Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many (i) parks and green spaces and (ii) local authorities have been awarded his Department’s Green Flag Award in (a) the North East, (b) the North West, (c) Yorkshire and the Humber, (d) the East Midlands, (e) the West Midlands, (f) the East of England, (g) Greater London (h) the South Eas, and (i) the South West.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
The Green Flag Award scheme recognises and rewards well managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of recreational outdoor spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
The number of Green Flags Awarded to (i) parks and green spaces and (ii)local authorities across the 9 English regions is detailed below.
| Green Flag Award | Local Authorities |
North East | 61 | 11 |
North West | 206 | 28 |
Yorks and Humber | 66 | 13 |
West Midlands | 118 | 22 |
East Midlands | 125 | 28 |
South West | 95 | 20 |
Greater London | 385 | 27 |
South East | 161 | 46 |
East of England | 145 | 33 |
Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)
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 cumulative effect on local economies of the closures of high street stores in (a) the North East and (b) the UK in 2018.
Answered by Jake Berry
High streets are a crucial part of our communities. The Government is determined to see our high streets thriving, both now and in the future. We want to see vibrant hubs where people live, shop, use services, and spend their leisure time.
That is why on Monday 16 July, the Department announced the appointment of an expert panel of industry leaders to draw on their experience and expertise to diagnose the issues currently affecting our high streets, and advise on the best long-term approach to help their revival. Later this summer the Department will launch a call for evidence looking at the future of our high streets.
While retail vacancy rates in the north east have experienced an increase over the past year, they have fallen from 17.5 per cent in December 2010 to 13.9 per cent in March 2018. In Jarrow town centre, the retail vacancy rate is currently 8 per cent. This is below the national average of 12.3 per cent. In 2010 the retail vacancy rate was 6.2 per cent. This increased to 13 per cent in January 2013 before falling to its current rate of 8 per cent in March 2018.
In Great Britain as a whole, the retail vacancy rate has fallen from 14.5 per cent in December 2010 to 12.3 per cent in March 2018.
Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of high street store closures throughout the UK in 2018; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jake Berry
High streets are a crucial part of our communities. The Government is determined to see our high streets thriving, both now and in the future.
However, we recognise that high streets face challenges, including the challenges faced by the retail sector. This is why we have announced that the Department will launch a call for evidence over the summer looking at the future of our high streets. We have established an expert panel of industry leaders to draw on their experience and expertise to diagnose the issues currently affecting our high streets, and advise on the best long-term approach to help their revival.
The Government is committed to helping communities and high streets adapt. The Department for Business, Energy and the Industrial Strategy has established the sector-led Retail Sector Council so that retailers, large and small, can work effectively with each other and policy makers. The Council is chaired jointly by the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility and Richard Pennycook, the former chief executive of the Co-op.
Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)
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 cumulative effect on local economies of the closures of high street stores in (a) the North East and (b) the UK in 2018.
Answered by Jake Berry
High streets are a crucial part of our communities. The Government is determined to see our high streets thriving, both now and in the future. We want to see vibrant hubs where people live, shop, use services, and spend their leisure time.
That is why on Monday 16 July, the Department announced the appointment of an expert panel of industry leaders to draw on their experience and expertise to diagnose the issues currently affecting our high streets, and advise on the best long-term approach to help their revival. Later this summer the Department will launch a call for evidence looking at the future of our high streets.
While retail vacancy rates in the north east have experienced an increase over the past year, they have fallen from 17.5 per cent in December 2010 to 13.9 per cent in March 2018. In Jarrow town centre, the retail vacancy rate is currently 8 per cent. This is below the national average of 12.3 per cent. In 2010 the retail vacancy rate was 6.2 per cent. This increased to 13 per cent in January 2013 before falling to its current rate of 8 per cent in March 2018.
In Great Britain as a whole, the retail vacancy rate has fallen from 14.5 per cent in December 2010 to 12.3 per cent in March 2018.
Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of high street store closures throughout the UK in 2018; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jake Berry
High streets are a crucial part of our communities. The Government is determined to see our high streets thriving, both now and in the future.
However, we recognise that high streets face challenges, including the challenges faced by the retail sector. This is why we have announced that the Department will launch a call for evidence over the summer looking at the future of our high streets. We have established an expert panel of industry leaders to draw on their experience and expertise to diagnose the issues currently affecting our high streets, and advise on the best long-term approach to help their revival.
The Government is committed to helping communities and high streets adapt. The Department for Business, Energy and the Industrial Strategy has established the sector-led Retail Sector Council so that retailers, large and small, can work effectively with each other and policy makers. The Council is chaired jointly by the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility and Richard Pennycook, the former chief executive of the Co-op.
Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2018 to Question 137953 on Affordable Housing: Young People, if he will publish the Government's definition of affordable housing.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21 supports the delivery of a wide range of affordable homes to rent or buy. Housing associations and local authorities can bid into the programme to provide homes for social rent, affordable rent, shared ownership, rent to buy, and specialist affordable homes for vulnerable, older people and people with disabilities.
Providers will only qualify for funding if their bids meet the requirements for affordable homes as set out in Homes England’s capital funding guide. Further details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/capital-funding-guide
Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)
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 make housing more affordable for young people.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Since 2010 we have delivered over 357,000 new affordable homes, including over 257,000 affordable homes for rent.
We are providing over £9 billion funding for the Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21, to deliver a wide range of affordable housing to meet the housing needs of a range of people in different circumstances and with different housing needs.
Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his department is taking to build new social housing.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Since 2010 we have delivered over 357,000 new affordable homes,including over 257,000 affordable homes for rent.
We are providing over £9 billion funding for the Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21, this includes an additional £2 billion which will be available for social rent.
We have confirmed long-term rent certainty for social landlords in England and announced that we will be providing councils with £1 billion of additional borrowing to deliver homes where demand is greatest. These measures will support housing associations and local authorities build more genuinely affordable homes where they are needed most.
Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what comparative assessment he has made of the proportion of households renting privately in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside and (c) the North East and (d) other areas of the UK.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Data on households in the private rented sector in England and by region can be found on the Department's website. See ATs 1.1 and 1.2 here:
The Department does hold such data at local authority or constituency level.
Asked by: Stephen Hepburn (Independent - Jarrow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many homes in the private rented sector have not met the decent homes standard in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Gateshead, (d) the North East and (e) the UK in each year since 2010.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Department's English Housing Survey assesses the extent to which private rented sector homes in England meet the Decent Homes Standard. Data back to 2010 are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2016-to-2017-headline-report
The Department does not publish data on non-decent homes in the North East, and the survey is not designed to produce local authority or constituency level estimates.