Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make a statement on the steps taken by his Department following notification by Clarion Housing Group of its decision to urgently decant 122 tenants and leaseholders from Clare House from 29 September 2021.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Department has been in regular contact with Clarion Housing Group and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets regarding the situation at Clare House. Clarion Housing Group has responsibility for the safety of residents at Clare House and for providing residents with appropriate alternative accommodation in the event of an evacuation of the building. Clarion Housing Group has confirmed that they have made residents a comprehensive offer of support which will include permanent alternative accommodation. The Department and the Local Authority expects Clarion Housing Group to move quickly to provide alternative permanent accommodation and provide support to evacuated residents for as long as it is required.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will request a report from Clarion Housing Group on (a) the reasons for its decision to institute a waking watch at a 21 story tower block from September 2020 and (b) the timeline for its decision to urgently decant Clare House from 29 September 2021, including the date on which the original report was received by the Clarion Housing Group senior management team and Board of Directors.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Department has been in regular contact with Clarion Housing Group and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets regarding the situation at Clare House. Clarion Housing Group are the owners of Clare House and have responsibility for the safety of residents in the building. Clarion has provided the Department and the local authority with information provided by their technical experts on structural and fire safety at Clare House.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has received an application from Clarion Housing Group to the Building Safety Fund for fire safety measures at Clare House.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Department has not received an application to the Building Safety Fund in respect of Clare House.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, in the context of Clarion Housing Group’s decision to decant Clare House, if he will urgently commission independent research into the progress of steps taken by social landlords to (a) undertake works to make safe Large Panel System Bison-design tower blocks and (b) move tenants and leaseholders out of those blocks since 2017.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government is actively raising awareness and facilitating the dissemination of best practice for large panel system buildings with those responsible for their maintenance. In addition, the government has established a new Building Safety Regulator, empowered under the Building Safety Bill. This regulator will have additional powers as well as duties to help ensure that all blocks of flats – including large panel system building – above 18m in height are safe.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
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 announcement by his Department on 4 March 2021 of funding for accessible toilets under the Changing Places scheme, when his Department plans to provide further information on the application process for that funding.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
District and Unitary Authorities in England will receive full details of how they can access this funding soon. Local authorities will be invited to 'opt in' to receive a proportion of this £30 million funding to install facilities in their communities and boost the number of Changing Place toilets in existing buildings.
This programme will be delivered in partnership with the charity Muscular Dystrophy UK who will be supporting local authorities in their delivery and are undertaking the largest consultation to date with users of Changing Places toilets in England to help develop our understanding of user needs and priorities.
In the meantime, local authorities are encouraged to consider where Changing Places toilets are most needed in their communities and are encouraged to begin identifying and working in partnership with other organisations who may help to deliver these facilities.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that funding allocations for local authority children’s services account for (a) geographical differences in deprivation and (b) levels of need.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The 2021-22 Local Government Finance Settlement provided £1.7 billion in Social Care Grant, which will support local authorities to provide care to vulnerable children, children in care, looked after children, and children with disabilities. Councils are also free to use any un-ringfenced funding, including their annual core settlement allocation, to support local priorities, such as Children's Social Care
This Government is committed to putting funding where there is relative need. Both Social Care Grant and the core settlement are distributed through relative needs formulas, and these formulas take into account local levels of need and deprivation
We are also in the process of updating both the Adult and Children's needs formulas, and will work with councils on how best to use these new formulas in the future.