Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will set out what support his Department and Cabinet colleagues makes available to local authorities to develop community energy schemes, local food production and emergency preparedness plans.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In the recently published Local Power Plan, Government recognises that limited capacity and capability are major barriers for local government to participate in small-scale energy projects. Backed by up to £1 billion and working in partnership with local government, Great British Energy (GBE) has committed to support at least 1000 local and community energy projects by 2030.
The Good Food Cycle recognises the key role that regional and local food systems can play in supporting delivery of the growth, health, sustainability, and food security/ resilience outcomes of the Good Food Cycle. We know the best solutions often come from the ground up. That is why the Good Food Cycle sets the ambition to use local community initiatives to harness a stronger food culture to support our health, sustainability and resilience outcomes.
Improving the food environment will support healthier and more environmentally sustainable food sales, and access to all for safe, affordable, healthy, convenient, and appealing food options. Defra is developing a programme of work to support local, hyper-local and community-based interventions around access to healthy and affordable food in priority locations.
MHCLG and CO run a local capabilities assessment programme which assesses emergency preparedness planning for specific response capabilities across the 38 Local Resilience Forums (LRFs). This work helps inform national government on local preparedness gaps and identify actionable areas for improvement.
The Civil Contingencies Act (2004) places a duty on all local authorities to cooperate with other agencies (e.g. police, fire & rescue, health), operating as a Local Resilience Forum, to prepare and maintain plans for the key risks facing their area. In addition, local authorities are expected to have business continuity plans that will assist them to continue to operate when emergencies impact them directly.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of housing (a) need and (b) mix in (i) Cambois, (ii) Sleekburn and (iii) North Blyth since the failure to agree a deal to build an electric vehicle gigafactory in Cambois.
Answered by Jacob Young
In January 2023, as part of the second round of the Levelling Up Fund, we announced that £14.7 million was awarded to Northumberland County Council for two new high-quality cycling and pedestrian routes in Hexham and Bedlington.
The Government will continue to work with stakeholders across Northumberland to deliver long term support to the area, including working with Northumberland County Council.
The National Planning Policy Framework expects strategic policy-making authorities to follow the standard method for assessing local housing need. The standard method does not dictate where homes should go.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department still plans to provide funding for (a) walking and (b) cycling routes in Bedlington in the context of the failure to agree a deal to build an electric vehicle gigafactory in Cambois.
Answered by Jacob Young
In January 2023, as part of the second round of the Levelling Up Fund, we announced that £14.7 million was awarded to Northumberland County Council for two new high-quality cycling and pedestrian routes in Hexham and Bedlington.
The Government will continue to work with stakeholders across Northumberland to deliver long term support to the area, including working with Northumberland County Council.
The National Planning Policy Framework expects strategic policy-making authorities to follow the standard method for assessing local housing need. The standard method does not dictate where homes should go.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of charities commissioned by local authorities to provide (a) housing support and (b) rehabilitation services.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
Local authorities are responsible for the commissioning and assessment of local housing-support and rehabilitation services. They are best placed to understand local need and to assess the effectiveness of charities they commission.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities plans to evaluate the effectiveness of our work are set out in our evaluation strategy.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department makes assessments of the effectiveness of charities commissioned by local authorities to provide (a) housing support and (b) rehabilitation services.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
Local authorities are responsible for the commissioning and assessment of local housing-support and rehabilitation services. They are best placed to understand local need and to assess the effectiveness of charities they commission.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities plans to evaluate the effectiveness of our work are set out in our evaluation strategy.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to help improve the quality of (a) social and (b) private rented housing in Northumberland.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The Levelling Up White Paper set out our ambition to reduce the number of non-decent homes by 50% by 2030 with the biggest improvements in the lowest performing areas, highlighting our commitment to level up the sector and ensure all renters have good quality homes. We are committed to ensuring that rented home are decent, regardless of whether tenants have received housing benefit or not.
In the Social Housing White Paper: Charter for Social Housing Residents the government committed to a range of measures to drive up the quality of social housing, including through the introduction of a new, proactive consumer regulation regime and a review of the Decent Home Standard. Our Social Housing (Regulation) Bill will bring in a rigorous new regime where the Regulator of Social Housing will proactively inspect landlords and will have the power to issue unlimited fines. It will be able to intervene in cases where tenants' lives are being put at risk and, in the very worst cases, it will have the power to instruct that properties are brought under new management.
The Renters (Reform) Bill will deliver a fairer, more secure, and higher quality private rented sector that is fit for the 21st century. It will deliver the government's commitment to 'a better deal for renters' - improving the system for responsible tenants and good faith landlords. The Bill will legislate to abolish section 21 'no fault' evictions so that tenants have greater security in their homes and are empowered to challenge poor conditions. We remain fully committed to implementing these reforms and will bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity to apply the Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector to give renters safer, better value homes and remove the blight of poor-quality homes in local communities.
The English Housing Survey shows that between 2010 and 2021 there was a reduction in non-decent homes in the private and social housing sectors of 22 per cent, from 1.8 million to 1.4 million.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to help improve the quality of (a) social and (b) private rented housing in Northumberland.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The Levelling Up White Paper set out our ambition to reduce the number of non-decent homes by 50% by 2030 with the biggest improvements in the lowest performing areas, highlighting our commitment to level up the sector and ensure all renters have good quality homes. We are committed to ensuring that rented home are decent, regardless of whether tenants have received housing benefit or not.
In the Social Housing White Paper: Charter for Social Housing Residents the government committed to a range of measures to drive up the quality of social housing, including through the introduction of a new, proactive consumer regulation regime and a review of the Decent Home Standard. Our Social Housing (Regulation) Bill will bring in a rigorous new regime where the Regulator of Social Housing will proactively inspect landlords and will have the power to issue unlimited fines. It will be able to intervene in cases where tenants' lives are being put at risk and, in the very worst cases, it will have the power to instruct that properties are brought under new management.
The Renters (Reform) Bill will deliver a fairer, more secure, and higher quality private rented sector that is fit for the 21st century. It will deliver the government's commitment to 'a better deal for renters' - improving the system for responsible tenants and good faith landlords. The Bill will legislate to abolish section 21 'no fault' evictions so that tenants have greater security in their homes and are empowered to challenge poor conditions. We remain fully committed to implementing these reforms and will bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity to apply the Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector to give renters safer, better value homes and remove the blight of poor-quality homes in local communities.
The English Housing Survey shows that between 2010 and 2021 there was a reduction in non-decent homes in the private and social housing sectors of 22 per cent, from 1.8 million to 1.4 million.