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Written Question
Sleeping Rough: Foreign Nationals
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of people sleeping rough that are not British nationals.

Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

The annual rough sleeping snapshot provides information about the estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night between 1 October and 30 November each year. This is data from local authorities and includes some basic demographic details including nationality. Details can be found at: Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2023 - GOV.UK.


Written Question
Flats: Fire Prevention
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to support leaseholders living in buildings below 11 metres in height with fire remediation costs.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

The responsibility for the costs of fixing historical building safety defects should rest with building owners. They should not pass these costs on to leaseholders but should seek to recover costs from those who were responsible for building unsafe homes.

We have undertaken extensive work over the last two years to review buildings under 11 metres which have been reported to us as having potential building safety issues. Almost all have proven not to need any intervention following detailed review.

In rare cases where remediation work is required in buildings under 11 metres, the Government has retrospectively extended the limitation period under Section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972 enabling legal action against developers and contractors where works completed in the last 30 years made a dwelling not “fit for habitation”.

These rights include:

  • extending the Defective Premises Act to 30 years retrospectively, so compensation can be sought from developers where homes have not been built to the appropriate standard and are not fit for habitation; and,
  • civil claims where products have caused or contributed to a dwelling being ‘not fit for habitation’.

Written Question
Urban Areas: Walls and Fences
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the cost of maintaining (a) city walls and (b) city walls that people can walk around on the availability of local authority funding for other services.

Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

The cultural significance of York City Walls is recognised nationally through the designation of many sections as Listed Buildings or Scheduled Monuments, yet their maintenance remains the responsibility of their owners.

The final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 makes available up to £64.7 billion, an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £4.5 billion or 7.5% in cash terms on 2023-24. This is an above-inflation increase.

For York this represents an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £11.32 million or 7% – making available a total of up to £172.5 million in 2024-25.

The majority of the funding provided through the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced and local authorities are able to spend the money as most appropriate for their local area, according to local priorities.


Written Question
Urban Areas: Newton-le-Willows
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens 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 paragraph 5.140 of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, when plans to publish details of funding for Newton-Le-Willows.

Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

The Prime Minister’s Long Term Plan for Towns will see up to £20 million of funding and support from the Government for Newton-Le-Willows over the next decade. I wrote to the Member for St Helen’s North and the Leader and Chief Executive of St Helen’s Borough Council on 19 March 2024 setting out next steps for developing the Long Term Plan for their town. This included details of the funding that will be provided for Newton-Le-Willows.


Written Question
Urban Areas: Tree Planting
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

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 increase potential opportunities for planting in National Planning Policy Framework street design.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that trees have an important role to play in the design of new development, not only to improve the character and quality of our urban environment but also to help address the challenges of climate change. The Framework therefore encourages that tree planting is incorporated in new developments, including as part of street design, and that their long-term maintenance is secured.


Written Question
Shared Ownership Schemes: Older People
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many homes have been delivered through the Homes England Older People’s Shared Ownership scheme in each of the last ten years.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

The figures in the table below represent the number of shared ownership homes aimed at older persons by shared ownership providers, the majority of which, but not all, will be provided through the Older Persons Shared Ownership (OPSO) scheme.

Year

Actual Completions

2013/14

235

2014/15

36

2015/16

253

2016/17

214

2017/18

170

2018/19

316

2019/20

224

2020/21

314

2021/22

270

2022/23

176


Written Question
Holiday Parks: Park Homes
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the number of people living permanently in holiday park homes.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

The data requested is not held centrally.


Written Question
Housing
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

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 help average-income families access the housing market.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

We have introduced a number of interventions that aim to increase the opportunities available to those wishing and able to get on the property ladder for the first time. These include First Homes, the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, Shared Ownership and Right to Buy. We have also reduced stamp duty and raised the thresholds for First-Time Buyers’ Relief. We also run the Lifetime ISA scheme to help young first-time buyers save for their first home.

Moreover, our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country. Since 2010, we have delivered over 696,100 new affordable homes, including over 482,000 affordable homes for rent, of which over 172,600 homes for social rent.


Written Question
First Time Buyers
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

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 help improve housing affordability for first-time buyers.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

We have introduced a number of interventions that aim to increase the opportunities available to those wishing and able to get on the property ladder for the first time. These include First Homes, the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, Shared Ownership and Right to Buy. We have also reduced stamp duty and raised the thresholds for First-Time Buyers’ Relief. We also run the Lifetime ISA scheme to help young first-time buyers save for their first home.

Moreover, our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country. Since 2010, we have delivered over 696,100 new affordable homes, including over 482,000 affordable homes for rent, of which over 172,600 homes for social rent.


Written Question
Green Belt: Renewable Energy
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Mark Eastwood (Conservative - Dewsbury)

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 help support people to submit objections to planning proposals for (a) the proposed installation of solar farms near Overton, Wooley and Kirkburton and (b) other proposed renewable energy projects on the green belt.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

This Government is committed to protecting and enhancing the Green Belt. Our National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that structures that spoil the openness of Green Belt should be refused permission unless in very special circumstances.