Asked by: Rosie Winterton (Labour - Doncaster Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to deregulate housing associations.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Government fundamentally reformed the regulation of housing associations in 2011 through the Localism Act, streamlining the regulatory system and refocusing it on economic regulation. Under the current statute the Regulator has a duty to minimise interference and must be proportionate, consistent, transparent and accountable. Since then, the Regulator has been making changes where appropriate to encourage innovation and private investment, while ensuring the protection of social assets and maintaining the confidence of private investors in the sector. In part because of our reforms, the sector has been able to attract significant private finance to deliver more new homes.
With £19.5 billion of public and private investment between 2011 and 2015 we are on course to deliver 170,000 new affordable homes. A further £38 billion public and private investment will help ensure 275,000 new affordable homes are provided between 2015 and 2020.
Asked by: Rosie Winterton (Labour - Doncaster Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support is available to (a) Doncaster local authority area and (b) other local authority areas which are not among the Build pilot areas to accelerate house-building.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Government is supporting all local authority areas, including Doncaster, to accelerate house-building through major policies including simplifying the planning system, programmes such as Help to Buy and Build to Rent, investment in affordable homes and in specific sites, and incentives like the New Homes Bonus.
The £150 million Custom Build Serviced Plots fund is open to bids from the Doncaster area.
These actions led to planning permissions for 240,000 homes being granted in the year to September 2014. Doncaster’s dwelling stock increased by 650 units in 2013-14.
Between April 2010 and September 2014, 520 units have been delivered in Doncaster through the Affordable Homes Programme.
Alongside this, we have the following projects supporting housing building in Doncaster, funded through various Property and Regeneration funding programmes:
- At Carr Lodge Farm, the amount invested to date is £4.24 million through the Accelerated Land Disposal plus £2.60 million though the National Coalfields Programme. 326 homes being delivered by developers Keepmoat, Strata and Fairgrove Homes.
- At Bentley, the amount invested to date is £9.15 million though the National Coalfields Programme via the Public Land Initiative. 170 homes being delivered by developer Keepmoat.
- At Askern, the amount invested to date is £7.34 million through the National Coalfields Programme. 288 homes being delivered: by developer Keepmoat.
- At Brodsworth, the amount invested to date through the National Coalfields Programme is £11.8 million. Seeking planning permission for 350 homes. Plan to offer to Market in late 2015.