To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Housing: Disability and Older People
Monday 17th July 2023

Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure there is a sufficient supply of accessible and adaptable homes for older and disabled people who require such housing.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers give to Question UIN 183870 on 11 May 2023, to Question UIN 187138 on 12 June 2023 and to Question UIN HL8422 on 26 June 2023.


Written Question
Housing: Standards
Monday 17th July 2023

Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his timetable is for (a) the second consultation on the decision to make the design standard for all new homes accessible and adaptable and (b) the implementation for that decision.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers give to Question UIN 183870 on 11 May 2023, to Question UIN 187138 on 12 June 2023 and to Question UIN HL8422 on 26 June 2023.


Written Question
Refugees: Ukraine
Monday 9th January 2023

Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the mental health and therapeutic support available for (a) Ukrainian child refugees and (b) other Ukrainian refugees.

Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

Ukrainians fleeing their home and arriving in the UK under Homes for Ukraine are guaranteed free access to NHS healthcare, including mental health care services and registration with a GP.


Written Question
Private Rented Housing: Evictions
Friday 21st January 2022

Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reinstating measures previously introduced during the covid-19 outbreak to (a) have court eviction proceedings stayed and (b) extend the minimum notice period for section 21 evictions from two to four months during the period in which tenants and advice services are affected by the spread of the omicron variant.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

The action we took at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic helped keep renters in their homes- through banning bailiff evictions, extending notice periods and unprecedented financial support


These measures worked - fewer households have been assessed as homeless, there are fewer rough sleepers and fewer possession claims are now being made to court. There was a reduction of 34% of those at risk of homelessness due to service of a Section 21 notice between April and June 2021 compared to the same quarter in 2019.  

Most measures that were put in place to support renters during the pandemic have now lifted. We continue to monitor the situation using the public health data, homelessness data, English Housing Resilience Survey data and repossession statistics. There are no current plans to reintroduce the emergency measures to delay evictions given the wider lifting of national restrictions, the success of the vaccination roll-out and the impact that these measures have on landlords. .   

Bailiffs must, however, provide at least 14 days' notice of an eviction and will not carry out an eviction if they are made aware that anyone living in the property has COVID-19 symptoms or is self-isolating.  

We have also retained the power to reintroduce longer notice periods until 25 March 2022 if needed and significant support is available to renters through the welfare system.


Written Question
Recreation Spaces
Thursday 25th March 2021

Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which Minister has responsibility for parks and green spaces.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

Parks and green spaces share joint responsibility between the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs. MHCLG is responsible for urban parks and green spaces and the responsible minister is Luke Hall MP. The DEFRA minister responsible for green spaces is Rebecca Pow MP and Lord Gardiner is responsible for country parks.


Written Question
Parks
Thursday 25th March 2021

Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many joint meetings the cross-departmental working group and park sector group have had; and what the outcomes of those meetings were.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

The Parks Action Group has met four times since its inception in 2017. These meetings led to the development of a workplan that focused on: funding; quality standards; a shared vision for the futures of parks (including establishing a robust picture of their benefits); empowering local communities involvement and improving equitable access.

MHCLG provided £500,000 to support sector-led initiatives including:

  • Appointment of the Parks Action Group Coordinator.
  • Joint research delivered by APSE and academics ‘21stCentury Parks’ which aims to identify the knowledge and skills of existing park managers.
  • New Policy Institute research exploring parks funding, new funding models and to identify good practice:
  • Public Health England and Natural England research on accessibility of green spaces:
  • The Natural England Green Infrastructure project to improve benchmarking on standards for green spaces:
  • Locality and National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces Empowerment Programme
  • Skills: Using the 21stCentury Parks research mentioned above, the Skills Task & Finish group are developing a competency framework to form a greenprint for the parks profession.

Written Question
Recreation Spaces: Facilities
Wednesday 24th March 2021

Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate (a) staffing, (b) toilets and (c) other facilities are provided at parks and green spaces.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

The Government has set up the Future Parks Accelerator, which is a joint National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Trust programme to support a cohort of eight local authority areas to transform their parks estates, testing and learning from new and innovative models of parks management and funding to create more sustainable parks estates for the future.

The learning from the programme will be shared widely across the parks sector.


Written Question
Parks: Finance
Wednesday 24th March 2021

Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure sufficient funding is provided to maintain parks to the Government standard set out in the Green Flag Award.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

The Green Flag Awards scheme recognises and rewards well managed parks and green spaces by setting a benchmark standard for the management of recreational outdoor spaces across the UK and internationally.

The Government announced in September 2020 a £40 million Green Recovery Challenge Fund in England as part of the Government’s wider green economic recovery, jobs and skills package, bringing forward funding for environmental charities and their partners to start work on projects across England to restore nature and tackle climate change.

The fund will help create up to 3,000 jobs and safeguard up to 2,000 others in areas such as protecting species, finding nature-based solutions to tackling climate change, conservation rangers and connecting people with nature. Up to 100% of project costs will be available whilst delivering against the goals of the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan.


Written Question
Recreation Spaces: Finance
Wednesday 24th March 2021

Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what direct financial support his Department is providing to local authority parks and green spaces.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

The Government recognises the value of parks and green spaces in providing vibrant and inclusive locations for communities to socialise, volunteer, work, and exercise. It recognises that green spaces foster health, well-being, integration, and social engagement.

In 2021-22, local government will on average see a cash terms increase of up to 4.6% in Core Spending Power – a real-terms increase. This is in line with last year’s increase and recognises the resources councils need to meet their pressures and maintain current service levels.

The Settlement is unringfenced to ensure local areas can prioritise based on their own understanding of the needs of their local communities.

The Government has made £16.3 million available between 2017 - 2019 to support parks and green spaces.

This includes those in urban environments by funding; £9.7 million Local Authority Parks Improvement Fund; £5.1 million Pocket Parks and Pocket Parks Plus programmes; £1.41 million to test and pilot new management and funding models for parks through the Future Parks Accelerator programme; £55,000 to fund a Parks Action Group Coordinator; £30,000 on Green Infrastructure – working with Natural England to develop new standards for green spaces; £20,000 towards a skills event to promote continued professional development for parks professionals and £130,000 Community Empowerment Programme encouraging local communities become involved in the stewardship of community parks and green spaces.


Written Question
Community Development: Bus Services
Thursday 15th October 2020

Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the role of the National Bus Strategy in the creation of stronger communities.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)

My Department has been engaging and coordinating with the Department for Transport on the implementation and delivery of the National Bus Strategy as an integral part of helping to build stronger local communities.

The strategy will focus on the needs of passengers and encourage more people to use the bus network. It will set out how national and local government, as well as the private sector, will come together to meet the needs of local communities. Local authorities have a vital role to play in ensuring local bus services meet local communities’ specific needs, with buses that can get closer to where people live, at a time convenient for them. Both Departments have also been working to help guide delivery to support better connected communities.