Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
What recent steps his Department has taken to tackle regional inequality.
Answered by Luke Hall
Government is tackling regional inequality through our commitment to level up all corners of the United Kingdom. Our actions include establishing the Levelling up Fund; the UK Community Renewal Fund; the Community Ownership Fund; creating Freeports whilst empowering our regions by devolving money, resources and control away from Westminster.
Alongside this, the Government has also committed over £35 billion to help councils support their communities and local businesses during the pandemic.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
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 extent of landlords and private letting agents refusing prospective tenants who are in receipt of support from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Department does not hold this information but there is no reason landlords or letting agents should be refusing tenants outright on the basis of being furloughed.
The Government has put in place an unprecedented financial package, which supports renters and helps them to afford their housing costs. This includes support for businesses to pay staff salaries through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has now been extended until the end of September 2021.
A letting agent is free to carry out any referencing checks within the law as they deem appropriate before accepting a new tenant. This may include income requirements or the need for a guarantor, depending on the decision of the individual landlord.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2020 to Question 105417 on Night Shelters: Coronavirus, what written advice he received from Public Health England during the production of the operating principles for night shelters or as part of the Night Shelter working group; and if he will publish that advice.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
I refer the Hon. Member to my previous answer to question 105417 on 5 November 2020.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2020 to Question 105417 on Night Shelters: Coronavirus, if will publish the membership of the Night Shelter Working Group; and how many times that group has met in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
We worked closely with Public Health England (PHE) to provide Operating Principles for the sector, to help them open shelters as safely as possible where necessary, when self-contained accommodation cannot be made available and when local partners agree that it’s the right thing to do.
The Night Shelter Working Group membership included representation from PHE, the Department of Health and Social Care, Housing Justice, and Homeless Link. This group has been meeting regularly during the pandemic.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2020 to Question 105417 on Night Shelters: Coronavirus, what estimate he has made of the cost per night shelter of transforming their traditional models to be covid-19-secure.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
We worked closely with Public Health England (PHE) to provide Operating Principles for the sector, to help them open shelters as safely as possible where necessary, when self-contained accommodation cannot be made available and when local partners agree that it’s the right thing to do.
Faith and community groups provide a range of services through winter months and the costs associated with making changes to operate in a Covid-19 secure way may vary. We have announced funding that will give local areas the tools they need to support vulnerable rough sleepers this winter. Our £10 million Cold Weather Fund is available to all local authorities to help them to bring forward self-contained accommodation and to support rough sleepers off the streets. Meanwhile, our £2 million Transformation Fund will help move the faith and community sector a more innovative and Covid-secure options for those who use shelters.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2020 to Question 114247 from the hon Member for Bristol West on Sleeping Rough: Coronavirus, whether his Department has decided on the allocation of (a) £15 million funding through the Protect Programme and (b) £10 million funding through the Cold Weather Fund.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
I refer the Hon. Member to my previous answer to PQ 114247 on 16 November.