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Written Question
Housing: Construction
Monday 9th September 2019

Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which local authorities have been subject to Government sanctions for failing to allocate sufficient housing sites.

Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Government is clear that in order to help make home ownership affordable for more people, we need to deliver more homes. We introduced a set of planning reforms in the revised National Planning Policy Framework to help towards achieving this ambition. One such measure is the Housing Delivery Test, which shows where the housing needs of communities are and are not being met. The 2018 results show that local authorities are rising to the challenge with over two thirds of authorities delivering the numbers of homes their communities need.


Written Question
Local Plans
Thursday 5th September 2019

Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which local authorities have not adopted a Local Plan.

Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

As of 31 August 2019, 37 local authorities have not adopted a Local Plan under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. Details of these local authorities are provided in Tables 1-3 below:

Table 1 – Local authorities that have submitted their draft plan for examination but are yet to adopt.

Local Authorities

Aylesbury Vale

Basildon

Bolsover

Broxbourne

Calderdale

Central Bedfordshire

Craven

Durham

Eastleigh

Epping Forest

Harlow

Hart

Liverpool

Mansfield

North East Derbyshire

North Hertfordshire

Northumberland

Old Oak and Park Royal DC

Runnymede

St Albans

Sunderland

Tendring

Thanet

Uttlesford

Welwyn Hatfield

Windsor and Maidenhead

York

Table 2 – Local authorities that have published a draft plan but have yet to submit for examination.

Local Authorities

Brentwood

Isles of Scilly

Table 3 – Local authorities that still need to publish their draft plan.

Local Authorities

Amber Valley

Ashfield

Bury

Castle Point

Medway

Salford

Tameside

Wirral


Written Question
Housing: Fires
Tuesday 3rd September 2019

Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to strengthen requirements for residential lifts for use by disabled people during a fire to include prevention of smoke inhalation.

Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Government published, on 18 December 2018, a call for evidence to form the basis for a technical review of Approved Document B (Fire Safety). Paragraphs 35 and 36 address means of escape for disabled people and paragraphs 38 to 41 address the issue of smoke and toxicity.

The call for evidence closed on 15 March 2019. The Department is in the process of reviewing the evidence provided. My Department is also committed to reviewing Approved Document M (Access to and use of buildings) and a key objective is to ensure that these two projects deliver consistent and co-ordinated advice on this important matter.


Written Question
Construction: Carbon Emissions
Wednesday 24th July 2019

Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the advice provided in the European Commission recommendations document EU 2019/1019, on reducing CO2 emissions, is distributed widely throughout the construction industry; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Heather Wheeler

The UK will take account of these recommendations in implementing the requirements of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2018/844/EU.

The Directive will be implemented through revised legislation and associated guidance which will be published to help those affected, including the construction industry, to meet the new requirements.


Written Question
Social Rented Housing: Construction
Monday 22nd July 2019

Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the report entitled Capital grant required to meet social housing need in England 2021 – 2031, published by the National Housing Federation in June 2019, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings that (a) over the decade from 2021 it will be necessary to build 145,000 social homes each year and (b) on average a capital grant from Government of £12.8 billion per year will be required to provide these homes; and what action he is taking to increase the number of social homes in England.

Answered by Kit Malthouse

We are committed to increasing the supply of social housing and have invested over £9 billion into our Affordable Homes Programme to deliver 250,000 affordable homes by 2022, including at least 12,500 for social rent. In September we announced an additional £2 billion of long-term funding certainty for housing associations. This extra funding will deliver more affordable homes and stimulate the sector’s wider building ambitions, through strategic partnerships. £1 billion of this funding is open for bidding with existing Homes England Strategic Partnerships.

We have increased the size of the Affordable Homes Programme, re-introduced social rent, removed the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap for local authorities, and have set out a long-term rent deal for councils and housing associations in England from 2020. Housing associations and local authorities now need to accelerate delivery and build more affordable homes.


Written Question
Affordable Housing: Rural Areas
Tuesday 9th July 2019

Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that communities and local authorities work together to provide adequate numbers of affordable homes in rural areas when drawing up Local Plans and Neighbourhood Plans.

Answered by Kit Malthouse

The National Planning Policy Framework makes it clear that in rural areas, planning policies should identify opportunities for villages to grow and thrive, especially where this will support local services. These opportunities should be explored in both local plans and neighbourhood plans that look to allocate housing.

The Framework also makes it clear that in rural areas housing development that reflect local needs should be supported. The rural exception sites policy specifically promotes the delivery of affordable housing in rural areas.

In addition, an £8.5 million ‘discounted homes’ pilot is being used to support communities who wish to bring forward affordable homes for sale through neighbourhood planning, many of these are expected to be in rural areas.


Written Question
Second Homes: Registration
Monday 8th July 2019

Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to tackle the loop-hole which allows people to register second homes as Air B&B facilities.

Answered by Kit Malthouse

The Government supports new business models and the economic benefits that they can bring. All landlords who let out accommodation on a short term basis must do so responsibly and in accordance with the law.


Written Question
Affordable Housing: Rural Areas
Monday 8th July 2019

Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to introduce an affordable homes target for rural England into Homes England’s objectives.

Answered by Kit Malthouse

Homes England’s Strategic Business Plan sets out their mission, objectives and public facing key performance indicators (KPIs). Homes England’s objectives already include supporting more affordable housing and providing expert support to priority locations. Through this commitment to support priority locations, government funding is directed to address affordability where it poses the greatest problem for the country so homes can be built where they are most needed.

It is the responsibility of local authorities to plan to reflect local needs, particularly for affordable housing, including through rural exception sites. Homes England has dedicated rural housing champions in each of their operating areas and they remain active across the rural housing sector to ensure that the profile of affordable rural housing remains high.


Written Question
Community Housing Fund
Monday 8th July 2019

Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to extend funding for the Community Housing Fund beyond 2020.

Answered by Kit Malthouse

The Community Housing Fund is currently scheduled to close in March 2020. Decisions on funding for 2020-21 onwards are a matter for the Spending Review, which will take place this year.

The Government recognises that the community-led housing sector offers significant potential for helping to meet housing need across England. In addition to helping increase the rate of delivery of new housing, it will help deliver a range of benefits including diversifying the housebuilding sector, improving design and construction quality, developing modern methods of construction, and sustaining local communities and local economies. The support and close involvement of the local community enables the community-led approach to secure planning permission and deliver housing that could not be brought forward through speculative development.


Written Question
Neighbourhood Development Plans
Monday 1st July 2019

Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to improve the quality of planning advice made available to the neighbourhood planning process.

Answered by Kit Malthouse

The Government has recently published updated neighbourhood planning guidance to support communities in the preparation of their plans. The amended guidance includes changes to reflect the updated National Planning Policy Framework which is clear about the important role that neighbourhood plans play in our plan-led system. Additional practical advice is provided through the Government’s £26 million Neighbourhood Planning Support Programme, which includes support from a national network of local neighbourhood planning champions.