Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the terms of reference of the Strategic Futures Advisory Panel of Liverpool City Council.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
On 18 August the Liverpool Strategic Futures Panel was announced. The independent Panel will work alongside Liverpool City Council and their Government appointed Commissioners. The intention of the Panel is to craft a plan for the future with a particular focus driving growth in skills, jobs and opportunities, that stretches beyond the current temporary intervention. Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram was invited to meet with Baroness Blake of Leeds and Sir Howard Bernstein to agree a Terms of Reference and membership for the Panel. We are working closely with Mayor Rotheram's team and will make an announcement in due course to confirm appointments, a Terms of Reference, any remuneration of Panel members and how the Panel will operate, including how elected members from Liverpool City Council engage with the Panel and its work.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why Wirral Council only received 25 per cent of the finance that was awarded to Birkenhead under the Town Deals fund in July 2021.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Birkenhead was awarded £25 million in 2021 for a Town Deal to be delivered over 5 years. This funding will support 10 projects, including the £5.7 million 'Transport Shed' which will create a new transport-based heritage visitor attraction for Merseyside and a £3.5 million 'Wellbeing and Opportunity Hub' serving as a new national Centre of Excellence in how arts and culture can be used to reimagine how mental health is supported and understood. Funding is released annually as projects develop and so far, the town has received over £7.3 million, including £2.25 million of accelerated funding and upfront capital which was made available to kickstart delivery and support towns in the early stages of the programme. We continue to work with Wirral Council and the town to ensure projects are progressing well, on time and to budget.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding they will provide (1) to local authorities, and (2) to other partners, to ensure that Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK receive psychological therapy that is (a) culturally sensitive, and (b) appropriate for people who may have suffered trauma.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, the government is providing funding to local authorities at a rate of £10,500 per person to enable them to provide support to families to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities.
Local authorities will be central in helping families access public services and other support, including access to trauma counselling. The £10,500 funding under the Homes for Ukraine scheme will be un-ringfenced, enabling local authorities to use it as they see best to target local needs. Guidance has been published online at: www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils.
If Ukrainian arrivals experience symptoms of poor mental health, they can access evidence-based mental health treatment via their GP or local Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services. A welcome guide for Ukrainians arriving in the UK, which includes information on accessing Mental Health Services and is available in English, Ukrainian and Russian, has been published at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/welcome-a-guide-for-ukrainians-arriving-in-the-uk.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Commissioners appointed to Liverpool City Council following the publication of the Max Caller Best Value Inspection report on 24 March will be producing regular reports on the progress they are making.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
On 10 June 2021 my Rt Hon. Friend, the then Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Robert Jenrick) updated the House that he had appointed a team of four Commissioners to Liverpool City Council. The Commissioners reporting arrangements were set out in paragraph 28 of the Explanatory Memorandum to the Directions made under section 15(5) and (6) of the Local Government Act 1999. They state that the former Secretary of State asked for six monthly reports from the Commissioners, or at such other times as he might agree with the Commissioners, which allows for a process for regular review of whether it would be appropriate for any function exercisable by the Commissioners to be returned to the Authority. The first report was expected as soon as was practicable within the first three months of the intervention.
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities made a Written Ministerial Statement and published the Commissioner’s first report, along with his response, on 25 November 2021. The Commissioners are due to report to the Secretary of State again in April 2022. This will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total cost of the Commissioners appointed to Liverpool City Council following the publication of the Max Caller Best Value Inspection report on 24 March; and who is responsible for that cost.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
On 10 June 2021 my Rt Hon. Friend, the then Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Robert Jenrick) updated the House that he had appointed a team of four Commissioners to Liverpool City Council. Further to my answer of 9 April 2021 , the Commissioners pay arrangements were set out in paragraph 26 of the Explanatory Memorandum to the Directions made under section 15(5) and (6) of the Local Government Act 1999. They provide that the Commissioners' reasonable expenses and such fees as the Secretary of State determines are to be paid to them by the Authority.
Commissioners publish their fees and any expenses claimed on Liverpool City Council's website .
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cities have single member electoral wards; what are the criteria for establishing a single member electoral ward; and in such wards, what contingency measures can be taken if the single representative is unable to undertake their duties.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
In England, warding arrangements and reviews of them are a matter for the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, an independent body accountable to Parliament. When undertaking reviews, the Commission consults with the councils themselves and local communities. All of the Commission’s recommendations as to warding arrangements are subject to Parliamentary approval. Any contingency measures are a matter for the relevant council itself to arrange.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the total number of Brownfield sites available for use in England.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
My Department's analysis of data from local authority websites, including brownfield land registers, suggests that there are over 28,000 hectares of developable brownfield land across England, enough for at least a million dwellings. It should be noted, however, that brownfield land registers record only a subset of brownfield land: only that which is regarded as being suitable for housing and where certain criteria have been met.
The most relevant and up-to-date statistics published by the department are its Land use in England 2018 figures, which are available (attached) in several spreadsheets at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-land-use. These tables include regional breakdowns.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new homes were provided for social rent by (1) councils, and (2) housing associations, in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Government is committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing of a variety of tenures so that we can support a range of people in different circumstances and stages in their lives. We’re investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over 5 years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. Since 2010, we’ve delivered over 542,400 new affordable homes, including over 382,300 affordable homes for rent, of which over 149,400 homes for social rent.
The table below shows the number of new social rent homes delivered in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 by provider. The figures include both new build and acquisitions of existing dwellings for affordable housing.
| Local Authority | Private Registered Providers | Non-registered Providers | Unknown | All |
2017-18 | 1,457 | 4,599 | 284 | 402 | 6,742 |
2018-19 | 1,746 | 4,001 | 73 | 517 | 6,337 |
2019-20 | 1,765 | 4,231 | 73 | 575 | 6,644 |
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Liverpool City Council: Best Value inspection report by Max Caller CBE, published on 24 March, which recommended that single-member district council wards be implemented in Liverpool for 2023, whether they intend to proceed with the district council elections in that city in 2022 with the existing ward arrangements.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
On 10 June, the Secretary of State announced via a Written Ministerial Statement his intention to make an Order using his powers in the Local Government Act 2000 providing for whole council elections from 2023. He confirmed that the Order would postpone for one year the May 2022 elections of one third of Liverpool City Councillors and their extend terms of office accordingly. The announcement can be viewed (attached) here:https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-06-10/hcws84
In this announcement, the Secretary of State also clarified that he had directed the Council to consider and consult upon a new submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE), as part of the current boundary review, to include consideration of a proposal to reduce the number of Councillors to those consistent with elections on the basis of predominantly single member wards; that is single member wards across the whole Council area save where the LGBCE consider a multi member ward is essential to balance their statutory duties of delivering electoral equality, reflecting interests and identities of local communities, and of promoting effective and convenient local government. The new warding arrangements following the boundary review will be in place ahead of the 2023 elections.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the role and responsibilities of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England will be affected by the inspection of Liverpool City Council.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England, an independent Parliamentary body, is responsible for deciding, and implementing by order subject to a Parliamentary process, warding arrangements and council size as part of their electoral reviews of local government areas. The Commission, when undertaking their electoral review of Liverpool, will have an interest in the recommendations of the Best Value Inspection Report into Liverpool City Council that relate to warding and council size. These issues, however, are entirely a matter for the Commission to decide in accordance with their existing statutory responsibilities.