Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that all councils review their procedures for dealing with the sexual exploitation of children following the report on Rotherham Council; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
I refer the hon.Members to the written statement made on 10 September, Official Report, Column 37WS, in which my rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Eric Pickles), indicated his intention to write to leaders of principal councils asking them to consider the implications of the Jay report for their own authority. In the event he wrote jointly with my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education (Nicky Morgan) on 24 September with copies to Chairmen of all Health and Wellbeing Boards in England. A copy of this letter can be seen at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/358979/140924_-_Rotherham_letter_joint_final.pdf.
My rt. hon. Friend the Home Secretary (Theresa May) has also written in similar terms to Chief Constables with copies to Police and Crime Commissioners.
Copies of both letters are attached.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the rent arrears accrued by each registered social landlord in (a) Warrington and (b) Warrington North constituency in each year since 2010.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Global Accounts of Housing Providers, published by the Homes and Communities Agency, has estimated that rent arrears were 5.1% in 2009-10, 5.1% in 2010-11, 4.8% in 2011-12 and 4.8% in 2012-13. These figures are for private registered providers of social housing (primarily housing associations). Data for 2013-14 will be available in Spring 2015.
My Department does not centrally hold arrears information on individual housing associations. Figures on local authority social housing rent arrears can be found on my Department’s website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-housing-data (for up to 2012-13).
The Homes and Communities Agency also publishes quarterly reports based on a survey of larger providers. This reported that rent arrears were 4% at the end of 2013-14. Their latest report states: “Most providers (91%) continue to report that the current level of arrears, rent collection and voids are within or outperforming their business plans” (Quarterly Survey of Private Registered Providers 2014-15, Quarter 1); the reports paint a broad picture of stability in income collection.
In this context, the claims previously made by HM Opposition about the effects of the removal of the spare room subsidy were unfounded. The removal of the spare room subsidy is estimated to save £490 million of taxpayers' money in Great Britain in 2013-14, reducing the housing benefit bill and helping pay off the budget deficit left by the last Administration. The measure also encourages the more effective use of social housing, by addressing the under-occupation of family homes.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) flats, (b) houses and (c) houses of multiple occupancy in the private rented sector in Warrington in each year since 2008; and what the cost was of privately renting a (a) one bedroom flat, (b) two bedroomed house and (c) room in a house of multiple occupancy in each such year.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Department does not collect data on the number or cost of privately rented flats, houses and houses of multiple occupation by local authority district.
Statistics on the estimated number of dwellings in the private sector (owner occupied and private rented combined) by local authority district, including Warrington, from 2009 to 2013, are published in the Department's Live Table 100, which is available at the following link.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants
Census estimates of the number of privately rented flats and privately rented houses, in 2011, for local authority districts, including Warrington, are available at this link.
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/search/index.html?newquery=ct0259
Statistics on the private rental market for local authority districts, including Warrington, are published by the Valuation Office Agency and are available at this link.
http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/statisticalReleases/PrivateRentalMarketStatistics.html
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many businesses in Warrington North constituency have qualified for the full business rate discount to date.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
At the Autumn Statement we announced a £1 billion package of business rates support to help shops and local firms. This included a £1,000 discount for two years for smaller shops, pubs and restaurants. We do not hold figures for numbers benefitting from that measure in the Warrington North constituency. However, based on local authority reports of the amount of relief awarded, we estimate that 1,020 properties will benefit within the boundary of Warrington Borough Council.
The support package also included a 50 per cent discount for businesses taking on long-term empty shops, the doubling of small business rate relief for another year, a 2% cap on RPI increases for 2014-2015, and allowing businesses to spread their rates payments over 12 months.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average rent is for (a) privately rented homes and (b) new homes built under the Affordable Homes Programme in (i) Warrington and (ii) Warrington North constituency.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
The information is not held centrally.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library research he has commissioned on the effect that turning off street lighting and relying on ambient lighting has on levels of crime.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the rt. hon. Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn), on 13 May 2014, Official Report, Column 535-536W.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homeless households were accepted as being owed a duty of accommodation by their local authority in each year since 2010; and how many such acceptances were the result of domestic violence.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
[Holding Reply: Thursday 3 April 2014]
I refer the hon. Member to Live Table 773 available on my Department's website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/286822/Table_773.xlsx for data on homelessness acceptances and households with a priority need category of domestic violence.
Data at local authority level can be found in our “Detailed local authority level homelessness figures” spreadsheets which can be found on my Department's website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness
The average numbers since 2010 are far less than under the last Administration, but there is no case for complacency or tolerance of domestic violence.The Coalition Government has ring-fenced nearly £40 million of stable funding for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services until 2015. This funding is used to part-fund 54 Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference coordinators and 144 Independent Domestic Violence Advisors. We have piloted and rolled out Clare's Law and Domestic Violence Protection Orders; extended the definition of domestic abuse to cover controlling behaviour and teenage relationships; run two successful campaigns to challenge perceptions of abuse; and placed Domestic Homicide Reviews on a statutory footing to make sure lessons are learned from individual tragedies.
The dynamics of domestic abuse mean that accommodation can play an important role in the resolution of interpersonal abuse and conflict. It is the foundation to ensuring that adult and child victims are afforded safety and security. This is why this Government has invested £470 million to prevent and tackle all forms of homelessness over the spending review period. The homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own.
There is a range of support for victims of domestic abuse. Some victims will be accommodated in refuges, but Sanctuary Schemes and mainstream local authority accommodation may be an option for others, while some victims will pursue independent solutions with help and advice from support schemes as necessary.
My Department also funds UKRefugesOnline a UK wide database of domestic violence services which supports the national 24 hour free phone domestic violence helpline. It enables those working with victims of domestic violence to identify appropriate services and potential refuge vacancies around the country so that victims can get the help they need as quickly as possible.
This Government has also made common sense changes to the law to allow local authorities to end the main homelessness duty with offers of accommodation in good-quality private sector accommodation. This helps homeless households move to settled accommodation more quickly and means they spend less time in temporary accommodation. Indeed, we have reduced the average stay in temporary accommodation from 20 months at the beginning of 2010 to 14 months now.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many summons for non-payment of council tax have been issued by each local authority in each of the last three years.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect figures on the number of people who have been issued with court summonses by local authorities for non-payment of council tax.
Notwithstanding, I also refer the hon. Member to my answers of 17 October 2013, Official Report, Column 866W.