Asked by: Jane Hunt (Conservative - Loughborough)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of current legislation in ensuring enforcement action can be taken against private landlords who reside overseas and who are not fulfilling their legal obligations to tenants.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Housing Act 2004 gives powers to local authorities to regulate and enforce standards in the private rented sector. The Housing and Planning Act 2016 further introduced civil penalties of up to £30,000 and banning orders for use against the worst and most persistent offenders. Legislation also extended rent repayment orders which require a landlord to repay rent when they have not complied with the law.
We have also given local authorities strong powers to undertake urgent repairs where they identify health and safety hazards or poor conditions. If landlords do not comply, or if the risk is high enough, local authorities can carry out the remedial works themselves and recover the costs.
Enforcement action to ensure a property is safe for a tenant to live in can be taken when the landlord resides overseas. For example, absent landlords, including those overseas, may be subject to prosecutions and Banning Orders.
Asked by: Jane Hunt (Conservative - Loughborough)
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 effectiveness of planning policy on encouraging development of brownfield land.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
It is for local authorities to identify brownfield land suitable for housing in their published registers, and to assess and plan how all brownfield land might best be used, in line with chapter 11 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
It is too soon to calculate the effects of the revised NPPF
Our Land Use Change statistical release provides data on the proportion of new residential addresses created on previously developed land and on other individual land uses as well. In 2017-18, 53 per cent of new residential addresses were created on previously developed land. The proportion of new residential addresses created on previously developed land has remained above 50 per cent since the data was first collected in 2013-14. Statistics for 2018-19 will be published in due course.
Asked by: Jane Hunt (Conservative - Loughborough)
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 merits of designating brownfield sites around cities for residential development over commercial.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
It is for local authorities to determine where they meet local housing need, having regard to planning constraints in their area, to other planning goals, and to our National Planning Policy Framework. Local authorities should plan for all strategic priorities, not only the new homes we need but economic development, employment, and vibrant and prosperous town centres. The Framework expects local authorities to prioritise brownfield land for development wherever possible, and to assess and plan which land-use individual sites should serve. Our Planning for the Future consultation proposes that, under a reformed system, local authorities would use the plan-making process to categorise all their land as areas for growth, renewal or protection. They could direct development onto brownfield, ensure the continued protection of Green Belt and other valued countryside, and deliver - through a fast-track process - beautiful buildings that accord with design guidance.
Asked by: Jane Hunt (Conservative - Loughborough)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential need to update his Department’s guidance for domestic abuse safe accommodation provision, published in March 2020.
Answered by Luke Hall
Government recognised the importance of issuing early guidance to domestic abuse safe accommodation providers to support service delivery during the pandemic. We will be working with Public Health England to review this.
Asked by: Jane Hunt (Conservative - Loughborough)
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 make an assessment of the potential merits of suspending the five-year housing land supply for 12 months due to the effect that the covid-19 outbreak has had on (a) new build starts and (b) the ability of local planning authorities to meet that supply.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
I note the concerns you raise regarding demonstrating a 5 year land supply under current circumstances. However, it is important to keep the planning system moving to enable it to play its full part in the economic recovery to come and we will continue to monitor the situation.
As the Prime Minister set out on 30 June, home building will play an important role in kick-starting economic recovery across the United Kingdom. The Government announced a package of measures to support this recovery, including strong investment in infrastructure and support for smaller developers to boost the construction industry and speed up rebuilding.
In addition, the Business and Planning Act 2020, will support local authorities in delivering new housing, through measures such as allowing more flexible working hours on construction sites, to ensure that work can continue on sites whilst workers adhere to safe working practices, and extending the duration of certain planning permissions (and listed building consents) to ensure that they don’t lapse unnecessarily as a result of disruption caused by COVID-19.