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 records the Government holds on park homes site owners and managers not deemed fit and proper for the financial year 2020-21.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The fit and proper person test was implemented in two stages. The first part came into effect on 1 July 2021 to allow local authorities to set up and prepare to receive applications. By 1 October 2021, all site owners were required to have submitted their applications. There is therefore no data from financial years 2018-2021. The department is aware of site owners and managers who have been deemed not fit and proper since the regulations came into effect, however, as these are the subject of appeals it would not be appropriate to share this information at this time.
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 records the Government holds on park homes site owners and managers not deemed fit and proper for the financial year 2021-22.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The fit and proper person test was implemented in two stages. The first part came into effect on 1 July 2021 to allow local authorities to set up and prepare to receive applications. By 1 October 2021, all site owners were required to have submitted their applications. There is therefore no data from financial years 2018-2021. The department is aware of site owners and managers who have been deemed not fit and proper since the regulations came into effect, however, as these are the subject of appeals it would not be appropriate to share this information at this time.
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 Department's policy is on whether a surplus contribution to meeting employment need made by a council through its local plan affects expectations for that council's contributions to housing need through the Duty to Cooperate.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The standard method for assessing local housing need is used by councils to inform the preparation of their local plans. Councils decide their housing requirement once they have considered their ability to meet the needs in their area. This includes taking local circumstances and constraints into account.
The duty to co-operate is a statutory requirement on councils (local planning authorities and county councils) and other public bodies. They must work together constructively, actively and on an ongoing basis in relation to planning for strategic cross boundary matters during plan preparation. This can include the redistribution of housing need and employment need between authorities where one authority cannot meet its own need.
There is no direct relationship or expectation that a contribution to meeting employment need, or other development needs, affects an authority's contribution to housing need or vice versa.
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 issue guidance to local authorities to use their discretionary powers to fast-track Disabled Facilities Grant applications for people living with motor neurone disease and other terminal conditions.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
New Government guidance on the effective delivery of the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) for local authorities in England was published on 28 March 2022 on Gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disabled-facilities-grant-dfg-delivery-guidance-for-local-authorities-in-england.
The guidance includes information on discretionary powers available to local authorities under a published Housing Assistance Policy, which can include fast-tracking the DFG process for eligible people living with motor neurone disease and other terminal conditions, as well as means test exemptions for adaptations costing less than £5000 if agreed locally. Any decision to include these priorities in a Housing Assistance Policy is a local one determined by local authorities.
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 issue guidance to local authorities to use their discretionary powers to exempt Disabled Facilities Grant applicants from means testing for housing adaptations costing less than £5,000.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
New Government guidance on the effective delivery of the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) for local authorities in England was published on 28 March 2022 on Gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disabled-facilities-grant-dfg-delivery-guidance-for-local-authorities-in-england.
The guidance includes information on discretionary powers available to local authorities under a published Housing Assistance Policy, which can include fast-tracking the DFG process for eligible people living with motor neurone disease and other terminal conditions, as well as means test exemptions for adaptations costing less than £5000 if agreed locally. Any decision to include these priorities in a Housing Assistance Policy is a local one determined by local authorities.
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 policy is on protecting the Green Belt from planning applications for battery storage units; and if he will update the national planning policy framework with a strategy for locating these units on land other than Green Belt land.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government has a manifesto commitment to protect and enhance the Green Belt. Our National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that most new building is inappropriate in Green Belt and should be refused permission unless in very special circumstances. Very special circumstances are not defined in national planning policy as it is rightly for the individual local authority to assess each case on its merits, and give relevant circumstances their due weight. However, when considering any planning application affecting Green Belt land, the local authority should ensure that substantial weight is given to any harm to the Green Belt.
The Framework is also clear that local authorities should support transition to a low-carbon future, including renewable and low-carbon energy generation. Local plans should identify suitable areas for renewable and low-carbon energy sources and infrastructure and guidance sets out how local authorities should take account of environmental, landscape and amenity considerations.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps have been taken to prevent (a) garden grabbing and (b) the inappropriate development of dwellings on residential gardens.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Our National Planning Policy Framework is clear that private residential gardens are excluded from the definition of previously developed or brownfield land. This ensures that councils are not forced into granting permissions in order to meet brownfield development targets, and this policy remains in place.
The Framework asks local councils to consider the case for setting out policies to resist inappropriate development of residential gardens, including where development would cause harm to the local area. This allows councils to set policies which are appropriate to their local area.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to protect library services.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
I have been asked to reply.
Together with other public services, local authorities are rising to the challenge of delivering and developing the library service, with many reviewing and re-shaping their library offer. Some changes have been made in response to the on-going funding environment to which all public services are making their contribution to savings. But many changes have also been made because individual authorities are looking at better ways of delivering a range of services so that they are fit for the present and the future. Details of the various developments in library services in England, including a range of innovative approaches to the task of delivering a comprehensive and efficient service are set out in the annual report to Parliament during 2012/13 and can be accessed at:
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward proposals to amend regulations governing the change of use of residential homes to care homes to promote enforcement of the classification of care homes as C2 residential institutions.
Answered by Nick Boles
The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 (as amended) provides a C2 use class for residential institutions and a C3 (b) use class for houses occupied by up to six people living together as a single household and receiving care. This allows for a mix of types of care homes to meet local needs. Where a change of use has taken place without the necessary planning permission it is for the local planning authority to determine whether it would be appropriate to take enforcement action.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many planning appeals resulted in local authority decisions being overturned by the planning inspector in South Staffordshire in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013.
Answered by Nick Boles
Planning is a quasi-judicial process; it is a long-standing feature of the planning system that there is a right of appeal, just as there are with other local quasi-judicial decisions such as on licensing applications, gambling applications or parking fines.
The table below shows planning appeal decisions by calendar year for South Staffordshire District Council. To assist public scrutiny, I have provided comparative figures for a similar period before 2010.
Calendar Year | Allowed | Split | Dismissed | Total |
2007 | 25 | 0 | 37 | 62 |
2008 | 27 | 1 | 53 | 81 |
2009 | 14 | 0 | 26 | 40 |
2010 | 18 | 0 | 35 | 53 |
2011 | 19 | 0 | 33 | 52 |
2012 | 16 | 0 | 26 | 42 |
2013 | 8 | 0 | 22 | 30 |
Whilst the precise number of appeals will fluctuate from year to year, this table shows that the number of appeals both (a) received and (b) allowed has fallen in recent years.