Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's Rough Sleeping Strategy, published in 2018, what progress he has made on researching the needs and experiences of LGBT homeless people.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
We recognise that LGBT homelessness is an important issue, and that LGBT people who find themselves homeless may have a different experience of homelessness due to their protected characteristics.
To help us better understand LGBT homelessness and the experience of LGBT people who find themselves homeless, as well as to ensure any interventions are tailored and effective, we are conducting research with the Government Equalities Office.
The first stage of this research includes a review of existing evidence on LGBT homelessness and interviews with LGBT people with lived experiences of homelessness and the second may include a review of services working with LGBT homeless people. This work is ongoing and the research will be published in due course.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what further support he will allocate to Parish Councils who have used a large proportion of their budgets responding to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Simon Clarke
We applaud the assistance that many parish councils are providing to their local communities in the current crisis. The government does not have powers to offer financial support to parish councils, which are funded through a precept collected from within the overall council tax paid by the residents of the parish. We encourage parish councils to speak to their principal authority.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the number of second homes that are (a) liable to pay council tax and (b) liable to pay business rates.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Second homes are liable for council tax rather than business rates. 253,000 properties were treated as second homes for council tax purposes as at September 2019. 56,000 properties that are available commercially as self-catering holiday accommodation are subject to business rates.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will extend the Community Housing Fund for a further five years.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Community Housing Fund closed at the end of March. Ministers are considering all budgets in the round and allocations for 2020/21 will be confirmed at Main Estimates later in the Spring. Allocations for future years will be considered at the next Spending Review.
The Government recognises that the community-led housing sector offers significant potential for helping to meet housing need across England. In addition to helping increase the rate of delivery of new housing, it can help deliver a range of benefits including diversifying the housebuilding sector, improving design and construction quality, developing modern methods of construction, and sustaining local communities and local economies. The support and close involvement of the local community enables the community-led approach to secure planning permission and deliver housing that may not be brought forward through speculative development.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on considering responses to the 2018 consultation on the business rates treatment of self-catering accommodation.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The Government is considering the responses to the consultation and what further steps might be appropriate, taking into account a range of factors including the impact of coronavirus on the UK's tourism industry.