Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment on the potential impact of a planning authority being subsumed into a new unitary authority as part of local government reorganisation on housing number targets.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local planning authorities are expected to use the government's revised standard method to assess housing needs. This is a starting point used by councils to inform the preparation of their local development plans.
The government is clear all local planning authorities should continue work on local plans and get them in place as soon as possible.
The implications of local government reorganisation, including the impact of reorganisation on local housing targets, will be considered in light of the specific circumstances of any given area. Local plans should still be progressed in all areas, as they will act as the foundation for any new plans as required.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the legal status of (a) Local Plans and (b) Neighbourhood Plans will be impacted in circumstances where the planning authority in question is subsumed into a new unitary authority as part of local government reorganisation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The legal status of local plans and neighbourhood plans is not impacted by local government reorganisation. Where reorganisation occurs, existing local and neighbourhood plans remain in force as part of the development plan for their area until they are replaced by new local or neighbourhood plans.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will provide additional support to district councils to reduce levels of homelessness.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
As announced at the Budget on 30th October, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year (2024/25). The increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total spend to nearly a billion pounds in 25/26.
As announced on 6th November, the department will also be providing £10 million of Rough Sleeping Winter Pressures Funding to local authorities across England this winter.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to reform funding arrangements for Internal Drainage Board levies.
Answered by Jim McMahon
Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) play a crucial role managing water levels and flood risk.
The Government recognises the sustained increases in Internal Drainage Board levies that some local authorities have experienced over the last two years.
MHCLG also recognises the need for a long-term solution and are working with Defra to explore potential approaches.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to renew the Community Housing Fund.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Community Housing Fund was established in 2016 and closed in 2022. The Government recognises that the community-led housing sector delivers a wide range of benefits, including strengthening community participation in local decision-making, engendering community cohesion, achieving high quality design and strengthening the co-operative economy. As we develop our Long Term Housing Strategy, we will consider how the Government may further support the growth of the community-led housing sector.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to include district councils in the Suffolk devolution deal.
Answered by Jim McMahon
In areas of two-tier local government, as is the case in Suffolk, the Government will continue to seek to establish combined county authorities. The Government recognises the vital role district councils play and strongly encourages their involvement in combined county authorities in a number of ways, including non-constituent membership, positions on overview and scrutiny and audit committees, and via local joint working on key issues.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if it is her Department’s policy to continue the Community Ownership Fund beyond March 2025.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Communities will rightly be seeking clarity regarding the future of the Community Ownership Fund.
This Government was elected on a manifesto that stressed its commitment to the communities’ sector and community ownership through empowering communities to own and run those local assets which mean the most to them.
We recognise uncertainty is challenging for groups seeking to save vital community assets; the Government is carefully considering all available options and will confirm plans in due course.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with which members of (a) Suffolk County Council and (b) district councils in Suffolk she has discussed Suffolk's devolution deal.
Answered by Jim McMahon
This Government has recently announced that it will not be proceeding with the existing devolution deal with Suffolk County Council. Instead, Government will continue discussions Suffolk to deliver a more ambitious agreement as we lay the foundations for the English Devolution Bill. The Local Government Minister met with the Leader of Suffolk County Council recently to discuss next steps.
This Government strongly believes that the benefits of devolution are best achieved through the establishment of combined institutions with a directly elected leader. In this context mayors should have a unique role in an institution which allows them to focus fully on their devolved strategic responsibilities, working hand in glove with council leaders who will vitally also focus on the delivery of the essential services for which they are responsible.
Conflating these two responsibilities into the same individual and institution, as is the case under the mayoral Single Local Authority model of devolution, would risk the optimal delivery of both and is not in line with the direction of travel we are setting out ahead of the English Devolution Bill.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2024 to Question 3747 on Neighbourhood Plans, what plans she has for the role of neighbourhood plans in planning policy when a planning authority has a (a) five-year and (b) three-year land supply.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Under the Government’s proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, the protections from speculative development for areas with a qualifying neighbourhood plan are retained.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of how many (a) serving armed forces personnel and (b) veterans have benefitted from the Right to Buy scheme in each of the last five financial years.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not hold information on the number of serving armed forces personnel, or veterans, who have benefitted from the Right to Buy.
People who live in armed forces accommodation do not have the Right to Buy. The Right to Buy is only available to secure council tenants, and to some housing association tenants who were living in the home when it transferred from a council to a housing association, known as the Preserved Right to Buy. Any period spent in armed forces accommodation by eligible social housing tenants prior to applying can, however, count towards the minimum public sector tenancy qualifying period for Right to Buy and towards the discount entitlement.