Asked by: Marcus Jones (Conservative - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of council homes meet the decent homes standard in each local authority in England.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
Everyone deserves a decent and safe place to live. We have seen clear improvements in decency in recent years. As at 1 April 2018, 4 per cent of local authority owned dwellings were non-decent across England. Over 516,000 local authority homes have been bought up to the Decent Homes Standard since 2010.
The Department publishes data on the proportion of local authority owned non-decent homes in each local authority area at the Local Authority Housing Statistics (LAHS) section F question 17, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/local-authority-housing-statistics-data-returns-for-2017-to-2018.
Asked by: Marcus Jones (Conservative - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether new homes bonus payments secured by Nuneaton and Bedworth borough council in 2018-19 will be guaranteed for four years; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The table below sets out the New Homes Bonus allocations to Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council in each year since 2011. In December 2018, Government announced the provisional New Homes Bonus allocations for 2019/20 due to be paid over the next four years. Consideration about the overall quantum of funding available to the local government sector will be a matter for the next spending review but Government remains fully committed to incentivising housing growth and will consult widely with local authorities on how best to reward delivery most effectively.
Table: Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council New Homes Bonus allocations
Year | Amount |
Year 1 (2011-12) | 167,589 |
Year 2 (2012-13) | 591,015 |
Year 3 (2013-14) | 891,705 |
Year 4 (2014-15) | 1,280,232 |
Year 5 (2015-16) | 1,470,955 |
Year 6 (2016-17) | 2,033,352 |
Year 7 (2017-18) | 1,857,926 |
Year 8 (2018-19) | 1,304,546 |
Asked by: Marcus Jones (Conservative - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much has been allocated in new homes bonus payments to Nuneaton and Bedworth borough council in each year since 2011.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The table below sets out the New Homes Bonus allocations to Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council in each year since 2011. In December 2018, Government announced the provisional New Homes Bonus allocations for 2019/20 due to be paid over the next four years. Consideration about the overall quantum of funding available to the local government sector will be a matter for the next spending review but Government remains fully committed to incentivising housing growth and will consult widely with local authorities on how best to reward delivery most effectively.
Table: Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council New Homes Bonus allocations
Year | Amount |
Year 1 (2011-12) | 167,589 |
Year 2 (2012-13) | 591,015 |
Year 3 (2013-14) | 891,705 |
Year 4 (2014-15) | 1,280,232 |
Year 5 (2015-16) | 1,470,955 |
Year 6 (2016-17) | 2,033,352 |
Year 7 (2017-18) | 1,857,926 |
Year 8 (2018-19) | 1,304,546 |
Asked by: Marcus Jones (Conservative - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether any advice and guidance has been issued to local authorities on how the New Homes Bonus can be used.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The New Homes Bonus is un-ringfenced so authorities can choose how to allocate funding to meet local priorities, for example on frontline services or keeping council tax down, as we recognise that local authorities are in the best position to make decisions about local priorities. The Government does not monitor how local authorities utilise New Homes Bonus funding but it is expected that local authorities engage with their local communities to decide how the money is spent, so residents feel the direct benefits of growth.
Asked by: Marcus Jones (Conservative - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many lower-tier local authorities use the New Homes Bonus for revenue spending.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The New Homes Bonus is un-ringfenced so authorities can choose how to allocate funding to meet local priorities, for example on frontline services or keeping council tax down, as we recognise that local authorities are in the best position to make decisions about local priorities. The Government does not monitor how local authorities utilise New Homes Bonus funding but it is expected that local authorities engage with their local communities to decide how the money is spent, so residents feel the direct benefits of growth.
Asked by: Marcus Jones (Conservative - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the New Homes Bonus can be used for local authority general revenue budget expenditure.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The New Homes Bonus is un-ringfenced so authorities can choose how to allocate funding to meet local priorities, for example on frontline services or keeping council tax down, as we recognise that local authorities are in the best position to make decisions about local priorities. The Government does not monitor how local authorities utilise New Homes Bonus funding but it is expected that local authorities engage with their local communities to decide how the money is spent, so residents feel the direct benefits of growth.
