Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
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 of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 16 March 2021, Official Report, column 192, on 16 March 2021, where are the data sets the Government used to priorities areas for funding from the levelling-up fund are available; and on what date they were published.
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.
We have published the index and further details of the methodology used to calculate the index of places set out in the prospectus: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/levelling-up-fund-additional-documents/levelling-up-fund-prioritisation-of-places-methodology-note.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reasons Halton did not meet the criteria to be a (a) category one area for the purposes of the Levelling Up Fund or (b) priority area for the Community Renewal Fund.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
As set out in the prospectus published last week, the index used for the Levelling Up Fund places areas into category one, two or three based on the local area’s need for economic recovery and growth, improved transport connectivity, and regeneration.
As set out in the UK Community Renewal Fund prospectus published on 3 March, we have identified 100 priority places based on an index of economic resilience across Great Britain which measures productivity, household income, unemployment, skills and population density.
We are committed to transparency and have published a methodological note on the index used for each Fund.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
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 22 February 2021 to Question 151623 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, when his Department plans to publish its response to the Government's consultation on options to amend building regulations to require electric vehicle charge points to be installed in residential and non-residential buildings.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government will publish the response to the consultation 'Electric Vehicle Charging in Residential and Non-Residential Buildings' by the summer. The amended building regulations will come into effect by the end of the year.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that all future new build houses have electric car charging points installed during construction.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government consulted in 2019 on options to amend the building regulations to require electric vehicle chargepoints in residential and non-residential buildings. We will publish a response, which will set out our plans for the new requirements coming into effect.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
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 19 April 2018 to Question 134643, on Housing: Construction, in the event that all other options have been explored whether a Local Plan that does not meet objectively assessed need can still be passed by a Planning Inspector.
Answered by Dominic Raab
Local Plans should meet objectively assessed needs, with sufficient flexibility to adapt to rapid change, unless any adverse impacts of doing so would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits, or specific policies in the National Planning Policy Framework indicate that development should be restricted. At examination, an independently appointed Inspector will consider these factors, as part of their assessment of the Plan and whether the tests of soundness as set out in the Framework have been met.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
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 answer to the hon. Member for Halton on 30 April 2018, Official Report column 16, what the evidential basis is for the answer.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
As part of our oversight of local government expenditure, this Department does consider the financial stability and service delivery of individual authorities. We keep the system under review and liaise with other departments, including the Department of Health and Social Care, to understand their current assessment of service pressures and aspirations. In addition, Ministers and officials have regular contact with a wide range of local authorities, including as part of the annual local government finance settlement.
On this basis, we have no immediate concerns on the ability of local authorities to fulfil their statutory duties. We know the social care sector is under pressure, which is why we have given an additional £2 billion funding over the three years until 2019-20.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
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 9 March 2018 to Question 130480 on Housing: Construction, in the event that (a) a local authority does not have enough brownfield land left to meet their objectively assessed need and (b) neighbouring authorities cannot meet their unmet need would a Local Plan that does not meet objectively assessed housing need be passed by a Planning Inspector.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The draft revised National Planning Policy Framework, published for consultation on 5 March, makes it clear that plans will be found sound by a Planning Inspector only if they provide a strategy which will, as a minimum, meet as much of the identified housing need as possible. To do that they should make effective use of the land they have.
As well as using brownfield land and working with neighbours, local planning authorities should explore all other options such as under-utilised employment and commercial land and minimum density standards where appropriate.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to oral contribution of the Minister for Housing on 6 February 2018, Official Report, column 1461, whether a local authority with (a) no brownfield land to build on and (b) heavily contaminated land is classified as exceptional circumstances for enabling housebuilding on greenbelt land.
Answered by Dominic Raab
I refer the Hon Member to chapters 11 and 13 of the draft National Planning Policy Framework published for consultation on 5 March.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
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 of the Minister for Housing on 6 February 2018, Official Report, column 1461, whether he has to empower local authorities to prevent developers from building on greenbelt when allocated brownfield sites have not been developed.
Answered by Dominic Raab
I refer the Hon Member to chapters 11 and 13 of the draft National Planning Policy Framework published for consultation on 5 March.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will lower the target for house building in local authority areas which have a higher than national average number of contaminated sites.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The Government has not prescribed any house building targets. Furthermore, it is not appropriate for me to comment on the specific circumstances in Halton given the current consultation on its Draft Allocations Local Plan.
It is for local planning authorities to determine the housing requirement for their plans. This should be deliverable and take account of land constraints. The current approach for local authorities to assess housing need is too complex, costly and lacks transparency. This is why we have consulted on a new standard approach, which will provide a transparent and consistent basis for understanding the need for homes in each area. This is not a local housing target. Assessing need is the starting point in the process, not the end.
The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that a Green Belt boundary may be altered only in exceptional circumstances, using the Plan process.