Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the number of small housing applications that are declined on the basis that they are unsustainable.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
We do not hold information centrally on why permissions for small sites are refused. Each planning application for development is determined in line with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise, taking account of the relevant planning matters and the views of the local community. Small sites play an important contribution to meeting overall housing need. In the year to March 2016, planning permission was granted for 40,000 dwellings on sites of less than 10 units, up 3% on the year to March 2015.
The planning system has strong levers in place to support the delivery of small sites, including through strong national planning policy and extensive permitted development rights. Through the Housing and Planning Act we have introduced further proposals which will help provide greater opportunities for small-and medium-sized companies to enter the development market, promote custom build development and make effective use of developable land.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many small applications for house-building have been made in Torridge and West Devon constituency since 2010.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Separate figures for the numbers of planning applications received for house-building are not collected by the department. Figures are, however, available on the number of decisions made: these show that 1,224 decisions were made on applications for minor housing developments within the Torridge and West Devon constituency between 1 January 2010 and 31 March 2016. Minor housing developments are defined as those including fewer than ten dwellings and where the site has an area of less than one hectare.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the Government's housing policy on the ability of smaller housing applications in rural villages to succeed.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
We believe that meeting the housing needs of rural communities is vitally important.
The National Planning Policy Framework rightly asks local planning authorities to identify and plan to meet the needs of their communities. It is for local planning authorities, in consultation with local people, to use their evidence base to ensure they plan to meet their housing need, shaping where development should and shouldn’t go, through an up to date Local Plan. Over 85,000 affordable homes have been provided in rural local authorities in England between April 2010 and March 2015.
Budget 2016 announced a £60 million fund to help bring forward community-led housing developments in rural and coastal communities. This fund will target those areas which are particularly affected by the impact of second homes. We will be announcing further details on how the fund will be allocated shortly.
The Homes and Communities Agency and my officials meet regularly with those working to deliver homes in rural communities to discuss the provision of affordable rural housing.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that small villages and towns have sufficient housing to meet demand.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
We believe that meeting the housing needs of rural communities is vitally important.
The National Planning Policy Framework rightly asks local planning authorities to identify and plan to meet the needs of their communities. It is for local planning authorities, in consultation with local people, to use their evidence base to ensure they plan to meet their housing need, shaping where development should and shouldn’t go, through an up to date Local Plan. Over 85,000 affordable homes have been provided in rural local authorities in England between April 2010 and March 2015.
Budget 2016 announced a £60 million fund to help bring forward community-led housing developments in rural and coastal communities. This fund will target those areas which are particularly affected by the impact of second homes. We will be announcing further details on how the fund will be allocated shortly.
The Homes and Communities Agency and my officials meet regularly with those working to deliver homes in rural communities to discuss the provision of affordable rural housing.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made in his review of the effects of the one per cent rent reduction on small almshouse charities.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Social Housing Rents (Exceptions and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2016 provided a one year exception for almshouses from the one per cent rent reduction. We are carefully considering the approach for the second year of the reduction onwards, and my officials recently met the Almshouse Association to discuss this. Our aim is to ensure there is a workable and sustainable solution for almshouses, their residents and for taxpayers.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to help people in receipt of housing benefit secure private rented accommodation.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The English Housing Survey, funded by the Department, published its Headline Report 2014-15 in February which showed that 27% of privately rented households are in receipt of housing benefit. This demonstrates that the private rented sector remains accessible to housing benefit claimants.
The key to improving choice and affordability for tenants is to increase the supply of private rented homes. That’s why the Government introduced the £1 billion Build to Rent fund, and the £3.5 billion Private Rented Sector guarantee scheme, to finance thousands of extra homes built specifically for private rent.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to ensure that the Supported People programme funding to local authorities reaches vulnerable people in Devon.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
Funding for the Supporting People Grant was rolled into the local government finance settlement in 2011-12. Decisions on how money should be spent are best made by local authorities. Local authorities have the freedom and flexibility to prioritise and make their own decisions on how they spend their budgets.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to announce a decision on the planning appeal submitted by the Route 39 free school in Torridge.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
This decision has now been announced. The announcement was made on Thursday 18 February.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the post-construction obligations on large volume housing developers in enforcing compliance with building regulations.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
It is the responsibility of the housing developer to ensure that work is compliant with the building regulations both during construction and post-construction. During the construction period, the building control body would be responsible for checking compliance. Post-construction, where there is a new home warranty in place, the warranty provider provides cover for up to ten years after construction and can include compliance with aspects of the building regulations.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and West Devon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Openness of Local Bodies Regulations 2014 on bureaucracy and the cost of services provided by town councils.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
Council meetings are public meetings, open to both the press and public. We have updated analogue access rules, originally introduced by Margaret Thatcher in a Private Members’ Bill in 1960, for a digital age.
Legislation now allows for the press and public to report such meetings through digital and social media, including allowing the filming of council meetings.
As the Explanatory Memorandum to the statutory instrument explains, we do not envisage any substantive cost or burden on local authorities from this. There is no new requirement for councils to film or audio record meetings; rather, legislation has been amended to allow the press and public to make their own reports of a public meeting, if they wish.
These reforms will help bring greater awareness of the good work that councillors do for their local communities, and increase reporting and scrutiny of the local democratic process, ultimately saving taxpayers’ money by reducing waste and inefficiency.