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Written Question
Holiday Accommodation
Wednesday 8th March 2023

Asked by: Gary Streeter (Conservative - South West Devon)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance his Department issues on the liability of holiday lets that are not habitable for permanent occupation to a higher rate of council tax as second homes.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

Where a property is available for short-term lets for 140 days or more in a year, it will be assessed for business rates, rather than council tax, and would not be liable for a council tax premium.

From April 2023, short term lets will need to be able to demonstrate 70 days of actual short-term letting activity, that they were available for 140 days in the previous year, and will be available for 140 days in the forthcoming year, in order to be liable for business rates.


Written Question
Housing: Solar Power
Thursday 20th October 2022

Asked by: Gary Streeter (Conservative - South West Devon)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to require the mandatory installation of solar panels on new housing developments.

Answered by Paul Scully

Renewable energy, such as that generated from solar panels, is a key part of our strategy to get to net zero via a decarbonised electricity grid. We must therefore take the opportunity, where appropriate, to fit solar panels.

However, some homes may not be suitable for solar panels. For instance, due to shading, building orientation, roof shape/size, or visual amenity.

In December 2021 the Government introduced an uplift in energy efficiency standards, which came into force in June 2022. The uplift delivers a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions, with new homes now expected to produce around 30% less CO2 emissions compared to those built to the previous standards.

Our approach to achieving higher standards remains technology-neutral, to provide developers with the flexibility to choose the most appropriate and cost-effective solutions for their site. We expect, however, that in order to comply with the uplift, most developers will choose to install solar panels on new homes or use other low-carbon technology such as a heat pump.

As well as improving the energy efficiency of new buildings in the short term, the uplift will act as a stepping-stone to the Future Homes Standard, which will be implemented in 2025.  The Future Homes Standard will ensure all new homes are net zero ready, meaning they will become zero carbon when the electricity grid decarbonises without the need for any retrofit work.


Written Question
Regeneration: Loans
Monday 30th May 2022

Asked by: Gary Streeter (Conservative - South West Devon)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether public support for a regeneration project is required in order for a local authority to be eligible for a loan from the Public Works Loan Board to help fund that project.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade

Under the current system, local authorities are responsible for their borrowing and investment decisions as they are best able to understand local needs. Where an authority borrows from the Public Works Loan Board, they must satisfy themselves that all borrowing is affordable and is compliant with HM Treasury’s lending terms and conditions, which do not permit borrowing if the authority intends to make investments primarily for yield. The authority remains accountable to their electorate for individual investment decisions, including those for the purposes of regeneration.

Authorities may borrow without prior government consent, except for smaller authorities such as parish and town councils which require the government’s approval to borrow for capital purposes. The government reviews all applications before issuing approval. As part of this process, applicants must satisfy the Department’s assessment criteria, which includes providing evidence that the council has considered local support for the capital plans.


Written Question
Regeneration: Loans
Monday 30th May 2022

Asked by: Gary Streeter (Conservative - South West Devon)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what conditions are typically linked to a loan issued by the Public Works Loan Board to a local authority to carry out regeneration works.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade

Under the current system, local authorities are responsible for their borrowing and investment decisions as they are best able to understand local needs. Where an authority borrows from the Public Works Loan Board, they must satisfy themselves that all borrowing is affordable and is compliant with HM Treasury’s lending terms and conditions, which do not permit borrowing if the authority intends to make investments primarily for yield. The authority remains accountable to their electorate for individual investment decisions, including those for the purposes of regeneration.

Authorities may borrow without prior government consent, except for smaller authorities such as parish and town councils which require the government’s approval to borrow for capital purposes. The government reviews all applications before issuing approval. As part of this process, applicants must satisfy the Department’s assessment criteria, which includes providing evidence that the council has considered local support for the capital plans.


