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Written Question
Business: Ashford
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)

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 support high street businesses in Ashford constituency.

Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

The Government is fully committed to supporting our high-street businesses and communities. The department has announced over £15 million in targeted funding in Ashford constituency since 2021, including:

  • £14.7 million from the Levelling Up Fund, for the Newtown Works development, which will transform the former railway works into a mixed-use site incorporating a creative hub, a hotel, restaurant, retail, commercial and residential space;
  • £1 million from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to support Ashford Borough Council’s Town Centre Reset strategy, which awards grants to local businesses and runs until April 2024; and
  • £0.5 million from the UK Community Ownership Fund to enable The Honest Miller Community Group and The George Community to restore and reopen two long-closed village pubs.

Written Question
Anti-social Behaviour
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)

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 has taken with local authorities to tackle anti-social behaviour in (a) Ashford constituency and (b) England.

Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

In March 2023, the Government launched the Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Action Plan to crack down on ASB, restoring people’s confidence that these crimes will be quickly and visibly punished. The Action Plan applies to all local authorities across England and Wales, including Ashford.


Written Question
Planning Inspectorate
Wednesday 24th January 2024

Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has received representations on the up to 40-day time period being used by the Planning Inspectorate to respond to correspondence.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence, including by its executive agencies. Where performance is below our standards, we have taken steps to improve the speed and quality of responses to Members and their constituents. While we have not received specific correspondence regarding the Planning Inspectorate, I will certainly ask for it to be raised with the Planning Inspectorate.


Written Question
Almshouses
Tuesday 30th May 2023

Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to update the National Planning Policy Framework to (a) reflect the affordability of almshouses and (b) include them in the definition of affordable housing.

Answered by Rachel Maclean

Where almshouse organisations are registered with the Regulator of Social Housing and are letting homes at Social or Affordable Rent, or providing low-cost home ownership through shared ownership schemes, those homes are likely to fall within the definition of affordable housing in the National Planning Policy Framework.

As part of the National Planning Policy Framework consultation between 22 December 2022 and 2 March 2023, we sought views on how we can help bring forward more community-led housing, including almshouses. We will be publishing a response to that consultation in due course.


Written Question
Elections: Proof of Identity
Friday 28th April 2023

Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)

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 potential merits of advertising in local news media to increase awareness of the new voter ID requirements ahead of local elections in May 2023.

Answered by Dehenna Davison

The national communications campaign for voter identification is the responsibility of the Electoral Commission. The Commission launched its wide-reaching public awareness campaign on 9th January to ensure voters understand the change and to support continued participation in the electoral process. The Government has supported this, including through amplification of the message through government channels, through messaging on GOV.UK.

In addition to the Commission's campaign, the Government has allocated £4.75 million of additional funding to all local authorities with polls in May 2023 to support local communications.


Written Question
Park Homes: Sales
Friday 18th November 2022

Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations of the Mobile homes: The impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission report, published on 16 June 2022.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

The government commissioned a report looking at the issue and we are grateful to the authors. Ministers are actively considering this complex issue. We will publish a response in due course. We are committed to reforming the sector to deliver better value and security for residents.


Written Question
Housing Supply: Older People
Friday 18th November 2022

Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)

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 increase the supply of older people’s housing.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

My department works closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to provide capital funding to incentivise supply. This includes my department's £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme which includes delivery within the programme for new supported housing for older, disabled and other vulnerable people.

DHSC's Adult Social Care Reform White Paper reiterated the Government's commitment to the important role of supported housing. This included the continuation of the Care and Support Specialised Housing (CASSH) Fund.

In February 2022, the Levelling Up White Paper announced a taskforce on older people's housing to explore how we can improve the choice of and access to housing options for older people. We continue to work in partnership with DHSC colleagues and with housing, health and social care stakeholders to look at how we can further support the growth of a thriving older people's housing sector.

We note the recommendations in Professor Mayhew's recent review alongside contributions from other stakeholders.

I would be happy to meet with my Rt. Hon. Friend to discuss this important issue.


Written Question
Housing: Older People
Friday 18th November 2022

Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations of the Mayhew Review on future-proofing retirement living.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

My department works closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to provide capital funding to incentivise supply. This includes my department's £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme which includes delivery within the programme for new supported housing for older, disabled and other vulnerable people.

DHSC's Adult Social Care Reform White Paper reiterated the Government's commitment to the important role of supported housing. This included the continuation of the Care and Support Specialised Housing (CASSH) Fund.

In February 2022, the Levelling Up White Paper announced a taskforce on older people's housing to explore how we can improve the choice of and access to housing options for older people. We continue to work in partnership with DHSC colleagues and with housing, health and social care stakeholders to look at how we can further support the growth of a thriving older people's housing sector.

We note the recommendations in Professor Mayhew's recent review alongside contributions from other stakeholders.

I would be happy to meet with my Rt. Hon. Friend to discuss this important issue.


Written Question
Local Government: Remote Meetings
Wednesday 9th March 2022

Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what representations he has received on the instructions to local councils not to hold council meetings remotely; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade

A Call for Evidence on remote meetings was conducted from 25 March to 17 June 2021 to inform consideration of permanent provisions.  The responses to the Call for Evidence have been reviewed and Government will respond shortly.


Written Question
Sheltered Housing
Thursday 8th October 2020

Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received on setting up a Housing with Care task force; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

The Government welcomes the work of specialist older people’s housing providers in building homes and meeting the needs of our aging population. We are already engaging with specialist providers as we take forwards our plan to build the homes our country needs, including our reform and modernisation of the planning system. Ministers and officials will continue to engage with this sector going forwards.