Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
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 is taking to ensure that freeholders have equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge unfair service charges.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for leaseholders and freeholders.
On 21 December 2017, the Government set out a package of measures to tackle abuses and unfair practices in the leasehold market.
This includes bringing forward legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows to ensure that freeholders who pay charges for the maintenance of communal areas and facilities on a private or mixed use estate, can access equivalent rights as leaseholders to challenge the reasonableness of service charges.
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
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 implications of the snap-back clauses in the Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations for private individuals who are self-building.
Answered by Dominic Raab
Self builders are able to obtain an exemption from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) if they are building, or have commissioned the building of, a home for their own use. There are necessary and proportionate 'claw-back' provisions to help guard against any 'gaming' of CIL liabilities following the granting of an exemption. These provisions require the self builder benefitting from the exemption to occupy the dwelling as their main home for a minimum of three years, and not to otherwise sell or let the property during that period.
The exemptions process has to fit within the legislative process within which CIL operates. CIL is, by law, a set charge on new development and the regulations incorporate a series of standard trigger points. These are intended to provide consistency, reduce complexity and aid local authorities and developers in administering CIL. The Commencement Notice is one of these trigger points. The Commencement Notice marks the start of the time period which, for most of the available exemptions from CIL, exempted developments need to comply with in terms of the 'claw-back' requirements. Failure to submit a Commencement Notice can result in an exemption being lost.
The Government have announced an ambitious package of reforms to CIL and will be consulting on these in due course.
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
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 is taking to offer guidance to self-builders on serving a commencement notice within a timeframe that allows them a waiver from the Community Infrastructure Levy.
Answered by Dominic Raab
Self builders are able to obtain an exemption from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) if they are building, or have commissioned the building of, a home for their own use. There are necessary and proportionate 'claw-back' provisions to help guard against any 'gaming' of CIL liabilities following the granting of an exemption. These provisions require the self builder benefitting from the exemption to occupy the dwelling as their main home for a minimum of three years, and not to otherwise sell or let the property during that period.
The exemptions process has to fit within the legislative process within which CIL operates. CIL is, by law, a set charge on new development and the regulations incorporate a series of standard trigger points. These are intended to provide consistency, reduce complexity and aid local authorities and developers in administering CIL. The Commencement Notice is one of these trigger points. The Commencement Notice marks the start of the time period which, for most of the available exemptions from CIL, exempted developments need to comply with in terms of the 'claw-back' requirements. Failure to submit a Commencement Notice can result in an exemption being lost.
The Government have announced an ambitious package of reforms to CIL and will be consulting on these in due course.
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Government last reviewed its planning practice guidance relating to community infrastructure levy exemptions.
Answered by Dominic Raab
Self builders are able to obtain an exemption from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) if they are building, or have commissioned the building of, a home for their own use. There are necessary and proportionate 'claw-back' provisions to help guard against any 'gaming' of CIL liabilities following the granting of an exemption. These provisions require the self builder benefitting from the exemption to occupy the dwelling as their main home for a minimum of three years, and not to otherwise sell or let the property during that period.
The exemptions process has to fit within the legislative process within which CIL operates. CIL is, by law, a set charge on new development and the regulations incorporate a series of standard trigger points. These are intended to provide consistency, reduce complexity and aid local authorities and developers in administering CIL. The Commencement Notice is one of these trigger points. The Commencement Notice marks the start of the time period which, for most of the available exemptions from CIL, exempted developments need to comply with in terms of the 'claw-back' requirements. Failure to submit a Commencement Notice can result in an exemption being lost.
The Government have announced an ambitious package of reforms to CIL and will be consulting on these in due course.
Asked by: Michael Fallon (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether it is compulsory for local authorities to offer residents a choice of how they wish to receive communications.
Answered by Marcus Jones
It is not compulsory for local authorities to offer residents such a choice. The Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity provides a series of principles which they should have regard to. Ultimately, it is up to local authorities how they make best use of communications channels to ensure residents are appropriately informed.