Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which funding programmes his Department makes available for specific use by coalfield communities; and how much funding has been allocated through those programmes in each financial year since 2010.
Answered by Jake Berry
The Government has made a clear commitment to put places at the heart of our modern Industrial Strategy. The Government has delivered on this commitment by investing across England through the Local Growth Fund. We have also agreed nine devolution deals with core cities across England and introduced seven metro mayors, with an eighth to be elected in the North of Tyne this year.
Furthermore, we have worked with devolved administrations and local partners throughout Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to negotiate ambitious City and Growth deals, creating strong partnerships to deliver investment throughout the UK. Wider responsibility for regeneration in coalfield communities in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland is a responsibility largely devolved to the governments of those nations.
Since 2010, we have invested almost £70 million in coalfields communities through the Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT). This investment was designed to assist the CRT in becoming a self-sustaining organisation. This funding is broken down by year:
2010 | £13,741,038 |
2011 | £16,009,940 |
2012 | £11,673,971 |
2013 | £17,975,050 |
2014 | £9,653,750 |
2015 | £596,250 |
The Government also announced in the autumn budget that we would invest £8 million to support repairs to village halls, miners’ welfare facilities and Armed Forces organisations’ facilities.
In England, we believe that it is the role of local communities to make decisions on investment into the regeneration of their local economies. This is why we have empowered them to take decisions over investment by devolving over £9 billion of funding to Local Enterprise Partnerships between 2015 and 2021.
Looking to the future, the government is committed to the creation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which aims to reduce inequalities between places by investing in those economies that are the furthest behind. We intend to consult widely on its design, and we encourage all those with an interest in the fund to respond.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his Department’s strategy is for the regeneration of coalfield communities; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jake Berry
The Government has made a clear commitment to put places at the heart of our modern Industrial Strategy. The Government has delivered on this commitment by investing across England through the Local Growth Fund. We have also agreed nine devolution deals with core cities across England and introduced seven metro mayors, with an eighth to be elected in the North of Tyne this year.
Furthermore, we have worked with devolved administrations and local partners throughout Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to negotiate ambitious City and Growth deals, creating strong partnerships to deliver investment throughout the UK. Wider responsibility for regeneration in coalfield communities in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland is a responsibility largely devolved to the governments of those nations.
Since 2010, we have invested almost £70 million in coalfields communities through the Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT). This investment was designed to assist the CRT in becoming a self-sustaining organisation. This funding is broken down by year:
2010 | £13,741,038 |
2011 | £16,009,940 |
2012 | £11,673,971 |
2013 | £17,975,050 |
2014 | £9,653,750 |
2015 | £596,250 |
The Government also announced in the autumn budget that we would invest £8 million to support repairs to village halls, miners’ welfare facilities and Armed Forces organisations’ facilities.
In England, we believe that it is the role of local communities to make decisions on investment into the regeneration of their local economies. This is why we have empowered them to take decisions over investment by devolving over £9 billion of funding to Local Enterprise Partnerships between 2015 and 2021.
Looking to the future, the government is committed to the creation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which aims to reduce inequalities between places by investing in those economies that are the furthest behind. We intend to consult widely on its design, and we encourage all those with an interest in the fund to respond.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the (a) percentage increase in council tax levied for and (b) sum raised by the adult social care precept was in each English local authority area in the latest period for which that information is available.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
Billing authorities and county councils with responsibility for adult social care services are able to charge the Adult Social Care precept. Data on the Adult Social Care precept and the percentage increase in the precept for 2018-19 for individual authorities can be found in
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will introduce a single code of conduct for private parking operators; and if he will estimate the number of car parking fine appeals that have been processed in each year since 2010.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
Sir Greg Knight has introduced a Private Members’ Bill that seeks to create an independent code of practice for private parking companies. In line with the Manifesto, the Government fully supports Sir Greg Knight's Bill and seeks to get the fairest deal for motorists whilst helping to tackle rogue private parking companies. Should the Bill progress, there will be an opportunity to consider the obligations on private parking companies. The Bill is due for second reading on 2 February 2018 and I will be speaking in the Commons to voice the Government’s and my personal support. Further information is available here http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2017-19/parkingcodeofpractice.html.
