Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance he provides to local authorities on the provision of suitable accommodation when private landlords fail to tackle damp and mould in residential properties.
Answered by Jacob Young
The Secretary of State wrote to all providers of social housing setting out his expectations that they tackle dangerous damp and mould in their properties. We have now introduced ‘Awaab’s Law’, which will set new requirements for social landlords to address hazards such as damp and mould.
We have given local authorities strong enforcement powers that they must use if they identify dangerous damp and mould in privately rented homes and, through the Renters (Reform) Bill, are legislating to apply the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector for the first time. Guidance for local authorities on how to ensure accommodation for homeless applicants is suitable can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homelessness-code-of-guidance-for-local-authorities/chapter-17-suitability-of-accommodation.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help ensure people who have to leave a property due to mould and damp are rehoused.
Answered by Jacob Young
The Secretary of State wrote to all providers of social housing setting out his expectations that they tackle dangerous damp and mould in their properties. We have now introduced ‘Awaab’s Law’, which will set new requirements for social landlords to address hazards such as damp and mould.
We have given local authorities strong enforcement powers that they must use if they identify dangerous damp and mould in privately rented homes and, through the Renters (Reform) Bill, are legislating to apply the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector for the first time. Guidance for local authorities on how to ensure accommodation for homeless applicants is suitable can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homelessness-code-of-guidance-for-local-authorities/chapter-17-suitability-of-accommodation.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the cost of maintaining (a) city walls and (b) city walls that people can walk around on the availability of local authority funding for other services.
Answered by Simon Hoare
The cultural significance of York City Walls is recognised nationally through the designation of many sections as Listed Buildings or Scheduled Monuments, yet their maintenance remains the responsibility of their owners.
The final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 makes available up to £64.7 billion, an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £4.5 billion or 7.5% in cash terms on 2023-24. This is an above-inflation increase.
For York this represents an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £11.32 million or 7% – making available a total of up to £172.5 million in 2024-25.
The majority of the funding provided through the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced and local authorities are able to spend the money as most appropriate for their local area, according to local priorities.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to increase potential opportunities for planting in National Planning Policy Framework street design.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that trees have an important role to play in the design of new development, not only to improve the character and quality of our urban environment but also to help address the challenges of climate change. The Framework therefore encourages that tree planting is incorporated in new developments, including as part of street design, and that their long-term maintenance is secured.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking with local authorities to help communities to tackle antisocial behaviour.
Answered by Jacob Young
In March 2023, the Government launched the Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Action Plan to crack down on ASB, restoring people’s confidence that these crimes will be quickly and visibly punished. The Action Plan applies to all local authorities across England and Wales, including York.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of skills levels in the house building (a) sector and (b) supply chain on long term house building targets.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 16166 on 5 March 2024.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help new businesses access high street premises; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming business rates to help facilitate this access.
Answered by Jacob Young
Government has introduced High Street Rental Auctions through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. When the powers come into force, they will allow local authorities to require landlords to let their empty high street properties making town centre tenancies more accessible to businesses and community groups.
At Autumn Statement 2023, the Government announced it would extend the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief scheme at 75 per cent, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business for 2024-25. Around 230,000 retail, hospitality and leisure properties, including many on the high street will be eligible for this relief, a tax cut worth nearly £2.4 billion. In addition, the small business multiplier was frozen for the fourth consecutive year for 2024/25, protecting over a million ratepayers from a multiplier increase.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing local authorities with guidance as to how to place people with complex challenges in communities.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
The Government already provides local authorities with guidance relating to many such issues.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will publish a housebuilding workforce plan to help tackle skills shortages in the housebuilding sector.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Primary responsibility for the skills and workforce pipeline of any sector must sit with that sector – something that is particularly the case in a profitable sector such as housebuilding.
The Government has an extensive programme of work in augmenting skills development across multiple industries, including through the role of vocational qualifications such as T-Levels.
In May 2023, the Department for Education commissioned an independent review of the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board and the Construction Industry Training Board. The review is in its concluding stages and ministers will consider the Government response to the report and publication in due course.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how he is assessing the scale of funding needed for the Housing Support Grant for next year.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
As part of the Government’s Drug Strategy, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and my department are providing up to £53 million through the Housing Support Grant for housing support interventions to prevent homelessness among individuals in drug and alcohol treatment. Funding allocations to the 28 local councils in England for 2022-2025 can be found here.