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Written Question
Reopening High Streets Safely Fund
Monday 18th January 2021

Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much and what proportion of the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund has been allocated to local authorities to date.

Answered by Luke Hall

Our £50 million Reopening High Streets Safely Fund (RHSSF) is playing an important role in getting people back to work, supporting our businesses and helping to reinvigorate our local communities.

This funding has been allocated to 314 local authorities in England on a per capita basis with a minimum limit of £30,000. Places have been able to incur expenditure on eligible activity up to the amount of their full allocation from 1 June 2020. Once final contracts have been agreed, local authorities can claim funding from Government in arrears.

More information on the RHSSF criteria, including an Annex detailing local authority funding allocations, can be found in the Fund guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reopening-high-streets-safely-fundguidance.


Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 02 Dec 2020
Arcadia and Debenhams: Business Support and Job Retention

"There is a Debenhams in my constituency and my thoughts are with the staff at this time, but sadly it is not the only business going to the wall. Yesterday I spoke to Barry, who runs the Bee Hive pub in Blackburn, and he described the Prime Minister’s announcement of …..."
Kate Hollern - View Speech

View all Kate Hollern (Lab - Blackburn) contributions to the debate on: Arcadia and Debenhams: Business Support and Job Retention

Written Question
Levelling Up Fund
Tuesday 1st December 2020

Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, over what period local areas will be able to bid for funding from the Levelling Up Fund.

Answered by Luke Hall

The Government is launching a new Levelling Up Fund worth £4 billion for England, that will attract up to £800 million for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the usual way. This will invest in local infrastructure that has a visible impact on people and their communities and will support economic recovery.

The Fund will be open to all local areas and allocated competitively. In its assessment process, the Fund will adopt the approach in the refreshed Green Book to ensure that investment supports levelling up and spreads opportunity across the UK – with projects assessed on how well they deliver policy aims and their impact on local areas.

We will publish a prospectus for the Fund and launch the first round of competitions in the New Year.


Written Question
Levelling Up Fund
Tuesday 1st December 2020

Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding from the Levelling Up Fund will be available to local areas to bid for in (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25.

Answered by Luke Hall

The Government is launching a new Levelling Up Fund worth £4 billion for England, that will attract up to £800 million for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the usual way. This will invest in local infrastructure that has a visible impact on people and their communities and will support economic recovery.

The Fund will be open to all local areas and allocated competitively. In its assessment process, the Fund will adopt the approach in the refreshed Green Book to ensure that investment supports levelling up and spreads opportunity across the UK – with projects assessed on how well they deliver policy aims and their impact on local areas.

We will publish a prospectus for the Fund and launch the first round of competitions in the New Year.


Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 16 Nov 2020
Oral Answers to Questions

"When a Conservative Chancellor delivered his austerity Budget a decade ago, he said we are “all in this together”, yet the reality has been far from that, with communities in the north seeing a disproportionate impact on council budgets—in Blackburn, cut by over 50%—dramatically reducing our resilience to the covid …..."
Kate Hollern - View Speech

View all Kate Hollern (Lab - Blackburn) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions

Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 05 Oct 2020
Oral Answers to Questions

"In the 2019 Conservative manifesto, the Government promised that every part of the country would have the powers to shape their own destiny. Given the broken promises that councils have had from the Government recently, can the Minister confirm that the White Paper honours that manifesto pledge, and that local …..."
Kate Hollern - View Speech

View all Kate Hollern (Lab - Blackburn) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions

Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 30 Sep 2020
Non-Domestic Rating (Lists) (No. 2) Bill

"I thank the Minister for bringing back to Parliament a Bill that will hopefully give greater certainty to businesses and local authorities during this pandemic. Given the existential crises they face, Labour thinks this Bill is a common-sense response to the virus that does not, fortunately, break any laws in …..."
Kate Hollern - View Speech

View all Kate Hollern (Lab - Blackburn) contributions to the debate on: Non-Domestic Rating (Lists) (No. 2) Bill

Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 30 Sep 2020
Non-Domestic Rating (Lists) (No. 2) Bill

"It is wonderful to hear so many Members recognise the need for reform of business rates—and of course, in fairness, right across the patch. I want to return to two points very briefly.

There are many ways that the Government can support businesses, and making the next business rates valuation …..."

Kate Hollern - View Speech

View all Kate Hollern (Lab - Blackburn) contributions to the debate on: Non-Domestic Rating (Lists) (No. 2) Bill

Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 30 Sep 2020
Non-Domestic Rating (Lists) (No. 2) Bill

"I am sorry that the hon. Member does not understand that this debate is for today. There have been a number of debates on the lack of support for businesses from this Government, and quite a few Conservative Members have recognised that some businesses have had absolutely no support at …..."
Kate Hollern - View Speech

View all Kate Hollern (Lab - Blackburn) contributions to the debate on: Non-Domestic Rating (Lists) (No. 2) Bill

Written Question
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Ministerial Powers
Wednesday 9th September 2020

Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the (a) subject, (b) date and (c) reason has been for all Ministerial Directions he has issued since 24 July 2019.

Answered by Luke Hall

Ministerial directions and rationale for them are available on Gov.uk.