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, whether the Government has plans to bring forward legislative proposals in the next session of Parliament to change the inflationary index for park home pitch fees from RPI to CPI.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government remains committed to improving protections for park home residents.
We will introduce primary legislation to change the pitch fee review inflationary index from the Retail Prices Index (RPI) to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), when the parliamentary timetable allows.
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, what steps his Department has taken in respect of the Mobile Homes Act 1983 (Amendment) Bill since the discussion between the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the hon. Member for Christchurch on 11 November 2020.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
As the Hon. Member for Christchurch is aware, the Government is unable to support his Mobile Homes Act 1983 (Amendment) Bill as currently drafted. However, the Government remains committed to improving protections for park home residents and will continue to build on the substantial improvements already made to the sector by the Mobile Homes Act 2013.
On 23 September, we delivered on our commitment to make Regulations introducing a fit and proper test for park home site owners or their manager. We are making progress on introducing further primary legislation as parliamentary time allows to deliver on other commitments set out in our 2018 response to the review of park homes legislation.
Following the meeting with the Hon. Member, my Department has been carefully considering options and the detailed policy to ensure that any proposed at any proposed measures can be delivered effectively without any unintended consequences.
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, pursuant to the oral contribution made by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 23 October 2020, Official Report, column 1418, what progress his Department has made on exploring options on how to deliver better protection for park home residents; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
As the Hon. Member for Christchurch is aware, the Government is unable to support his Mobile Homes Act 1983 (Amendment) Bill as currently drafted. However, the Government remains committed to improving protections for park home residents and will continue to build on the substantial improvements already made to the sector by the Mobile Homes Act 2013.
On 23 September, we delivered on our commitment to make Regulations introducing a fit and proper test for park home site owners or their manager. We are making progress on introducing further primary legislation as parliamentary time allows to deliver on other commitments set out in our 2018 response to the review of park homes legislation.
Following the meeting with the Hon. Member, my Department has been carefully considering options and the detailed policy to ensure that any proposed at any proposed measures can be delivered effectively without any unintended consequences.
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, what regulatory impact assessment he has carried out on the proposal to remove statutory requirements for planning applications to be publicised in local newspapers; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Local planning authorities are required to publicise certain types of planning applications in local newspapers as set out in Article 15 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015. In response to coronavirus restrictions, temporary regulations have been introduced to supplement the existing statutory publicity arrangements for planning applications. Local planning authorities now have the flexibility to take other reasonable steps to publicise applications if they cannot discharge the specific requirement for newspaper publicity – for instance, if the local newspaper is not now in circulation. These steps can include the use of social media and other electronic communications, such as local online news portals, and must be proportionate to the scale and nature of the proposed development. However, if a local planning authority is required to publicise a planning application in a local newspaper, and that paper is still in circulation, then they must continue to do so.
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, if he will make it the policy of the Government to prevent people who are unable to sell an empty property during the covid-19 lockdown from being penalised under the Empty Property Council Tax Premium; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The empty homes premium is a discretionary power and applies to properties that have been empty and unfurnished for two or more years. Local authorities are responsible for administering the premium, taking into account any relevant circumstances.
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, if he will issue guidance to local authorities on the definition of eligibility for access to the £117 million fund for discretionary grant payments to businesses announced on 1 May 2020; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The Government has allocated additional funding to local authorities in England in the form of a discretionary grant fund of up to £617m. This will be divided between English local authorities in proportion to the amount they will pay out under the existing grant schemes (Small Business Grant Fund and Retail, Hospitality & Leisure Grant Fund).
Local authorities are responsible for defining precise eligibility for this fund. The following businesses should be considered as a priority:
Local authorities may choose to pay grants to businesses outside of the outlined priority areas, according to local economic need, so long as the grants are aimed at:
Businesses already in receipt of the Small Business grant, a Retail, Hospitality and Leisure grant or Self-employed Income Support Scheme payment are not eligible.
Guidance will be published on the discretionary grant scheme in due course following consultation with local authorities.
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, how much of the £617 million of funding allocated to local authorities on 1 May 2020 to enable them to make discretionary grant payments to businesses is available for (a) Dorset Council and (b) BCP Council; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Simon Clarke
On 1 May the Government announced a further up to £617 million available to local authorities to support those small businesses with high fixed property-related costs but that are not eligible for the current grant schemes. This is an additional 5 per cent uplift to the £12.33 billion funding previously announced for the Small Business Grants Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF). We will confirm the exact amount to be available to each local authority 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 Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether it is the policy of the Government to reimburse local authorities the full cost of providing accommodation for homeless people during the covid-19 crisis when the people being housed are not allowed to have recourse to public funding; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government is aware of concerns about those with no recourse to public funds experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 crisis.
We are ensuring local authorities are supported, with £3.2 million in targeted funding to help support individuals who are sleeping rough off the streets, and an additional £3.2 billion provided to local authorities as part of the wider government response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This funding has been provided to help local authorities to reduce risks to public health and to support individuals on the basis of need.
The legal position on those with no recourse to public funds has not been amended.
The Government recognises that these are unprecedented times, and expects local authorities to support people who are sleeping rough, and also to minimise unnecessary risks to public health, acting within the law.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2020 to Question 40963 on Horticulture: Coronavirus, if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) scientific advice and (b) risk assessment evaluation which informed the decision that garden centres should remain closed during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Garden centres in England may open from Wednesday 13 May, and the Regulations for England will be updated to provide clarity to garden centre owners, and the public. We strongly encourage both employers and customers to continue to follow social distancing guidance at all times in order to protect public health and our economy. Advice on social distancing is published on gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/guidance-for-employers-and-businesses-on-coronavirus-covid-19
At all times we have been consistently guided by scientific advice to protect lives. HMG have published evidence discussed at SAGE on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronavirus-covid-19-response). These documents show the scientific evidence that helped shape SAGE advice that went to Ministers and COBR. Further research is being continually developed and used to inform advice to decision makers and we will ensure this is published as soon as it is no longer under consideration.
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, for what reasons garden centres that have taken steps to comply with social distancing measures are not allowed to re-open for business during the covid-19 lockdown; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Garden centres are being asked to close along with many other retail premises to minimise the spread of the coronavirus. The Government has set up five tests that must be met before the lockdown measures can be lifted. These consider NHS capacity, death rates, transmission rates, availability of PPE, and avoidance of a second peak of the virus.
It is positive to see the emerging thoughts on how businesses such as garden centres can reopen safely – we will need to continue to work together on how easing measures could work when it is the right time to do so. Online retail is still open and encouraged, and postal and delivery services will continue to run.