes, which can include limits on building height and density where appropriate to protect the character of a place.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of households in England which paid more than 10 per cent of net household income in council tax in 2020-21.
Answered by Luke Hall
The Government does not hold data on the income of households paying particular levels of council tax and has not made any such estimate. The level of council tax is determined by local authorities which are also responsible for designing and administering council tax reduction schemes to provide support for households with low incomes.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Minister responsible for park homes policy plans to respond to the invitation from the Chairman of the APPG for Park Homes to participate in a meeting of the APPG.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing responded to the invitation from the Chairman of the APPG for Park Homes on 20 April.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer 12 March 2021 to Question 165438, if he will facilitate the introduction of primary legislation on park homes through a successful hon. Member in the ballot for Private Members' Bills in the 2021-22 Parliamentary Session.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
In our response to the review of park homes legislation, we announced that we would introduce primary legislation to improve protections for park home residents.
We will consider all available options and introduce the required legislation when the parliamentary timetable allows.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the procurement process for research into the potential effect of any changes to the 10 per cent maximum commission on sales of park homes will be completed; and what the length of the contract period is of that research.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The procurement process for the research to assess the potential effect of a change to the 10 per cent sales commission on park homes is complete. I can confirm that a consortium led by University of Liverpool has been commissioned to carry out the research.
The research is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The research team has started inviting residents and site owners to take part in focus group meetings starting in April.