Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the legal strength and enforceability of the TA6 seller’s property information form in residential property transactions.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The TA6 Property Information Form is designed and provided by the Law Society. The form itself is not prescribed in legislation, nor subject to regulatory oversight.
There are wider requirements, under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 for example, that any property information that would help a prospective homebuyer to make an informed decision is not hidden or omitted.
Statements made in the TA6 in a conveyancing transaction can be caught by this legislation. Where inaccurate or misleading information is communicated by the seller to the buyer then the buyer may, depending on the circumstances, seek redress through the courts.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department has taken to help tackle empty shops on high streets.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Vacancy is a blight that we see too often in our towns.
We are supporting areas with new powers to help fill empty premises including High Street Rental Auctions and a new ‘right to buy’ to help prevent the loss of valued assets by bringing them into community ownership.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number and proportion of single-person council tax reduction recipients that are pensioners.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The Government has not historically collected data on the individual characteristics of residents of households receiving a single person council tax discount.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of devolution on local economies.
Answered by Jim McMahon
This Government is committed to transferring power out of Westminster and into local communities, with landmark legislation to expand devolution across England, devolve further powers to local leaders, those with local knowledge and those with skin in the game, to drive economic growth, and empower local communities.
International evidence shows that, if done correctly, devolution can lead to economic growth and increased productivity. That is why we have committed to introducing an English Devolution Bill, which will give mayors and combined authorities the powers they need to implement local growth plans - setting a clear and bespoke direction for each local economy across the country.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Governement, whether he is consulting on permitting a further two per cent increase to local authority precepts in order to fund social care.
Answered by Luke Hall
My Department has now published the Local Government Finance Settlement technical consultation, which includes a proposal for an adult social care precept for local authorities with responsibility for adult social care of 2 per cent on top of the core council tax referendum principle. The consultation can be found on Gov.uk website.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many jobs linked directly to the Coastal Communities Fund have been created in North East Lincolnshire.
Answered by Jake Berry
North East Lincolnshire has received one Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) grant award to date. CoastNEL, the Coastal Community Team for North East Lincolnshire, was awarded a £3.8 million grant in 2017 to support the regeneration of Cleethorpes for the benefit of visitors, businesses and local residents.
The project is still ongoing and actual job creation figures will not be reported on until autumn 2019. It is, however, currently forecast to create up to 56 jobs directly, 379 jobs indirectly and to safeguard a further 10 jobs in the local economy.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to increase sustainable employment opportunities in coastal communities.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Government is working in partnership with places to develop Local Industrial Strategies by Spring 2020 to ensure that all places, including coastal communities, can contribute to and benefit from growth and sustainable job creation through employment and skills policies.
Local Growth Deals are also providing coastal Local Enterprise Partnerships with funding to promote economic growth and job creation in their coastal communities.
Under the Coastal Communities Fund we have invested over £218 million in 354 projects across the UK since 2012. This is helping to create or safeguard over 18,000 UK jobs and generate £363 million in new visitor spend. We are undertaking an evaluation of the projects funded to date to review their effectiveness in delivering sustainable economic growth and jobs to inform any future funding rounds.
The Town Deal for Greater Grimsby, announced in July 2018, is helping to drive economic growth and employment creation in the area. This includes investment in the regeneration of Grimsby town centre and Cleethorpes, infrastructure to unlock strategic employment sites, and investment in training facilities to improve specialist skills and employment opportunities.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure the coastal communities fund creates sustainable employment opportunities in coastal towns.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Government is working in partnership with places to develop Local Industrial Strategies by Spring 2020 to ensure that all places, including coastal communities, can contribute to and benefit from growth and sustainable job creation through employment and skills policies.
Local Growth Deals are also providing coastal Local Enterprise Partnerships with funding to promote economic growth and job creation in their coastal communities.
Under the Coastal Communities Fund we have invested over £218 million in 354 projects across the UK since 2012. This is helping to create or safeguard over 18,000 UK jobs and generate £363 million in new visitor spend. We are undertaking an evaluation of the projects funded to date to review their effectiveness in delivering sustainable economic growth and jobs to inform any future funding rounds.
The Town Deal for Greater Grimsby, announced in July 2018, is helping to drive economic growth and employment creation in the area. This includes investment in the regeneration of Grimsby town centre and Cleethorpes, infrastructure to unlock strategic employment sites, and investment in training facilities to improve specialist skills and employment opportunities.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the publication of the independent review of disabled facilities grants.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The independent review of the Disabled Facilities Grant was published on 10 December 2018 and can be found at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/disabled-facilities-grant-and-other-adaptations-external-review.
I welcome the review and the Government will be responding to its findings in due course.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2018 to Question 146924 on ABLE Humber Port, what steps he is taking to monitor the effect of the Government’s investment in the Able Marine Energy Park.
Answered by Jake Berry
The Government awarded £14.9 million in the 2014-15 financial year as part of its Building Foundations for Growth Fund. The release of this funding was dependant on the Accountable Body, North Lincolnshire Council, verifying that the site had reached agreed milestones. The Accountable Body confirmed that all conditions for the grant had been met. Further development of ABLE is a commercial matter for the company.