Asked by: Neil Parish (Conservative - Tiverton and Honiton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the Levelling Up White Paper will include plans to take specific and targeted steps to realise the social and economic potential of the countryside.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Levelling up means empowering local leaders and communities to seize their own destiny; boosting living standards, particularly where they are lower; spreading opportunity and improving public services, particularly where they are weak; and restoring local pride across the UK.
The UK Government recognises that each place and geography is different, and is committed through the Levelling Up White Paper to fulfil the social and economic potential of all places and geographies across the UK by building on their individual strengths and opportunities.
More details are set out in the White Paper which was published today.
Asked by: Neil Parish (Conservative - Tiverton and Honiton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 28 June 2021, HCWS128 on Supporting Tourism in England, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on (a) facilitating a quick licensing process and (b) expediting new applications for camping licences to provide certainty for applicants of temporary campsites.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
As the Written Statement made clear, the Government wants local authorities to expedite new applications for licenses for temporary campsites, where they are needed, to provide certainty for applicants.
Under the campsite licensing legislation, if a local authority fails to meet this expectation for a fast decision and does not respond to a licensing application within a month, the operator can continue without a license.
My Department and DEFRA will continue to work together with local authorities to ensure licensing does not become a barrier to increased temporary campsite capacity over the Summer.
Asked by: Neil Parish (Conservative - Tiverton and Honiton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made towards establishing a code of practice under the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
On 3 November 2019, we announced we were contracting with the British Standards Institution (BSI) to develop the Code of Practice as British Standard, to ensure the new regulation will be robust and of the highest quality.
The government’s choice of BSI delivers on our promise to listen to industry and consumers and involve them in the design of the new regulation.
Work with BSI commenced in December 2019, and they are now convening a group of key stakeholders to write the Code. The stakeholder group will comprise representatives from the parking industry, consumer groups, standards bodies and, recognising the key role that parking plays in supporting our high streets, the retail sector.
A full public consultation will take place within six months, to give the parking industry, the public, and other interested parties the opportunity to have a say.
We have committed to developing the final Code this year.
Asked by: Neil Parish (Conservative - Tiverton and Honiton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timeframe is for (a) his Department to issue guidance on the (i) operation and (ii) management of private parking facilities and (b) the appointment of an independent office to deal with parking appeals under the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed enacting the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 as soon as possible. It will lead to the creation of an independent code of practice for private parking companies and, if the Code requires it, a single independent service for parking appeals. We are currently considering the options for the delivery of the Code, including the design of the levy on industry, as well as the format for stakeholder engagement. We will make an announcement in due course. We are also committed to carrying out a public consultation on the draft Code of Practice, allowing all interested parties to directly respond to the proposals.
Asked by: Neil Parish (Conservative - Tiverton and Honiton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities receive adequate funding to ensure that public toilets are sufficiently accessible for people with disabilities.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
Local authorities have discretion over the range of services they provide and will see their core spending power increase to £46.4 billion in 2019-20, a cash-increase of 2.8 per cent. To support the running of all public toilets, the Chancellor announced at Autumn Budget a new 100 per cent business rates relief for standalone public lavatories in England.
Asked by: Neil Parish (Conservative - Tiverton and Honiton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether a local authority should consider its housing need when assessing a proposed Neighbourhood Plan and its proposals to build new local homes; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Dominic Raab
Government wants to ensure that plans start from an honest assessment of need for new homes, the draft revised National Planning Policy Framework proposes that local authorities provide designated neighbourhood planning areas with a housing requirement figure.
Our guidance is also clear that local planning authorities should provide constructive comments on an emerging neighbourhood plan before it is submitted for examination. Following examination a Local Planning Authority is required to decide whether a plan meets the basic conditions, which include whether the making of the neighbourhood plan is in general conformity with the strategic policies contained in the development plan for the area.
Asked by: Neil Parish (Conservative - Tiverton and Honiton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of proposals for Entry Level Exception Sites in the draft National Planning Policy Framework on Rural Exception Sites.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The Government has consulted on a proposed entry level exception site policy as part of the draft National Planning Policy Framework. This consultation closed on 10 May and responses are currently being assessed. The new National Planning Policy Framework and the Government’s response will be published in July.
Asked by: Neil Parish (Conservative - Tiverton and Honiton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will ensure that the Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Reduction Taskforce considers the matter of rural homelessness.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
Tackling homelessness is a complex issue with no single solution, but we are determined to help the most vulnerable in society whether they live in towns, cities or rural areas. I can assure you that the Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Reduction Taskforce will consider homelessness in both urban and rural areas.
Asked by: Neil Parish (Conservative - Tiverton and Honiton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to take steps to mitigate the adverse effects of the practice of gazumping in the housing market.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
On 22 October my Department launched a Call for Evidence on the home buying and selling process. We have asked how we should best tackle gazumping, and will develop plans in the light of this feedback.
Asked by: Neil Parish (Conservative - Tiverton and Honiton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support his Department provides to help develop and implement local authorities' design codes.
Answered by Lord Barwell
The National Planning Policy Framework and supporting planning guidance asks local planning authorities to consider using design codes where they could help deliver high quality outcomes. The Framework states that design policies should avoid unnecessary prescription or detail and should concentrate on guiding the overall scale, density, massing, height, landscape, layout, materials and access of new development in relation to neighbouring buildings and the local area more generally.
In addition the Homes and Communities Agency has published a number of guidance documents around design and sustainability providing practical, delivery related knowledge, research findings and good practice.
https://www.gov.uk/topic/housing/design-and-sustainability