The number of appeals processed by either private parking companies or local authorities is not data that is collected by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the £28 million funding for Housing First pilot schemes will be allocated to projects in the St Helens local authority area.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
At Autumn Budget 2017 the Chancellor announced £28 million of funding to pilot the Housing First approach for some of the country’s most entrenched rough sleepers. The pilots will cover the West Midlands Combined Authority, Greater Manchester, and the Liverpool City Region.
The exact allocation to the areas will be subject to ongoing work with the regions and refinement of the scope of the pilots. My Department is in regular contact with officials in the Liverpool City Region and will continue to work closely with them going forward.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of rough sleepers in the St Helens local authority area in each year since 2010.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
Annual rough sleeping counts and estimates data for 326 local authorities from 2010 to 2016, including St Helens, can be found in table 1 of our published live table: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/593685/Rough_Sleeping_Autumn_2016_Final_Tables.xls
This Government is determined to do more to reduce the number of people sleeping rough. We have established a new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Implementation Taskforce, chaired by the Secretary of State, which will drive forward the implementation of a cross-Government strategy to tackle this issue.
We have allocated over £1 billion up to 2020 to support these efforts including piloting a Housing First approach for some of the most entrenched rough sleepers in the 3 major areas of England – including the Liverpool City Region. We are also implementing the Homelessness Reduction Act, the biggest change to homelessness legislation in decades, which will require councils to provide early support to people at risk of homelessness and rough sleeping.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many bodies were in receipt of funding from the Regional Development Fund in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) St Helens local authority area, (c) Liverpool City Region, (d) the North West and (e) England in each year for which that fund operated; and how much each such body received in each such year.
Answered by Jake Berry
The Department for Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in England. The Department makes data on grant recipients supported through the ERDF 2014-20 and 2007-13 programmes publicly available through the programme website.
The data for the 2014-20 programme can be found on the following webpage: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/european-structural-and-investment-funds-useful-resources
The data for the 2007-13 programme can be found on the following webpage: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/erdf-programmes-progress-and-achievements
Data on bodies in receipt of funding at a constituency, local authority and Liverpool City Region level and data on funding received by bodies on an annual basis could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to review regulations on the purchase of (a) leasehold properties and (b) the sale of freeholds to third parties by property developers.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The Government identified that tackling onerous ground rents and leasehold houses were priorities in the Housing White Paper.
We are also working closely with the Law Commission on leasehold reform, building on their 13th programme of law reform consultation which had a significant response – over 1,000 submissions – on residential leasehold.
We are reviewing issues relating to leasehold and will provide further information shortly.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average (a) annual and (b) monthly cost of private renting in (i) St Helens North constituency, (ii) Merseyside and (iii) the UK was in each year since 2010.
Answered by Lord Barwell
Statistics on the private rental market in England, Merseyside (Metropolitan County) and in each local authority district including St. Helens, are published by the Valuation Office Agency and are available at the following link:
The Valuation Office Agency advises that because the composition of this sample changes over time, it is not possible to compare median rents provided in this publication with statistics in previous publications to infer trends in the rental market over time. The statistics therefore provide a snapshot that shows the range of rents across England.
The official source on change over time in cost of renting in Great Britain is the Office for National Statistics Index of Private Housing Rental Prices available at the following link:
Statistics are not available at the level of parliamentary constituency or the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 5.5 of Spring Budget 2017, what criteria his Department plans to use to determine the allocation to local authorities of the £2 billion of social care funding.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
The Department published the allocations for the additional funding for adult social care announced at the Spring Budget 2017 online on 9 March, together with an Explanatory Note.
This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-allocations-of-the-additional-funding-for-adult-social-care.