Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of allowing Councils to borrow from the Public Works Loan Board at discounted rates in order to build homes for social rent.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities already have access to a preferential rate from the Public Works Loans Board to support housebuilding in the Housing Revenue Account. The preferential rate of gilts +0.4% is available until June 2025. The Government is committed to supporting councils to build their capacity and invest in new social rented homes.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to reform the eligibility criteria for the Flood Recovery Framework to include more (a) households and (b) businesses that have experienced flooding.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
A post activation review of the Flood Recovery Framework is underway and I expect this to report in the Autumn.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will ensure that the fair funding formula accounts for the increased cost of delivering services in rural areas.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement. The department will work with local government leaders to ensure they are better able to fulfil their statutory duties.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of social rented properties which do not include floor coverings in all habitable rooms on the health of tenants.
Answered by Jacob Young
Landlords must ensure homes are of a decent standard and investigate and respond to complaints quickly. All residents have the right to a safe, warm and decent home. If residents are unhappy, they can contact the Housing Ombudsman.
The Government is currently reviewing the Decent Homes Standard and has been considering the question of floor coverings in social housing as part of this work.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had discussions with (a) housing associations and (b) local authorities on the full provision of flooring social housing.
Answered by Jacob Young
Landlords must ensure homes are of a decent standard and investigate and respond to complaints quickly. All residents have the right to a safe, warm and decent home. If residents are unhappy, they can contact the Housing Ombudsman.
The Government is currently reviewing the Decent Homes Standard and has been considering the question of floor coverings in social housing as part of this work.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will update the Decent Homes Standard to mandate social rented properties to provide floor coverings for all habitable rooms.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 26801 on 22 May 2024.
There is currently no legislation for social housing landlords to provide floor coverings, nor is there any legislation for social housing landlords to strip floor coverings out between lets. We are looking at this as part of our ongoing review into the Decent Homes Standard (DHS).
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of purchasing floor coverings for all habitable rooms for a new social rented home tenant.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 26801 on 22 May 2024.
There is currently no legislation for social housing landlords to provide floor coverings, nor is there any legislation for social housing landlords to strip floor coverings out between lets. We are looking at this as part of our ongoing review into the Decent Homes Standard (DHS).
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 estimate of the number of social housing tenants who live without full floor covering in their property.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 26801 on 22 May 2024.
There is currently no legislation for social housing landlords to provide floor coverings, nor is there any legislation for social housing landlords to strip floor coverings out between lets. We are looking at this as part of our ongoing review into the Decent Homes Standard (DHS).
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2023 to Question 1227 on Local Government Finance: Audit, how many new professionals have qualified to audit local authority accounts from the Chartered Institute of Public Accountancy; and how that figure compares with expectations for 2024.
Answered by Simon Hoare
The Local Audit Qualification was launched by the Chartered Institute of Public Accountancy. The department does not hold the requested information.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many councils had a completed audit on time for the financial year 2023-2024.
Answered by Simon Hoare
The deadline for councils in England to publish audited accounts for financial year 2023/24 has not yet passed.