Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that proposed increases in business rates do not have a negative effect on the British solar industry.
Answered by Marcus Jones
Business rates are based on valuations from the Valuation Office Agency and we do not intervene in their independent assessments. We have put in place a £3.6 billion transitional relief scheme to ensure that no ratepayer is unfairly penalised by the 2017 revaluation.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many small businesses in (a) Tynemouth constituency, (b) North Tyneside local authority area and (c) the North East have claimed small business rate relief in the latest period for which figures are available.
Answered by Marcus Jones
Local authority estimates held by the Department show that as of 31 December 2014, 1,901 properties were in receipt of small business rate relief in North Tyneside, in which the Tynemouth constituency is located. In the North East, 28,939 properties were in receipt of small business rate relief at the same date. The Department does not hold data at constituency level.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the (a) minimum and (b) maximum amount payable is under the Home Loss Payments (Prescribed Amounts) (England) Regulations 2015.
Answered by Lord Barwell
The Home Loss Payments (Prescribed Amounts) (England) Regulations 2015 have been replaced by the 2016 Regulations SI 2016 No. 789. These regulations apply where the displacement is on or after 1st October 2016.
The minimum payment is £5,800 and the maximum payment is £58,000 for qualifying owner occupiers.
A flat rate payment of £5,800 is made for qualifying tenants.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the net effect of New Homes Bonus allocations on council budgets in the 50 (a) most and (b) least deprived council areas.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
Since its introduction, councils have received £2.2 billion in funding from the New Homes Bonus, rewarding the delivery of 550,000 newly-built homes and conversions, including over 160,000 affordable homes, and for bringing 93,000 empty homes back into use.
Figures for the aggregate funding given to each local authority can be found at:
The hon. Member’s own local authority of North Tyneside has so far received £4.6 million.
We will be publishing a formal evaluation report on the New Homes Bonus in due course.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the average change in spending power for (a) all councils and (b) local authorities in the North East between 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
The average reduction in spending power between 2013-14 and 2014-15 for England excluding Great London Authority was 2.9%. My Department does not produce regional statistics. The local government finance system does not operate on a regional basis, and the Government Office Regions have been abolished.
Figures for individual local authorities are published at the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/277394/Spending_Power_by_dwelling_final_settlement.xls
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to council tax resource equalisation on areas with high deprivation and low council tax bases.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
In setting the baseline for the business rates retention scheme we took into account the needs and resources of local authorities. We restored the relative resources component of the system to the same level as in 2010-11. The methodology for the new Business Rates Retention scheme was set out as part of the announcement of the 2013-14 Local Government Finance settlement.
We have been clear that the main emphasis of the Local Government Finance settlement has now changed, so that instead of being focused on needs it now incentivises growth. Unlike the previous approach to local government funding the new approach offers all local authorities the opportunity to pursue local growth through locally retained business rates and through the New Homes Bonus. Revenue Support Grant is just one component of the resources available to enable local authorities to pursue their locally set spending priorities.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the New Homes Bonus on housing planning approvals in the North East since 2011.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The New Homes Bonus was announced as a Coalition Government policy in 2010, and commenced in April 2011, but it has rewarded planning permission granted from October 2009 onwards.
Thanks to the Government’s planning reforms and incentives like the New Homes Bonus, in the last 12 months to June 2014, an estimated 230,000 new homes were granted planning permission across England. This is up from 145,775 permissions at the end of 2009.
We do not produce regional statistics, not least since we have abolished regional planning and regional government. We now have a locally-led planning system.
My Department has been carrying out a formal evaluation of the New Homes Bonus, which we will publish in due course.