Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to impose a legal cap on service charges for social housing.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government does not regulate levels of service charges in social housing. Our policy statement on social housing rents states that Registered Providers of social housing are expected to set reasonable and transparent service charges for tenants that reflect the service being provided. Levels of service charge may vary for each property based on a range of factors, including the cost of repairs, maintenance and management of the building.
The Government’s policy statement on rents also states that Registered Providers of social housing should endeavour to keep any service charge increases for tenants within the limit on annual permitted rent increases (7.7% in 2024-25).
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what support is available for parish councillors who are abused while representing their communities.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
It is vital that councillors feel able to raise concerns about intimidation and abuse, and that those in leadership positions in councils take these seriously and deal with them appropriately.
The Local Government Association’s work on Civility in Public Life includes resources to support good standards of behaviour and advice on how to handle issues of abuse and intimidation.
I would be happy to pass on further details to my Rt Hon Friend.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment his Department has made of the level of fire risk posed by battery storage facilities.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer my Rt Hon Friend to the answer I gave to Question UIN 6137 on 18 December 2023.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a restriction on battery storage facilities being built within 500 metres of residential areas.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer my Rt Hon Friend to my answer to Question UIN 6137 on 18 December 2023.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
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 is providing to local authorities on the distribution of funding for high streets.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
There is a range of support options available to encourage regeneration of high streets and we advise local authorities on how to make the best use of these. This support includes provisions in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act for High Street Rental Auctions (HSRA) which give local authorities new powers to force landlords to rent out vacant units in high streets, as well as the High Street Accelerator pilot programme and the Government’s Long-Term Plan for Towns to drive ambitious plans for regeneration.
Long-term investment also includes £2.35 billion of Town Deals and over £830 million of Future High Streets Funding across 170 high streets, town centres and local communities in England.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the Future High Streets Fund will be extended to smaller high streets.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
There is a range of support options available to encourage regeneration of high streets and we advise local authorities on how to make the best use of these. This support includes provisions in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act for High Street Rental Auctions (HSRA) which give local authorities new powers to force landlords to rent out vacant units in high streets, as well as the High Street Accelerator pilot programme and the Government’s Long-Term Plan for Towns to drive ambitious plans for regeneration.
Long-term investment also includes £2.35 billion of Town Deals and over £830 million of Future High Streets Funding across 170 high streets, town centres and local communities in England.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Voluntary Right to Buy Midlands pilot between 2018 and 2021, whether his Department plans to introduce a full-scale rollout of that scheme.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government remains committed to the Right to Buy, which since 1980 has enabled over two million social housing tenants to become homeowners.
Any future announcements will be set out in the usual way.
The Voluntary Right to Buy Midlands pilot was independently evaluated by RSM Economic Consulting, with the report published in 2021.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Voluntary Right to Buy Midlands pilot between 2018 and 2021.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government remains committed to the Right to Buy, which since 1980 has enabled over two million social housing tenants to become homeowners.
Any future announcements will be set out in the usual way.
The Voluntary Right to Buy Midlands pilot was independently evaluated by RSM Economic Consulting, with the report published in 2021.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his timescale is for the removal of the duty to cooperate.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The duty to cooperate will be abolished by the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. The Bill was introduced to Parliament on 11 May and has continued its passage through Parliament and Committee stage.
It will remain vital for local planning authorities to work together to make sure that cross-boundary issues are properly addressed, and we expect them to continue to plan for and deliver the housing, other development, and infrastructure that our communities need.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
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 introduce legislative proposals to change the park homes pitch fee review inflationary index to the consumer prices index; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are actively considering options for legislating to change the inflationary index to the Consumer Price Index, including through supporting a Private Member’s Bill in this Session.