Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to give local authorities full financial autonomy for social care funding.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
The Department distributes funding to local government through the Local Government Finance Settlement. In addition local government raises its own finance through local taxes. Social care funding is not ring-fenced and local government already has autonomy to determine how best to manage its own finances to ensure it delivers the appropriate level of services for its residents.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 9 November 2015 to Question 14704, what plans his Department has to review and enhance the powers contained in the Public Order Act 1994 to award local authorities greater ability to remove illegal traveller camps without recourse to the courts.
Answered by Lord Barwell
Local authorities and the police have a range of strong powers that enable them to take action against unauthorised encampments and developments. As my predecessor outlined in the Answer to the Hon. Member dated 9 November 2015 (Question 14704), a summary of these powers was sent to all council leaders, Police and Crime Commissioners and Police Chief Constables in March 2015:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418139/150326_Dealing_with_illegal_and_unauthorised_encampments_-_final.pdf
The Government is open to suggestions for how enforcement could be strengthened and continues to keep this issue under review.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on the consideration of the Greater Essex Combined Authority bid.
Answered by Andrew Percy
We are encouraging all areas to come forward with locally led devolution proposals. If Greater Essex takes the decision to proceed with a combined authority and consults on those proposals, as statue provides, we will consider whether the creation of a combined authority is likely to improve the exercise of statutory functions in that area and lead to more effective and convenient local government.
We look forward to discussing with Greater Essex any proposals they have to form a combined authority.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2016 to Question 36275, if he will make it his policy to ensure that disbursements from the Coastal Communities Fund are allocated to the regions of England on the basis of population share.
Answered by Mark Francois
Our policy is that every coastal community should have the chance to bid for a share of the Coastal Communities Fund to help them with projects that will have a real and lasting impact on their local economy. The 118 Coastal Community Teams (CCTs) in England now provide an important new local context for considering these bids, so that the Fund helps to deliver community-led Economic Plans. Each bid is considered on its merits and allocating the Fund to regions on the basis of their population share would not necessarily ensure best value for money.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding from the Coastal Communities Fund will be allocated to the Jaywick Coastal Community Team between 2017 and 2021.
Answered by Mark Francois
The Coastal Communities Fund awards grants to projects through a competitive bid-led process and is not allocated directly to specific places or Coastal Community Teams (CCTs). Funds are awarded to projects that best meet the programme's aims to promote sustainable growth and jobs.
The Fund's next bidding round (Round 4) for projects in England starting in 2017-18 is expected to open for new applications in early Summer 2016. Full details of how to apply will be available on the Big Lottery Fund’s web site: https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/ccf
The Economic Plan submitted by Jaywick's CCT earlier this year will provide an important context for considering bids to the Fund from public, private and voluntary/community sector bodies in the area.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether his Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to extend the classification criteria of brownfield sites for housebuilding.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Brownfield land is defined as previously developed land in the National Planning Policy Framework. We are consulting on whether it would be beneficial to strengthen national policy on the development of brownfield land for housing. The consultation closes on 22 February.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of brownfield land sites in the Essex County Council area have been re-designated as community land trusts in each of the last five years.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Department does not hold information centrally on the amount or type of land held by Community Land Trusts.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2015 to Question 18488, what amount of funding from the Coastal Communities Fund will be allocated to the Jaywick Coastal Community Team from 2017 to 2021.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
Funding from the Coastal Communities Fund is awarded to projects through a competitive bid-led process rather than being allocated directly to specific places or Coastal Community Teams. To date no successful bids have been received from organisations in Jaywick.
Funds are awarded to projects that best meet the programme's aims to promote sustainable growth and jobs. Details of the Fund's next bidding round for projects starting in 2017-18 will be announced in the Spring. The Economic Plan being prepared by Jaywick's Coastal Community Team will provide an important context for considering bids to the Fund from public, private and voluntary/community sector organisations in its area.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many planning refusals for greenfield sites have been overturned on appeal in each year between 2010 to 2015.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
This information is not held centrally by this Department.