Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps through the planning system to help increase the number of changing places toilets.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Changing Places toilets were created to meet the needs of disabled children and adults with complex care needs who need carer support, appropriate equipment, and more space. A standard Changing Places toilet is at least 12m² and provides specialist equipment including a height adjustable adult sized changing bench, ceiling hoist and peninsular toilet.
In 2020 the Government changed the building regulation to ensure that all new builds with a larger capacity were required to install a Changing Places Toilets. All those buildings that fall outside of paragraph 5.7e of the Approved Document M, Volume 2 of the building rules are within scope for the funding delivered by DLUHC.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to section 5.3 of his Department's pre-tender market engagement document relating to the tender for provision of external assurance reviews of local authorities, reference CPD4124050, published on 1 September 2022, whether the contract has been extended.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The contract referenced provides for the provision of external assurance reviews of local authorities in support of DLUHC's role as steward of the local government sector and Local Government Accountability Framework. Since the contract award, it has been used to deliver reviews where councils have sought Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) from Government or engaged with the Department where there may be evidence of significant local financial risks. The Government has been transparent about the outcome of reviews and, for example, published previous reviews linked to EFS requests on gov.uk.
The referenced number of reviews, a minimum of six and maximum of 32, as per the referenced document CPD4124050 was an anticipated requirement to enable prospective bidders to submit a bid in the absence of being able to provide an exact figure due to the demand led nature of the work.
The contract award notice is published here. Spend against the contract is published here as part of normal Departmental transparency requirements.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department’s tender for the provision of external assurance reviews of local authorities, notice reference 2022/S 000-024515, published on 1 September 2022, which local authorities have been reviewed since this contract was assigned.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The contract referenced provides for the provision of external assurance reviews of local authorities in support of DLUHC's role as steward of the local government sector and Local Government Accountability Framework. Since the contract award, it has been used to deliver reviews where councils have sought Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) from Government or engaged with the Department where there may be evidence of significant local financial risks. The Government has been transparent about the outcome of reviews and, for example, published previous reviews linked to EFS requests on gov.uk.
The referenced number of reviews, a minimum of six and maximum of 32, as per the referenced document CPD4124050 was an anticipated requirement to enable prospective bidders to submit a bid in the absence of being able to provide an exact figure due to the demand led nature of the work.
The contract award notice is published here. Spend against the contract is published here as part of normal Departmental transparency requirements.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to section 4.5 of his Department's pre-tender market engagement document relating to the tender for provision of external assurance reviews of local authorities, reference CPD4124050, published on 1 September 2022, whether additional unexpected risks have been uncovered in any of the reviews undertaken since this contract was assigned.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The contract referenced provides for the provision of external assurance reviews of local authorities in support of DLUHC's role as steward of the local government sector and Local Government Accountability Framework. Since the contract award, it has been used to deliver reviews where councils have sought Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) from Government or engaged with the Department where there may be evidence of significant local financial risks. The Government has been transparent about the outcome of reviews and, for example, published previous reviews linked to EFS requests on gov.uk.
The referenced number of reviews, a minimum of six and maximum of 32, as per the referenced document CPD4124050 was an anticipated requirement to enable prospective bidders to submit a bid in the absence of being able to provide an exact figure due to the demand led nature of the work.
The contract award notice is published here. Spend against the contract is published here as part of normal Departmental transparency requirements.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to section 4.2 of his Department's pre-tender market engagement document relating to the tender for provision of external assurance reviews of local authorities, reference CPD4124050, published on 1 September 2022, which local authorities were the minimum six and maximum 32 for which it was forecast that a review might be required.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The contract referenced provides for the provision of external assurance reviews of local authorities in support of DLUHC's role as steward of the local government sector and Local Government Accountability Framework. Since the contract award, it has been used to deliver reviews where councils have sought Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) from Government or engaged with the Department where there may be evidence of significant local financial risks. The Government has been transparent about the outcome of reviews and, for example, published previous reviews linked to EFS requests on gov.uk.
