Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of preventing the general sale of Affordable Housing at a discount to the open market valuation price without the imposition of eligibility criteria.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
If Registered Providers (RPs) sell homes that have been grant funded as affordable housing on the open market then the agencies who provided the funding can recover that grant. Those agencies can require the RPs to reinvest money in new affordable housing.
All social housing providers are required to comply with standards set by the Regulator for Social Housing. These standards maintain that RPs must have governance arrangements in place that safeguard taxpayers' interests as well as protecting social housing assets and the wider reputation of the sector.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the National Resilience Framework, published in December 2022, what estimate he has made of the cost to (a) recruit and (b) employ Chief Resilience Officers for each Local Resilience Forum for the next five years.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The UK Government Resilience Framework (UKGRF) commits the government to piloting proposals to strengthen Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) by 2025, with full implementation of the proposed changes to follow, by 2030. We are working closely with LRFs to take these pilots forward and the outcome of these pilots, which will inform our approach to any national roll out, including the cost of any proposed changes. This is reflected in the commitment in the UKGRF to consider options for funding models for any future expanded responsibilities and expectations of LRFs in England.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to revise the National Planning Policy Framework on the development of new onshore wind farms; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
We have consulted on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework for onshore wind. We will respond in due course.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing guidance to housing associations to cap rent increases for shared ownership properties at seven per cent.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The Government welcomes the fact that housing associations representing 95% of that sector's Shared Ownership homes have already confirmed that they will limit rent increases to no more than 7% in 2023-24. We are pleased to note that a significant number of for-profit providers and local authorities have also chosen to adopt this approach.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress he has made on ending Section 21 evictions.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave in Oral Parliamentary Questions on 27 March 2023 (Official Report, HC, Volume 730, Column 642).
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the UK Government Resilience Framework, published on 19 December 2022, whether he plans to increase funding for Local Resilience Forums.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
In late 2021, DLUHC agreed a £22 million three-year funding settlement for Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) in England starting in the 22/23 financial year. This additional UK Government funding compliments the contributions of LRF partners. The UK Government Resilience Framework commits the Government to consider options for funding models for any future expanded responsibilities and expectations of LRFs in England.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether her Department is taking steps to provide support to people who were classed as key workers and have been affected long Covid-19 with threats of eviction.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
Information on where to seek help and support is available on the GOV.UK website at the following link.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps the Government has taken to (a) ensure that all UK households know about the new voter ID requirement and (b) increase the number of people in possession of a valid ID; and what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of carrying out an all-household mailing, to help ensure that households know about the photo ID requirements for voting.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 124038 on the 19 January 2023.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, (a) how many and (b) which developers who signed the Building Safety Pledge have signed the developer remediation contract as of 28 February 2023.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 153893 on 2 March 2023.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
With reference to the cost of living crisis, to ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps his Department has taken to prevent the evictions of people with disabilities and their families from (a) private rented accommodation and (b) social housing.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
The Government is committed to fundamentally improving the private rented sector and providing a better deal for renters, including by halving levels of non-decency in all rented homes by 2030.
Disabled people in the private rented sector can also apply to their local authority for a Disabled Facilities Grant, that can contribute towards the cost of adapting an eligible person's home to make it more suitable. Since 2010 Government has invested £4.8bn billion into the Disabled Facilities Grant (2010-11 to 2022-23), delivering an estimated 490,000 home adaptations.
All renters deserve to feel secure in their homes. We will deliver our manifesto commitment to abolish section 21 no fault evictions.
Where tenants in social housing are struggling with cost of living or rent payments, the Pre-Action Protocol for Possession Claims by Social Landlords, sets out the actions social landlords should take before they consider taking legal action.