Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the additional revenue councils will receive from local business rates as a result of devolution deals.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
The Government has announced that, by the end of the Parliament, we will give all local councils new responsibilities in return for keeping 100% of locally raised business rates. In advance of 100% retention, devolution deals are already giving some areas the ability to keep 100% of the actual growth in business rates they achieve above a pre-determined baseline. This will give them an added incentive to grow their local economies and increase their income from business rates.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many Government-sponsored new social and council houses were built between (a) 1997 and 2010 and (b) 2010 and 2016.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The numbers of dwellings completed by houisng associations and local authorities in England between 1997 and 2015 were as follows:
Year | Housing associations | Local authorities |
1997 | 20,970 | 290 |
1998 | 19,900 | 240 |
1999 | 17,780 | 50 |
2000 | 16.680 | 90 |
2001 | 14,500 | 160 |
2002 | 13,310 | 180 |
2003 | 12,820 | 180 |
2004 | 16.600 | 130 |
2005 | 17,540 | 180 |
2006 | 20,660 | 280 |
2007 | 22,180 | 250 |
2008 | 26,470 | 430 |
2009 | 26,990 | 360 |
2010 | 22,650 | 790 |
2011 | 25,940 | 2,230 |
2012 | 25,440 | 1,410 |
2013 | 21,590 | 840 |
2014 | 23,780 | 1,180 |
2015 | 30,200 | 1,640 |
Statistics on new build housing starts and completions in England, and in each local authority district, are published on the Department's website at:
http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the application for a Lancashire combined authority; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
The Department has to date not received any applications for a Lancashire Combined Authority. To make such an application an area must, in accordance with the provisoins of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 1999, as amended by the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016, undertake a gvoernance review for the area and also publish a scheme setting out propsals for a Combined Authority. They must also undertake a public consultation on these proposals and provide a summary of these proposals to the Secretary of State.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many planning applications for new homes or conversions of existing buildings have been made in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since June 2015.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Department does not collect information on the number of planning applications by parliamentary constituency.
However it collects the numbers of decisions made at a local planning authority level. In the six months to 31 December 2015 Lancaster City Council, within which the hon, Member's constituency falls, has made decisions on applications for:
- 18 major residential developments
- 27 minor residential developments
- Permitted development rights for one ‘office to residential’ scheme and nine ‘agricultural to residential’ schemes
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department is making on the Enterprise Zones applied for by the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
My rt hon. Friend, the Chancellor announced the Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership’s successful bid for a new Enterprise Zone at Hillhouse as part of the 2015 Autumn Statement. This followed approval of the business case for the Blackpool Enterprise Zone which was announced on 12 November 2015.
Regulations are being laid for both Enterprise Zones to enable them to offer business rate discounts and enhanced capital allowances from April 2016. The new Enterprise Zones complement the existing Lancashire Local Enterprise Zone which covers sites at Warton and Samlesbury.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) council houses, (b) housing association properties and (c) affordable homes were built in the Lancaster City Council local authority area between (i) 1997 and 2001, (ii) 2001 and 2005, (iii) 2005 and 2010 and (iv) 2010 and 2015.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Statistics on house building completions by tenure in each local authority district are published in the Department's live tables 253 (annual) and 253a (quarterly), which are available at the following link.
http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building
Taken together, house building statistics by housing association and local authority tenures provide estimates of total social housing completions, but these figures understate total affordable supply. This is because the house building figures are categorised by the type of developer rather than the intended final tenure, leading to under recording of affordable housing, and a corresponding over recording of private enterprise figures.
More comprehensive statistics on affordable housing completions are published in the Department’s live tables 1006, 1006a, 1007 and 1008, which are available at the following link:
http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
These statistics include both newly built housing and acquisitions.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding his Department provides to support high streets in seaside and coastal towns and villages; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
Since 2010 we have committed over £18.53 million of public funding to support high streets, including in coastal towns and villages.
In 2014 we launched the "Great British High Street" awards which includes a coastal town category.
Since 2012 the Government's Coastal Communities Fund has also committed over £91 million to help coastal areas, including support for a range of projects that are contributing to the regeneration of high streets in a number of coastal towns including Blackpool, Chatham, Gravesend and Scarborough.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ask or require local planning authorities to publish the planning routes for any application of (a) fracking and (b) any other energy facilities.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
The Government’s online planning practice guidance (http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/ ) includes information on the process for applications made for planning permission under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
Guidance on the process for projects that are nationally significant infrastructure projects under the Planning Act 2008 is also available online http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk/application-process/ .
