Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the rate of remuneration for (a) cleaners, (b) security guards and (c) catering staff in his Department in (i) Greater London and (ii) outside Greater London.
Answered by Jake Berry
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not directly employ (a) cleaners (b) security guards and (c) catering staff.
Cleaning, security guarding and catering services in buildings managed by the Department are outsourced under facilities management contracts. Suppliers are responsible for setting rates of pay for their staff and rates vary dependent on their age, location and market rates. All suppliers are required to pay, as a minimum, either the National Minimum Wage or the National Living Wage. The rates set by government for the National Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage are to rise in April 2019.
Cleaning, security guarding and catering services to the Department’s headquarters based in 2 Marsham Street are provided under a contract managed by the Home Office.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have had with (i) Stoke-on-Trent City Council, (ii) Staffordshire County Council, (iii) Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, (iv) Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and (v) Stafford Borough Council on local government reorganisation in Staffordshire.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
Ministers and officials from my Department have regular discussions with local authorities covering a wide range of subjects, which can include local government reorganisation, but we have had no specific discussions with these councils about local government reorganisation in Staffordshire.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities in England have completed a local plan.
Answered by Dominic Raab
In the 14 years since the current plan making regime was introduced, 280 authorities have adopted a plan with 58 authorities yet to adopt. Of the 58 authorities yet to adopt a plan, 34 have submitted a plan that is now at examination, 6 have published a plan ahead of examination and 18 are yet to publish. Having an out of date plan is not an option and we will, when necessary, intervene to ensure that plans are put in place, so that communities are not disadvantaged by unplanned growth.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many planning applications rejected by their relevant planning authority have subsequently been granted by the Planning Inspectorate in each calendar year since 1 January 2011; and if he will publish that same data by planning authority.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The relevant information can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/planning-inspectorate-statistics
Table 2.4 gives overall planning appeals received and allowed back to 2010 (by financial year)
Table 5.1 gives the local authority splits for Planning for the last financial year (2017/18 only)
We also publish the entirety of our appeals data (in the interest of transparency) at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/planning-inspectorate-appeals-database
which is published every quarter and covers a rolling 5 years’ worth of appeal decisions.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many homes have been built on greenfield sites in each calendar year since 1 January 2011.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The Department does not specifically monitor the number of homes built on greenfield sites. It does, however, produce statistics on the estimated percentage of new residential addresses created on non-previously developed land. Figures for 2013-14 to 2017-18 are given in Live Table P301, which is available within the ‘2016-17 residential address change tables’ spreadsheet at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-land-use-change-statistics.
The Government is continuing to identify ways to increase the take-up of brownfield land, especially for new homes, and ensure that suitable brownfield is prioritised for development. Since the end of 2016-17, almost all councils have published an easy-to-access register of brownfield land suitable for new homes, bringing many more sites to the attention of house builders, self-builders and investors. Our revised National Planning Policy Framework, on which we have consulted, urges the most effective use of land, including making as much use as possible of brownfield land. We are analysing the consultation responses.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of empty privately owned homes.
Answered by Dominic Raab
We continue to support local authorities to encourage efficient use of our existing stock, making best use of homes that have been empty. Local authorities have powers and incentives to tackle empty homes. Through the New Homes Bonus, they earn the same financial reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one.
The Ratings (Property in Common Occupation) and Council Tax (Empty Dwellings) Bill will permit a charge of up to 200 per cent of normal council tax on properties that have been empty for two years or more, instead of the current limit of 150 per cent.
Great progress has been made in recent years and the number of empty homes stands at its lowest since records began. At May 2010, over 300,000 homes in England had been standing empty for longer than 6 months. As of October 2017, the number of long term empty properties had fallen to 205,293
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of local authorities that have identified a valid five year housing land supply.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The National Planning Policy Framework requires local planning authorities to identify five years’ worth of deliverable housing sites against their housing requirements. Most areas produce an annual assessment of their five year land supply. However, this position can alter due to market conditions and challenge at appeal, therefore the department does not estimate five year housing land supply at any one point in time.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the effect on local authority Fire and Rescue services of the Ministry of Defence's proposals to contract-out the Defence Fire and Rescue Service.
Answered by Dominic Raab
There have been no recent discussions between Ministers in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Secretary of State for Defence on the effect on local authority Fire and Rescue services of the Ministry of Defence's proposals to contract-out the Defence Fire and Rescue Service. Responsibility for fire and rescue policy rests with the Home Office.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and which local authorities are engaged in discussions with his Department on reorganisation from a two-tier structure to unitary status.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
Ministers and officials regularly have discussions with many local authorities about a wide range of issues, which may include reorganisation from a two tier structure to unitary status.
In particular there have been discussions with councils in Buckinghamshire, Dorset and Oxfordshire, where proposals for unitarisation have been submitted, and with councils in Northamptonshire which have been invited to make unitary proposals.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have had with (i) Stoke-on-Trent City Council, (ii) Staffordshire County Council, (iii) Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, (iv) Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and (v) Stafford Borough Council on local government reorganisation in Staffordshire.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
Whilst Ministers and officials regularly have discussions with councils, including those in Staffordshire, on a wide range of issues that may include local government reorganisation, no specific discussions on reorganisation have been held during this Parliament with Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Staffordshire County Council, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council or Stafford Borough Council.