Asked by: Simon Burns (Conservative - Chelmsford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many families were based in temporary accommodation in (a) Chelmsford constituency and (b) Essex in each quarter of the last five years.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
[Holding Reply: Monday 27 January 2014]
The Department does not collect constituency level data. A table has been placed in the Library of the House with data for Chelmsford City Council and Essex. To assist my rt. hon. Friend, I have provided quarterly data back for the last ten years; the table illustrates how there are fewer households in temporary accommodation than the average under the last Administration.
This Government has retained a strong homelessness safety net protected in law, supported by £470 million in the current Spending Review period to prevent and tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and repossessions. We are seeing this investment making an impact with households now spending on average 7 months less in temporary accommodation than at the start of 2010.
We have also made some changes to the rules under the Localism Act to enable local authorities to end the main homelessness duty by arranging an offer of suitable accommodation in the private rented sector. This means households are likely to spend less time in temporary accommodation waiting for social housing to become available.
Asked by: Simon Burns (Conservative - Chelmsford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of how many small businesses in Chelmsford constituency will benefit from the extension of the small business rate relief scheme.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
[Holding Reply: Thursday 13 February 2014]
No estimate has been made of the number of small businesses in Chelmsford constituency that will benefit from the extension of the doubling of small business rate relief.
The Government estimates around 540,000 businesses in England will benefit from the extension of the doubling of small business rate relief announced at Autumn Statement 2013.
It is planned that next month some new local figures for small business rate relief by billing authority will be published.