Local authorities are free to make links to this guidance on their own websites if they wish.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much additional revenue was raised by rises in council tax, including precepts by Lancaster District Council in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15 to date.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
In 2013-14, Lancaster District Council increased their council tax level (including parish precepts) from £204.70 to £209.07. Based on their tax base in 2012-13, this would have raised the district £190,000 in additional council tax revenue. However by increasing their council tax level, they also gave up their Freeze Grant allocation worth £85,000 so their net gain was £105,000.
The table below shows the information above and the additional revenue raised by the County, Fire and Police and Crime Commissioners in Lancaster in 2013-14. The figures for the precepting authorities show the amount of additional council tax raised in Lancaster district and the freeze grant figures are the value of the freeze grant for the proportion of their tax base in Lancaster district.
Additional Council Tax raised in Lancaster in 2013-14 (£)
Council Tax Levels | Additional Council Tax Raised in 2013-14 | Value of Freeze Grant forgone | Value of Freeze Grant received | ||
Authority | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | |||
Lancaster | 204.70 | 209.07 | 190,000 | 85,000 | - |
Additional Council Tax and Freeze Grant forgone by precepting authorities in Lancaster (i.e. the Lancaster share of the Lancashire totals) | |||||
Lancashire County Council | 1108.30 | 1086.13 | - | - | 494,000 |
Lancashire Fire Authority | 63.65 | 63.65 | - | - | 28,000 |
Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable | 149.93 | 152.92 | 130,000 | 67,000 | - |
In 2013-14, Lancashire County Council received a Freeze Grant worth £4.3 million in total and Lancashire Fire received £300,000. While Lancashire Police’s increase in council tax level raised them a total of £1.4 million in additional council tax, they gave up a Freeze Grant allocation worth £706,000, so their net gain was £697,000.
In 2014-15, Lancaster District Council increased their council tax level (including parish precepts) to £213.35. Based on their tax base in 2013-14, this will raise the district £159,000 in additional council tax revenue. However by increasing their council tax level, they also gave up their Freeze Grant allocation worth £92,000 so their net gain was £67,000.
The table below shows the information above and the additional revenue raised by the County, Fire and Police and Crime Commissioners in Lancaster in 2014-15. The figures for the precepting authorities show the amount of additional council tax raised in Lancaster district and the freeze grant figures are the value of the freeze grant for the proportion of their tax base in Lancaster district.
Additional Council Tax raised in Lancaster in 2014-15 (£)
Council Tax Levels | Additional Council Tax raised in 2014-15 | Value of Freeze Grant forgone | Value of Freeze Grant received | ||
Authority | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | |||
Lancaster | 209.07 | 213.35 |
159,000 |
92,000 |
- |
Additional Council Tax and Freeze Grant forgone by precepting authorities in Lancaster (i.e. the Lancaster share of the Lancashire totals) | |||||
Lancashire County Council | 1086.13 | 1107.74 | 802,000 | 403,000 | - |
Lancashire Fire Authority | 63.65 | 63.65 | - | - | 24,000 |
Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable | 152.92 | 155.96 | 113,000 | 57,000 |
-
|
In 2014-15, Lancashire County Council’s increase in council tax levels raised them £7.2 million in additional council tax, but they gave up a Council Tax Freeze grant worth £4.3 million, so their net gain was £2.9 million. Lancashire Fire received £305,000 in Council Tax Freeze Grant. Lancashire Police’s increase in council tax level raised them a total of £1.2 million in additional council tax, but they gave up a Freeze Grant allocation worth £706,000 so their net gain was £474,000.
Council Tax Freeze Grant is placed into the baseline: so by not freezing, councils have lost out on ongoing extra funding from central government.
I would add that the ‘gain’ in these cases to the local authority is actually a ‘loss’ to taxpayers: as they are the ones who have to foot the bill for higher taxes. Local authorities’ primary duty is to their local electors. We would encourage every local authority to take up the offer of additional council tax freeze funding available in 2015-16 to help hard-working people with the cost of living.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will investigate the destination of the £9 million spent by Lancaster City Council on the Chatsworth Gardens area of the west end of Morecambe over the last 10 years.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
In 2012, the City Council successfully bid for £1.9 million of funding from our Empty Homes fund to restore and refurbish 114 rundown empty homes in the area. Under the terms of this scheme, the Council will match the funding value (taking the total investment to £3.8 million). I understand that the programme is on course to meet its delivery targets by March 2015. I understand that there is a potential private partnership to help build 92 new homes in the area by 2016.
However, the picture under the last Administration is less clear-cut. In 2004, the Council was awarded £11.9 million of funding to regenerate this area. The development plans then stalled and were scaled down. The Council subsequently returned £4 million of unspent funding to the Homes and Communities Agency. However, the net outcome under the last Administration, was £7.8 million of public spending (offset by just £789,000 of income from property sales) to make just 47 homes structurally safe. Serious questions need to be asked about whether this represents value for money.