Asked by: Marcus Jones (Conservative - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the New Homes Bonus can be used for day to day local government service revenue spending.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The New Homes Bonus is un-ringfenced so authorities can choose how to allocate funding to meet local priorities, for example on frontline services or keeping council tax down, as we recognise that local authorities are in the best position to make decisions about local priorities. The Government does not monitor how local authorities utilise New Homes Bonus funding but it is expected that local authorities engage with their local communities to decide how the money is spent, so residents feel the direct benefits of growth.
Asked by: Marcus Jones (Conservative - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to which budgets of local authorities the New Homes Bonus can be allocated.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The New Homes Bonus is un-ringfenced so authorities can choose how to allocate funding to meet local priorities, for example on frontline services or keeping council tax down, as we recognise that local authorities are in the best position to make decisions about local priorities. The Government does not monitor how local authorities utilise New Homes Bonus funding but it is expected that local authorities engage with their local communities to decide how the money is spent, so residents feel the direct benefits of growth.
Asked by: Marcus Jones (Conservative - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to provide for local authorities who do not produce a local plan to be placed in special measures.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Plan making has significantly improved under this Government. 81% of local planning authorities have at least published their plan and 63% of local planning authorities now have an adopted local plan in place (compared to 17% in 2010).
The Localism Act has strengthened the role of Local Plans, allowing local councils – in consultation with local residents – to draw up plans and determine where new development should and should not go. Paragraph 14 of the National Planning Policy Framework already provides a very strong incentive for councils to have a Local Plan in place. I am aware that the Labour Party's Lyons Review proposed that sanctions should be imposed against councils without a Local Plan and that the Secretary of State should direct the Planning Inspectorate to produce a Local Plan in place of the Council. However, I believe that proposal is excessively centralising, and would be an unpalatable re-creation of the top-down planning regime that we abolished in the Localism Act.
Drawing up a Local Plan can be challenging – it involves trade-offs and hard choices, and there is no longer Regional Planning Guidance or Regional Spatial Strategy imposed from above to hide behind and blame. But it is our preference for this to be a locally-led process.
The Government has supported local authorities in their Plan making by funding the Planning Advisory Service; the Planning Inspectorate; and senior retired Planning Inspectors to help bring forward sound Local Plans.
This Government introduced neighbourhood planning which offers an unprecedented opportunity for communities to develop plans with statutory force. Over 1,400 communities, representing around 6 million people in England, have now applied for a neighbourhood area to be designated and 59 successful referendums on neighbourhood plans have been held. The Government is committed to supporting communities throughout the process and encouraging more communities to join them. The Government recently announced a new support contract worth £22.5 million, which will begin in April 2015 and last until 2018.
Asked by: Marcus Jones (Conservative - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to assist local residents to produce a local plan in areas where no such plan has been produced by the local authority.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Plan making has significantly improved under this Government. 81% of local planning authorities have at least published their plan and 63% of local planning authorities now have an adopted local plan in place (compared to 17% in 2010).
The Localism Act has strengthened the role of Local Plans, allowing local councils – in consultation with local residents – to draw up plans and determine where new development should and should not go. Paragraph 14 of the National Planning Policy Framework already provides a very strong incentive for councils to have a Local Plan in place. I am aware that the Labour Party's Lyons Review proposed that sanctions should be imposed against councils without a Local Plan and that the Secretary of State should direct the Planning Inspectorate to produce a Local Plan in place of the Council. However, I believe that proposal is excessively centralising, and would be an unpalatable re-creation of the top-down planning regime that we abolished in the Localism Act.
Drawing up a Local Plan can be challenging – it involves trade-offs and hard choices, and there is no longer Regional Planning Guidance or Regional Spatial Strategy imposed from above to hide behind and blame. But it is our preference for this to be a locally-led process.
The Government has supported local authorities in their Plan making by funding the Planning Advisory Service; the Planning Inspectorate; and senior retired Planning Inspectors to help bring forward sound Local Plans.
This Government introduced neighbourhood planning which offers an unprecedented opportunity for communities to develop plans with statutory force. Over 1,400 communities, representing around 6 million people in England, have now applied for a neighbourhood area to be designated and 59 successful referendums on neighbourhood plans have been held. The Government is committed to supporting communities throughout the process and encouraging more communities to join them. The Government recently announced a new support contract worth £22.5 million, which will begin in April 2015 and last until 2018.