Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take after the lockdown has ended to help resettle people that became homeless during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Luke Hall
The Government has now announced £3.2 billion for local authorities to deal with emerging pressures as a result of COVID-19, including for housing and homelessness services. This is on top of the £492 million provided to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in 2020/21.
We have also introduced a package of measures to protect renters affected by coronavirus (COVID-19). With these in force, must give all renters 3 months’ notice if they intend to seek possession.
Further, the Chancellor recently announced that for 2020/21, we will increase the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants so that they are set at the 30th percentile of local rents. This will mean that many people renting in the Private Rented Sector see an increase in their housing support from April 2020, providing extra security during these uncertain times. The average claimant will gain an additional £600 per year in increased housing support.
The Homelessness Reduction Act, the most ambitious reform to homelessness legislation in decades, came into force on 3 April 2018. The Act requires local authorities and other public bodies to work together to actively prevent homelessness for people at risk. This is backed by the £63 million Homelessness Reduction Grant in 2020/21 which provides an uplift on previous years’ new burdens funding to implement the Homelessness Reduction Act and will enable local authorities to do more to prevent and relieve homelessness in their areas.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
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 hold discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on allocating additional financial support to district councils to compensate those councils for increased expenditure and lower receipts as a result of the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Simon Clarke
On 18 April the Government announced an additional £1.6 billion of funding to support councils in England in delivering essential front line services, bringing the total amount given to councils to help them through the pandemic to over £3.2 billion. The package demonstrates the Government’s commitment to making sure councils, including district councils, have the resources they need to support their communities through this challenging time.
We are using data collection and our conversations with councils to refine our assessment of costs, and allocations to individual local authorities will follow as soon as practicable.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
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 extend the timescale for planning authorities to determine planning applications while restrictions are in place during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government has put in place a package of measures that will help keep firms in business, and people in jobs and prevent Covid-19 from causing long-lasting economic harm. It is important that local planning authorities continue to provide the best service possible in these stretching times and prioritise decision-making to ensure the planning system continues to function, especially where this will support the local economy.
We are asking local planning authorities to take an innovative approach and explore every opportunity to use technology to ensure that discussions and consultations can go ahead. We would encourage councils to consider delegating committee decisions where appropriate. The Government has introduced legislation to allow council committee meetings to be held virtually for a temporary period which we expect will allow planning committees to continue.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
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 bring forward legislative proposals to lower the level of council tax paid by residents of park homes; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rishi Sunak
The level of council tax which is payable is set by the local authorities in an area and reflects the council tax band a home is in. Responsibility for setting the council tax bands of homes in England, including park homes, rests with the Valuation Office Agency who carry out their work independently of Ministers.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
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 imposing a threshold on rises in parish council precepts; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rishi Sunak
In 2018, the Secretary of State announced an intention not to set council tax referendum principles for town and parish councils in the three financial years from 2018-19 to 2020-21. This was subject to them limiting any precept increases wherever possible. In view of the restraint shown in precept increases for 2018-19, no referendum thresholds were set for parishes in 2019-20. The Secretary of State determines referendum principles each year, and will take into account precept increases when making decisions for future years.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
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 it his policy to enable freeholders to access First Tier Tribunals (property chamber); and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Government has committed to ensuring that freeholders who pay charges for the maintenance of communal areas and facilities on a private or mixed tenure estate can access equivalent rights as leaseholders to challenge their reasonableness.
We intend to create a new statutory regime for freeholders based on the leaseholder rights contained in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. This will ensure maintenance charges must be reasonably incurred and services provided are of an acceptable standard. We will provide freeholders with the ability to challenge the reasonableness of the charges they are required to pay towards the maintenance of communal areas and facilities at the First-tier Tribunal. We are also considering whether freeholders should have a right to change the provider of maintenance services by applying to the tribunal for the appointment of a new manager. We will bring forward legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.