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Written Question
Non-domestic Rates: Pendle
Wednesday 22nd March 2017

Asked by: Andrew Stephenson (Conservative - Pendle)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 4.5 of the Spring Budget 2017, what share of the £300 million in discretionary relief for business rate individual hard cases will be provided to businesses in Pendle constituency.

Answered by Marcus Jones

My Department is currently consulting on the £300 million discretionary relief scheme. As part of the consultation the Government published details of the provisional allocations by local authority. Details of the consultation and allocations are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/discretionary-business-rates-relief-scheme


Written Question
Non-domestic Rates: North West
Tuesday 21st March 2017

Asked by: Andrew Stephenson (Conservative - Pendle)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 3.17 of the Spring Budget 2017, what estimate the Government has made of the number of public houses that will be eligible for the £1,000 business rate discount in (a) Pendle, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West.

Answered by Marcus Jones

At the Budget on 8 March the Chancellor announced a new relief scheme for pubs with a rateable value below £100,000. Under the scheme, eligible pubs will receive a £1000 discount on rate bills. My Department will shortly consult on guidance which will include proposals on the eligibility criteria and other aspects of the scheme.


Written Question
British Nationals Abroad
Monday 12th September 2016

Asked by: Andrew Stephenson (Conservative - Pendle)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support local authorities can provide to British families returning to the UK after a long period living abroad.

Answered by Lord Barwell

Above the statutory duties which they must fulfil, local authorities can provide families and individuals with what additional support they judge appropriate.


Written Question
Refuges: Finance
Wednesday 20th July 2016

Asked by: Andrew Stephenson (Conservative - Pendle)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received on making refuges a statutory-funded service; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Marcus Jones

Domestic Abuse is a devastating crime and we are determined to ensure that everyone receives the support they need when they need it. This Government recognises the important role played by refuges in keeping victims of domestic abuse safe and we have made a clear commitment to secure a future for refuges.

Many refuges already receive public funding via housing benefit, local authorities and health services. In the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy published on 8 March, we set out our ambition to improve services for women suffering from domestic abuse, committing to a new Statement of Expectations to set out for the first time what we expect from local areas. To support this, we are launching a new two year fund for refuges and other forms of accommodation based support and to help local areas take the steps they need to meet the expectations set out in the Statement.


Written Question
Caravans: Parking
Tuesday 19th January 2016

Asked by: Andrew Stephenson (Conservative - Pendle)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many motorhome-friendly parking sites there are in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Lancashire.

Answered by Marcus Jones

The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold data for of the number of motorhome-friendly parking sites. Parking provision is a matter for which local authorities are responsible, and the development of parking policies should take account of the existing and projected levels of parking demand.


Written Question
Small Businesses: North West
Thursday 17th September 2015

Asked by: Andrew Stephenson (Conservative - Pendle)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to (a) raise awareness of and (b) encourage small and medium enterprises in the North West to access funding from the North West Fund.

Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm

The North West Fund has wound down the level of marketing and promotion of the Fund due to the limited amount of funding remaining for the rest of the North West (excluding Merseyside) under the current European Regional Development Fund 2007-13 programme.

DCLG are currently working with the North West Local Enterprise Partnerships to agree the establishment of a new fund providing access to finance for small and medium enterprises under the 2014-20 programme. Once established the new North West fund will be promoted to small and medium enterprises and closely aligned with the local growth hubs providing business support.


Written Question
Small Businesses: North West
Thursday 17th September 2015

Asked by: Andrew Stephenson (Conservative - Pendle)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on how many small and medium enterprises in (a) Pendle constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West have received funding from the North West Fund.

Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm

The North West fund has invested the following:

a) 3 small and medium enterprises in Pendle constituency have recieved £1.26 million investment to date.

b) 43 small and medium enterprises in Lancashire have received £20.06 million investment to date.

c) 386 small and medium enterprises in the North West have recieved £124.34 million investment to date.


Written Question
Housing: Construction
Friday 3rd July 2015

Asked by: Andrew Stephenson (Conservative - Pendle)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much local authorities received in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) Pendle constituency under the New Homes Bonus in each year since 2011.

Answered by Brandon Lewis

The total amount that local authorities received in (a) England, (b) Lancashire County Council and (c) Pendle (payment made on the basis of Pendle Borough Council boundaries) under the New Homes Bonus in each year since 2011 is set out in the attached table . This includes payment of the Bonus for previous delivery.




Written Question
Recycling: Lancashire
Monday 23rd March 2015

Asked by: Andrew Stephenson (Conservative - Pendle)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much waste was recycled in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire in 2009-10 and each subsequent year.

Answered by Kris Hopkins

The levels of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting in a) Pendle Borough Council and b) Lancashire County Council in those years is set out in the table below:

2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/14
Pendle35.6%38.0%37.6%35.9%36.7%
Lancashire44.9%46.0%46.8%47.6%47.4%


Written Question
Non-domestic Rates: Lancashire
Friday 20th March 2015

Asked by: Andrew Stephenson (Conservative - Pendle)

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 number of small firms and shops likely to be affected by the planned reduction in business rates in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire in 2015-16.

Answered by Kris Hopkins

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced at the 2014 Autumn Statement an extra £650 million of support for 2015-16 business rate bills, bringing the total support of 2013 and 2014 Autumn Statement polices to £1.4 billion. This help includes:

  • doubling small business rate relief for a further year. In England, this means an estimated 400,000 properties will pay no rates at all, while a further 200,000 properties will benefit from tapered relief;
  • a 2% cap on the increase of the small business rates multiplier. This is a continuation of the 2% cap introduced in 2014-15 as part of Autumn Statement 2013 measures;
  • increasing the temporary discount for shops, pubs and restaurants with rateable values below £50,000 from £1,000 to £1,500 for 2015-16, benefitting an estimated 200,000 properties in England; and
  • extending the existing transitional relief scheme for two years for properties with a rateable value up to and including £50,000.

These measures are in addition to previous Autumn Statement measures that continue into 2015-16, including:

  • a 50 per cent discount for 18 months to new occupants of vacant shops;
  • allowing businesses to keep their small business rate relief for a year where they take on an additional property;
  • business rates relief for empty new builds; and
  • allowing businesses to pay their business rate bills over 12 months, in order to assist with their cash flow.

Central Government also now funds 50% of any additional local discounts granted.

The Department does not collect data on a constituency basis, but Pendle constituency lies entirely within the boundary of Pendle Borough Council. Table 1 (attached) shows the estimated number of properties in 2015-16 within the boundary of Pendle Borough Council that benefit from business rates measures extended in this year’s Autumn Statement. Table 2 (attached) presents the same information for properties within Lancashire County Council.