Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has put in place to ensure that local authorities fulfill their duties to make sure that new buildings are compliant with building regulations as a result of Dame Judith Hackitt’s independent review of building regulations and fire safety; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
In April 2020 the Government published our response to the consultation, Building a Safer Future, which sought views on our proposals for a radically new building safety system, based on the recommendations of Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety. We will legislate for these reforms through the Building Safety Bill, which was published today.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities acting as billing authorities in Business Improvement Districts that wish to (a) suspend, (b) alter and (c) reduce that levy during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) have a significant role to play in high street regeneration and will be even more important in the recovery from the current crisis.
That is why Government has introduced up to £6.1 million in funding. The funding is intended to cover the equivalent of three months’ of core operational costs and is based on a fair percentage of a BID's levy income from each BID’s operating year ending in 2019/20.
My department undertook a light-touch information gathering exercise to collect information needed from local authorities to prepare and process the section 31 grants. Following this information gathering exercise, the first batch of grant payments to 70 local authorities were paid out early in the week commencing 2 June. Other batches will follow shortly.
All local authorities who have submitted information to us by the initial deadline of 15 May should receive funding this month. We will provide funding to others as soon as possible.
We have encouraged local authorities to be pragmatic in the collection of BID levies while acknowledging that they have a statutory obligation to issue the BID levy invoices. The BIDs support funding will enable authorities to take a more flexible approach to the collection of BID levies at this difficult time for many businesses.
This funding is in addition to passing legislation which enables BIDs to extend the maximum duration of their BID arrangements until 31 March 2021. This allows businesses to focus on recovery from economic shock before deciding whether to participate in BID arrangements for the following 5-year period, and allows BIDs to coordinate their places’ recovery
We?will continue to?work closely with the sector to look at how further we can support BIDs, and the businesses that contribute to them, during this time.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
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 Local Government Act 2003, if he will take steps to enable local authorities to (a) waive, (b) cancel and (c) discount levies in relation to Business Improvement Districts.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) have a significant role to play in high street regeneration and will be even more important in the recovery from the current crisis.
That is why Government has introduced up to £6.1 million in funding. The funding is intended to cover the equivalent of three months’ of core operational costs and is based on a fair percentage of a BID's levy income from each BID’s operating year ending in 2019/20.
My department undertook a light-touch information gathering exercise to collect information needed from local authorities to prepare and process the section 31 grants. Following this information gathering exercise, the first batch of grant payments to 70 local authorities were paid out early in the week commencing 2 June. Other batches will follow shortly.
All local authorities who have submitted information to us by the initial deadline of 15 May should receive funding this month. We will provide funding to others as soon as possible.
We have encouraged local authorities to be pragmatic in the collection of BID levies while acknowledging that they have a statutory obligation to issue the BID levy invoices. The BIDs support funding will enable authorities to take a more flexible approach to the collection of BID levies at this difficult time for many businesses.
This funding is in addition to passing legislation which enables BIDs to extend the maximum duration of their BID arrangements until 31 March 2021. This allows businesses to focus on recovery from economic shock before deciding whether to participate in BID arrangements for the following 5-year period, and allows BIDs to coordinate their places’ recovery
We?will continue to?work closely with the sector to look at how further we can support BIDs, and the businesses that contribute to them, during this time.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he had made on the establishment of a new statutory regime to ensure that freeholders who pay maintenance charges have equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge the reasonableness of those charges; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government intends to legislate to give freeholders on private and mixed tenure estates equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge the reasonableness of estate rentcharges as well as the right to apply to the First-tier Tribunal to appoint a new manager for the provision of services covered by estate rentcharges. We will bring forward legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals for a statutory minimum ballot turnout under the Local Government Act 2003 and the Business Improvements Districts (England) Regulations 2004 for a Business Improvement District to be established; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jake Berry
The government is committed to supporting Business Improvement Districts, as they have been a key tool in providing business-led improvements to local areas since 2004, and they remain an important part of our high streets and town centre agenda.
The government does not have any specific proposals for amending the Local Government Act 2003 and the Business Improvements Districts (England) Regulations 2004 with respect to Business Improvement Districts at the present time, including any plans to prevent local authorities from voting in Business Improvement Districts ballots or introduce a statutory minimum ballot turnout.
The government keeps the statutory framework for Business Improvement Districts under constant review.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban local authorities from voting in any ballot which takes place under the Local Government Act 2003 and the Business Improvements Districts (England) Regulations 2004 (SI2004/2443).
Answered by Jake Berry
The government is committed to supporting Business Improvement Districts, as they have been a key tool in providing business-led improvements to local areas since 2004, and they remain an important part of our high streets and town centre agenda.
The government does not have any specific proposals for amending the Local Government Act 2003 and the Business Improvements Districts (England) Regulations 2004 with respect to Business Improvement Districts at the present time, including any plans to prevent local authorities from voting in Business Improvement Districts ballots or introduce a statutory minimum ballot turnout.
The government keeps the statutory framework for Business Improvement Districts under constant review.