Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
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 demand for temporary accommodation on the finances of local authorities.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Local authorities deliver vital homelessness services, and we recognise that the increasing demand for temporary accommodation places pressures on councils. That is why, taking the 2022/23 and 2023/24 Local Government Finance Settlements together, we have increased the funding available to local government in England in real terms.
In addition, we are providing over £1 billion to councils over three years through the Homelessness Prevention Grant. Autumn Statement announced a further £120 miilion of UK wide funding to help councils address Ukraine and homelessness pressures in 2024/25, and we are increasing the Local Housing Allowance to the 30th percentile of local rents from April.
The Government has allocated £450 million across two years to a third round of the Local Authority Housing Fund, which will help support Afghans on resettlement schemes and others in temporary housing need.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2023 to Question 136709 on High Rise Flats: Safety, whether his Department retains data relating to the number of Large Panel System housing blocks in England over four storeys high that (a) have and (b) have not had their gas systems removed in each year since 2010.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities does not collect data relating to gas connections to England's stock of large panel system housing blocks.
The Government will deliver upgrades to over half a million homes in the coming years through our Social Housing Decarbonisation, Home Upgrade Grant Schemes, and Energy Company Obligation Scheme, all which are open to applications from local authorities.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2023 to Question 136710 on High Rise Flats: Safety, for what forms of direct financial assistance from his Department local authorities can apply to help with the removal of gas systems in Large Panel System housing over four stories in England.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities does not collect data relating to gas connections to England's stock of large panel system housing blocks.
The Government will deliver upgrades to over half a million homes in the coming years through our Social Housing Decarbonisation, Home Upgrade Grant Schemes, and Energy Company Obligation Scheme, all which are open to applications from local authorities.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many Large Panel System housing blocks in England over four storeys high have not had their gas systems removed.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Responsibility for the safety and maintenance of large panel system (LPS) blocks lies with the building owners, including Local Authorities where they are the owners. Local authorities are also responsible for keeping the housing conditions in their area under review (including structural safety) with a view to identifying any action that may need to be taken by them.
To augment the existing approach, we are also setting up the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to oversee the safety and standards of all buildings. It will also implement the new safety case regime which all occupied 'higher-risk buildings' (HRBs) - including all blocks of flats more than 18m - will be subject to. Under this new regime, accountable persons will be required to demonstrate how they are managing building safety risks related to the spread of fire and structural failure, on an ongoing basis. This system will require the accountable person to take all reasonable steps to ensure they have effective and proportionate measures in place to manage building safety risks and that the appropriate level of protection is provided in these buildings.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has provided financial support to local authorities for the removal of gas systems in Large Panel System housing over four storeys high in England.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Responsibility for the safety and maintenance of large panel system (LPS) blocks lies with the building owners, including Local Authorities where they are the owners. Local authorities are also responsible for keeping the housing conditions in their area under review (including structural safety) with a view to identifying any action that may need to be taken by them.
To augment the existing approach, we are also setting up the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to oversee the safety and standards of all buildings. It will also implement the new safety case regime which all occupied 'higher-risk buildings' (HRBs) - including all blocks of flats more than 18m - will be subject to. Under this new regime, accountable persons will be required to demonstrate how they are managing building safety risks related to the spread of fire and structural failure, on an ongoing basis. This system will require the accountable person to take all reasonable steps to ensure they have effective and proportionate measures in place to manage building safety risks and that the appropriate level of protection is provided in these buildings.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many Large Panel System housing blocks over four storeys high have had their gas systems removed in England In each year since 2010 .
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Responsibility for the safety and maintenance of large panel system (LPS) blocks lies with the building owners, including Local Authorities where they are the owners. Local authorities are also responsible for keeping the housing conditions in their area under review (including structural safety) with a view to identifying any action that may need to be taken by them.
To augment the existing approach, we are also setting up the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to oversee the safety and standards of all buildings. It will also implement the new safety case regime which all occupied 'higher-risk buildings' (HRBs) - including all blocks of flats more than 18m - will be subject to. Under this new regime, accountable persons will be required to demonstrate how they are managing building safety risks related to the spread of fire and structural failure, on an ongoing basis. This system will require the accountable person to take all reasonable steps to ensure they have effective and proportionate measures in place to manage building safety risks and that the appropriate level of protection is provided in these buildings.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of progress made by local authorities in ensuring that large panel system housing blocks have been strengthened and their gas systems removed.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Responsibility for the safety and maintenance of large panel system (LPS) blocks lies with the building owners, including Local Authorities where they are the owners. Local authorities are also responsible for keeping the housing conditions in their area under review (including structural safety) with a view to identifying any action that may need to be taken by them.
To augment the existing approach, we are also setting up the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to oversee the safety and standards of all buildings. It will also implement the new safety case regime which all occupied 'higher-risk buildings' (HRBs) - including all blocks of flats more than 18m - will be subject to. Under this new regime, accountable persons will be required to demonstrate how they are managing building safety risks related to the spread of fire and structural failure, on an ongoing basis. This system will require the accountable person to take all reasonable steps to ensure they have effective and proportionate measures in place to manage building safety risks and that the appropriate level of protection is provided in these buildings.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
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 has taken to help ensure that local authorities have carried out the works needed to ensure the safety of large panel system housing.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Responsibility for the safety and maintenance of large panel system (LPS) blocks lies with the building owners, including Local Authorities where they are the owners. Local authorities are also responsible for keeping the housing conditions in their area under review (including structural safety) with a view to identifying any action that may need to be taken by them.
To augment the existing approach, we are also setting up the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to oversee the safety and standards of all buildings. It will also implement the new safety case regime which all occupied 'higher-risk buildings' (HRBs) - including all blocks of flats more than 18m - will be subject to. Under this new regime, accountable persons will be required to demonstrate how they are managing building safety risks related to the spread of fire and structural failure, on an ongoing basis. This system will require the accountable person to take all reasonable steps to ensure they have effective and proportionate measures in place to manage building safety risks and that the appropriate level of protection is provided in these buildings.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the introduction of Investment Zones will have an effect on existing employment rights.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government is committed to protecting employment rights. Policy announcements will be made in the usual way.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether environmental standards in investment zones will be maintained at the same level as standards outside of those zones.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The published expression of interest guidance has been clear that applications which refuse to commit, in principle, to mitigate environmental impacts on or off site will not proceed. Further details will follow in due course.