To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Stoke-on-Trent City Council: Local Government Finance
Friday 15th September 2023

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding his Department has provided to Stoke-on-Trent City Council in each year since 2019.

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

A breakdown of the key elements of annual funding for each local authority in England, including Stoke-on-Trent, since 2016-2017, as announced at that year's settlement, are set out here .


Written Question
Local Government: Staffordshire
Thursday 24th March 2022

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen collaboration with regional leaders in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Staffordshire.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

My officials are already engaging with the local government sector on all areas of the Levelling Up White Paper (LUWP), to ensure councils feedback informs strengthened collaboration with regional leaders and that joined- up discussions about each place happen. In the LUWP, Government has committed that by 2030, every part of England that wants one will have a devolution deal with powers at or approaching the highest level of devolution and a simplified, long-term funding settlement. We have just announced an ambitious programme of negotiations, including early County Deals, new Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs), as well as deepening the settlements of our strongest MCAs. Devolution provides further opportunities to strengthen regional collaboration by working together with Government and I would encourage Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire to consider the devolution framework in the LUWP. This is only our first step towards achieving the 2030 mission and we will set out a process for other areas to come forward in due course.

The LUWP also announced the creation of Levelling Up Directors, to provide a single point of contact for local areas with central government to work collaboratively to drive new and innovative local policy proposals. Levelling Up Directors will play a critical function in empowering decision-making in local areas and ensuring that central government decision-making is informed and shaped by local insight; the recruitment for these roles has now launched.


Written Question
Local Government Finance: Staffordshire
Thursday 24th March 2022

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Local Government Finance Settlement on local communities in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Staffordshire.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2022/23 makes available an additional £3.7 billion to councils, including funding for adult social care reform.

For Staffordshire County Council, this represents an increase in cash terms of up to 7.3% compared to last year, worth £40.9 million - making available up to £605.5 million in 2022/23.

For Stoke-on-Trent City Council, this represents an increase in cash terms of up to 8.8% compared to last year, worth £19.3 million - making available up to £237.4 million in 2022/23.

These funding increases will allow Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Councils to deliver the services local communities need.


Written Question
Regional Planning and Development: Staffordshire
Thursday 24th March 2022

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposals in the Levelling Up White Paper on regional inequality in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Kidsgrove.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

The Levelling Up White paper sets out the Government’s agenda to empower local leaders and communities to address inequality. This builds on existing Government actions, with Stoke-on-Trent and Kidsgrove already benefitting from significant Government support.

£56 million from the Levelling Up Fund was recently awarded for three city centre regeneration bids across Stoke. The bids were assessed by DLUHC officials impartially and robustly against four key criteria, including an assessment of the economic case. Kidsgrove was awarded £16.9 million from the Towns Fund based on a robust assessment of their Town Investment Plan. I would encourage Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire to consider bids in the second round of the Levelling Up Fund, further details of which will be announced in the spring. Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire will also receive an allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, when it launches later this Spring, to invest in local priority projects in the area which will also support levelling up.


Written Question
Buildings: Safety
Monday 14th June 2021

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

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

What steps his Department is taking to improve building safety.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

The Building Safety Bill announced in the Queen’s speech is a comprehensive piece of legislation which will bring about a once in a generation change to building safety, and will ensure that people, homes, and buildings are safer in future, and that the right people are held to account.

It will introduce a new regulatory regime for high-rise buildings and for construction products and will drive the regulatory, cultural and behavioural changes needed to ensure people are safe in their homes and residents are at the heart of the new, robust system.


Written Question
Devolution: England
Friday 15th January 2021

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to increase devolution in England.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

We want to devolve and decentralise to give more power to local communities, providing an opportunity for all places to level up. We intend to bring forward the English Devolution and Local Recovery White Paper in due course, detailing how the UK Government will partner with places across the UK to build a sustainable economic recovery, including our vision for expanding devolution across England.

On 17 December 2020 the Order for the West Yorkshire devolution deal was laid in Parliament. Subject to parliamentary approval, the newly elected Mayor will have control over an annual £38 million investment fund as well as new powers over transport, education and housing and planning.


Written Question
Regeneration: Staffordshire
Friday 15th January 2021

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to support the regeneration of high streets in (a) Burslem, (b) Tunstall and (c) Kidsgrove.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

This Government is committed to driving the regeneration of towns and High Streets across the country and particularly so in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The £3.6 billion Towns Fund aims to deliver long-term economic and productivity growth to towns and high streets. In September 2019, we announced the initial 101 towns Government would work with to agree Town Deals. Kidsgrove is one of the towns invited to submit a Town Investment Plan. This was received at the end of October 2020 and is now being assessed.

