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Written Question
Planning Permission: Appeals
Friday 24th February 2023

Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many appeals to the Planning Inspectorate have not been allocated an inspector within a year of their submission.

Answered by Rachel Maclean

The Planning Inspectorate currently has 878 appeals which have not been allocated an inspector within a year of their submission.


Written Question
Building Regulations
Wednesday 8th February 2023

Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the written statement by the then-Minister of State for Equalities, Local Government, Faith and Communities entitled Building Regulations, published on 4 July 2022, HCWS172, when his Department plans to publish the outcome of the consultation published in autumn 2022; and what recent progress his Department has made on changing the building regulations and associated guidance.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

This work continues to be undertaken and we will make an announcement regarding next steps in due course.


Written Question
Council Tax Benefits: Private Roads
Friday 21st May 2021

Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will work with local authorities to introduce a council tax discount for residents whose properties are on private roads.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

The Government does not have plans to introduce a new council tax discount for residents whose properties are on private roads. Council tax contributes to the cost of delivering a wide range of local services, including adult social care, children’s services and police and fire services. The council tax system contains a wide range of discounts and exemptions to reflect personal circumstances and local authorities also have discretion to offer discounts where they consider it appropriate.


Written Question
Local Government Finance
Thursday 14th January 2021

Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council's unsuccessful application for funding from the £830 million Future High Street Fund, what support is available to help local authorities formulate innovative bids to help them to secure Government funding for projects.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

My officials are providing bespoke feedback to Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council on their unsuccessful Future High Streets Fund application to help with future funding.

The Government is also providing support to local leadership through our High Streets Task Force, giving high streets and town centres expert advice to adapt and thrive. The Task Force is providing hands-on support to local areas to develop data-driven innovative strategies and connect local areas to relevant experts. The Task Force will be rolling out experts, training and data offers across the country in due course and has launched a range of online support.

I am also pleased to see that both Doncaster and Stainforth Town Deal Boards will be submitting their Town Investment Plan proposals at the end of January 2021. These Town Deals have the potential to benefit the wider Doncaster area and I look forward to receiving these very soon.

Beyond this, our new £4 billion Levelling Up Fund will be open to all local areas across the country, including £600 million available later this year.


Written Question
Right to Buy Scheme: Midlands
Tuesday 8th December 2020

Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timescale is for the conclusion of the Voluntary Right to Buy pilot for housing association tenants in the Midlands; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential for that scheme to be rolled out more widely after that pilot's conclusion.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

The final sales under the Voluntary Right to Buy Midlands pilot are due to conclude in 2021, following some delays to sales caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The pilot is being fully evaluated, and the results of this evaluation will be published.


Written Question
Local Government Finance: Doncaster
Friday 15th May 2020

Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will list the (a) name and (b) value of each Government grant awarded to Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council as a result of covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Simon Clarke

Details are set out in the table below

Covid-19 Funding - first wave

£10,089,671

Covid-19 Funding - second wave

£8,591,546

Hardship Fund

£2,992,753

Business Rates Relief Measures

£37,024,117

Business Rates Support Grants

£64,402,000

Homelessness Covid-19 Funding

£18,000

TOTAL

£123,118,087


Written Question
Affordable Housing: Sheffield City Region
Friday 20th March 2020

Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 2.91 of the Budget 2020 Red Book, HC 121, whether the Affordable Homes Programme will allocate funds to the Sheffield City Region.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

We announced at Budget 2020 that we are investing £12 billion to build affordable homes between 2021/22 and 2025/26. This will be the biggest cash investment in affordable housing for a decade.

The Affordable Housing Programme is flexible, and providers are able to bid into the programme to deliver a range of affordable homes across the country. The exact location these homes will depend on the bids received. We will announce further details on the new programme in due course


Written Question
Owner Occupation: Service Charges
Monday 9th March 2020

Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support home owners who are subject to agreements to pay for uncapped management fees and maintenance fees.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service.

Homeowners who pay estate rent charges for the management or maintenance of the communal areas on an estate should be able to challenge these costs. That is why the Government intends to legislate to give freeholders on private and mixed-tenure estates equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge the reasonableness of estate rent charges, as well as a right to apply to the First-tier Tribunal to appoint a new manager for the provision of services covered by estate rent charges.