Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made a local authority level assessment of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on retail shops on the high street.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
This Government is fully committed to supporting the businesses and communities that make our high streets and town centres successful as the nation responds to the impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak. Now more than ever, it is vital that we continue to help our local economies by supporting town centres and high streets to adapt and evolve.
Our High Street Task Force collates and publishes data on the health of our high streets and town centres, making this information available to local leaders, communities and businesses.
Government recognises the impact that Covid-19 has had on business turnover since March. That is why we have provided a comprehensive package of support of £200 billion, including small business grants, business rate reliefs, coronavirus loan schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, as well as deferral of income tax payments.
Further, Government has announced the £50 million Reopening High Streets Safely Fund to support local authorities with rolling out extra measures to support their business communities as they reopen, supporting our businesses and helping to reinvigorate our communities.
In addition to this support, Government has provided protection to businesses through a moratorium on landlords’ ability to evict tenants due to the non-payment of rent and restrictions on the servicing of statutory demands and winding-up petitions.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
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 extent to which firms are not enforcing clauses on exit fees in lease agreements for retirement properties; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such non-enforcement on the owners of those properties.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
This information is not held by my Department.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many companies have voluntarily opted out of charging event fees on retirement properties.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
This information is not held by my Department.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department has made on commissioning research on establishing an online database to provide information for prospective buyers on event fees associated with leasehold retirement properties.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
In 2017, the Law Commission published a report of their review of event fees on behalf of this Department. The Law Commission made a number of recommendations in its report, which can be downloaded at http://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/event-fees-in-retirement-properties.
The Government responded to the Law Commission, thanking them for the report and agreeing to implement the majority of the recommendations. The Government is further considering two recommendations, on succession rights and a database of leasehold retirement properties with event fees, and will make an announcement in due course.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department has made on a consultation on the implications for consumers and buyers of spouses’ and live-in carers’ succession rights to stay in a leasehold retirement property, without payment of an event fee.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
In 2017, the Law Commission published a report of their review of event fees on behalf of this Department. The Law Commission made a number of recommendations in its report, which can be downloaded at http://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/event-fees-in-retirement-properties.
The Government responded to the Law Commission, thanking them for the report and agreeing to implement the majority of the recommendations. The Government is further considering two recommendations, on succession rights and a database of leasehold retirement properties with event fees, and will make an announcement in due course.