Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government who will make the decision on a lasting memorial to those who (1) suffered, and (2) lost their lives, at Grenfell Tower; and when the decision will be announced.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
In March 2018, a set of Principles that underpin the decision-making process in relation to the future of the Grenfell Tower site were agreed and published, (attached) which led to the establishment of the independent Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission. The terms of reference for the Memorial Commission are to establish a proposal for:
The Memorial Commission is made up of representatives of the bereaved, survivors and local residents, and will work with the local community to agree a consensus on the most fitting and appropriate way to remember those who lost their lives in the Grenfell tragedy. The Memorial Commission is continuing to work with the local community to establish its proposal.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what mayoral deals in urban areas are currently being discussed.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Government remains committed to levelling up through further devolution deals. We are continuing discussions with the North East and Hull and East Yorkshire to create new Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCA), and all areas in England are invited to apply to form an MCA if there is local support.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the working party considering mandatory electrical safety checks in social housing will report.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
In the Charter for Social Housing Residents – Social Housing White Paper, we committed to consult on measures to ensure that social housing residents are protected from harm caused by poor electrical safety. Subsequently, we committed to form an official-led stakeholder working group to inform the content of that consultation.
The Electrical Safety Working Group is underway and will report in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when those people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower fire will be permanently rehoused.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
All 201 households from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk have accepted an offer of accommodation, and over 95% (195 households) have moved into a new permanent home
Currently 6 households are not yet in permanent homes. These households are currently living in high quality temporary accommodation. The Council is working with these households at a pace that suits them.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which Cabinet minister is responsible for the levelling up agenda.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Levelling up all areas of the country remains at the centre of the Government’s agenda and this requires collective action across Government as a whole. We remain committed to levelling up opportunity across the UK so that people feel that they can succeed in their local area. The Spending Review established a set of provisional priority outcomes and metrics across all Departments and policy areas which have been published (attached) here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-2020-documents.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the devolved administrations about their levelling up agenda.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
We are committed to levelling up opportunities across the UK to spread opportunity and investment so that people feel that they can succeed in their local area. UK Government officials have met with their counterparts in the devolved administrations on multiple occasions to discuss the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and the future of local growth funding. This includes regular meetings to discuss any updates, concerns or queries. The UK Government has also held 16 engagement events across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to discuss the UKSPF and local priorities. These were attended by representatives from a breadth of sectors, including officials from the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with local authorities about their levelling up agenda.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Levelling up all areas of the country remains at the centre of the Government’s agenda, empowering our regions by devolving money, resources and control away from Westminster. Government has worked with local leaders throughout the pandemic to ensure every region, city and town will recover from Covid-19 and ultimately level up. Government will continue to engage with mayors to discuss the economic opportunities across our major cities whilst also engaging with local partners who represent the different types of places across the country.
The Devolution and Local Recovery White Paper will cover how the UK Government will partner with places across the UK to build a sustainable economic recovery and set out our plans for future devolution arrangements. Ministers and officials have regular conversations with partners in local government, working together to progress and shape the levelling up agenda.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in the last six months to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Government are holding regular discussions with representatives from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities to understand the issues they are facing. We have written to local authority Chief Executives highlighting the need to mitigate potential impacts of COVID-19 amongst Gypsy and Traveller communities and published online guidance for those leading a nomadic way of life. In addition we have announced funding for GRT children and young people to get extra educational support and launched the £25 million Community Champions scheme, which will fund local authorities and community organisations to improve the reach of official public health guidance about the virus into specific places and groups most at risk from COVID-19.
The Government is determined to ensure everyone gets the support they need to look after themselves and their families during this pandemic.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for extending the Help to Buy scheme to properties other than new builds.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme has dual objectives. It provides an affordable route into Home Ownership by enabling customers to purchase a home with a deposit from as little as 5 per cent, at the same time focusing the scheme on newbuild homes ensures the demand it creates drives up new housing supply. The scheme has been extremely successful in supporting both would-be purchasers and boosting supply.
There are no plans to widen the scheme to include non-newbuilds as this would not deliver the same supply benefits. However the Government does have a range of other policies that support people into homeownership within the wider housing market, such as the Help to Buy ISA (no longer open but can be used for purchases until 2029), the Lifetime ISA and Help to Buy Shared Ownership.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they are making available to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities during the period while national restrictions are in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
My Department has been supporting the co-ordination of cross Government work in response to the impact of Covid-19 on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, to ensure their needs are reflected in response and recovery planning.
I recently wrote to?all local?authority Chief Executives about support some Gypsy and Traveller families may need during the national restrictions?to find?a?safe place to stop?and?access?basic?amenities, including water, sanitation and waste disposal facilities.
Government also published Covid-19?guidance?for people living?a?nomadic lifestyle on traveller sites, in vehicles and canal boats.
Whilst it is for local authorities to determine how best to support vulnerable groups, in line with their public health responsibilities, I intend to continue to work closely with them to ensure that Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Communities needs are met.