Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to publish his Department's response to the call for evidence on whether local authorities and parish councils may meet remotely on a permanent basis, which closed on 17June 2021; and whether he plans to make any changes to the existing requirements for such meetings.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Department has considered the responses to the consultation and the Government will respond shortly.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance is in place for (a) election returning officers and (b) local authorities on limiting the period when the address details for candidates in elections remain in the public domain.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Electoral Commission issues guidance to Returning Officers on the retention of election documents and publication of election notices on their websites, including those giving details about candidates standing at an election. The Electoral Commission guidance advises Returning Officers that they should either remove such notices published on their website, or remove the personal data contained in these notices, once the deadline for an election petition for that election has passed. Candidates have the option to require that their home address is not disclosed publicly at elections.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has plans to encourage the (a) construction of bungalows and (b) increase of the supply of those homes into the new build market; and whether he has plans to undertake an assessment of the impact on the housing market of the lack of bungalows for sale.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
As set out in our National Planning Policy Framework, local authorities should already assess the types of homes needed for different groups within their community and reflect this in their local planning policies.
We continue to drive up the supply of new homes, by diversifying the market, including tenures and types of homes; investing in affordable housing; and increasing land supply for new homes by investing in infrastructure.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
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 publish his Department's response to the call for evidence on whether local authorities and parish councils may meet remotely on a permanent basis, which closed on 17June 2021.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Department is reviewing the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course. However, any permanent change would require legislation, and would depend upon Parliamentary time being available.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of non-disclosure agreements used by house building companies where there are disputes between the company and the house buyer after completion of the purchase of a property.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government is not aware that the practice of using non-disclosure agreements is routine. However, it is unacceptable for developers to be requiring non-disclosure agreements as a condition of carrying out repairs. This Governments expects all defects with a newly purchased home to be addressed swiftly and fairly. It is essential that homebuyers are able to have confidence in the quality of the home that they are buying.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to give freeholders on private and mixed tenure estates equivalent rights to leaseholders to (a) challenge the reasonableness of estate rent charges and (b) have the right to apply to the First-tier Tribunal to appoint a new manager for the provision of services covered by estate rent charges; and what assessment he has made of the financial effect on freeholders of not having those same rights as leaseholders.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service. Where people pay estate rentcharges it is not appropriate that these homeowners have limited rights 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 rentcharges as well as a right to apply to the First-tier Tribunal to appoint a new manager to manage the provision of services covered by estate rentcharges.
We will translate these measures into law as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
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 Planning for the Future White Paper published in August 2020, whether his Department has costed the effect of being located in a protected zone on rural businesses and communities.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Planning White Paper consultation closed on 29 October 2020, and we are considering the responses. My department is undertaking further policy development on the individual elements of the proposals. No decisions have been made on the details at this stage, and economic effects will be appropriately analysed before decisions are made and policy or legislation introduced.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
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 Planning for the Future White Paper published in August 2020, whether his Department has produced an impact assessment for rural businesses and communities that are located in a protected zone.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Planning White Paper consultation closed on 29 October 2020, and we are considering the responses. My department is undertaking further policy development on the individual elements of the proposals. No decisions have been made on the details at this stage, and economic effects will be appropriately analysed before decisions are made and policy or legislation introduced.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
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 Planning for the Future White Paper published in August 2020, what procedure he proposes will be used to define whether open countryside is classified as protected under the new zoning arrangements.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government is clear about the importance of retaining our valued open countryside and greenfield land. The National Planning Policy Framework expects local authorities to recognise the character and beauty of the countryside and the benefits from natural capital and ecosystem services, including woodland and our best and most versatile farmland. Under the consultation proposals in Planning for the Future , it would still be for each local authority, in consultation with the community, to use the local plan process to plan for and ensure the protection of any countryside. The Government will publish a response to the consultation, including next steps.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to extend beyond 2022 the grant funding available to parish councils to formulate neighbourhood plans.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The ‘Planning for the Future’ consultation published in August 2020 set out that Government is committed to retaining neighbourhood planning and wants to encourage the continued use of neighbourhood plans, and to help spread their use further, particularly in towns and cities.
Our current £34.5 million neighbourhood planning support programme runs until 2022 and we will confirm future funding arrangements at a later date.