Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
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 ensure that opportunities to install energy efficiency measures through Government schemes are compatible with regulations regarding (a) listed buildings and (b) buildings situated in conservation areas.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is fully committed to encouraging homeowners to incorporate energy efficiency measures in their properties in order to tackle climate change. As part of this, we recognise the need to ensure that more historic buildings have the right energy efficiency measures to support our zero carbon objectives. In our recently published British Energy Security Strategy, we have committed to reviewing the practical planning barriers that households can face when installing energy efficiency measures such as improved glazing, including in conservation areas and listed buildings. This review will be completed by the end of 2022 and ensure protection of local amenity and heritage, whilst making it easier to improve energy efficiency.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the level of homelessness in (a) Leicestershire and (b) Bosworth.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities publishes quarterly statistics on statutory homelessness. The most recent statistics, for the period June to September 2021, are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness. This includes data for local authorities in Leicestershire and in Bosworth, although the most recent data for Hinckley and Bosworth is not available due to insufficient data being submitted.
The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and fully enforcing the Homelessness Reduction Act, and we are spending £2 billion over the next three years to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. This includes the £316 million Homelessness Prevention Grant for the 2022-23 Financial Year, paid to local authorities to help prevent homelessness and provide temporary accommodation.
Leicestershire local authorities have a total grant of £2,136,251 from the Homelessness Prevention Grant in 2022-23.
Hinckley and Bosworth will receive £231, 567 from the Homelessness Prevention Grant in 2022-23.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps the Government is taking to provide (a) financial and (b) other support to local high streets to assist with recovery from covid-19 restrictions in advance of the spring trading period.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
This Government is fully committed to supporting the businesses and communities that make our high streets and town centres successful as the nation responds to the impacts of COVID-19. We have provided a comprehensive package of around £400 billion of direct support to the economy during this financial year and last, which has helped to safeguard jobs, businesses and public services in every region and nation of the UK. This package includes business grants, the coronavirus loan schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, as well as deferral of income tax payments. In addition, on 21 December 2021 the Chancellor announced further support of over £700 million in grant support for businesses most impacted by the Omicron variant, as part of an overall package of £1 billion to support businesses across the UK.
We are taking further concrete steps towards reviving our high streets and town centres by committing billions of pounds to support economic growth and regeneration for high streets, through the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, which will invest in infrastructure to improve everyday local life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets. There is also the £220 million UK-wide Community Renewal Fund, the £150 million Community Ownership Fund, and the £3.6 billion Towns Fund, which includes support for 101 Town Deals and 72 Future High Streets Fund projects.
Beyond substantial funding offers, Government is providing support to local leadership with the High Streets Task Force. Over five years this is providing hands-on support to local areas to develop data-driven innovative strategies and to connect local areas to relevant experts. On 20th March, we were pleased to announce the next 70 local authorities due to receive bespoke expert support, which has taken place over 2021 and will continue into 2022. We will be announcing a further tranche of local authorities to receive in-person expert support from the Task Force in due course.
In addition to this, the Build Back Better High Streets strategy published in July 2021 forms a key part of Government's plan to level up and will deliver visible changes to local areas and communities across England. To address adaptation and reinvention of our high streets, in September 2020 we also introduced reforms to the use classes to enable more flexible use of existing buildings. Through these reforms we will help create more vibrant, mixed use town centre areas, attracting people to shop, work, live and for leisure activities, ensuring they remain viable now and in the future.
Reviving our high streets and town centres is essential to this Government's commitments to level up the country. We will shortly be publishing the Levelling Up White Paper, which will set out in more detail how this Government will be helping places around the country.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
What assessment he has made of the role of neighbourhood plans in future national planning policy.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Communities are at the heart of the planning system and, by preparing a neighbourhood plan, they can have a greater say over development in their local areas. We are committed to retaining neighbourhood planning as an important part of the planning system, and we will set out our proposed way forward shortly.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local planning authorities in promoting energy from renewable and low carbon sources in (a) Leicestershire and (b) the UK.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government recognises that local authorities play an essential role in driving local climate action. Our National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that local planning authorities should have a positive strategy in place to promote energy from renewable and low carbon sources, and that local plans should take a proactive approach to mitigating and adapting to climate change in line with the objectives and provisions of the Climate Change Act 2008.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to publish his Department's response to the call for evidence on whether local authorities and parish councils may meet remotely on a permanent basis.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Department is reviewing the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course. Any permanent change would require legislation, and would depend upon Parliamentary time being available.