Asked by: Bob Ainsworth (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the progress made by local government in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England to sign up to the principles of the Crisis Care Concordat.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
As part of the roll-out of the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat, published by the Government in February 2014, health, social care and criminal justice partners across England have been invited to develop and sign local Concordat declarations.
I share the aim of my rt. hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Care and Support (Norman Lamb), that declarations should be in place throughout England by the end of 2014. Progress towards this across all areas of England can be found at: http://www.crisiscareconcordat.org.uk/explore-the-map/
I understand that there are plans for Crisis Care declarations covering Coventry and the West Midlands to be agreed shortly.
Asked by: Bob Ainsworth (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to bring empty (a) residential and (b) commercial properties back into use.
Answered by Stephen Williams
Reflecting commitments made in the Coalition Agreement, getting empty and redundant buildings back into use is a key priority for this Government. Under the Coalition Government, the number of empty homes in England has so far fallen to a 10 year low:
· The number of long-term empty homes has fallen by a third from 316,251 in October 2009 to 216,050 in October 2013.
· The overall number of empty homes (all types) has fallen by a fifth from 770,496 in October 2009 to 635,127 in October 2013.
· In London, the number of empty homes has fallen by a third, from 85,062 in October 2009 to 59,313 in October 2013.
A breakdown by local authority, including public sector tenure, can be found in Live Table 615.
www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants
But there is more to do. The Coalition Government has a comprehensive package of policies to help get empty homes and buildings back into use. They include:
· Funding a £235 million empty homes programme to help local communities in restoring empty properties, both residential and commercial, and helping provide new homes.
· Rewarding councils for bringing empty homes back into use through the New Homes Bonus. Since April 2011, councils have received over £2.2 billion for bringing empty homes back into residential occupation.
· Giving councils new powers to remove council tax subsidies to empty homes, and use the funds to keep the overall rate of council tax down. HM Treasury have also changed tax rules to discourage the use of corporate envelopes to invest in high value housing which may be left empty or under-used to avoid paying tax.
· Cancelling the Labour Government’s Pathfinder programme which sought to demolish homes, instead of focusing on refurbishment and getting empty homes into use. We have taken forward the best practice guidance produced by our independent adviser, George Clarke, and embedded it in our housing programme funding schemes.
· Reforming Community Infrastructure Levy rules to provide an increased incentive for brownfield development, and extending exemptions for empty buildings being brought back into use. We have also been consulting on proposals to lift Section 106 burdens on vacant buildings being returned to use.
· Introducing the Right to Contest, building on our existing Community Right to Reclaim Land, which lets communities ask that under-used or unused land owned by public bodies is brought back into beneficial use. This new right applies to sites currently in use, but are not vital for operations. It gives businesses and members of the public an opportunity to challenge government on the best use of its estate.
· Reforming permitted development rights in a number of ways to free up the planning system and facilitate the conversion of redundant and under-used non-residential buildings into new homes.
Asked by: Bob Ainsworth (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) homeless people and (b) rough sleepers in (i) Coventry, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
As outlined in the Written Ministerial Statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, Column 32WS, my Department does not publish statistics by government office region.
National and local authority data for homelessness are published in Live Table 784a which is available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness.
National and local authority data on rough sleeping can be found in Table 1 of the Rough Sleeping in England statistical release which can be found on the department's website at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rough-sleeping-in-england-autumn-2013
We are investing over £500 million over the current spending review period to help local authorities and voluntary sector partners prevent and tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and repossessions. This includes £20 million to support the roll out of the ‘No Second Night Out' standard and protect vital front line services. We have also supported the voluntary sector to deliver 'StreetLink' a national rough sleeping hotline, website and app to connect rough sleepers to local services.
On 10 June we announced that over £65 million of additional funding across Whitehall is being offered to councils and other organisations to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping around the country and ensure that vulnerable people can access a range of support and lead independent lives.