Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to ensure that wholesalers have access to the future (a) Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund and (b) Business Rates Relief Fund for businesses outside of the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors; if he will take steps to include specific reference to wholesalers in the guidance on eligibility to qualify for relief via each of those funds; and if he will list the measures being taken to support local businesses that fall outside of the hospitality, retail and leisure sectors.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
The COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund is the £1.5 billion business rates relief scheme announced in March to provide business rates support to businesses outside the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors. The COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund will be allocated to local authorities based on the stock of properties in the area whose sectors have been affected by COVID-19 and are ineligible for existing support linked to business rates.
My Department will publish guidance to help local authorities set up their local schemes once the legislation relating to COVID-19 Material Change of Circumstances provisions has passed. This will include the eligibility criteria for the scheme and individual local authority allocations. Decisions on the award of relief will ultimately be for local authorities, having regard to the guidance.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to ensure that wholesalers have access to the future Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund; and if he will take steps to include specific reference to wholesalers in the guidance on eligibility to qualify for relief via that fund.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
The COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund is the £1.5 billion business rates relief scheme announced in March to provide business rates support to businesses outside the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors. The COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund will be allocated to local authorities based on the stock of properties in the area whose sectors have been affected by COVID-19 and are ineligible for existing support linked to business rates.
My Department will publish guidance to help local authorities set up their local schemes once the legislation relating to COVID-19 Material Change of Circumstances provisions has passed. This will include the eligibility criteria for the scheme and individual local authority allocations. Decisions on the award of relief will ultimately be for local authorities, having regard to the guidance.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the impact on existing leaseholders in apartment blocks of the (a) level of disturbance to residents, (b) accountability of ad hoc companies set up to carry out construction works and (c) potential for high remedial costs for unsatisfactory work commissioned by freeholders in respect of the 2020 decision to permit the addition of up to two extra storeys to apartment buildings.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
All development, whether allowed through a permitted development right or an application for planning permission, must meet building regulations including fire and other building safety requirements.
The permitted development right for building upwards on detached blocks of flats requires the developer to provide a report on how the impacts of the construction on the occupiers of the existing block of flats and adjoining buildings will be mitigated. This is subject to additional prior approval considerations by the local authority. These include consideration of the impact on the amenity of the existing block of flats, including on leasehold flats within the block, as well as on neighbouring premises. The local planning authority must notify all owners and occupiers of the existing block of flats, including leaseholders, as well as adjoining owners or occupiers of the proposed development.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what further steps he plans to take to prevent costs resulting from cladding remediation from being passed on to leaseholders to pay.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Building Safety Bill will ensure that those responsible for occupied higher-risk buildings will be required to actively manage building safety risks, evidencing this through the safety case regime overseen by the Building Safety Regulator. This will ensure major fire and structural hazards are effectively and proportionately managed, mitigated and remedied and that effective steps are taken, which take into account safety and cost.
We have been clear that building owners and industry should make buildings safe without passing on costs to leaseholders and where they haven't stepped up, we have stepped in. The Government has announced a globally unprecedented investment over £5 billion in building safety and hundreds of thousands of leaseholders will be protected from the cost of remediating unsafe cladding from their homes.