Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a system of proportional representation for Parliamentary elections.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government has no plans to change the voting system for Parliamentary elections.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a tenancy support duty for possessions proceedings for the private rented sector.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Renters’ Rights Bill will support quicker, cheaper resolution when there are disputes, preventing them escalating to court. A new ombudsman service for the private rented sector will provide fair, impartial and binding resolution to both landlords and tenants.
My department will continue to work alongside the Ministry of Justice to explore options for pre-action resolution, to help ensure that only cases which need adjudication come to court.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to tackle overcrowding in Bolton South East constituency.
Answered by Jacob Young
We are committed to reducing overcrowding by increasing the supply of affordable housing and enabling councils and other social landlords to make better use of their existing stock.
Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating protections for landscapes featured in classic works of literature under planning rules.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
While literary landscapes are not subject to a separate designation within the planning system, they are protected more generally through the National Planning Policy Framework. For example, the Framework states that planning policies and decisions should recognise the character and beauty of the countryside, and local authorities are expected to protect heritage assets which can include landscapes.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether there is a set amount of match funding needed for charities and organisations to access Community Ownership Fund support.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
Information on the fund is set out in the COF prospectus published on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the Brownfield Land Release Fund on (a) retrofits of industrial buildings, (b) housing pressures, (c) economic growth and (d) place-based renewal.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Brownfield Land Release Fund was launched in April 2021 and is supporting local authorities to release their surplus brownfield sites for housing by March 2024.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
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 proportion of houses that have an EPC rating of (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D and (e) E in Bolton South East constituency.
Answered by Lee Rowley
This information is publicly available on the Open Data Service.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of updating the valuations upon which Council Tax bands are set.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Policy announcements will be set out in the usual way.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with Bolton Council on the Brownfield Land Release Fund.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Local authorities are encouraged to engage with the Brownfield Land Release Fund through discussions with their One Public Estate Partnership.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the annual budget for Bolton Council has been in every year since 2005.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Local authority revenue expenditure and financing information from 2007 to the present, including budget data for Bolton Council, is published here.