Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Communities and Communities, what powers local authority monitoring officers have to impose sanctions on parish councillors.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
The Localism Act 2011 removed the power of sanction from councils.
If a member is found to have failed to comply with their authority's code of conduct, an authority can take steps it deems appropriate.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the permitted development rights to establish campsites for up to 56 days usage annually, what powers local authorities have to (a) issue Article 4 directions in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty to require planning permission to be sought for temporary campsites and (b) to impose controls on highway safety grounds.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
There is a permitted development right in place which allows for the temporary use of land for up to 28 days. We have doubled the amount of days allowed in 2021 to 56 days in order to provide flexibility to local communities and businesses, including for example to run outdoor events such as car boot sales, or to temporarily use land as a campsite.
Local authorities retain the ability to put in place Article 4 directions in accordance with policy set out in the NPPF. Local authorities are responsible for managing their road networks, and have duties placed on them through legislation to provide safe movement for all traffic. They have a wide range of powers and tools available to them to deliver this through the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, the Highways Act 1980 and the Traffic Management Act 2004.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to Tax policies and consultations: Spring 2021, when he plans to publish the response to the consultation on the business rate treatment of self-catered accommodation.
Answered by Luke Hall
The Government announced on the 23 March that it will legislate to change the business rates criteria for self-catering accommodation to account for actual days the property was rented. We are working to finalise details of this change and how it will be implemented, reflecting the responses received to the consultation. The Government’s response to the consultation will be published shortly.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of new homes that were (a) granted planning permission and (b) built in each year since 2015.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Figures for total housing units granted permission are shown in Table 5 of the latest planning applications statistics release, at the following link.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/planning-applications-in-england-october-to-december-2020
Estimates of building control reported new build dwellings completions are shown in Live Tables 253a (quarterly) and 244 (annual), at the following link.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building
These cover new build dwellings only and should be regarded as a leading indicator of overall housing supply.
The Department also publishes an annual release entitled ‘Housing supply: net additional dwellings, England’, which is the primary and most comprehensive measure of housing supply.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities in respect of ensuring compliance with the commercial letting requirements for self-catering accommodation registers for non-domestic rates.
Answered by Luke Hall
Holiday lets are currently assessed for business rates if the owner intends to let the property commercially for short periods totalling 140 days or more per year. The Valuation Office Agency is responsible for assessing properties for local tax purposes and maintaining accurate ratings lists. Local billing authorities have a duty to inform the Valuation Office Agency if they become aware of any information which would assist the agency in carrying out its valuation duties.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of properties classed as self-catering accommodation for non-domestic rates that have had that eligibility removed due to a failure to meet the requirements for commercial letting.
Answered by Luke Hall
The Valuation Office Agency is responsible for assessing properties for local tax purposes and maintaining accurate ratings lists. The Department does not collect data on properties that are moved from the business rates valuation list to the council tax list.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of applying the letting requirements set out in HMRC guidance note HS253 on furnished holiday lets to the business rates criteria for self-catering accommodation.
Answered by Luke Hall
The Government has consulted on possible changes to the rules under which holiday lets are assessed for business rates, including the possible addition of a letting criterion. We have been considering responses to that consultation, taking into account factors such as the impact of the pandemic on the tourism industry and consideration of owners of holiday properties in less frequently visited parts of the country. The Government intends to provide an update on the consultation shortly.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the Business rates treatment of self-catering accommodation consultation published in November 2018.
Answered by Luke Hall
The Government is grateful to those who responded to the consultation, and is considering how to address the questions raised. In doing so, it is taking into account the consequences for local authorities’ income and the Exchequer, the deliverability of possible reforms, and the impact of coronavirus on the tourism industry in England.
The Government will set out its next steps in in due course.