Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding Thornaby on Tees will receive from the (a) Town Deal programme and (b) long-term plan for towns.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Towns Fund has allocated £23.9 million pounds to Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council to deliver 4 projects in the Thornaby area. The projects are now being delivered as part of the Simplification Pathfinder Pilot, a model that brings local growth funding together, providing financial flexibility and streamlined monitoring to aid delivery.
Thornaby-on-Tees was not selected to receive funding through the Long-Term Plan for Towns programme. A list of places selected and the place selection methodology can be found on gov.uk.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help protect the rights of older renters through the Renters (Reform) Bill.
Answered by Jacob Young
Everybody has a right to a secure and decent home. The Renters (Reform) Bill increases protections for all renters, including older renters. Abolishing section 21 no fault evictions, reforming possession grounds and providing stronger protections against backdoor evictions, means older tenants will have much more security in the new system.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of re-evaluating the use of 1991 house prices for council tax calculations.
Answered by Simon Hoare
The Government have no plans to undertake a revaluation of domestic properties.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of giving greater powers to residents who oppose solar farm developments in their area.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to amend the process for eviction of social housing tenants found to have taken part in (a) criminal and (b) antisocial behaviour.
Answered by Jacob Young
The Renters (Reform) Bill will make it easier for landlords to evict anti-social tenants under the assured tenancy system. The Bill was introduced to parliament on 17 May 2023.
The Department has also committed to explore a '3 strikes and you're out' eviction expectation for all social landlords in the recently published Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan. Updates on this work will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps he has taken to help ensure there is an adequate supply of new social housing.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Affordable Homes Programme funds a variety of affordable and social housing. It funds traditional social housing, through social rent and affordable rent, alongside affordable home ownership options, like Shared Ownership.
The provision of affordable housing is part of the Government's plan to build more homes and provide aspiring homeowners with a step onto the housing ladder.
Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country. The Levelling Up White Paper committed to increasing the supply of social rented homes and a large number of the new homes delivered through our Affordable Homes Programme will be for social rent.
Since 2010, we have delivered over 659,500 new affordable homes, including over 458,700 affordable homes for rent, of which over 166,300 homes for social rent.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps with planning authorities to ensure that planning permission is granted only when local services are able to manage with increased demand.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The provision of the right infrastructure at the right time is very important to new and existing communities. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill gives the Government powers to create a new Infrastructure Levy. The Levy will allow infrastructure like schools, GP surgeries and new roads to be provided in a more effective, transparent and efficient manner. Local authorities will be able either to fund this provision themselves, or require developers to deliver them.
The new Levy will be a mandatory, non-negotiable charge, set and collected locally, to largely replace the complex and discretionary Section 106 regime and Community Infrastructure Levy. It will aim to capture land value uplift at a higher level than the current developer contribution regime.
The Levy will be brought forward through regulations that will set out the detail of how it will operate. We have published a technical consultation on the Infrastructure Levy, closing 9 June.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that (a) town centres and (b) high streets have a variety of shops other than charity shops and takeaways.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
Government is introducing measures to help places have more control over their high streets and town centres. High Street Rental Auctions, a measure within the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, aim to empower places to tackle decline by bringing vacant units back into use. They will make town centre tenancies more accessible and affordable for tenants, including SMEs and community groups. Over five years the Government's High Streets Task Force is providing support to local leaders by giving high streets and town centres expert advice to help adapt and thrive, with local authorities receiving access to expert support in areas such as placemaking, planning and design.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that communities are consulted on proposed local infrastructure projects.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, we are improving the planning process so local communities have more control over what is built, where it is built, and what it looks like.
The process for producing plans will be made simpler, faster and easier for communities to engage with through clear opportunities to get involved at key stages in the process.
We will increase and enhance the opportunities for involvement to ensure that development is brought forward in a way that works best for local people. We are clear that communities must have a say on development that affects them and retain the right to comment on applications.
Alongside traditional forms of engagement, digital engagement will remove barriers to engagement and create a more democratic planning system with planning.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to issue guidance to private parking companies on the appropriateness of levels of parking fines.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The department is currently reviewing the levels of private parking charges and additional fees set out in the temporarily withdrawn Private Parking Code of Practice. As part of this review, we are carrying out an impact assessment and will consult before retaking new decisions on these elements of the Code.
The assessment will consider all relevant impacts that arise from the new Code and will cover England, Scotland and Wales where the Code is going to apply
Further details will be set out in due course.