Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what criteria he will use to assess requests for extra powers from local enterprise partnerships and combined authorities.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
The Government is currently negotiating a ‘Growth Deal' with every Local Enterprise Partnership, based on the Strategic Economic Plans they submitted in March 2014. The criteria being used to assess the plans are set out in the guidance published in July 2013. These are: ambition and rationale for intervention; value for money; and deliverability and risk. Combined authorities, where they exist, are represented in Local Enterprise Partnerships and will have been involved in the development of the Strategic Economic Plans.
Notwithstanding, as I indicated to the rt. hon. Member in my answers to him of 3 April 2014, Official Report, Column 778W and 6 May 2014, Official Report, Column 24W, we should be cautious about any measure which had the effect of transferring power upwards away from elected local councils. Decentralisation should devolve power to the lowest appropriate level.
Combined authorities are relatively new bodies. They now should focus on using the functions and powers that they currently have and prove themselves on delivering local growth; we do not intend to repeat the “function creep” mistakes of the Regional Development Agencies which just became unwieldy and unfocused, taking on too much and failing to deliver.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne 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 publish the guidance he has issued to combined authorities on good practice on the representation of opposition councillors on (a) the new bodies set up under the Combined Authority regulations and (b) the scrutiny panels; and what sanctions he has in the event of combined authorities not complying with best practice.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Following the recent establishment of four new combined authorities, I wrote to the Leaders of the councils involved setting out the good practice that I expect them to follow with regards to governance and transparency. We believe that following such good practice will ensure that the various political parties represented on all the councils concerned will have appropriate involvement and influence in the work of the combined authorities. A copy of those letters were also published on the Government's website at:
The Government believes that it would reinforce the confidence all have in the effectiveness and accountability of combined authorities and economic prosperity boards, if the following of this good practice was guaranteed. I launched a consultation on 30 April regarding changes that the Government proposes to make to the legislation relating to combined authorities and economic prosperity boards. This consultation includes the proposal to require combined authorities and economic prosperity boards to have one or more overview and scrutiny committee(s) constituted with a membership reflecting the political balance of the councils concerned. This consultation closes on 24 June and can be found at:
I have placed copies of the associated documents in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on devolution of the Affordable Homes programme to (a) combined authorities and (b) local enterprise partnerships.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
Housing policy and the provision of affordable housing is not a function of combined authorities or Local Enterprise Partnerships.
Elected local councils act as both the local housing authorities and local planning authorities, and we should be cautious about any intervention which effectively transferred power upwards.
Notwithstanding, in the recent Affordable Homes Programme prospectus, we have stated that local authorities will want to engage in strategic dialogue with their Local Enterprise Partnerships when identifying key areas for economic growth.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on devolution of Homes and Communities Agency assets to (a) combined authorities and (b) local enterprise partnerships.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
In disposing of its assets the Homes and Communities Agency is guided by value for money principles; disposals are expected to be at market value for land and other assets in order to protect public investment. The Homes and Communities Agency are open to considering proposals for joint working that will promote development, economic activity and growth.
These assets were bought by the national taxpayer and therefore the receipts are deployed nationally. Receipts are reinvested to help finance other Government housing and regeneration programmes, as well as fund a range of historic legal commitments and liabilities on land inherited by the Homes and Communities Agency from other bodies (including the liabilities left by the former Regional Development Agencies).
I would add that neither combined authorities or Local Enterprise Partnerships have responsibility for housing; we should avoid ‘function creep' which would dilute their focus and/or centralise and take power away from local councils (both as local housing authorities and as local planning authorities).