Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Joint plan to accelerate developer-led remediation and improve resident experience, published on 2 December 2024, whether Viva Midco has been asked to sign the agreement.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Yes. The department has invited all signatories to the Developer Remediation Contract to also sign up to the joint plan to accelerate developer-led remediation and improve resident experience. The full list of contract signatories can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/developer-remediation-contract.
The full list of developers that have signed up to the joint plan can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-plan-to-accelerate-developer-led-remediation-and-improve-resident-experience.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to introduce a Building Safety Leaseholder Support Scheme for people in financial hardship.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Safety Act includes multiple protections and support mechanisms for leaseholders. These measures ensure that those who built defective buildings are responsible for fixing them and protect leaseholders from facing huge bills for historical safety defects.
For instance, qualifying leaseholders are exempt from costs associated with non-cladding defects and interim measures if their property is valued below certain thresholds (£325,000 in Greater London, £175,000 elsewhere in England). Any contributions required from leaseholders with properties above these thresholds are capped and spread over ten years, with costs already paid since 28 June 2017, counting towards the cap. Additionally, there is funding available for all leaseholders (whether they qualify for the leaseholder protections or not) to address life-threatening fire risks associated with cladding on residential buildings over 11 metres in height.
All leaseholders are protected from the costs of historical safety remediation if the building owner is - or is associated with - the developer who is responsible for that defect. The Act also includes measures which provide leaseholders with access to remediation contribution orders to recover costs from those responsible for defects.
In addition to financial support, free independent legal advice through the Leasehold Advisory Service has also been made available to leaseholders.
The Government is committed to reviewing how to better protect leaseholders from costs and to accelerate the pace of remediation across the country.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Joint plan to accelerate developer-led remediation and improve resident experience, published on 2 December 2024, whether her Department plans to review the accuracy of previous assessments where a fire engineer has been suspended by a professional fire engineering body.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Robust auditing processes are in place to ensure that all Fire Risk Appraisals of External Walls (FRAEWs) for buildings in the Government’s remediation funding programmes meet appropriate standards before the associated funding application can progress.
Where required, feedback is given to allow assessors to make appropriate changes to the FRAEW to address any deficiencies identified. Reassessments of appraisals are therefore not necessary. Tri-Fire is a member of the Cladding Safety Scheme panel.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Tri Fire is an approved panel member for the Cladding Safety Scheme.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Robust auditing processes are in place to ensure that all Fire Risk Appraisals of External Walls (FRAEWs) for buildings in the Government’s remediation funding programmes meet appropriate standards before the associated funding application can progress.
Where required, feedback is given to allow assessors to make appropriate changes to the FRAEW to address any deficiencies identified. Reassessments of appraisals are therefore not necessary. Tri-Fire is a member of the Cladding Safety Scheme panel.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of houses of (a) all tenure and (b) social housing tenure expected to be built in (a) Halton and (b) Chester West and Chester Council area by the end of the Parliament.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The standard method for calculating local housing need figures for each local authority, including Halton, and Chester West and Chester, is set out in the Government Response to the ‘Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system’. This can be found on gov.uk here.
The standard method should be used to identify the total number of homes needed in a local area. However, within this context it is for local authorities to identify the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including those who require affordable housing.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's Remediation Acceleration Plan, published on 02 December 2024, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of providing support to volunteer directors of Resident Management Companies and Right to Manage Companies in the event of enforcement action being taken at their building.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In accordance with the Regulator’s Code, regulators must carry out their activities in a way that supports those they regulate to comply and grow. This includes making sure they take a proportionate approach to enforcement, and educate those they regulate about their responsibilities.
MHCLG expects regulators to engage with a building’s leaseholders (including any RTMs or RMCs in place) prior to enforcement, to understand what factors are delaying remediation. If regulatory action has escalated to formal enforcement action, this may be because engagement with relevant parties has failed to produce a positive outcome. Under the Housing Act 2004, local authorities also have a duty to take enforcement action where they identify category 1 hazards (the most dangerous level).
This month, MHCLG published remediation enforcement guidance for regulators to support regulators to enforce permanent remediation at unsafe buildings. Annex D of our guidance stresses the importance of regulators taking proportionate regulatory action at leaseholder-managed buildings. We recommend that – in certain cases - non-statutory action to educate RTMs and RMCs about the remediation process and their responsibilities may be the most appropriate and helpful action a regulator can take to get an unsafe building fixed.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the number of qualified brick layers required to help meet the Government's new house building targets.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government are working with industry to ensure the housebuilding sector has access to the skilled workers needed to build 1.5 million new homes in this Parliament. This includes a £140 million package of industry investment to deliver 5,000 more apprenticeship places through 32 new Homebuilding Skills Hubs.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of retaining new homes bonus payments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out in the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement on 18 December, the government have committed to a further year of the New Homes Bonus (NHB) in 2025-26 which will provide £290m of funding to local government in recognition of a net increase of 214,000 homes. We have also committed to consulting on reforming the NHB in the new year.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her Department's target is for new build homes for social rent for (a) 2024-25, (b) 2025-26, (c) 2026-27, (d) 2027-28 and (e) 2028-29.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has not set an annual supply target for new social rented homes.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Independent - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference her Department's policy paper entitled Joint plan to accelerate developer-led remediation and improve resident experience, published on 2 December 2024, what the target date is for publication of the final guidance on Alternative Dispute Resolution; and whether (a) developers and (b) building owners will be required to participate in Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We will start reporting on audit results in 2025.
Under the terms of the developer remediation contract, signatory developers committed to use all reasonable endeavours to resolve third party disputes fairly and as quickly as possible.
In the joint plan we published on 2 December, the Government committed to publish guidance on alternative dispute resolution by March 2025. Developers that signed up to the joint plan have committed to offer alternative dispute resolution where necessary to resolve such disputes.