Asked by: Kelly Tolhurst (Conservative - Rochester and Strood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department made of the potential merits of extending the Building Safety Fund to buildings 11 to 18 metres in height.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government has rightly targeted the Building Safety Fund at the removal of unsafe cladding on higher rise buildings (over 18 metres), where the risk is greater and the cost of cladding remediation is higher. This is in line with longstanding independent expert advice. We know that as buildings get taller there is greater risk. That is why we are making sure that these buildings are remediated and have provided grants to get this done quickly.
Between 11 metres and 18 metres the risk profile of buildings is different and will not always require the same level of remediation when risks are identified. However, we want to make sure that residents and leaseholders in these buildings also have peace of mind and financial certainty. Our financing scheme for these buildings will give them confidence that remediation of dangerous cladding can take place, and leaseholders will not be asked to pay more than £50 a month towards it.
Asked by: Kelly Tolhurst (Conservative - Rochester and Strood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support his Department is providing to leaseholders in buildings of 11 to 18 metres affected by cladding-related issues.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government has announced a generous financing scheme which will mean that buildings of 11-18 metres in height will be able to make use of finance for the remediation of unsafe cladding, with a commitment that leaseholders will not need to pay more than £50 a month towards this. By providing this financing scheme we are ensuring that funding is available for remediation, accelerating the process and making homes safer as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Kelly Tolhurst (Conservative - Rochester and Strood)
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 support the construction of new homes and related infrastructure.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government continues to work closely with the construction sector to ensure that it is in a position to support the economic recovery. This support includes the work of the Construction Leadership Council’s Coronavirus Task Force, which monitors the supply of products and is working to address disruption to supply chains.
Last year, the Government worked with the industry to produce a clear and simple Charter for Safe Working Practice, and updated Site Operating Procedures have been published by the Construction Leadership Council.
MHCLG’s Secretary of State, alongside the Executive Chairman of the Home Builders Federation and the Chief Executive of the Federation of Masters Builders, previously wrote to the housing industry to make it clear that housebuilding, and the supply chains that support it, can continue, and that remains the case under every level of restriction
We have introduced a range of measures, such as allowing builders to seek more flexible construction site working hours with their local councils and extended certain planning permissions that would otherwise have lapsed, in order to keep the sector moving.
For infrastructure, the 2020 Spending Review confirmed an initial funding of £7.1 billion for the National Home Building Fund (NHBF) over the next four years to unlock up to 860,000 homes. The Government has also allocated £900 million through the Getting Building Fund, which will unlock up to 41,500 homes, and £1.1 billion in Local Growth Funding, which will support the unlocking of up to 89,000 homes.
Further funding for the 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.
Asked by: Kelly Tolhurst (Conservative - Rochester and Strood)
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 ensure projects supported under the Housing Infrastructure Fund are completed on time and to budget.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Comprehensive governance and assurance systems are in place both in my Department and at Homes England to manage delivery. Further expert support is provided by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.
Asked by: Kelly Tolhurst (Conservative - Rochester and Strood)
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 review the progress of projects supported by the Housing Infrastructure Fund.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Comprehensive governance and assurance systems are in place both in my Department and at Homes England to manage delivery. Further expert support is provided by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.
Asked by: Kelly Tolhurst (Conservative - Rochester and Strood)
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 support local authorities to complete their Local Plans.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
On 19 January 2021, a Written Statement was made in the House of Commons which set out the importance of maintaining progress to get up to date local plans in place by December 2023. The Written Statement also made it clear that I would consider contacting those authorities where delays to plan-making have occurred to discuss the reasons why this has happened and actions to be undertaken. I have subsequently contacted a number of authorities where delays have occurred, and meetings are currently taking place with them in order to identify what support the Department can offer to help ensure that those areas can benefit from an up to date plan as soon as possible.
Asked by: Kelly Tolhurst (Conservative - Rochester and Strood)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria local authorities are assessed against before his Department decides to intervene in the Local Plan process.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The local plan intervention criteria were confirmed in the 2017 Housing White Paper, and subsequently through a Written Statement in the House of Commons on 16 November 2017:
• the least progress in plan-making had been made;
• policies in plans had not been kept up to date;
• there was higher housing pressure; and
• intervention would have the greatest effect in accelerating local plan production
We also made clear that decisions on intervention would also be informed by the wider planning context in each area (specifically, the extent to which authorities are working cooperatively to put strategic plans in place, and the potential effect that not having a plan has on neighbourhood planning activity)
In August 2020, we consulted on a set of revised intervention criteria through the Planning White Paper:
• the level of housing requirement in the area;
• the planning context of the area, including any co-operation to get plans in place across local planning authority boundaries;
• any exceptional circumstances presented by the local planning authority
Consideration is currently being given to consultation responses received, and any changes to the criteria will be considered alongside the wider proposals for planning reform as set out in the White Paper.