Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's consultation, Planning for the Future, which closed on 29 October 2020, which environment sector organisations his Department invited to take part in its policy sprint exercises ahead of the forthcoming Planning Bill.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Our Planning for the Future White Paper was published in August 2020. It sets out our vision for a reformed planning system which would be simpler, quicker and more accessible for communities to engage with, providing a more certain system for all.
Alongside the publication, we ran an extensive series of roundtables with representatives from across the planning system, including with local authorities, SMEs, environmental groups, heritage bodies and representatives from civil society.
In addition, the accompanying consultation received over 44,000 responses – providing valuable feedback on our proposals and demonstrating just how important this is to people.
Since the close of the consultation, we have continued to regularly engage with stakeholders. This has included representatives from local government, as well as the planning, development and environmental sectors, statutory consultees, and other users of the planning system. Their perspective and knowledge have been vital in helping us to develop and refine the ideas set out in the White Paper, and we look forward to continuing to engage with a wide range of stakeholders throughout this process.
As we are in an active state of policy development, I hope you will appreciate that we are not able to share further details at this time. We will publish a response to the consultation setting out our next steps shortly, which will provide a basis for further engagement with the sector.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's consultation, Planning for the Future, which closed on 29 October 2020, which sectors his Department invited to participate in its co-production or policy sprint discussions on reform of the planning system; and if he will publish a full list of all of the organisations that have (a) been invited to participate and (b) attended co-production or policy sprint discussions to date.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Our Planning for the Future White Paper was published in August 2020. It sets out our vision for a reformed planning system which would be simpler, quicker and more accessible for communities to engage with, providing a more certain system for all.
Alongside the publication, we ran an extensive series of roundtables with representatives from across the planning system, including with local authorities, SMEs, environmental groups, heritage bodies and representatives from civil society.
In addition, the accompanying consultation received over 44,000 responses – providing valuable feedback on our proposals and demonstrating just how important this is to people.
Since the close of the consultation, we have continued to regularly engage with stakeholders. This has included representatives from local government, as well as the planning, development and environmental sectors, statutory consultees, and other users of the planning system. Their perspective and knowledge have been vital in helping us to develop and refine the ideas set out in the White Paper, and we look forward to continuing to engage with a wide range of stakeholders throughout this process.
As we are in an active state of policy development, I hope you will appreciate that we are not able to share further details at this time. We will publish a response to the consultation setting out our next steps shortly, which will provide a basis for further engagement with the sector.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's consultation, Planning for the Future, which closed on 29 October 2020, what steps his Department has taken to facilitate cross-sector consultation to develop policy proposals on planning reform in advance of the Planning Bill.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Our Planning for the Future White Paper was published in August 2020. It sets out our vision for a reformed planning system which would be simpler, quicker and more accessible for communities to engage with, providing a more certain system for all.
Alongside the publication, we ran an extensive series of roundtables with representatives from across the planning system, including with local authorities, SMEs, environmental groups, heritage bodies and representatives from civil society.
In addition, the accompanying consultation received over 44,000 responses – providing valuable feedback on our proposals and demonstrating just how important this is to people.
Since the close of the consultation, we have continued to regularly engage with stakeholders. This has included representatives from local government, as well as the planning, development and environmental sectors, statutory consultees, and other users of the planning system. Their perspective and knowledge have been vital in helping us to develop and refine the ideas set out in the White Paper, and we look forward to continuing to engage with a wide range of stakeholders throughout this process.
As we are in an active state of policy development, I hope you will appreciate that we are not able to share further details at this time. We will publish a response to the consultation setting out our next steps shortly, which will provide a basis for further engagement with the sector.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
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 ensure that local authorities are adequately resourced to communicate key messages to support the roadmap out of the covid-19 lockdown.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government has allocated over £8 billion directly to councils since the start of the pandemic. And at the Spending Review, the Chancellor announced that local authorities will receive over £3 billion of additional support for COVID-19 in 2021-22. This takes the total support committed to councils in England to tackle the impacts of COVID-19 to over £11 billion.
