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Written Question
Local Government: Staff
Thursday 30th November 2023

Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on the amount of money local authorities spent on employing political assistants in the financial years (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23.

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

The information requested is not held centrally.


Written Question
Local Government Finance: South Tyneside
Monday 3rd July 2023

Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2023 to Question 127773 on South Tyneside, if he can provide a breakdown of what the returned grant funding was allocated for.

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

The returned grant allocations were in respect of the business rates system. Following submission of outturn figures, South Tyneside made the below reconciliation repayments to DLUHC. The repayments are against funding paid to the local authority on account based on estimates they provided.

Amount

Purpose

£92,320.00

Adjustments to the Covid Tax Income Guarantee Scheme for 20-213

£6,393,896.00

Adjustments to Business Rates Relief grants for 20-211

£18,130.00

Adjustments to Business Rate Retention payments for 2019-202

£246,099.00

Adjustments to Business Rate Retention payments for 2020-211

1 The figure can be found in the published 2020-21 NNDR3 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1104063/NNDR3_2020-21_LA_dropdown_september.xlsx

2 The figure can be found in the published 2019-20 NNDR3 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1104043/NNDR3_2019-20_LA_dropdown_september.xlsx

3 A reconciliation calculation was carried out by DLUHC based on submitted 2020-21 NNDR1 and NNDR3 figures to compensate LAs for a share of lost local tax in response to Covid. A calculator was shared with LAs to allow them to calculate their final value of this grant in advance.


Written Question
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: South Tyneside
Tuesday 24th January 2023

Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much money have South Tyneside Council returned to his Department from grants allocated over the last two years as of 19 January 2023.

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

South Tyneside Council have returned a total £6,750,445 of grant funding to the department between 01.04.2020 and 31.03.2022, the last two years for which audited information is available.


Written Question
Poverty: Regional Planning and Development
Thursday 17th November 2022

Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans his Department has to tackle increasing levels child poverty through levelling up policies.

Answered by Dehenna Davison

Levelling Up recognises that talent is spread equally but opportunity is not. To unlock the potential of our nation we need to give everyone an opportunity to flourish. The Levelling Up White Paper set out twelve missions focused on the most left behind areas, with the aim of raising living standards across the United Kingdom. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) leads cross-government action on tackling poverty, working closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and other departments.


Written Question
Council Tax: Energy Bills Rebate
Thursday 23rd June 2022

Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what instructions his Department has provided to councils on paying residents the £150 council tax rebate for those households which do not pay council tax via direct debit; and what alternatives methods are available for paying the rebate other than it being paid directly into a bank account.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade

My Department has issued guidance and FAQs to help councils administer the council tax rebate. These set out that councils should contact eligible households that do not pay their council tax by direct debit to arrange a payment method. They also suggest secure payment options for households without a bank account, for example voucher-based payments and council tax account credits.


Written Question
Culture: Planning
Monday 6th September 2021

Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has held with Cabinet colleagues on the Agent of Change principle and the protection of pre-existing cultural venues and businesses within the planning system.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to Question UIN 35676 on 22 July 2021.


Written Question
Culture: Planning
Monday 6th September 2021

Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to enshrine the Agent of Change planning principle in primary legislation to help protect and preserve cultural venues from new housing development proposals.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

The Government is supportive of ensuring that existing facilities, including cultural venues and businesses, do not have unreasonable restrictions put on them because of changes in their area due to new developments. That is why the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) includes the 'agent of change' principle. This sets out that planning policies and decisions should ensure that new development can be integrated effectively with existing business and community facilities. It also makes clear that the person or business responsible for the change of use of land is responsible for managing the effect of the change.

As this Agent of Change principle can be achieved through policy as demonstrated in the current NPPF, the Government does not believe it is necessary to include this in primary legislation. We were clear in Planning for the Future that the reformed planning system will continue to protect the places of environmental and cultural value which matter to us. We will have the opportunity to review the principle and how it will be applied under the new planning system when we review the NPPF as part of the planning reforms.


Written Question
Culture: Planning
Thursday 22nd July 2021

Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the Agent of Change principle and the protection of pre-existing cultural venues and businesses within the planning system.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

The Government is supportive of ensuring that existing facilities, including cultural venues and businesses, do not have unreasonable restrictions put on them because of changes in their area due to new developments. That is why the National Planning Policy Framework includes the ‘agent of change’ principle. This sets out that planning policies and decisions should ensure that new development can be integrated effectively with existing business and community facilities. It also makes clear that the person or business responsible for the change of use of land is responsible for managing the implications of the change.

Planning practice guidance on Noise provides further detail on how the risk of conflict between new development and existing businesses, or facilities can be addressed. Whilst we have not undertaken further assessment of the principle, local authorities will consider the effects on a case by case basis.

We were clear in Planning for the Future that the reformed planning system will continue to protect the places of environmental and cultural value which matter to us. We received 44,000 responses to the Planning for the Future White Paper consultation. We announced in the Queen’s Speech that we will be bringing forward a Planning Bill in the current session of Parliament, and we will publish a response to the White Paper consultation. This will set out our decisions on the proposed way forward.


Written Question
Planning
Thursday 22nd July 2021

Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what role the Agent of Change principle will have in the Government’s proposed changes to the planning system.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

The Government is supportive of ensuring that existing facilities, including cultural venues and businesses, do not have unreasonable restrictions put on them because of changes in their area due to new developments. That is why the National Planning Policy Framework includes the ‘agent of change’ principle. This sets out that planning policies and decisions should ensure that new development can be integrated effectively with existing business and community facilities. It also makes clear that the person or business responsible for the change of use of land is responsible for managing the implications of the change.

Planning practice guidance on Noise provides further detail on how the risk of conflict between new development and existing businesses, or facilities can be addressed. Whilst we have not undertaken further assessment of the principle, local authorities will consider the effects on a case by case basis.

We were clear in Planning for the Future that the reformed planning system will continue to protect the places of environmental and cultural value which matter to us. We received 44,000 responses to the Planning for the Future White Paper consultation. We announced in the Queen’s Speech that we will be bringing forward a Planning Bill in the current session of Parliament, and we will publish a response to the White Paper consultation. This will set out our decisions on the proposed way forward.


Written Question
Culture: Planning
Thursday 22nd July 2021

Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what protections for pre-existing cultural venues and businesses will be included in the Government’s proposed changes to the planning system.

Answered by Christopher Pincher

The Government is supportive of ensuring that existing facilities, including cultural venues and businesses, do not have unreasonable restrictions put on them because of changes in their area due to new developments. That is why the National Planning Policy Framework includes the ‘agent of change’ principle. This sets out that planning policies and decisions should ensure that new development can be integrated effectively with existing business and community facilities. It also makes clear that the person or business responsible for the change of use of land is responsible for managing the implications of the change.

Planning practice guidance on Noise provides further detail on how the risk of conflict between new development and existing businesses, or facilities can be addressed. Whilst we have not undertaken further assessment of the principle, local authorities will consider the effects on a case by case basis.

We were clear in Planning for the Future that the reformed planning system will continue to protect the places of environmental and cultural value which matter to us. We received 44,000 responses to the Planning for the Future White Paper consultation. We announced in the Queen’s Speech that we will be bringing forward a Planning Bill in the current session of Parliament, and we will publish a response to the White Paper consultation. This will set out our decisions on the proposed way forward.