Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the impact on residents of living on an unadopted road.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Where a road is not adopted by the local authority the responsibility for maintaining the road rests with third parties, which are usually the owners of properties that front onto it.
Estate rentcharges are one way that residents cover the unadopted road’s maintenance. However, it is not appropriate that these homeowners have limited rights to challenge these costs. The Government is committed to protecting homeowners from abuse and poor service. That is why the Government intends to legislate to ensure that the charges that resident freeholders pay towards the maintenance of communal areas, including unadopted roads, are fairer and more transparent.
To this effect, we will give freeholders on private and mixed tenure estates equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge the reasonableness of estate rentcharges, as well as a right to apply to the First-tier Tribunal to appoint a new manager to manage the provision of services.
In addition, we will ensure that where a freeholder pays a rentcharge, the rentcharge owner is not able to take possession or grant a lease on the property where the rentcharge remains unpaid for a short period of time. We will translate these measures into law when parliamentary time allows.
We will also consider the option of introducing a Right to Manage for residential freeholders once we have considered the Law Commission's report and recommendations on changes to the Right to Manage for leaseholders.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of residential developments taking place on green belt land.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
This Government has a manifesto commitment to protect and enhance the Green Belt. Our National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that a local authority can take development land out of Green Belt only in exceptional circumstances, through the local plan process, and only if it can demonstrate that it has explored all other reasonable options.
To reduce pressures on Green Belt land, the Government is investing significant amounts in re-using and regenerating brownfield sites. We have set up the £4.35 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund; the £4.95 billion Home Building Fund; the £400 million Brownfield Housing Fund; and the £75 million Brownfield Land Release Fund. At Autumn Budget 2021 the Chancellor announced a further £300 million of grant funding for Mayoral Combined Authorities and local authorities to unlock smaller brownfield sites.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to support disabled people living in social housing to obtain the home adaptations necessary to their wellbeing.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Since 2010, Government has invested over £4 billion into the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) to contribute towards the cost of home adaptations for eligible disabled people of all ages and tenures, including those living in social housing, so they can live independently and safely.
The Government will commit a further £573 million for the DFG each year between 2022-23 to 2024-5. The Adult Social Care White Paper, People at the Heart of Care, also confirmed that we are taking steps to reform the DFG to ensure the grant benefits more people who need home adaptations, including people living in social housing. Government will be consulting on these reforms in 2022.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has received an application from Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council to the UK Community Renewal Fund.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The lead authority, in this case Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA), was responsible for submitting bids to the UK Community Renewal Fund. LCRCA invited bids from a range of project applicants, appraised and prioritised projects and submitted a shortlist to UK Government which selected projects based on the published assessment criteria.
We have checked and no bids were submitted for the UK Community Renewal Fund from Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council by LCRCA.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the covid-19 Parking Pass to healthcare support staff.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to PQ16235 on 21 June 2021.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what (a) criteria and (b) minimum requirements his Department has provided to local authorities on the appointment of school crossing patrol wardens.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
MHCLG does not issue guidance to local authorities on the appointment of school crossing patrol wardens.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to provide more accessible toilets in town centres.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
Public toilets are a valuable community amenity that allow all members of the community to access vital services in our towns and high streets. This Government recognises the important role they play and as a result, has provided a broad range of support to not only maintain access to these vital facilities throughout the pandemic but is also taking steps to increase provision of accessible, Changing Places toilets.
At Budget 2018, we offered 100 per cent business rates relief for public toilets across England supporting local authorities, in their responsibility for opening, maintaining and overseeing toilet provision in their area.
As we begin to return to normality following COVID-19 restrictions, the Government has further supported local authorities to increase toilet provision and support repair, maintenance and enhanced cleaning regimes through the £56 million Welcome Back Fund. This funding is available to all areas of the Country and has helped to ensure a safe and successful return to our high streets and town centres.
In addition, we are soon to launch the £30 million Changing Places programme. Delivered in partnership with the charity Muscular Dystrophy UK, this programme will substantially increase the provision of Changing Places accessible toilets in existing buildings across England, allowing people who need these facilities to get out and about, and enjoy the day-to-day activities many of us take for granted.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that local authorities in priority category 3 without capacity funding apply for the Levelling Up Fund.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets.
The Fund will be allocated competitively. Funding will be delivered through local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales, and through local delivery partners and public sector bodies in Northern Ireland.
The index places areas into category 1,2 or 3 based on the local area’s need for economic recovery and growth, improved transport connectivity, and regeneration.
These bandings will form part of our criteria for assessing bids. The bandings do not represent eligibility criteria, nor the amount or number of bids a place can submit.
Following the launch of the Fund, Ministers and officials held webinar events open to all local authorities to provide details on the design of the new Fund, including how to apply.