Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to dispense with the need for community referendums to ratify neighbourhood plans during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Department has no plans to remove the requirement for neighbourhood planning referendums during the COVID-19 pandemic as it is important that communities have the final say on whether plans should be brought in to force. Regulations that postpone referendums until May 2021 will continue to be kept under review. We have made it clear in planning guidance that neighbourhood plans awaiting referendum can be given significant weight in planning decisions.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to provide additional longer term financial support to local authorities during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Simon Clarke
This Government has made available £3.2 billion in un-ringfenced funding to local authorities, and introduced measures to ease immediate cashflow pressures, to make sure they have the resources they need to continue fighting the coronavirus pandemic
The package recognises the additional costs and pressures on finances which councils are facing as a result of the current crisis. It demonstrates the Government’s commitment to make sure councils, including upper and lower tier authorities, have the resources they need to support their communities through this challenging time
Government is also providing additional resources to councils to support with specific issues, including an additional £600 million to support providers through a new Adult Social Care Infection Control and Workforce Resilience Fund
The Spending Review, later this year, will be the appropriate time to look at funding for local government in the round, and we will communicate our plans as early as we can through the provisional settlement. We will continue to engage councils on the best approach to the next financial year and work together to ensure they are managing as the pandemic progresses.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to support the merger of Babergh and Mid-Suffolk district councils.
Answered by Simon Clarke
In 2010 Babergh and Mid-Suffolk Councils engaged with my Department and with the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) regarding a merger of the two districts, but in 2011 the Councils decided not to go ahead following a local referendum. There was further engagement with the Councils in 2018 about a possible merger, which again was not progressed, and currently there is no proposal for merger with the Department
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to compensate local authorities for loss of revenue from car parking receipts during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The Government is aware of the impact on local authorities’ financial position as a result of Covid-19. We are collecting monitoring data on a monthly basis on income and expenditure. We will share a summary of the returns in due course. I would like to encourage local authorities to keep engaging with us through the second round of returns, which will provide valuable data about what is happening on the front-line.
On 28 April the Local Government Secretary announced allocations to individual local authorities of the additional £1.6 billion of funding to support councils in delivering essential front line services, that was announced on 18 April. The grant has been paid as an un-ringfenced amount, recognising local authorities are best placed to decide how to meet the additional Covid-19 service pressures in their area. This funding is in addition to the £1.6 billion announced on 19 March.
The Government has made a commitment to support all authorities with the additional cost pressures from the extra work and the specific tasks we have asked them to carry out as a result of the pandemic, including in relation to social care – both adult and children’s, public health services, shielding the most vulnerable, homelessness and rough sleeping, supporting the NHS and managing excess deaths.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to compensate local authorities for loss of revenue from rents during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The Government is aware of the impact on local authorities’ financial position as a result of Covid-19. We are collecting monitoring data on a monthly basis on income and expenditure. We will share a summary of the returns in due course. I would like to encourage local authorities to keep engaging with us through the second round of returns, which will provide valuable data about what is happening on the front-line.
On 28 April the Local Government Secretary announced allocations to individual local authorities of the additional £1.6 billion of funding to support councils in delivering essential front line services, that was announced on 18 April. The grant has been paid as an un-ringfenced amount, recognising local authorities are best placed to decide how to meet the additional Covid-19 service pressures in their area. This funding is in addition to the £1.6 billion announced on 19 March.
The Government has made a commitment to support all authorities with the additional cost pressures from the extra work and the specific tasks we have asked them to carry out as a result of the pandemic, including in relation to social care – both adult and children’s, public health services, shielding the most vulnerable, homelessness and rough sleeping, supporting the NHS and managing excess deaths.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to extend the time limit for local authorities to retain the proceeds of right to buy housing receipts.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
We are keeping the situation under review and will inform local authorities as soon as a decision has been made.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government how much money has been claimed under the Coronavirus Business Rates Retention Scheme (a) by second home owners and (b) for holiday lets in Suffolk.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Government has made £12.3 billion available to businesses under the Small Business Grants Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund. As stated in the Grant Funding Schemes guidance, businesses in scope of the Small Business Grants Fund are those which, on 11 March 2020, were eligible for relief under the Small Business Rate Relief Scheme (including those with a Rateable Value between £12,000 and £15,000 which receive tapered relief) or the Rural Rate Relief Scheme. Businesses in scope of the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund are those that were eligible on 11 March 2020 for a discount under the Expanded Retail Discount scheme and with a rateable value of less than £51,000.
The grant funding replicates the eligibility for the specific rate relief schemes. It is for local authorities to determine eligibility for reliefs, having regard to guidance issued by the Government, and they are contacting businesses directly to deliver these grants.
As of 26 April, over 610,000 business premises have received grants across the Small Business Grants Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund, totalling over £7.59 billion. We do not hold data from local authorities broken down by sector. We have, however, published, a full breakdown of grant funding allocated to and distributed by each local authority here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what development restrictions there are in areas of outstanding natural beauty.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear the importance the Government attaches to Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The Framework says that great weight should be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in these areas, which have the highest status of protection.
It makes clear that the scale and extent of any development – including housing - in these areas should be limited. Local authorities are expected to refuse planning permission for major development there, other than in exceptional circumstances and where the development would be in the public interest.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what planning restrictions for house building there are in areas of outstanding natural beauty.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear the importance the Government attaches to Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The Framework says that great weight should be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in these areas, which have the highest status of protection.
It makes clear that the scale and extent of any development – including housing - in these areas should be limited. Local authorities are expected to refuse planning permission for major development there, other than in exceptional circumstances and where the development would be in the public interest.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what planning protections are in place to prevent inappropriate housing developments in areas of outstanding natural beauty.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that great weight should be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in National Parks, the Broads and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which have the highest status of protection in relation to these issues. The scale and extent of development within these designated areas should be limited. Planning permission should be refused for major development other than in exceptional circumstances, and where it can be demonstrated that the development is in the public interest.