Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Housing Delivery Test results which each local authority in England will be required to publish under the National Planning Policy Framework will include specific data on the number of Gypsy sites.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The Housing Delivery Test results will be published by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government each November and will include the delivery of all types of housing (including Gypsy and Travellers accommodation).
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 62 of the draft National Planning Policy Framework, published by his Department in March 2018, whether the types of homes referred to in that paragraph include sites for Travellers who fall outside the definition in Annex one of the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites but are a group with specific housing requirements.
Answered by Dominic Raab
Under paragraph 62 of the consultation draft National Planning Policy Framework, it is proposed that it is a matter for each local authority to determine the type of homes required for different groups in the community, including travellers who do not fall under the definition in Annex 1 of the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites. We welcome views on this issue in response to the consultation paper.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to planning policy for Travellers in the draft National Planning Policy Framework, what his policy is on the definition of Traveller contained in Annex 1 of the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The Planning Policy for Traveller Sites, including Annex 1, remains in place. The consultation on the draft National Planning Policy Framework asks a question on whether any changes should be made to the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites as a result of the proposed changes to the Framework set out in the consultation and if so, what changes should be made. We welcome views on this issue in response to the consultation paper.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2018 to Question 127503, if he will take additional steps to promote to local authorities the availability of funding for Traveller pitches.
Answered by Dominic Raab
I would reiterate my answer to Question UIN 127503 on 22 February - the Department has already published an addendum to the Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21 prospectus and supplementary information, which publicly set out that funding is now available for new build traveller pitches within the Programme.
I would take this opportunity to invite local authorities and housing associations to submit their bids for funding for new traveller pitches. The addendum to the prospectus and supplementary information are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/shared-ownership-and-affordable-homes-programme-2016-to-2021-guidance
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of people who served time in prison for each year between 2010 and 2017 for not paying their council tax had (a) a full means assessment undertaken (b) their caring responsibilities taken into account by the court and (c) their mental health needs assessed prior to their committal.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
The responsibility for sentencing administration rests with the Magistrates courts, which are overseen by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service. Magistrates courts should consider imprisonment for non-payment of council tax only if the failure to pay is due to the individual's wilful refusal or culpable neglect. Local council tax support schemes are available to those householders on low incomes who have difficulty in paying their council tax.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2018 to Question 125090, how many local planning authorities have had their development plan documents assessed and found to be inconsistent with planning policy for Traveller sites.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The Department does not collate this information centrally.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2018 to Question 125090, what training planning inspectors tasked with examining development plan documents receive with regard to the assessment of the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers.
Answered by Dominic Raab
Advice to Inspectors on examining assessments of gypsy and traveller accommodation needs within development plan documents is provided in the Inspector Training Manual and in Inspector training sessions.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 October 2017 to Question 9131, what steps his Department takes to ensure that local authorities meet their responsibility to assess all local housing needs, including Traveller sites, through their local plan.
Answered by Dominic Raab
Under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and Planning Policy for Traveller Sites, the Government asks local planning authorities to assess their full housing needs for all types of housing, including travellers’ sites, and identify land to meet that need through their local plan.
The Planning Policy for Traveller Sites states that if a local planning authority cannot demonstrate an up–to-date 5 year supply of deliverable sites, this should be a significant material consideration in any subsequent planning decision when considering applications for the grant of temporary planning permission.
The NPPF clarifies that local plans will be examined by an independent inspector whose role is to assess whether the plan has been prepared in accordance with the Duty to Cooperate, legal and procedural requirements. The independent inspector also assesses whether it is sound, which includes whether it is consistent with national policy, including the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2018 to Question 125090 on Travellers: Caravan Sites, how many local planning authorities development plan documents were found to be consistent with planning policy for Traveller Sites.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The Department does not collate this information centrally.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions Minsters of his Department have had with the Equality and Human Rights Commission on the effect of the revised definition of Traveller in PPTS 2015 in relation to local planning authorities’ policy provision.
Answered by Dominic Raab
We have no record of any discussions between Ministers in this Department and the Equality and Human Rights Commission regarding the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites published in 2015.