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 he has made of the effectiveness of the Agent of Change principle in protecting pre-existing cultural venues since its inclusion in the National Planning Policy Framework; and what plans the Government has to put that principle on a statutory footing.
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.
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, how much funding from the £64 million Changing Futures programme will be allocated to South Tyneside.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Changing Futures will work in 15 local areas to test new approaches to improve outcomes for adults experiencing multiple disadvantage, with almost £64 million in total programme funding from the Government's Shared Outcomes Fund (£46 million) and aligned funding from The National Lottery Community Fund (£17.9 million)
Northumbria is one of these local partnerships, covering South Tyneside and five other local authority areas (Northumberland, Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside, Sunderland). The Northumbria partnership will receive £5.089 million in grant between 2021/22-2023/24 to support their delivery plan for the Changing Futures programme
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 support his Department is providing to increase economic activity in coastal communities.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
We are committed to increasing economic activity in our coastal communities. Our coastal areas have already benefited from over £250 million through successful bids into Town Deals and from the Future High Streets Fund. At Budget 2021, the Chancellor announced 7 Freeports in coastal areas, which will boost economic activity further in these communities
This is all in addition to the £6 million available through the Welcome Back Fund to support coastal areas; offering assistance of up to £100,000 to help address the unique challenges facing these areas as restrictions ease. Further support will be available through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK in places most in need. Coastal places can also bid into the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund.
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, how much funding his Department has received from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The money raised through the Soft Drinks Industry Levy is not linked to any specific programmes, or departmental spending. Departmental spend is allocated through Spending Reviews, by the Treasury.
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, which organisations have received funding from the Reopening High Streets Fund; how much funding they received; and what the criteria was for its allocation.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Our £50 million Reopening High Streets Safely Fund (RHSSF) is playing an important role in getting people back to work, supporting our businesses and helping to reinvigorate our local communities.
This funding has been allocated to 314 local authorities in England on a per capita basis, with a minimum limit of £30,000.?Each local authority is responsible for deciding how the grant should be spent whilst ensuring that the activity is eligible under the terms of the grant.
The full RHSSF criteria, including an Annex detailing local authority funding allocations, can be found in the fund guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reopening-high-streets-safely-fund-guidance.
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, which organisations have received funding from the Coastal Communities Fund; how much funding they each received; and what the criteria was for its allocation, in each year since the fund's creation.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
This Government believes in the considerable potential of the Great British Coast and is determined to strengthen its appeal as a place to live, work and visit and to see it thrive all year round.
Please be aware that a full list of successful Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) applicants or projects, their funding allocations and guidance outlining the priority funding criteria is publicly available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coastal-communities
Through this link you can browse information relating to all five rounds of CCF since its launch in 2012.
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, which organisations have received funding from the Town Deals Fund; how much funding they received; and what the criteria was for its allocation, in each year since its creation.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The £3.6 billion Towns Fund includes £1 billion for the Future High Streets Fund, as well as funding for 101 places that have been selected to develop proposals for Town Deals.
In 2019, we paid all places shortlisted for the Future High Streets Fund grants of up to £150,000 revenue funding to develop full business cases. In December 2019 we paid out £16.4 million in capacity funding to local authorities from the initial 100 towns selected for Town Deals to establish Town Deal Boards and develop their proposals. In both cases the money was paid to the lead local authority.
In May 2020, following a competitive tender and pre-market engagement exercises, we appointed an Arup-led consortium to provide commercial support to all 101 towns selected for Town Deals to help develop their plans and proposals to bid into the fund. Further details about the contract can be found at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/18a3b1d6-1624-42c4-a0fb-70311c335584.
In September 2020, we paid £81.5 million in accelerated funding to the lead local authorities for the 101 towns selected for Town Deals. Each town received between £500,000 and £1 million to help them respond to the immediate challenges of Covid-19.
On 27 October 2020, Government announced the first seven places in England set to benefit from up to £178.7 million in new Town Deals: Barrow-in-Furness, Blackpool, Darlington, Norwich, Peterborough, Torquay and Warrington. Work has begun to confirm final funding for these places. Further announcements on more Town Deals will be made in due course.
Full details of these payments are on gov.uk.
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, which organisations have received funding from the Future High Streets Fund; how much funding they received; and what the criteria was for its allocation, in each year since its creation.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Capital funding has not yet been allocated to successful local authorities for the Future High Streets Fund competitive process. However, we are in the final stages of the assessment and we expect to announce the outcome of the competition soon. £107 million (CDEL) of the Future High Streets Fund is allocated to DCMS to support the regeneration of heritage high streets through ‘Heritage Action Zones’.
Some revenue funding (RDEL) from the fund has been allocated to the High Streets Task Force, Business Improvement Districts and to develop a new parking code. Capacity funding grants of up to £150,000 were paid to 101 local authorities selected to prepare full business cases for the Future High Streets Fund Competition. Please see more details here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1-billion-future-high-streets-fund-expanded-to-50-more-areas.
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, with reference to the announcement by his Department on 21 March 2020 on measures to protect people at highest risk from coronavirus, what plans his Department has to support the delivery of food; whether his Department has plans to support food initiatives in local communities; and what support local authorities will provide.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
On 23 March, the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for this Department announced steps to protect 1.5 million extremely clinically vulnerable individuals. These individuals received letters asking them to shield themselves and self-isolate for the next 12 weeks.
To support these high-risk individuals, we are working with local authorities, the food industry, local resilience and emergency partners, and voluntary groups to ensure these individuals have essential items such as groceries and medicine through deliveries and priority supermarket delivery slots, if they do not have alternative means of accessing these.
The system to deliver food packages is now up and running and capacity is building in line with current demand. We have now delivered over 280,000 food packages direct to people’s doorsteps and will be ramping up our food deliveries over the coming weeks.
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 proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff in his Department reported experiencing bullying or harassment at work in the most recent Civil Service People Survey.
Answered by Jake Berry
Bullying and harassment has no place in any workplace, including the Civil Service.
In our most recent People Survey, 11 per cent of respondents, on average, told us that they'd experienced bullying or harassment at work in the 12 months preceding the survey.
Whilst this figure has remained stable since 2016, we recognise that certain groups of staff are more like to say they have experienced this type of unacceptable behaviour than others. This includes staff members with long-term limiting conditions who, in the vast majority of departments and agencies, were more likely to say they'd been bullied or harassed in the last 12 months than staff members with no long-term limiting conditions.
We are strengthening the routes for staff to report bullying and harassment to ensure that all staff are fully supported throughout the process, and to ensure cultures are positive and inclusive.
The high level People Survey results for each organisation, including reported rates of bullying and harassment, were published last December on gov.uk.
Each spring the Cabinet Office conducts and publishes a range of further analysis on the People Survey responses, including the results by gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and health status. Similar analysis will be conducted again this year and made available on gov.uk.
Civil Service People Survey 2017: results
Long-term health status is captured in the People Survey through questions J04 and J04A. J04 asks if the individual has a "long-standing physical or mental health condition, illness, impairment or disability?" and, if they answer yes, J04A asks whether their condition, illness or disability has an impact on their daily activity or the work they can do.
Results are aggregated in to two broad categories: "No long-term limiting condition", combining those who answer No to either J04 or J04A; and, "Long-term limiting condition", those who answer Yes to J04 and who answer that their condition limits what they can do either "a little" or "a lot" at J04A.
Answered “Yes” to the question “During the past 12 months have you personally experienced bullying or harassment at work?” | No limiting long-term illness | Has a limiting |
Department for Communities and Local Government | 6% | 19% |