Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
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 - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
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 East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
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 East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
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 East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
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 East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
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 - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
This information is publicly available on the Open Data Service.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
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 - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Policy announcements will be set out in the usual way.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
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 East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
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 - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Local authority revenue expenditure and financing information from 2007 to the present, including budget data for Bolton Council, is published here.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has plans to help people who have bought their first home move up to the second step of the property ladder.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government believes that home ownership is an immensely important principle – providing security, enabling people to build capital and, vitally, to make their own choices about their lives and their futures.
The Government has brought forward a range of interventions in recent years to promote home ownership and will continue to keep other opportunities under review.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment his Department has made of the levels of electoral fraud in the UK.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Electoral Commission collects data from all UK police forces about allegations of electoral fraud and publishes an annual report on the numbers, types and outcomes of these allegations. The reports can be found on their website here .