The Government is launching a new Levelling Up Fund (LUF) worth £4 billion for England. This new cross-departmental Fund will invest in a broad range of high value local projects, including upgrading town centres and community infrastructure. It will invest in local infrastructure that has a visible impact on people and their communities and will support economic recovery.

The Spending Review has made available up to £600 million for the LUF in 2021-22, and further funding will be spread over subsequent years up to 2023-24. We intend to publish a prospectus for the Fund and launch the first round of competitions later this year.

The Spending Review also announced that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK for people and places. It will support people and communities, creating new opportunities and spurring regeneration and innovation.

Earlier this year we announced the £900 million “Getting Building Fund” to deliver local employment, skills, and infrastructure priorities, £23.7 million of which was allocated to Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Project.

The Government-backed Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone is making a big impact, enabling redundant and long-neglected brownfield sites to be re-developed, including Chatterley Valley East, Highgate / Ravensdale, and Tunstall Arrow, in Tunstall.

We have provided £10 million of Housing Infrastructure Fund Marginal Viability Funding to transform nine long-standing vacant sites in the Burslem and Middleport areas, helping to breathe new life in the town.

In addition, the High Streets Task Force has launched a range of online resources to provide support to places across the country, which can be found here: https://www.highstreetstaskforce.org.uk/products-and-services/support-for-all-high-streets/


Written Question
Local Government Finance: Staffordshire
Friday 15th January 2021

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support the Government is providing to (a) Stoke-on-Trent City Council, (b) Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and (c) Staffordshire County Council to mitigate a reduction of income due to covid-19.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

The Government is providing significant support to local councils to assist with income reductions as a result of COVID-19. We have already made £528 million of payments under this year’s Sales, Fees and Charges Scheme, from which Stoke-on-Trent City Council (£3.5 million), Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council (£0.55 million) and Staffordshire County Council (£0.94 million) have all benefited, and we have now extended the scheme into the first three months of 2021-22.

To further support local councils with income losses, we are allowing councils to phase repayment of local tax collection fund deficits arising in 2020-21 over three years; we are committing to meet 75 per cent of councils’ irrecoverable losses in council tax and business rates income for 2020-21, worth an estimated £800 million; and we are providing authorities with £670 million of new grant funding to support council tax income, by enabling councils to continue reducing bills in 2021-22 for households least able to pay.

We will continue to monitor the effect of COVID-19 on local councils and would ask that any local authority that is faced with an unmanageable pressure or is concerned about their future financial position should approach MHCLG for a discussion.


Written Question
Housing: Stoke on Trent
Friday 15th January 2021

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

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 promote housebuilding in Stoke-on-Trent.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to PQ 129146 on 21 December 2020.

On a National level, further funding to support housebuilding via the National House Building Fund (NHBF) will be confirmed at the next multi-year Spending Review, delivering on the Government’s commitment to provide £10 billion to unlock homes through provision of infrastructure.

As announced in December 2020, we are also planning to launch a new £100 million Brownfield Land Release fund this month to support brownfield development, estates regeneration, development on public sector land and self and custom-build serviced plots in coming forward. This will be open to councils across England, apart from those Mayoral Combined Authority areas that recently benefited from our £400 million brownfield fund. Stoke on Trent City Council are welcome to bid for this funding and we invite councils to use the time between now and the prospectus launch to start to consider and prepare their bids.


Written Question
Local Government Finance: Staffordshire
Thursday 14th January 2021

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to increase council budgets for (a) Stoke-on-Trent City Council, (b) Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and (c) Staffordshire County Council.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

The provisional local government finance settlement for 2021-22 proposes making an extra £2.2 billion available to fund the provision of critical public services including adult and children’s social care. On average, across England councils will see a 4.5 per cent cash terms increase in Core Spending Power, an increase in real terms.

In addition to this, this Government has provided in excess of £10 billion to local councils in support of Covid-19 pressures, this year and next, including over £7.2 billion of additional expenditure funding in 2020-21.

As part of this:

Stoke-on-Trent City Council will receive £8.7 million in non-ringfenced Covid-19 funding next year, on top of over £25 million this year. This is in addition to a proposed increase in their Core Spending Power of over £10 million in 2021-22.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council will receive nearly £700,000 in non-ringfenced Covid-19 funding next year, on top of almost £2 million this year. This is in addition to a proposed increase in their Core Spending Power of over £200,000 in 2021-22.

Staffordshire County Council will receive over £16 million in non-ringfenced Covid-19 funding next year, on top of over £47.5 million this year. This is in addition to a proposed increase in their Core Spending Power of over £29 million in 2021-22.