Richard Graham
Main Page: Richard Graham (Conservative - Gloucester)
Mark Pawsey (Rugby) (Con)
3. What assessment he has made of the potential benefits to Rugby of the new homes bonus.
Richard Graham (Gloucester) (Con)
10. What assessment he has made of the potential benefits to Gloucester of the new homes bonus.
Heidi Alexander (Lewisham East) (Lab)
13. What assessment he has made of the potential effect on regions in England of the new homes bonus.
Grant Shapps
In many ways, authorities such as Rugby have led the way by being so keen to produce housing. The difference is that now every single one of our constituents gets to benefit from new homes being built. There is £200 million on the table that is being distributed today. I note that the Opposition seem to be against their own authorities receiving the money.
Richard Graham
Like my hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley (Jason McCartney), may I ask my right hon. Friend whether more could be done, perhaps on the paperwork, in order to attract developers into constituencies such as mine, which are entirely urban and therefore have only brownfield sites to offer?
Grant Shapps
One of the changes that we have made is to enable local authorities to set their own targets for brownfield sites. I have been to my hon. Friend’s constituency and I know that there are many good sites available. Rather than housing being built on sites where the regional spatial strategy seemed to insist that it went, housing can now go where it is required. Much of that will be on the brownfield land that I went to see. That is one of the features of the Government’s policy, and of the new homes bonus in particular.