Written Question
First Time Buyers
Monday 14th June 2021

Asked by: Gary Streeter (Conservative - South West Devon)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the 30 per cent discount of the First Homes policy is intended to replace the requirement for a deposit from the purchaser or whether a deposit is still required.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

The discount is not intended to replace the deposit on a home but will make it significantly cheaper. We expect mortgage companies to be able to offer high loan-to-value mortgages on the discounted price of a First Home which, combined with the reduced cost of the home itself, could mean deposits are thousands of pounds cheaper than purchasing the same home on the open market.


Written Question
First Time Buyers
Monday 14th June 2021

Asked by: Gary Streeter (Conservative - South West Devon)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his policy is in the event that a developer cannot find sufficient purchasers to satisfy the First Homes policy.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

We do not anticipate a lack of demand for First Homes - we are already receiving a very high level of interest in these homes since the launch of the first site in Bolsover, Derbyshire on 4 June.

However, our guidance for First Homes, published alongside the written ministerial statement on 24 May 2021, recommends that if a home remains unsold after a total of 6 months of marketing, despite making every reasonable effort to ensure the home is sold to a suitable person, the developer should be able to release the home onto the open market and pay the local authority a percentage of the sale price equal to the proposed percentage discount. This will ensure that home do not remain unsold long term, whilst also ensuring developers still make the contributions required of them under the conditions of their planning permission.


Written Question
Shared Ownership: Housing Associations
Monday 13th January 2020

Asked by: Gary Streeter (Conservative - South West Devon)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to introduce a right to shared ownership for housing association tenants; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of such proposals on the provision of affordable housing in perpetuity.

Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Government is committed to delivering home ownership to more people including those who currently cannot access it. That's why on 17 October, the government announced a new Right to Shared Ownership for Housing Association tenants.

The Right to Shared Ownership will apply to all new rental homes delivered through Government grant funding where perpetuity provisions do not apply. A Right to Shared Ownership sale will result in Government subsidy being recycled to support the delivery of future affordable homes to help meet the need of future generations.


Written Question
Affordable Housing
Tuesday 22nd October 2019

Asked by: Gary Streeter (Conservative - South West Devon)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his Department's definition of subsidy is as used in Annex 2A of the definition of affordable housing in the National Planning Framework.

Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The National Planning Policy Framework provides a definition of affordable housing for planning purposes. Within that, section a) provides a definition of affordable housing for rent. This includes a provision that homes remain at an affordable price for future eligible households, or for the subsidy to be recycled for alternative affordable housing provision.

The reference to subsidy within this section usually relates to where government has provided capital grant, in particular grant funding provided through the Affordable Homes Programme.


Written Question
Rent to Buy Scheme
Thursday 26th April 2018

Asked by: Gary Streeter (Conservative - South West Devon)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to promote the Rent to Buy scheme as a route into home ownership; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Heather Wheeler

The Government is determined to extend the opportunity of home ownership to hard working families who aspire to home ownership but may be otherwise unable to afford it. We are investing over £9 billion in affordable homes, including Rent to Buy, through the Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21. The programme is flexible and sets no ringfences on particular forms of tenure, so providers can bid into the programme to develop a wide range of homes to meet the housing needs of a range of people in different circumstances and housing markets.


Written Question
Coastal Areas: South West
Tuesday 23rd January 2018

Asked by: Gary Streeter (Conservative - South West Devon)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department has allocated to projects in (a) Plymouth and (b) South West Devon constituency from the Coastal Communities Fund in each year for which information is available.

Answered by Jake Berry

Plymouth has received Coastal Community Fund grants worth £2.67 million for two projects since 2013: £670,000 in 2013 for the regeneration of Plymouth’s waterfront; and £2 million in 2017 for create new and refurbish existing cultural and heritage venues in Plymouth.

Funding is determined through a competitive bid-led process based on demonstrating the strongest fit with the programme's outcomes and criteria.

The next bidding round is due to open shortly and will give all coastal communities another opportunity to bid for funds.