Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2022 to Question 84800 on Elections: Proof of Identity what volume of watermarked paper for voter ID documents his Department has ordered as of 6 January 2023; and what proportion of such orders has been delivered.
Answered by Lee Rowley
An initial order of 40 tonnes has been delivered to the relevant supplier with a further 10 tonnes ordered and due for delivery by end of January 2023.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the number of empty residential properties in England.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
The UK Government wants to encourage empty homes back into use, and empower local leaders to reinvest in their communities. Local authorities already have many powers and strong incentives to tackle empty homes. Through the New Homes Bonus, they receive the same level of reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one.
The latest data tables on dwelling stock, including vacant homes can be found here.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2022 to Question 84800 on Elections: Proof of Identity, where the watermarked paper for voter ID documents will be produced.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Further to the answer given to Question UIN 84800, HH Associates Ltd, a British based company, have been awarded the contract to provide the watermarked paper and the specialist security printing. The initial paper product will be outside of the United Kingdom; the printing and production of the voter ID document will be undertaken within the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what companies were awarded the contract for providing watermarked paper for voter ID documents; and what is the deadline for this paper being supplied.
Answered by Lee Rowley
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of Government contracts awarded greater than £10,000 are published on contracts finder.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2022 to Question 17012 on Elections: Proof of Identity, when he plans to publish details on the implementation of voter ID cards.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government recently published a letter to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee regarding the Elections Act 2022. It sets out details about voter identification and the Voter Authority Certificate, the link to the published letter can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-the-chair-of-the-public-administration-and-constitutional-affairs-committee-regarding-the-elections-act-2022.
Further details on implementation and commencement will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
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 financial position of Spelthorne Council.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
It is the responsibility of all local authorities to manage their own finances and ensure that they set and maintain a balanced budget position. It is also for local authorities to determine their own borrowing and investment strategies, but in doing so they have to appropriately comply with the Prudential Framework and its four statutory Codes. The government has made clear that authorities should not borrow to invest for profit. The government is taking actions to strengthen the capital system and continues to monitor risks across the sector including local authorities’ borrowing profile and associated risks, and engages with individual local authorities where appropriate.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
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 comparative cost of a new local authority-built (a) two bedroom flat and (b) a three bedroom house.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government recognises the cost of delivering affordable housing and has given councils the tools they need to build more homes. In the Levelling Up White Paper, we committed to reviewing how to support councils to deliver in greater numbers, alongside housing associations.
It is for councils to determine the size, type and tenure of the homes they build.