Asked by: Gareth Davies (Conservative - Grantham and Bourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to activate the Flood Recovery Framework in response to flooding (a) in Lincolnshire and (b) elsewhere in January 2025.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
My thoughts remain with householders and business owners impacted by flooding after the recent heavy rainfall, flooding is a devastating experience for all those affected.
Government support in the aftermath of flooding is only provided in exceptional circumstances and at present, overall, the scale of impacts is not sufficiently significant for the Flood Recovery Framework to be activated in any area. However, my officials continue to review impacts data and stand ready to support as appropriate.
Asked by: Gareth Davies (Conservative - Grantham and Bourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to support farmers affected by compulsory purchase orders for nationally significant infrastructure projects to find alternative land nearby.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Development Consent Orders can include provisions which allow the applicant to compulsorily acquire land, with applicants required to follow the process and procedures set out in the Planning Act 2008 and associated regulations.
Government guidance for applicants seeking authorisation for the compulsory acquisition of land reinforces that applicants should demonstrate that all reasonable alternatives have been explored. Applicants need to demonstrate that proposed interference with the rights of those with an interest in the land is for a legitimate purpose, and that it is necessary and proportionate.
The Secretary of State must be persuaded that the purposes for which an order authorises the compulsory acquisition of land are legitimate and are sufficient to justify interfering with the human rights of those with an interest in the land affected. These matters are considered by the Examining Authority during its examination and inform its recommendation to the Secretary of State.
Asked by: Gareth Davies (Conservative - Grantham and Bourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his timeframe is for bringing forward legislative proposals to grant freeholders equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge the reasonableness of service charges for communal areas.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service. Where owners of freehold properties pay estate rentcharges it is not appropriate that these homeowners have limited rights to challenge these costs.
That is why the Government will give freeholders on private and mixed tenure estates equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge the reasonableness of estate rentcharges. We will also consider the option of introducing a Right to Manage for residential freeholders once we have considered the Law Commission’s report and recommendations on changes to the Right to Manage for leaseholders.
In addition, when parliamentary time allows, we will remove the statutory right for owners of rentcharges to take possession or grant a lease of the property in the event of non-payment by the homeowner.
We have introduced legislation to set ground rents on newly created leases to zero in the current session. This will be the first part of major two-part legislation to implement leasehold and Commonhold reforms in this Parliament.