We recognise that local authorities are best placed to decide how to meet the major COVID-19 service pressures in their area, and we have provided an unprecedented level of un-ringfenced funding - with over £4.6 billion in un-ringfenced funding to councils across four tranches throughout the financial year. This funding may be used for public health communications campaigns.
Additionally, the Government has provided funding to support the ongoing public health and outbreak management costs of tackling coronavirus. This funding, worth over £225 million per month during the National Lockdown, will be provided until the end of March 2021, and can be used to fund local coronavirus response public health activities including public health communications.
From 1 April 2021, a further £400 million of funding will be allocated from the Contain Outbreak Management Fund, to be allocated to all local authorities in England. This is to cover further public health activities in 2021-22.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to Chapter 3 of his Department's consultation, National Planning Policy Framework and National Model Design Code: consultation proposals, updated on 8 February 2021 on proposed changes to paragraph 35 of the National Planning Policy Framework, what criteria will be used to assess whether local plans and spatial development strategies are sound; and what other statements of national planning policy are referred to in that paragraph.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Plans are 'sound' if they are found by an independent Inspector to have been positively prepared, and justified, and are effective and consistent with national policy. The proposed changes to paragraph 35 of the National Planning Policy Framework currently out for consultation, only refers to the section 35 d) of paragraph 35. The purpose of this proposal is to clarify that plans should be consistent with national policies, for example Written Ministerial Statements and other national policies, not just those policies in the Framework at its time of publication. This is a consultation proposal and I would encourage everyone one with a interest in this proposal to respond, the consultation closes at 11.45 pm, Saturday 27 March 2021.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
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 fully compensate local authorities for costs incurred and revenue lost as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government has allocated over £8 billion directly to councils since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chancellor also announced at the 2020 Spending Review that local authorities will receive over £3 billion of additional support in 2021-22. The latest data from our monthly financial monitoring exercise suggests that estimated additional expenditure over the course of the current financial year 2020-21 is £7.3 billon
As part of our support package, councils have access to a compensation scheme for lost income from sales, fees and charges, which has been extended to June 2021, through which the Government will support local councils with 75% of losses beyond the first 5%.
We will continue to closely monitor the situation and work with local government to ensure they are managing as the pandemic progresses and we have a collective understanding of the costs they are facing.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
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 ensure that live-in lodgers are protected from eviction during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The provisions relating to extending notice periods under the Coronavirus Act only apply to statutory tenants and licensees who are covered by the Protection from Eviction Act. Some lodgers will be a statutory tenant or a licensee, others will fall outside of this legislation.
In these difficult times, we urge everyone to show compassion and exercise flexibility as far as possible. We encourage landlords to allow lodgers to remain in their homes if they want to stay.
Lodgers who can do so must continue to pay their rent. If they cannot they should speak to their landlord at the earliest opportunity. An early conversation between landlord and tenant can help both parties to agree a plan if tenants are struggling to pay their rent.
If a lodger is being forced out illegally, they should contact the police and their local authority.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
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 lodgers that have been evicted in (a) London, (b) Southwark and (c) Lambeth since March 2020.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The department does not hold data on the number of lodgers evicted or under threat of eviction.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
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 lodgers who have been evicted or are at risk of eviction as a result of having no recourse to public funds status since March 2020.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Department does not hold data on the number of lodgers evicted or the reason for the eviction.
The Government is committed to make sure the very vulnerable are protected and that is why, during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have made many protections available to migrants with no recourse to public funds, such as the Job Retention Scheme
Local authorities may also provide basic safety net support, regardless of immigration status, where there are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems or family cases where the wellbeing of a child is in question.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
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 lodgers who have been evicted or at risk of eviction as a result of being unable to access universal credit since March 2020.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Department does not hold data on the number of lodgers evicted or the reason for the eviction.
The Department for Work and Pensions provides a range of support to different vulnerable groups who may be at risk of homelessness: they help them to make Universal Credit claims, and provide tailored support through Jobcentre Plus and priority access to the Work and Health Programme.