Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether (a) he and (b) his Ministerial colleagues informed hon. Members that funding for their constituency via the (i) Levelling Up Fund, (ii) Community Renewal Fund and (iii) Community Ownership Fund was dependent on how they voted on the Committee of Standards motion before the House of Commons on 3 November 2021.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
No.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to respond to the Committee on Standards in Public Life review of local government ethical standards.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Committee on Standards in Public Life report recommends numerous legislative changes and other amendments to strengthen the local government standards and conduct system. Of the 26 recommendations, 22 were aimed at Government. We will be issuing the Government response to the report in due course.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department will provide applicants to the National VCSE Grant Scheme with a decision.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Department has received a high volume of applications for the Hong Kong BN(O) Welcome Programme Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise grant schemes, which will fund work to support BN(O)s in a number of innovative ways.
We are grateful to all those organisations who have taken the time to apply and we will be in contact with final decisions as soon as possible.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2021 to Question 45132, on Health and Social Care Levy, whether the Government's plans to compensate Departments and other public sector employers in England for the increased cost of the health and social care levy includes providing that support to local authorities in England.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government has committed to compensating departments and other public sector employers for the increased cost of the Health and Social Care Levy. This applies to employees who are directly employed by the public sector, but not, for example, where services are contracted out.
The local government Spending Review settlement takes account of the additional pressure on local government from the Health and Social Care Levy accordingly. More detail on how the funding announced at the Spending Review will be distributed will be given as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to publish a full Regulatory Impact Assessment for the introduction of the permitted development right, to enable the change of use from the new Class E to residential use, which came into force on 1 August 2021.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
As previously stated we aim to publish a full Regulatory Impact Assessment on the measures in due course and in accordance with the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, by what date his Department requires funding from the Community Renewal Fund to be spent.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
As part of the announcement of successful UK Community Renewal Fund projects we have extended the project activity and time to spend funding to 30 June 2022.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to publish full details of how the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will function.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Further details on the UKSPF will be published in due course.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether it remains his Department's policy to reduce the number of funding schemes in which local authorities make competitive bids.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government believes that providing local authorities with the freedom to use funding in a way that responds to local needs and priorities is key to supporting financial sustainability and sound financial management. The Local Government Finance Settlement and the vast majority of local government’s Core Spending Power (£51.3 billion) is un-ringfenced, giving local authorities flexibility over their spending decisions
There are times when dedicated competitive biddable funding streams are the best way to make sure local government receives the support, they need to deliver the Government’s objectives, including specific funding initiatives, trials or pilots. In such circumstances, Ministers will look to maximise value for money by considering the timing, value and conditions attached to any funding.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to his oral contribution of 25 October 2021, Official Report, column 18, if he will provide an update on his commitment to provide an update to areas that had made bids to the Community Renewal Fund by the end of the week commencing 25 October 2021; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Areas that bid to the UK Community Renewal Fund have been informed today whether they have been successful.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many areas with priority (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 made bids to the first round of the Levelling Up Fund.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The first round of the Levelling Up Fund will invest £1.7 billion in 105 local infrastructure projects across the UK. Citizens across the UK can expect to see projects getting underway from early 2022. As set out in the Levelling Up Fund Explanatory Note, a total of 305 Levelling Up Fund bids were received on or before the 18 June 2021 and were assessed in accordance with the approach outlined in the Levelling Up Fund Technical Note.
All successful bids have been published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/levelling-up-fund-first-round-successful-bidders