Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to help improve the energy efficiency of grade II listed homes.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government remains fully committed to meeting its climate change targets, alongside the protection of the historic environment, and recognises the important contribution that cost effective energy efficiency improvements to buildings can make in meeting these targets.
Approved Document L Volume 1 gives guidance on how to meet the energy efficiency requirements in homes. The guidance explains that when doing work on a listed building, dwellings do not need to comply fully with the energy efficiency requirements, where to do so would unacceptably alter their character or appearance. However, the work should comply with standards to the extent that it is reasonably practicable.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to re-introduce virtual participation in district and parish council meetings to ensure accessibility for members who may have to isolate as a result of covid-19 infection.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
The Department has been considering the responses to the call for evidence on local authority remote meetings and the Government will respond shortly.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department will publish further clear guidance to local councils about holding meetings virtually after the 6th May 2021 whilst national covid-19 restrictions are in place.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government keeps all policy under review. To extend the facility for all local authorities to continue to meet remotely or in hybrid form after 7 May 2021 would require primary legislation.
We have received representations from local authorities and sector representative organisations making the case for the continuation of remote meetings beyond 7 May 2021 and we are carefully considering next steps in this area.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of the Planning Inspectorate's guidance on site visits, hearings, inquiries and events, published on 28 May 2020, relating to how interested parties and members of the public can participate in the planning process through (a) examination of local plans, (b) accessing documents online and (c) attending virtual hearings during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Department has worked closely with the Planning Inspectorate during the COVID-19 outbreak, and the Inspectorate’s guidance on site visits, hearings, inquiries and examinations has been kept under regular review. Since it was first published on 12 March 2020 the guidance has been updated when necessary to reflect changes in the public health situation and to ensure that it remains effective.
The Inspectorate responded to the Written Ministerial Statement of 13 May 2020 by designing and testing an online environment suitable for hosting events and to facilitating public engagement and identifying emerging best practice across similar bodies, such as HM Courts and Tribunals Service. The Inspectorate conducted the first virtual hearing on 11 May 2020, and since then around 600 virtual hearings and inquiries have taken place across planning appeals, local plan examinations and nationally significant infrastructure applications.
Virtual events have proven to be effective and offer greater opportunity for involvement in the planning system. The Inspectorate has requested feedback from all participants in virtual events and 90% of those who responded have rated their experience good or excellent, with 97% saying that they would be happy to take part in a virtual event again.
Information supporting nationally significant infrastructure applications is fully available on the Planning Inspectorate website. Supporting information for planning appeals and local plan examinations is published through the website of the relevant council.
The Department is working with the Inspectorate to identify how to best capture the benefits of these new ways of working as part of the vision for a digital future of the planning system that we set out in our Planning for the Future White Paper.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has for Government oversight of local authority property investments.
Answered by Luke Hall
Local authorities borrow and invest under the Prudential Framework which is designed to ensure that their capital plans are affordable, prudent and sustainable, while giving councils the freedom to set their own capital strategies. Government is responsible for ensuring the Framework remains effective in driving sound decision making, and collects appropriate data to monitor trends and identify risks. Local authorities remain accountable to their electorate for managing their own investment strategies and meeting their Best Value duty. They must comply with the Framework’s statutory guidance, including the requirement to report performance against a set of metrics designed to demonstrate the objectives of the Framework are being met, and must publish an investment strategy.
Government is aware of recent trends where some local authorities are taking on high levels of debt to invest for commercial income, and takes the view that a minority of councils are exposing taxpayers to undue financial risk. Government is also aware of the financial risks that can arise from councils' investments in companies. We have already strengthened our investment guidance to support better consideration of risks in decision making, and are now considering carefully what further interventions are needed, taking into account the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee in their report of 13 July 2020. We already have underway a review to improve our available data and ensure we fully understand sector borrowing and investment activity, including current and emerging risks. We continue to actively monitor capital trends in the sector, as part of our normal processes, and we are collecting data from authorities to understand the impact of the current crisis on commercial income.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has for Government oversight of local authority business investment companies.
Answered by Luke Hall
Local authorities borrow and invest under the Prudential Framework which is designed to ensure that their capital plans are affordable, prudent and sustainable, while giving councils the freedom to set their own capital strategies. Government is responsible for ensuring the Framework remains effective in driving sound decision making, and collects appropriate data to monitor trends and identify risks. Local authorities remain accountable to their electorate for managing their own investment strategies and meeting their Best Value duty. They must comply with the Framework’s statutory guidance, including the requirement to report performance against a set of metrics designed to demonstrate the objectives of the Framework are being met, and must publish an investment strategy.
Government is aware of recent trends where some local authorities are taking on high levels of debt to invest for commercial income, and takes the view that a minority of councils are exposing taxpayers to undue financial risk. Government is also aware of the financial risks that can arise from councils' investments in companies. We have already strengthened our investment guidance to support better consideration of risks in decision making, and are now considering carefully what further interventions are needed, taking into account the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee in their report of 13 July 2020. We already have underway a review to improve our available data and ensure we fully understand sector borrowing and investment activity, including current and emerging risks. We continue to actively monitor capital trends in the sector, as part of our normal processes, and we are collecting data from authorities to understand the impact of the current crisis on commercial income.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has for Government oversight of local authority property investment companies.
Answered by Luke Hall
Local authorities borrow and invest under the Prudential Framework which is designed to ensure that their capital plans are affordable, prudent and sustainable, while giving councils the freedom to set their own capital strategies. Government is responsible for ensuring the Framework remains effective in driving sound decision making, and collects appropriate data to monitor trends and identify risks. Local authorities remain accountable to their electorate for managing their own investment strategies and meeting their Best Value duty. They must comply with the Framework’s statutory guidance, including the requirement to report performance against a set of metrics designed to demonstrate the objectives of the Framework are being met, and must publish an investment strategy.
Government is aware of recent trends where some local authorities are taking on high levels of debt to invest for commercial income, and takes the view that a minority of councils are exposing taxpayers to undue financial risk. Government is also aware of the financial risks that can arise from councils' investments in companies. We have already strengthened our investment guidance to support better consideration of risks in decision making, and are now considering carefully what further interventions are needed, taking into account the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee in their report of 13 July 2020. We already have underway a review to improve our available data and ensure we fully understand sector borrowing and investment activity, including current and emerging risks. We continue to actively monitor capital trends in the sector, as part of our normal processes, and we are collecting data from authorities to understand the impact of the current crisis on commercial income.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure Town Deal board members publish registers of their financial interests.
Answered by Luke Hall
In our Towns Fund further guidance, we state all Town Deal Board members should sign up to a code of conduct based on the Seven Principles of Public Life (the Nolan Principles).
The Lead Council is responsible for ensuring that all respective Town Deal Board members understand these principles and how they function in practice.
We also expect all members of the Town Deal Board to complete a declaration of interests.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure financial accountability and transparency on the use of funding allocated through the Towns Fund.
Answered by Luke Hall
Every Town Investment Plan we receive is robustly assessed against a range of criteria, with value for money a central consideration.
Funding is distributed through local authorities who are the accountable body. Funding for projects will only be released when full, green book compliant, business cases have been approved.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that funds awarded through the towns fund are deposited with the accountable local authority as the responsible body.
Answered by Luke Hall
Each town was asked to nominate a lead local authority for the Towns Fund. All payments are made through those lead local authorities, using Section 31.