Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of UK provision of housing-with-care for older people compared with that of other countries; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
MHCLG has not carried out such an assessment. Housing-with-care is able to react flexibly to fluctuating, or increasing, care and support needs. There is evidence to suggest that living in a housing-with-care setting can reduce the overall amount of care older people might need, whilst also having the potential to reduce loneliness levels.
In the UK only 0.7 per cent of over-65s live in a housing-with-care setting. This figure stands at more than 5 per cent in countries such as the United States, New Zealand or Australia.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help young people get on the housing ladder.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Government-backed schemes have supported over half a million households into home ownership since 2010. The Help to Buy: Equity Loan has helped nearly 184,000 households purchase a new-build home from its launch in 2013 until June 2018 and 81 per cent of sales were to first time buyers. The recent Evaluation of Help to Buy: Equity Loan from 2015 to 2017 found that 63 percent of first-time buyers were under 35 years old. Our reforms to Stamp Duty, introduced at Budget 2017, have already benefited 180,500 people who pay the tax.
But we understand there is more to do. The revised the National Planning Policy Framework places an expectation on local authorities that on major sites, 10 per cent of affordable housing provision should be dedicated to home ownership products, such as shared ownership, rent to buy or starter homes.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
What steps his Department is taking to ensure fairness in the allocation of funding to local government.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
We are undertaking a Fair Funding Review of local authorities’ relative needs and resources to address concerns about the fairness of the current system.
We are making good progress, in collaboration with the sector, in order to introduce a simpler, fair and transparent funding formula.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to strengthen the powers given to local authorities to regulate private car parks.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
We have already taken steps to help local authorities tackle unfair practices by private parking operators, including the banning of wheel clamping and towing.
My Department is also considering reforms of the private parking sector and we are keen to ensure motorists get fair treatment from private parking companies.
We welcome Sir Greg Knight’s Private Members’ Bill that seeks to create an independent code of practice for private parking companies. We look forward to reading Sir Greg’s recommendations.