Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to take steps to (a) revise local authority funding formulas and (b) make an assessment of the impact of those changes on household income.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer the Hon Mem to the policy statement , published 12 December 2022.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of changes in the number of short-term private rented lettings in the North East over the last five years.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
This data is not collected by the Department and therefore it is not possible to make an assessment of the changes in the number of short-term private rented lettings in the North East.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the Help to Buy Equity Loan for use on properties other than new build homes.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Help to Buy Equity Loan has helped over 328,500 households buy a home from its launch in spring 2013 until the end of March 2021. All homes have been new-build, and around 82% of sales have been to first-time buyers.
A key objective of the scheme, alongside supporting people into homeownership, is to increase housing supply. By focusing the scheme on new build homes, Help to Buy has been very successful in achieving that. Our latest independent evaluation concluded that 14.5% of all new homes in England between 2015 and 2017 would not have been built without Help to Buy. Making Help to Buy available on second hand homes would not have the same supply effect and as such there are no plans to extend the offer to existing stock.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the planned timescale of an application to the Building Safety Fund from the technical assessment stage to a decision being made.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Detailed information on the different stages of the Building Safety Fund application process and estimated timelines, can be found in the Building Safety Fund application guidance and application process guidance available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the email from the Building Safety Fund’ of 14 June 2021, if he will provide details of the technical assessment stage of the Building Safety Fund’s application process.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Detailed information on the different stages of the Building Safety Fund application process and estimated timelines, can be found in the Building Safety Fund application guidance and application process guidance available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne East of 20 April 2021 on unsafe cladding at St Ann’s Quay in Newcastle upon Tyne East constituency.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
A reply to the Rt Hon Member was issued on 21 June.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 May 2021 to Question 6197 on unsafe cladding, whether leaseholders in buildings between 11 and 18 metres will be compensated for costs already billed to them for remediation work on unsafe cladding.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
We are working to develop the underpinning details of the finance scheme to ensure it protects leaseholders, prioritising affordability and accelerating remediation. Further detail on the finance scheme will be made available as soon as possible.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 April 2021, HCWS913 on Building Safety Monthly Update, when his Department plans to publish details of the finance scheme for leaseholders in buildings between 11 and 18 metres that will ensure that those leaseholders do not have to pay more than £50 a month for cladding removal; and when that scheme will become operational.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Public safety is our first priority and we are working to ensure unsafe cladding is remediated as swiftly as possible. We will publish further details of the finance scheme as soon as we are in a position to do so.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what provision his Department plans to put in place for people that wish to rely on the new guidance from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors but have already had their External Wall System 1 Form rejected.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The EWS1 is not a Government form nor a legal requirement. It was created by industry to help with mortgage valuations for flats in blocks with cladding. MHCLG estimates that if lenders which use the EWS1 process follow the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) guidance, nearly 500,000 flat owners will not need an EWS1 form.
Most major lenders, representing roughly 80% of the mortgage market, have said that they have adopted the RICS guidance, asking for EWS1 forms on a smaller cohort of buildings, or that they already take a markedly less risk-averse approach.
The requirement for and use of the EWS1 form is determined by the lending policies of banks and building societies. An EWS1 form remains as valid information for five years.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has plans to provide support for people who are experiencing mental health problems as a result of financial hardship due to the costs of remedial works to unsafe cladding on their building not covered by Government funding.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
MHCLG has regular engagement with leaseholder groups and recognises the effect on residents living in high-rise buildings with unsafe cladding. That is why the Government is investing over £5 billion to remediate high rise residential buildings with unsafe cladding.
Mental health is one of the Government’s top priorities and we are working across Government to ensure that all people, regardless of their residential situation, get the help and support they need. Where residents of buildings fitted with flammable cladding need mental health support, they should make contact with their GP to discuss these issues so they may be referred to mental health services as appropriate. In addition, we are working with the NHS, Public Health England and MIND, to provide a toolkit, signposting all residents to key services to help those concerned about their mental health and financial situation.