Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether a future replacement of the Duty to Cooperate will ensure that in two-tier areas all local authorities, including county councils, are involved in plan-making for the future of their areas.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
As part of the proposed reform of the planning system announced in the 2020 White Paper, Planning for the Future, the Government announced its intention to abolish the Duty to Co-operate. We are developing our proposals further following the consultation responses to the White Paper. It is too early to speculate about the detailed arrangements which will replace the Duty to Co-operate. However, the reformed planning system will ensure that all relevant authorities are involved in plan making, and this will include County Councils, where applicable. The new system will be more efficient, effective and flexible in the way that plans are prepared.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Local Government Association on the eligibility of wholesale distributors for Local Restriction Support Grants.
Answered by Luke Hall
There has been close engagement with the local government sector, including the Local Government Association, throughout the design and implementation of grant support for businesses during the local and national restrictions. Local authorities are responsible for managing grants schemes locally and determining eligibility, including for discretionary grants for businesses that are severely impacted but not eligible for grants for closed businesses.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support regeneration in (a) Crawley and (b) other towns adversely affected by the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Luke Hall
This Government is?committed to driving the regeneration of towns across the country as the nation responds to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Our immediate response to?Covid-19?builds on an ongoing programme of interventions. This includes the £3.6 billion Towns Fund which aims to deliver long-term economic and productivity growth to towns and high streets. In September 2019, we announced the initial 101 towns, including Crawley, invited to develop Town Deal proposals. We received Crawley’s proposals earlier in the year, and expect to make further announcements of Town Deals in due course. In July, the Prime Minister announced £81.5 million of accelerated funding to the 101 towns to support immediate improvements; Crawley received its £1 million share in September.
Other elements of the Towns Fund include the Future High Streets Fund competition, where announcements of successful bidders will be made in due course, and a further Towns Fund competition. In addition, the High Streets Task Force has also launched a range of online resources to provide support to places across the country: https://www.highstreetstaskforce.org.uk/products-and-services/support-for-all-high-streets/
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what financial support the Government is providing to help (a) Crawley Borough Council and (b) West Sussex County Council during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
Answered by Luke Hall
Government has provided substantial resources to councils to support their communities, businesses and vulnerable people.
Government has provided West Sussex County Council with:
· £45.9 million across four tranches of unringfenced grant.
Government has provided Crawley Borough Council with:
· £1.9 million across four tranches of unringfenced grant.
· £2.2 million in the Additional Restrictions Grant Bullet and £1.5 million of the Local Restrictions Support Grant.
Any council with concerns about their ability to manage financial pressures should contact MHCLG in the first instance to discuss their situation.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department has made on delivering new accommodation for rough sleepers in Crawley constituency.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
On 18 July, we launched the Next Steps Accommodation Programme (NSAP). This makes available the financial resources needed to support local authorities and their partners to help prevent those accommodated during the pandemic from returning to the streets.
On 17 September we announced NSAP allocations to local authorities to pay for immediate support. Crawley has been allocated £296,500 for this aspect of NSAP.
On 29 October, we announced allocations to local partners to deliver longer-term move-on accommodation. More than 3,300 new long-term homes for rough sleepers across the country have been approved, subject to due diligence, backed by Government investment of more than £150 million. For this long term aspect of NSAP, Crawley has been allocated £200,000.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer (b) District Councils’ Network on the Government’s plan to tackle the financial challenges faced by (i) borough and (ii) district local authorities.
Answered by Simon Clarke
On 2 July the Secretary of State announced a further £500 million in unringfenced grant funding for councils to meet pressures they are facing in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Our unprecedented package includes £4.3 billion for councils’ spending pressures, comprising £3.7 billion of unringfenced grants and the £600 million Infection Control Fund, bringing the total amount of additional support for councils, businesses and local communities to almost £28 billion.
The Government is also meeting 75p in the pound of lost income such as parking fees and museum entry charges, where that loss of income is more than a council could have been expected to plan for. For many councils, this will be a significant portion of the income lost as result of the pandemic, particularly where these income streams make up a disproportionate portion of income relative to the size of the authority.
I regularly speak to the District Councils’ Network and individual councils. I can offer the reassurance that our aim is that all councils will be funded for their Covid-19 pressures and placed on a stable financial footing.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people classified by the NHS as extremely vulnerable people who have been asked to shield at home have (a) requested and (b) received support from (i) community hubs as announced on 21 March 2020 and (ii) supermarkets.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
MHCLG continues to work closely with local authorities to manage the impacts of Covid-19 on the most vulnerable in our society.
Government provides food parcels directly to those identified as clinically extremely vulnerable to the Covid-19 virus if they do not have alternative means of accessing support. Over 280,000 clinically extremely vulnerable people have requested support and Government has delivered over 800,000 food parcels directly to people’s doorsteps since March.
Local councils across the country have set up local authority hubs and have local systems and processes to provide those who are medically vulnerable in their area with additional support, over and above that provided centrally.
Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals who have requested essential supplies through the gov.uk website have had their details passed onto supermarkets and the Government continues to work with supermarkets to support the prioritisation of clinically extremely vulnerable people for delivery slots.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to encourage local growth in (a) Crawley and (b) the UK.
Answered by Luke Hall
The Government is committed to levelling up the entire country and giving towns, cities and communities across the UK real power and investment to drive the growth of the future and unleash their full potential.
We have taken action to encourage local growth in Crawley that includes:
Across the UK the Government is supporting local partners to deliver local economic growth and prosperity through: