Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 30 Sep 2020
Town and Country Planning
"I would like to briefly address my remarks to both the SIs and the wider changes that the Government propose to make to planning policy. I also endorse the concerns raised by the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Sir Robert Neill) about some unscrupulous developers.
My first concern is …..."Matt Rodda - View Speech
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Written Question
Wednesday 9th September 2020
Asked by:
Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading Central)
Question
to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on allocating financial support to leaseholders to replace dangerous cladding; and what additional funding is being provided to fire services to pay for extra inspections of affected buildings.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
We understand the concerns of many leaseholders and building owners over the cost of remediation of cladding. This is why we have made £1 billion available to expedite and fund the removal of unsafe non-Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding in 2020/21. This is in addition to the £600 million made available already to ensure the remediation of unsafe ACM cladding. Progress on the ACM fund can be viewed in the monthly Building Safety Data Release, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/aluminium-composite-material-cladding#acm-remediation-data. As for non-ACM funding, we published the Building Safety Fund application guidance for buildings in both the social and private sectors on 31 July and opened the application process.
The Department will keep demand for the Fund under review and will in future publish regular updates regarding the allocation of funding against the budget available in the Building Safety Programme’s data release when ready. This release includes data and analysis related to the monitoring of the remediation of unsafe cladding.
This year the Government has provided £10 million of additional funding to improve inspection capacity and capability on high-rise residential buildings. This is supporting the National Fire Chiefs Council to establish a new national infrastructure to support frontline protection work and the Fire and Rescue Services to conduct a Building Risk Review of all high rise residential buildings over 18 metres by the end of 2021.
Written Question
Thursday 3rd September 2020
Asked by:
Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading Central)
Question
to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has for a public consultation on the Government's proposals for changes to the planning system; what changes to regulations on (a) height, (b) appearance and (c) quality are proposed; what steps he plans to take to ensure that new houses will be built in addition to flats; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that new houses will be built on brownfield land and not in the countryside.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Public consultation on the Planning for the Future White Paper began on 6 August and closes on 29 October. The White Paper sets out an ambitious vision for improving the design of buildings and places, through the widespread use of design codes and pattern books that are supported by local communities.
The White Paper also sets out proposals for a binding housing requirement that would be adjusted to take account of local constraints, such as the Green Belt and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The requirement figures would need to reflect the importance of using brownfield land, but ultimately it would be for local authorities to decide how best to meet their housing requirement locally, including the different types of homes needed in each area.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 09 Jul 2020
Housing, Communities and Local Government: Departmental Spending
"Will my hon. Friend give way on that point?..."Matt Rodda - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 09 Jul 2020
Housing, Communities and Local Government: Departmental Spending
"It is genuinely a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Southend West (Sir David Amess). I want to draw the House’s attention to a very serious issue, which is fire safety in flats and shared housing following the Grenfell disaster. This is linked to the funding of councils such …..."Matt Rodda - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 19 Mar 2020
Horizon Settlement: Future Governance of Post Office Ltd
"The hon. Gentleman is making an excellent speech. Does he agree that sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses are at the heart of many local communities and not only have the respect of those communities but deserve the respect of the Post Office and people in authority? This whole sorry saga shows a …..."Matt Rodda - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 03 Mar 2020
Housing and Planning
"As a fellow MP from London and the south-east, does my hon. Friend agree that the current policy has a disproportionate impact on local communities? There are severe shortages of professionals in key parts of the public sector and for some private sector employers. We have a huge shortage of …..."Matt Rodda - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 28 Jan 2020
Flats and Shared Housing: Fire Risk
"I beg to move,
That this House has considered the fire risk in flats and shared housing.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Gray. I start by paying tribute to the Grenfell families. As I said in the House last week, it is difficult to imagine …..."Matt Rodda - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 28 Jan 2020
Flats and Shared Housing: Fire Risk
"I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who makes an excellent point. I will address that very issue, which is of great concern to many of the residents I represent and to many people across the country. I heard a very moving report on BBC radio over the weekend discussing …..."Matt Rodda - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 28 Jan 2020
Flats and Shared Housing: Fire Risk
"My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. The issue is that the use of such materials has been allowed for many years, and we now face a national crisis—I do not use that word lightly—in building safety and standards, with a legacy of dangerous materials across the whole United Kingdom. …..."Matt Rodda - View Speech
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