Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
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 has taken to help enable local authorities to issue valid voter identification to electors with no fixed address.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
We are currently working with charities and civil service society organisations across the UK to ensure the voter identification works for all voters, and all groups are aware of the new requirements. As for registration as an elector, an elector will not require a fixed address to apply for a Voter Card and will be able to apply for and collect their Card in person. Attestation will be possible when applying for a Voter Card, should an elector be unable to provide the necessary documents.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what is the minimum period of time between the date Local Authority issued voter ID becomes available and the date of an election where voter ID will be required.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Elections Act does not set out a minimum required period of time that Voter Cards must be available ahead of an election in which they are to be used. However, the Government will ensure that Voter Cards are made available sufficiently far in advance that electors can apply for them in a timely way - everyone who is eligible to vote will continue to have the opportunity to do so.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether voter identification issued by a local authority will be valid to permit the holder to vote in a different Local Authority area if they change residence.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
Voter Cards issued by local authorities will be accepted as identification at any polling station in Great Britain.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
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 make the Homes for Ukraine scheme easy to navigate for households wishing to take part.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
DLUHC have published guidance at: www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-sponsor-guidance , www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-scheme-frequently-asked-questions and www.gov.uk/government/publications/welcome-a-guide-for-ukrainians-arriving-in-the-uk .
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2020 to Question 68411, on Freehold: Service Charges, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to give freeholders on private and mixed tenure estates equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge the reasonableness of estate rent charges as well as a right to apply to the First-tier Tribunal to appoint a new manager for the provision of services covered by estate rent charges.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service. Where people pay estate rent charges it is not appropriate that these homeowners have limited rights to challenge these costs
We will translate these measures into law when parliamentary time allows. We are committed to a long-term programme of reform to make sure that homeowners experience the benefits of true home ownership. It is complex with many interdependencies and will take time to get the detail right.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits giving flood risk authorities a statutory right of veto on a development until such time as a suitable technical solution to that flood risk is advanced.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Planning law requires that applications for planning permission be determined in accordance with the local development plan, subject to other material considerations. These considerations include advice received from statutory consultees, as well as the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The local planning authority must take into account and weigh up all the material planning considerations in reaching its decision.
The NPPF is clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided. Where development is necessary, it should be made safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere.
As part of the planning determination process, we expect local planning authorities to take flood risk advice from the Environment Agency and lead local flood authority seriously. Statutory consultees do not have a veto on new development. It is for the local planning authority, which is democratically accountable to the local electorate, to take planning decisions on development in its area. As an added safeguard, where a local planning authority is minded to approve a planning application for major development in a flood risk area against an outstanding Environment Agency objection on flood risk grounds, that application must first be referred to the Secretary of State to consider whether it should be called-in.
Furthermore, as part of our wider ambitions for an improved planning system we intend to review the National Planning Policy Framework to ensure that it contributes to climate change mitigation and adaption as fully as possible.