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Written Question
Landlords: Registration
Wednesday 3rd November 2021

Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of proposals for a mandatory register of landlords.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

The Government has committed to exploring the merits of introducing a national landlord register in England as part of a commitment to drive up standards in rented accommodation. We are engaging with a range of stakeholders from across the sector to inform this work and we will publish a White Paper in due course that will set out proposals for private rented sector reform.

Written Question
Rents: Arrears
Wednesday 3rd November 2021

Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the number of people in rent arrears, broken down by (a) ethnicity and (b) gender, as of 26 October 2021.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

The full breakdown of those in arrears with rent payments is provided in Table T15, including Table T15h, which details whether private renters are in arrears with rent payments by ethnicity. These are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/household-resilience-study-wave-3 in ‘Household Resilience Study: Wave 3 tables’.

To help support the most vulnerable renters, the Government has recently made available the £500 million Household Support Fund and £65 million in additional Homelessness Prevention Grant funding.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 25 Oct 2021
Oral Answers to Questions

"Despite Bristol University students being housed in Bath because there were not enough students from Bath University, a planning inspector ruled this year that more purpose-built student housing was needed. What does the Secretary of State suggest a local authority should do when it is overruled in this way?..."
Wera Hobhouse - View Speech

View all Wera Hobhouse (LD - Bath) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Westminster Hall - Thu 15 Jul 2021
Planning

"It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mrs Cummins.

Far from tackling the housing crisis, the Government’s planning reforms will end up delivering fewer homes, and more of the homes that very few people can afford. The reforms mean less local decision making, and they are …..."
Wera Hobhouse - View Speech

View all Wera Hobhouse (LD - Bath) contributions to the debate on: Planning
Speech in Westminster Hall - Thu 15 Jul 2021
Planning

"Will the Minister give way?..."
Wera Hobhouse - View Speech

View all Wera Hobhouse (LD - Bath) contributions to the debate on: Planning
Speech in Westminster Hall - Thu 15 Jul 2021
Planning

"Can I raise a point of order?..."
Wera Hobhouse - View Speech

View all Wera Hobhouse (LD - Bath) contributions to the debate on: Planning
Speech in Westminster Hall - Thu 15 Jul 2021
Planning

"On a point of order, Mrs Cummins. I want to put on the record the fact that the Minister gave this Chamber incorrect information. Bath and North East Somerset Council has a fully updated local plan in place. It is going through a partial revision and is halfway through the …..."
Wera Hobhouse - View Speech

View all Wera Hobhouse (LD - Bath) contributions to the debate on: Planning
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 21 Jun 2021
Planning Decisions: Local Involvement

"Does the hon. Member agree that this is not about the number of houses, but about the whole infrastructure around housing applications —accessibility, connectivity, access to schools and green places? The planning system is not just about building the number of houses, but about building them in the right places …..."
Wera Hobhouse - View Speech

View all Wera Hobhouse (LD - Bath) contributions to the debate on: Planning Decisions: Local Involvement
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 21 Jun 2021
Planning Decisions: Local Involvement

"These planning reforms are the biggest change to the planning system since 1947, yet this White Paper is a jumbled series of aspirations and statements that do not amount to a coherent document. It would fail the test that every local plan has to go through.

Liberal Democrats believe in …..."
Wera Hobhouse - View Speech

View all Wera Hobhouse (LD - Bath) contributions to the debate on: Planning Decisions: Local Involvement
Written Question
Planning: Nature Conservation
Monday 14th June 2021

Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

Whether it is his policy that Local Nature Recovery Strategies should be given consideration by local authorities in all planning decisions.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

The Environment Bill currently before Parliament provides for a strengthened biodiversity duty on public authorities to have regard to the conservation of biodiversity. This strengthened duty includes a requirement to have regard to relevant Local Nature Recovery Strategies.

Our planning reforms will reinforce the implementation of these measures, to capitalise on the potential of Local Nature Recovery Strategies and biodiversity net gain as we seek to make the system clearer and more positive.