Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the report entitled A Decade of Anti-Muslim Hate published by TellMAMA on 20 July 2023, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the finding that the number of cases of anti-Muslim hate crime doubled between 2012 and 2022.
Answered by Lee Rowley
All forms of racial and religious discrimination have no place in our communities. No one should ever be a victim of hatred because of their religion or belief and the Government continues to work with police and community partners to monitor and combat it.
Tell MAMA are a key partner in this work and the findings of the 10-year report will continue to help inform Government policy and support victims of anti-Muslim hatred. We have supported them since 2012 with nearly £5 million of funding.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
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 implications for his policies of the publication of Our East End by Tower Hamlets Council on the activities of the Executive Mayor and councillors in the context of the former Secretary of State’s Directions in 2014 on Commissioners monitoring any concerns over the demarcation between publicity for the Authority’s benefit and for party political benefit.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Local authorities must have regard to the Publicity Code when producing publicity, defined as 'any communication in whatever form, addressed to the public at large or a section of the public'.
The Local Government Act 1986 gives the Secretary of State the power to issue Directions to secure compliance with one or more specified provisions of the Code, or all the provisions of the Code.
Any decisions relating to this power are made on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
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 take steps to require Tower Hamlets Council to publish the report on Mazars investigation into allegations of misconduct in the authority's Youth Service in the period up to 2016.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government is committed to ensuring the good record of transparency, probity, scrutiny, and accountability is maintained across councils in this country.
The Government expects a well-functioning local authority to act transparently in carrying out its functions. Local authorities must comply with the statutory Best Value Duty to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement, having regard to efficiency, economy and effectiveness. Local authorities are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000, meaning members of the public are entitled to request information from them.
On 4 July, the Government published draft statutory guidance on Best Value Standards and Intervention for consultation. The guidance provides greater clarity to the local government sector on how to fulfil the Best Value Duty by describing what constitutes best value, the standards expected by the department and the models of intervention at the Secretary of State's disposal in the event of failure to uphold these standards.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
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 implications for his policies of the recent decision by the Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets Council to enable decision-making on grants to voluntary sector organisations to be undertaken in private.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government is committed to ensuring the good record of transparency, probity, scrutiny, and accountability is maintained across councils in this country.
The Government expects a well-functioning local authority to act transparently in carrying out its functions. Local authorities must comply with the statutory Best Value Duty to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement, having regard to efficiency, economy and effectiveness. Local authorities are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000, meaning members of the public are entitled to request information from them.
On 4 July, the Government published draft statutory guidance on Best Value Standards and Intervention for consultation. The guidance provides greater clarity to the local government sector on how to fulfil the Best Value Duty by describing what constitutes best value, the standards expected by the department and the models of intervention at the Secretary of State's disposal in the event of failure to uphold these standards.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure good governance in London Borough of Tower Hamlets since May 2022; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The Government is committed to ensuring the good record of transparency, probity, scrutiny, and accountability is maintained across councils in this country.
The Government expects a well-functioning local authority to act transparently in carrying out its functions. Local authorities must comply with the statutory Best Value Duty to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement, having regard to efficiency, economy and effectiveness. Local authorities are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000, meaning members of the public are entitled to request information from them.
On 4 July, the Government published draft statutory guidance on Best Value Standards and Intervention for consultation. The guidance provides greater clarity to the local government sector on how to fulfil the Best Value Duty by describing what constitutes best value, the standards expected by the department and the models of intervention at the Secretary of State's disposal in the event of failure to uphold these standards.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding his Department has provided for coastal community revival projects since December 2019.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The Coastal Communities Fund, which ran until 2022, supported a large number of projects with a total investment of £187 million.
Seven out of the eight English Freeports are in coastal areas, in addition to all four Freeports in Scotland and Wales. 22 coastal areas are benefiting from over £673 million of investment via the Towns Fund. Such communities also continue to benefit from the Levelling Up Fund, where we have just announced our support for over 100 more projects, including in the coastal communities of Blackpool, Cleethorpes and Great Yarmouth. Coastal communities also benefit from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has taken steps to support inter-faith community cohesion in Leicester in the period since September 2022.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The department continues to take steps to support inter-faith community cohesion. For example, this government is supporting Dame Sara Khan's independent review of Social Cohesion and Resilience which is due to report in the Autumn, and I am considering additional options to take forward.
I refer the Hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 182308 on 27 April 2023.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
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 impact of the Inter Faith Network on community cohesion in the UK.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The department continues to take steps to support inter-faith community cohesion. For example, this government is supporting Dame Sara Khan's independent review of Social Cohesion and Resilience which is due to report in the Autumn, and I am considering additional options to take forward.
I refer the Hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 182308 on 27 April 2023.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2023 to Question 169443 on Mayors: Powers, what were the conclusions of that public sector equalities duty analysis; and if he will place a copy of that analysis in the House of Commons Library.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
I refer the Hon. Member to the published letter to ministers relating to PSED assessments. Further announcements and publications will be set out in the usual way.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has held with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on long-term funding for social care.
Answered by Lee Rowley
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.