Asked by: Aaron Bell (Conservative - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help support people with poor credit ratings to apply for private rental properties.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
The Government encourages private rented sector landlords and agents to assess the suitability of potential and existing tenants on an individual basis.
Private renters who need help towards their rental payments may be eligible for a range of support through the welfare system. Local Housing Allowance rates have been maintained at their increased levels in 2022-23, following investment of nearly £1 billion in April 2020. For those most in need, support is available through Discretionary Housing Payments to help meet a shortfall in housing costs.
Local authorities may offer rent deposit, bond and guarantee schemes to help people on low incomes or at risk of homelessness. These schemes may give money to help with rent in advance and a deposit or act as a guarantor service and cover unpaid rent or damage up to a certain amount.
Asked by: Aaron Bell (Conservative - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the findings of the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) review into the building insurance market for multiple-occupancy residential buildings, what recent discussions the Government has had with the FCA on potential changes to that authority’s powers to intervene on broker remuneration on business insurance rates.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer to Question UIN 74972, answered on the 8th November 2022.
Further to the answer given to PQ 74972, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.
Asked by: Aaron Bell (Conservative - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the broker remuneration system for large residential building owners who are seeking affordable rates of business insurance.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Government has concerns about year-on-year increases in buildings insurance premiums and the restricted cover on offer to leaseholders. In January 2022, the Secretary of State wrote to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requesting that they investigate the causes of high buildings insurance premiums for leaseholders.
The FCA has published its review into the buildings insurance market for multi-occupancy residential buildings 11 metres and above. The report can be found here.
The Government is also considering how best to implement the FCA's recommendation to give leaseholders greater rights to review and challenge their insurance costs. This is crucial to holding all parties accountable to the costs being borne by leaseholders.
Asked by: Aaron Bell (Conservative - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his timetable is for opening applications to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund; and when his Department plans to publish full details of the application process.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
UK-wide funding for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will ramp up to at least match receipts from EU structural funds, which on average reached around £1.5 billion per year. Spending Review 2021 fulfils this commitment, with the announcement of over £2.6 billion for the UKSPF over the next three years, with funding reaching £1.5 billion in 2024-25.
The UKSPF will focus on restoring a sense of community, local pride and belonging across the country. The UKSPF will act as a primary lever in levelling up people and places in all parts of the UK to empower places to identify, and build on, their own strengths and needs at a local level.
The Government will publish further details on the fund in due course.