Asked by: Gary Streeter (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance his Department issues on the liability of holiday lets that are not habitable for permanent occupation to a higher rate of council tax as second homes.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Where a property is available for short-term lets for 140 days or more in a year, it will be assessed for business rates, rather than council tax, and would not be liable for a council tax premium.
From April 2023, short term lets will need to be able to demonstrate 70 days of actual short-term letting activity, that they were available for 140 days in the previous year, and will be available for 140 days in the forthcoming year, in order to be liable for business rates.
Asked by: Gary Streeter (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to require the mandatory installation of solar panels on new housing developments.
Answered by Paul Scully
Renewable energy, such as that generated from solar panels, is a key part of our strategy to get to net zero via a decarbonised electricity grid. We must therefore take the opportunity, where appropriate, to fit solar panels.
However, some homes may not be suitable for solar panels. For instance, due to shading, building orientation, roof shape/size, or visual amenity.
In December 2021 the Government introduced an uplift in energy efficiency standards, which came into force in June 2022. The uplift delivers a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions, with new homes now expected to produce around 30% less CO2 emissions compared to those built to the previous standards.
Our approach to achieving higher standards remains technology-neutral, to provide developers with the flexibility to choose the most appropriate and cost-effective solutions for their site. We expect, however, that in order to comply with the uplift, most developers will choose to install solar panels on new homes or use other low-carbon technology such as a heat pump.
As well as improving the energy efficiency of new buildings in the short term, the uplift will act as a stepping-stone to the Future Homes Standard, which will be implemented in 2025. The Future Homes Standard will ensure all new homes are net zero ready, meaning they will become zero carbon when the electricity grid decarbonises without the need for any retrofit work.
Asked by: Gary Streeter (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether public support for a regeneration project is required in order for a local authority to be eligible for a loan from the Public Works Loan Board to help fund that project.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
Under the current system, local authorities are responsible for their borrowing and investment decisions as they are best able to understand local needs. Where an authority borrows from the Public Works Loan Board, they must satisfy themselves that all borrowing is affordable and is compliant with HM Treasury’s lending terms and conditions, which do not permit borrowing if the authority intends to make investments primarily for yield. The authority remains accountable to their electorate for individual investment decisions, including those for the purposes of regeneration.
Authorities may borrow without prior government consent, except for smaller authorities such as parish and town councils which require the government’s approval to borrow for capital purposes. The government reviews all applications before issuing approval. As part of this process, applicants must satisfy the Department’s assessment criteria, which includes providing evidence that the council has considered local support for the capital plans.
Asked by: Gary Streeter (Conservative - South West Devon)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what conditions are typically linked to a loan issued by the Public Works Loan Board to a local authority to carry out regeneration works.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
Under the current system, local authorities are responsible for their borrowing and investment decisions as they are best able to understand local needs. Where an authority borrows from the Public Works Loan Board, they must satisfy themselves that all borrowing is affordable and is compliant with HM Treasury’s lending terms and conditions, which do not permit borrowing if the authority intends to make investments primarily for yield. The authority remains accountable to their electorate for individual investment decisions, including those for the purposes of regeneration.
Authorities may borrow without prior government consent, except for smaller authorities such as parish and town councils which require the government’s approval to borrow for capital purposes. The government reviews all applications before issuing approval. As part of this process, applicants must satisfy the Department’s assessment criteria, which includes providing evidence that the council has considered local support for the capital plans.