Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
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 press release entitled, Leasehold axed for all new houses in move to place fairness at heart of housing market, published by his Department on 27 June 2019, what estimate he has made of the number of house buyers that were subject to the sale of their freehold before they had bought their homes.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Department has no data on the number of house buyers who were interested in or offered the opportunity to buy the freehold of their property at the point of purchase.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating the extent of any mis-selling of leasehold properties, using its consumer protection powers and will consider whether to bring forward enforcement proceedings.
The Government is working with the Law Commission to make it easier, faster and cheaper for leaseholders to purchase their freehold. As part of this project, the Law Commission are considering how best to reduce the premium for purchasing a freehold, given the legitimate property rights held by freeholders.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how buyers that expressed an intention to purchase their freeholds to the developer pre-contract will receive their freeholds for no cost through redress with the developer.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Department has no data on the number of house buyers who were interested in or offered the opportunity to buy the freehold of their property at the point of purchase.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating the extent of any mis-selling of leasehold properties, using its consumer protection powers and will consider whether to bring forward enforcement proceedings.
The Government is working with the Law Commission to make it easier, faster and cheaper for leaseholders to purchase their freehold. As part of this project, the Law Commission are considering how best to reduce the premium for purchasing a freehold, given the legitimate property rights held by freeholders.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much money from the public purse was spent by local authorities in England on services (a) promoting and (b) providing services for children and young people’s mental health in 2018-19.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
Funding for local government services, including children’s services, is set at Spending Review and made available through the Local Government Finance Settlement. This funding is largely unringfenced, enabling local authorities to target spending according to local needs. Local authorities used this flexibility to increase spending on children and young people’s services from £9 billion in 2015-16 to around £9.4 billion in 2017-18.
We do not hold data for 2018-19 or for local authorities spend on services for children and young people’s mental health. Nevertheless, the statutory guidance sets out local authorities’ duty to make sure each child they look after has a health assessment of their physical, emotional and mental health needs. The health and care system is responsible for providing this assessment.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what scientific research underpins the Government's current policy on the granting of planning permission for onshore wind farms, particularly community-owned onshore wind turbines.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Last year the Government’s Clean Growth Strategy, which supports the Industrial Strategy, announced a Local Energy Programme, which supports local actors, community groups, local authorities and combined authorities to develop their own energy strategies and deliver their own energy programmes. Community energy is a key part of clean growth, showing what can happen when groups of people come together to de-carbonise energy in local areas, whilst also investing in these places to bring other economic, or social, benefits. Even small-scale projects can provide a valuable contribution to cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
The National Planning Policy Framework expects local planning authorities to recognise the responsibility on all communities to contribute to energy generation from renewable or low carbon sources. New tests were introduced into planning in 2015 to give local people the final say on onshore wind planning applications in England, which delivered on a manifesto commitment made by the previous Government. Planning for onshore wind turbines in the UK is devolved outside of England.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the reasons are for the continued development of new buildings which are not carbon neutral.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
New buildings have to meet high energy performance standards, which help saves energy bills as well as carbon. The Clean Growth Strategy said that the Government would consult in 2019 on an uplift to the Building Regulations energy efficiency standards where safe, practical, cost-effective, and affordable.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the funding allocated to each Business Improvement District and the consultant in receipt of that funding.
Answered by Jake Berry
Since we launched the Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) Loan Fund in October 2013, 24 areas have or are receiving loans of up to £50,000 each to help set up a BID. The 24 areas that have received or are receiving Loans are Abingdon, Altrincham, Bermondsey, Blyth, Burnley, Central Milton Keynes, Cheltenham, Eastbourne, Hastings, Heart of London, Hereford, Hexham, Leicester, Lifford, Litchfield, Minehead, Morpeth, Oxted, Poole, Purley, Runcorn, Sheffield, Watford, York. We do not allocate general funding to each BID in England or keep records of consultants working on BIDs.
The process of conducting feasibility studies for BIDs is a matter for local areas. We do not approve or allocate funding to those studies nor hold records of which areas have undertaken a feasibility study.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which feasibility studies for a Business Improvement District have been (a) approved and (b) allocated funding in each of the last 3 years.
Answered by Jake Berry
Since we launched the Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) Loan Fund in October 2013, 24 areas have or are receiving loans of up to £50,000 each to help set up a BID. The 24 areas that have received or are receiving Loans are Abingdon, Altrincham, Bermondsey, Blyth, Burnley, Central Milton Keynes, Cheltenham, Eastbourne, Hastings, Heart of London, Hereford, Hexham, Leicester, Lifford, Litchfield, Minehead, Morpeth, Oxted, Poole, Purley, Runcorn, Sheffield, Watford, York. We do not allocate general funding to each BID in England or keep records of consultants working on BIDs.
The process of conducting feasibility studies for BIDs is a matter for local areas. We do not approve or allocate funding to those studies nor hold records of which areas have undertaken a feasibility study.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the areas in which a feasibility study for a Business Improvement District has been conducted, in each of the last 3 years.
Answered by Jake Berry
Since we launched the Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) Loan Fund in October 2013, 24 areas have or are receiving loans of up to £50,000 each to help set up a BID. The 24 areas that have received or are receiving Loans are Abingdon, Altrincham, Bermondsey, Blyth, Burnley, Central Milton Keynes, Cheltenham, Eastbourne, Hastings, Heart of London, Hereford, Hexham, Leicester, Lifford, Litchfield, Minehead, Morpeth, Oxted, Poole, Purley, Runcorn, Sheffield, Watford, York. We do not allocate general funding to each BID in England or keep records of consultants working on BIDs.
The process of conducting feasibility studies for BIDs is a matter for local areas. We do not approve or allocate funding to those studies nor hold records of which areas have undertaken a feasibility study.
Asked by: Ruth George (Labour - High Peak)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the (a) result and (b) turnout of businesses of each referendum conducted on proposals for a Business Improvement District in each of the last 3 years.
Answered by Jake Berry
The outcome for each Business Improvement District ballot is published locally by the relevant ballot holder. The Government does not hold data on the result and turnout of ballots for Business Improvement Districts.