The referenced number of reviews, a minimum of six and maximum of 32, as per the referenced document CPD4124050 was an anticipated requirement to enable prospective bidders to submit a bid in the absence of being able to provide an exact figure due to the demand led nature of the work.
The contract award notice is published here. Spend against the contract is published here as part of normal Departmental transparency requirements.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to his Department’s tender for the provision of external assurance reviews of local authorities, notice reference 2022/S 000-024515, published on 1 September 2022, what the cost to the public purse of that contract has been as of 10 November 2023.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The contract referenced provides for the provision of external assurance reviews of local authorities in support of DLUHC's role as steward of the local government sector and Local Government Accountability Framework. Since the contract award, it has been used to deliver reviews where councils have sought Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) from Government or engaged with the Department where there may be evidence of significant local financial risks. The Government has been transparent about the outcome of reviews and, for example, published previous reviews linked to EFS requests on gov.uk.
The referenced number of reviews, a minimum of six and maximum of 32, as per the referenced document CPD4124050 was an anticipated requirement to enable prospective bidders to submit a bid in the absence of being able to provide an exact figure due to the demand led nature of the work.
The contract award notice is published here. Spend against the contract is published here as part of normal Departmental transparency requirements.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
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 report entitled A Decade of Anti-Muslim Hate published by TellMAMA on 20 July 2023, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the finding that the number of cases of anti-Muslim hate crime doubled between 2012 and 2022.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
All forms of racial and religious discrimination have no place in our communities. No one should ever be a victim of hatred because of their religion or belief and the Government continues to work with police and community partners to monitor and combat it.
Tell MAMA are a key partner in this work and the findings of the 10-year report will continue to help inform Government policy and support victims of anti-Muslim hatred. We have supported them since 2012 with nearly £5 million of funding.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the publication of Our East End by Tower Hamlets Council on the activities of the Executive Mayor and councillors in the context of the former Secretary of State’s Directions in 2014 on Commissioners monitoring any concerns over the demarcation between publicity for the Authority’s benefit and for party political benefit.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Local authorities must have regard to the Publicity Code when producing publicity, defined as 'any communication in whatever form, addressed to the public at large or a section of the public'.
The Local Government Act 1986 gives the Secretary of State the power to issue Directions to secure compliance with one or more specified provisions of the Code, or all the provisions of the Code.
Any decisions relating to this power are made on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to require Tower Hamlets Council to publish the report on Mazars investigation into allegations of misconduct in the authority's Youth Service in the period up to 2016.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government is committed to ensuring the good record of transparency, probity, scrutiny, and accountability is maintained across councils in this country.
The Government expects a well-functioning local authority to act transparently in carrying out its functions. Local authorities must comply with the statutory Best Value Duty to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement, having regard to efficiency, economy and effectiveness. Local authorities are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000, meaning members of the public are entitled to request information from them.
On 4 July, the Government published draft statutory guidance on Best Value Standards and Intervention for consultation. The guidance provides greater clarity to the local government sector on how to fulfil the Best Value Duty by describing what constitutes best value, the standards expected by the department and the models of intervention at the Secretary of State's disposal in the event of failure to uphold these standards.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the recent decision by the Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets Council to enable decision-making on grants to voluntary sector organisations to be undertaken in private.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government is committed to ensuring the good record of transparency, probity, scrutiny, and accountability is maintained across councils in this country.
The Government expects a well-functioning local authority to act transparently in carrying out its functions. Local authorities must comply with the statutory Best Value Duty to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement, having regard to efficiency, economy and effectiveness. Local authorities are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000, meaning members of the public are entitled to request information from them.
On 4 July, the Government published draft statutory guidance on Best Value Standards and Intervention for consultation. The guidance provides greater clarity to the local government sector on how to fulfil the Best Value Duty by describing what constitutes best value, the standards expected by the department and the models of intervention at the Secretary of State's disposal in the event of failure to uphold these standards.