Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) protect renters from eviction and (b) support people who are homeless in Leicester East constituency.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 191614 on 6 July 2023.
We remain committed to ending rough sleeping and tackling homelessness. We have given councils over £2 billion over three years to help them tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, targeted to areas where it is needed most. In Leicester, this includes £2,383,257 funding through the Homelessness Prevention Grant for 2023/24 and 2024/25.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of Lord Austin's leadership of the independent review launched into civil unrest in Leicester.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
This government is committed to protecting all communities and will not tolerate attempts to foster division or violence among them.
Lord Austin was asked to deliver an independent, in-depth analysis of both Leicester-specific issues and wider factors which may have contributed to or exacerbated the recent tensions. The Review will seek to understand the origins of the unrest and how we can reduce the chances of similar events in the future.
Lord Austin has a long history of working against racism, prejudice and extremism and in trying to bring people together and build stronger and more united communities. His appointment is as chair of a panel of independent reviewers, consisting of a mixture of experts with experience in community engagement, social cohesion and counter extremism. I am confident this work will result in a rigorous, impartial, data-based assessment of the issues, which places significant importance on representing all sides throughout.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for what reasons he appointed Lord Austin to be the Chair of the independent review launched into civil unrest in Leicester.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
This government is committed to protecting all communities and will not tolerate attempts to foster division or violence among them.
Lord Austin was asked to deliver an independent, in-depth analysis of both Leicester-specific issues and wider factors which may have contributed to or exacerbated the recent tensions. The Review will seek to understand the origins of the unrest and how we can reduce the chances of similar events in the future.
Lord Austin has a long history of working against racism, prejudice and extremism and in trying to bring people together and build stronger and more united communities. His appointment is as chair of a panel of independent reviewers, consisting of a mixture of experts with experience in community engagement, social cohesion and counter extremism. I am confident this work will result in a rigorous, impartial, data-based assessment of the issues, which places significant importance on representing all sides throughout.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with Leicester councillors who have refused to cooperate with the independent review into civil unrest in Leicester.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to Question UIN 190748 on 28 June 2023.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans for the Independent review into civil unrest in Leicester in 2023 to include an assessment of the potential role of fake accounts from (a) foreign governments, (b) political groups and (c) online actors in the unrest.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The review into the 2022 unrest in Leicester is independent, subject to the Terms of Reference, which will be made available once the remaining panel members have been appointed. In brief, the review will:
As an independent review, the exact avenues of investigation and assessment will for the panel to determine. The review seeks to strengthen community cohesion in the city; the independent experts will hear from a wide range of people and voices from across the city and beyond, and they will take steps to ensure that all communities are fairly represented and heard.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans for the independent review into civil unrest in Leicester in 2023 to include an assessment of the potential impact of (a) poverty levels and (b) levels of investment in Leicester on the unrest.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The review into the 2022 unrest in Leicester is independent, subject to the Terms of Reference, which will be made available once the remaining panel members have been appointed. In brief, the review will:
As an independent review, the exact avenues of investigation and assessment will for the panel to determine. The review seeks to strengthen community cohesion in the city; the independent experts will hear from a wide range of people and voices from across the city and beyond, and they will take steps to ensure that all communities are fairly represented and heard.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans for the independent review into civil unrest in Leicester in 2023 to include an assessment of the potential role of extremist groups in the unrest.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The review into the 2022 unrest in Leicester is independent, subject to the Terms of Reference, which will be made available once the remaining panel members have been appointed. In brief, the review will:
As an independent review, the exact avenues of investigation and assessment will for the panel to determine. The review seeks to strengthen community cohesion in the city; the independent experts will hear from a wide range of people and voices from across the city and beyond, and they will take steps to ensure that all communities are fairly represented and heard.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with (a) Leicester City Council and (b) the Mayor of Leicester on (i) the independent review into civil unrest in Leicester in 2022 and (b) the appointment of Lord Ian Austin as Chair of that review.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The review into the 2022 unrest in Leicester is independent, subject to the Terms of Reference, which will be made available once the remaining panel members have been appointed. In brief, the review will:
As an independent review, the exact avenues of investigation and assessment will for the panel to determine. The review seeks to strengthen community cohesion in the city; the independent experts will hear from a wide range of people and voices from across the city and beyond, and they will take steps to ensure that all communities are fairly represented and heard.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when the appointment of Lord Ian Austin to lead the independent review into civil unrest in Leicester in 2022 was (a) first discussed with and (b) confirmed to (i) Leicester City Council and (ii) the Mayor of Leicester.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The review into the 2022 unrest in Leicester is independent, subject to the Terms of Reference, which will be made available once the remaining panel members have been appointed. In brief, the review will:
As an independent review, the exact avenues of investigation and assessment will for the panel to determine. The review seeks to strengthen community cohesion in the city; the independent experts will hear from a wide range of people and voices from across the city and beyond, and they will take steps to ensure that all communities are fairly represented and heard.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he has taken to ensure the impartiality of the Independent review into civil unrest in Leicester in 2022 by Lord Austin in the context of maintaining public confidence in that review.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The review into the 2022 unrest in Leicester is independent, subject to the Terms of Reference, which will be made available once the remaining panel members have been appointed. In brief, the review will:
As an independent review, the exact avenues of investigation and assessment will for the panel to determine. The review seeks to strengthen community cohesion in the city; the independent experts will hear from a wide range of people and voices from across the city and beyond, and they will take steps to ensure that all communities are fairly represented and heard.