Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding is being put in place to support local authorities and social housing landlords repairing high-rise blocks as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire.
Answered by Lord Sharma
Where Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding is present on residential buildings over 18 metres in height, the Government is providing testing for local authorities and housing associations free of charge. If the screening tests indicate that such cladding would not meet the limited combustibility requirements of the current Building Regulations guidance, it is for landlords in consultation with the fire and rescue service and other experts to determine, and take, the best course of action, communicating closely with residents. My Department has issued advice on the interim mitigating measures landlords should implement. Cost considerations must not get in the way of making sure that residents are safe. Where work is necessary to ensure the fire safety of a building, we will ensure that lack of financial resources will not prevent them going ahead.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to reassure the public about the adequacy of building standards.
Answered by Lord Sharma
We are committed to looking at wider issues following the Grenfell Tower fire and this work will now need to be informed by any recommendations that the independent inquiry make.
We have appointed an expert panel to advise us on immediate steps to be taken following the Grenfell Tower fire, and will act on those recommendations. The role of the expert panel and the advice already given is set out in a note published last week at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/explanatory-note-on-safety-checks-and-testing
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the material used to clad Grenfell Tower was approved under British standards and has subsequently failed British Research Establishment tests.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The Government cannot release information specific to the Grenfell Tower, as this would currently cut across the police investigation underway. A Government note was published last week at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/explanatory-note-on-safety-checks-and-testing , which explains the requirements in Building Regulations for external walls not to allow fire spread.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential increase in heating costs for residents living in high-rise blocks from which cladding has been removed.
Answered by Lord Sharma
No assessment has been made at this stage. The priority is on testing samples of cladding, as set out in a note published last week at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/explanatory-note-on-safety-checks-and-testing
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when the Government plans to decide whether sprinkler systems should be a mandatory requirement for high-rise buildings.
Answered by Lord Sharma
The Department wrote to all social housing providers in 2013, encouraging them to act on the recommendations in a Coroner’s report into firefighter deaths which occurred at Shirley Towers in Southampton in April 2010. That letter encouraged providers to consider the retrofitting of sprinklers in older residential tower blocks. The Department then reinforced the content of that letter in it’s response to the Coroner’s report into the Lakanal House Fire – a copy of which can be found at
We are committed to looking at wider issues following the Grenfell Tower fire and this work will now need to be informed by any recommendations that the independent inquiry makes.
We have appointed an expert panel to advise us on immediate steps to be taken following the Grenfell Tower fire, and will act on those recommendations where necessary. The role of the expert panel and the advice already given is set out in a note published last week at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/explanatory-note-on-safety-checks-and-testing
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of derelict and abandoned buildings.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The number of empty homes is at its lowest since records began. Local authorities have powers and strong incentives to tackle empty homes. Through the New Homes Bonus they earn the same financial reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one. Councils may also charge up to 150% council tax for homes empty for over two years. In addition, we have reformed permitted development rights to free up the planning system and encourage the conversion of existing commercial buildings into residential units
A local authority can also serve a notice under section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to make good land and buildings that are not being properly maintained where the public amenity the area is being adversely affected. Where a section 215 notice has not been complied with, the local planning authorities can carry out the works and seek to recover the costs. Additionally local authorities also have powers under sections 76-79 of the Building Act to dealing with defective premises, dangerous buildings, ruinous/dilapidated buildings and neglected sites; section 29 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 for works on unoccupied buildings; and sections 79-82 of the Environmental Protection Act for abatement or prohibition of a nuisance.
Advice to local planning authorities on how to make the best use of their powers under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/town-and-country-planning-act-1990-section-215-best-practice-guidance
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will include provisions in the forthcoming Housing Bill to allow councils to include a question asking for the details (a) of a property's tenure and (b) of the landlord in rental properties on council tax forms.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Existing council tax legislation already allows local authorities to collect this data.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what change there has been in the level of arrears in the social housing sector since April 2013.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Global Accounts of Housing Providers, published by the Homes and Communities Agency, has estimated that rent arrears were 5.1% in 2009-10, 5.1% in 2010-11, 4.8% in 2011-12 and 4.8% in 2012-13. These figures are for private registered providers of social housing (primarily housing associations). Data for 2013-14 will be available in Spring 2015.
My Department does not centrally hold arrears information on individual housing associations. Figures on local authority social housing rent arrears can be found on my Department’s website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-housing-data (for up to 2012-13).
The Homes and Communities Agency also publishes quarterly reports based on a survey of larger providers. This reported that rent arrears were 4% at the end of 2013-14. Their latest report states: “Most providers (91%) continue to report that the current level of arrears, rent collection and voids are within or outperforming their business plans” (Quarterly Survey of Private Registered Providers 2014-15, Quarter 1); the reports paint a broad picture of stability in income collection.
In this context, the claims previously made by HM Opposition about the effects of the removal of the spare room subsidy were unfounded. The removal of the spare room subsidy is estimated to save £490 million of taxpayers' money in Great Britain in 2013-14, reducing the housing benefit bill and helping pay off the budget deficit left by the last Administration. The measure also encourages the more effective use of social housing, by addressing the under-occupation of family homes.