Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when Runcorn receive the initial allocation of funding from the Long Term Plan for Towns scheme.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out at the Autumn Budget, the Long-Term Plan for Towns will be retained and reformed as part of a new regeneration programme.
Halton Borough Council received an initial £50,000 capacity payment in April 2024.
Following feedback that the previous programme timelines were too short and not conducive to the level of engagement places wished to undertake with their communities, it was confirmed at Budget that we will make available a further £200,000 of capacity funding in the financial year 2025/26. This will support the development of plans in line with a revised prospectus that will be published in due course.
Delivery grant funding will therefore begin in the financial year 2026/27.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
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 is taking to secure contributions towards the costs of building safety remediation from cladding manufacturers.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government agrees that manufacturers should be held to account for their role in the Grenfell tragedy. The Prime Minister has committed to writing to all companies, including product manufacturers, found by the Inquiry to have been part of these horrific failings, as the first step to stopping them being awarded government contracts. This process is being led by the Minister for the Cabinet Office. Initial letters have now been sent to all 49 organisations named in the report, each of which bear different levels of responsibility for the failings that led to the Grenfell tragedy, including those that are construction product manufacturers.
This Government is also committed to tackling the significant issues in relation to construction products identified in the Grenfell Inquiry, and reviews by Dame Judith Hackitt and Paul Morrell and Anneliese Day. We will bring forward proposals for systemwide reform of the construction products regulatory regime to give consumers confidence and underpin supply chains and housing delivery.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Fire Safety Reinsurance Facility.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government will monitor the impact of the industry-led Fire Safety Reinsurance Facility on buildings insurance premiums and competition in the market.
We understand the financial and emotional impact that extreme insurance premiums are having on leaseholders, and will review how to better protect leaseholders from costs and push for fair premiums for leaseholders in buildings with fire safety issues.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
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 merits of enabling Mayors of Combined Authorities to suspend the right to buy.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government believes it is right that those tenants who have lived in, and paid rent on, their social homes for many years retain the right to purchase their property at a reasonable discount. As such, we will not be ending or suspending the Right to Buy scheme.
We are, however, committed to better protecting our existing stock of social rented homes and we have reviewed the increased Right to Buy discounts introduced in 2012. As announced at Budget, we are now taking action to return maximum Right to Buy cash discounts to pre-2012 levels.
We will also increase protections on newly built social housing and allow councils to keep 100% of the receipts generated by a Right to Buy sale. This will enable councils to scale-up delivery of social homes for those who need them most. We also intend to review Right to Buy more widely, including looking at eligibility criteria and further protections for newly built social housing, on which a consultation will be launched shortly.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
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 level of reserves being held (a) Parish and (b) Town councils.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government considers reserves to be an important part of the resources available to local government, and encourages councils to consider how they can support local services while maintaining appropriate levels to support sustainability, future investment, and ability to respond to shocks.
The Government acknowledges that reserve levels have fallen recently, following a significant increase during the pandemic, and will continue to monitor the level of local authority reserves to ensure that it provides the resilience needed.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to end the practice of fleecehold.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 9987 on 28 October 2024.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
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 merits of appointing a building safety tsar to develop a building safety remediation programme to ensure that companies responsible for poor building safety (a) undertake any necessary remediation work and (b) pay compensation to homeowners and leaseholders in those buildings.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Since the Grenfell fire we have introduced funded remediation programmes to tackle historical safety defects. In addition, the National Building Safety Regulator, led by the Chief Inspector for Buildings ensures new buildings are designed, constructed and managed safely. They are also taking enforcement action against those that do not remediate their high-rise buildings.
54 of the largest developers have signed the developer remediation contract committing them to carrying out all necessary work to address life-critical fire-safety defects arising from the design, construction or refurbishment of buildings 11 metres and over in height that they developed or refurbished in England over the 30 years ending on 4 April 2022. Between them, they have taken responsibility for the remediation of more than 1,600 buildings at a cost to themselves of around £3.3 billion. Developers face significant consequences if they fail to comply with their contractual obligations.
Further steps to increase the pace of remediation will be set out soon.
The Building Safety Act introduced powers that allows any interested person to recover costs incurred for the remediation of a building via Remediation Contribution Orders. Further, where remediation is needed and not progressing due to the building owner’s inaction, Remediation Orders (ROs) can be sought to require a building owner fix their building. The courts have also been granted new powers to extend civil liability for defects to companies associated with either the landlord or developer. In addition to the Building Safety Act, local regulators can utilise powers under the Housing Act 2004 (Local Authorities) or Fire Safety Order 2005 (Fire and Rescue Services) to force a building owner to fix identified defects in a building within a set timescale.
Protections under the Building Safety Act 2022 ensure that qualifying leaseholders will only be required to make capped contributions towards relevant, non-cladding defects and interim measures and in some cases will be exempt from all costs.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the scope of the Building Safety Levy to include all parties responsible for the (a) planning, (b) design, (c) construction and (d) insurance of unsafe buildings.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government will put a renewed focus on ensuring those responsible for the building safety crisis pay to put it right. The Building Safety Levy will be charged on building control applications for the purpose of meeting building safety expenditure, ensuring that those responsible pay to put it right, whilst the burden of paying for fixing historical building safety defects does not fall on leaseholders or further burden taxpayers.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her Department's planned timetable is to award Runcorn with the initial allocation of funding from the Long Term Plan for Towns scheme.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government is committed to delivering growth in every corner of the country, by empowering communities to find local solutions to national priorities.
The department will set out further details on funding, next steps, and confirmation of the revised timelines for the programme in due course.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
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 merits of making the guidance entitled Code of Practice for the remediation of residential buildings, published on 27 July 2023, mandatory, in the context of the major fire incident in Dagenham on 26 August 2024.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Residents must be at the heart of our work to remediate buildings, and their safety is the number one priority. Each remediation route has its own mechanisms to monitor and drive compliance with the Code of Practice for the remediation of residential buildings (the Code), but we expect all remediation projects to follow it, regardless of whether these are government funded, led by developers, or delivered by social housing providers.
The Code places outcome-focussed requirements on remediation projects and references relevant documentation, including legislation and guidance to support projects meeting those outcomes. It recognises the risks posed by remediation projects and that those responsible for the project must ensure that the residents remain safe, rather than providing detailed technical advice on delivering a remediation project.
Where it is necessary for residents to leave their homes, the Code is clear, that the disruption to their lives is minimised, and that they are appropriately engaged and informed where a ‘decant’ will be required. We will consider further whether the Code should reference relevant documentation on decants, including decisions made by building owners acting within lease agreements and relevant authorities under Fire Safety Order 2005 and Housing Act 2004.
Under the Fire Safety Order 2005, Responsible Persons must assess and manage fire risks in their building, including during remediation works. Responsible Persons must take appropriate mitigating action where necessary. This should include considering the materials used during the remediation process. It is vitally important that all Responsible Persons are aware of this duty.
In addition, under health and safety legislation the contribution of combustible materials to fire spread and fire loading must be assessed by a competent person for each construction project where there is serious risk of injury, should a fire occur. Technical advice on this is available from HSG 168 Fire Safety in Construction (HSG168) produced by the Health & Safety Executive.