Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with Brighton and Hove City Council on the finalisation of the City Plan for the area; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nick Boles
The Localism Act 2011 has strengthened the role of Local Plans and abolished the last Administration's top-down Regional Strategies. Our streamlined National Planning Policy Framework strongly encourages areas to get up-to-date Local Plans in place, and we have been actively supporting councils in doing so. Local Plans now set the framework in which decisions on particular applications are taken, whether locally or at appeal, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
The Brighton and Hove Local Plan is currently at examination before an independent Inspector and it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the content of the Plan. However, I understand that the Inspector has agreed a programme of additional work with Brighton and Hove Council.
Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance he has given on whether (a) student housing need should be contained within local authority housing targets and (b) proposed student accommodation should be counted towards Local Plan housing numbers.
Answered by Nick Boles
The National Planning Policy Framework asks local planning authorities to assess the full housing requirements in their area and plan for a mix of housing based on demographic trends and the needs of different groups in the area, including students.
The recently published planning guidance confirms that: ‘All student accommodation, whether it consists of communal halls of residence or self-contained dwellings, and whether or not it is on campus, can be included towards the housing requirement, based on the amount of accommodation it releases in the housing market. Notwithstanding, local authorities should take steps to avoid double-counting'.
The relevant planning guidance, paragraph 39, can be found at the following link:
Student accommodation is also eligible for the New Homes Bonus. Our approach reflects the fact that increases in dedicated student accommodation has a beneficial effect on wider housing supply, by taking pressure off private rented accommodation.
Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent progress he has made on the localism agenda; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Stephen Williams
This Government has been clear about its intention to devolve power, responsibility and decision-making down to the lowest possible level. This vision underpins significant elements of our policy agenda which are transferring power and freedom to both local councils and communities, some of which are noted below.
Nearly 1,000 assets of community value have been listed and we have helped 150 organisations to acquire a community asset or obtain significant investment towards doing so. 16 local campaigns for new parish councils are being supported covering local populations of more than half a million people. Over 100 new Our Place areas are starting work within their communities to transform neighbourhood level service delivery. Community share issues have raised over £24 million for community ventures.
Nearly 800 neighbourhood planning areas have been designated, and all 13 plans which have so far reached referenda have passed with significant majorities in favour.
Local authorities are now required to pass a proportion of Community Infrastructure Levy funding to local communities so that they can directly see the benefit of local development.
Over 2013-15 £14 million has been made available for community groups to develop their proposals for Community Right to Build orders or to progress community-led development. Groups can develop their ideas on the development that they want and need in their areas.Applications for this funding continue to rise with around 60 applications received.
In April 2014 four new combined authorities were established, on the request of the councils concerned. These will support the councils to collaborate and work jointly across the wider functional economic areas on economic development, regeneration and transport to support economic growth in the areas of South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Greater Merseyside and Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear.
The Government wants local authorities to be more transparent and accountable to local people for how they spend money, deliver services and take decisions. We will shortly be publishing a revised local authority transparency code extending the breadth of data that local authorities must publish and will make regulations to make publication of certain data a legal requirement. Also, Regulations which will allow members of the public including professional journalists to film, photograph, audio-record and use social media to report the proceedings of meetings of local government bodies, and to access documents relating to decisions made by officers under delegation from their local government bodies, are now before Parliament.
Under the business rates retention scheme local authorities now directly retain nearly £11 billion of business rates, instead of returning it to Whitehall.
The Government has also reformed the outdated council housing finance system with the introduction of self-financing in 2012. This has given the 167 council landlords greater freedoms and the ability to plan for the long term to better meet the needs of their tenants and local area.
HomeSwap Direct - the national home swap scheme which increases opportunities for social tenants wishing to move through mutual exchange – was launched in October 2011 and since then tenants have made over 18 million searches of ‘partner' data.
Social landlords are now free to match the length of tenancy to the needs of the household and to use their social housing stock in a way which best meets the needs of their local area. Councils have the freedom to decide who qualifies for social housing in their area and to find alternative solutions for those who do not qualify.
Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help shops in (a) Brighton, Kemptown constituency and (b) East Sussex with their business rate bills; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
At the Autumn Statement we announced a £1 billion package of business rates support to help shops and local firms. This included a £1,000 discount for two years for shops, pubs and restaurants with a rateable value of below £50,000. We do not hold figures for numbers benefitting from that measure in the Kemptown constituency. However, based on local authority reports of the amount of relief awarded in the Brighton and East Sussex areas, we estimate that 2,270 properties will benefit in Brighton and Hove, 890 in Wealdon, 810 in Lewes, 750 in Rother, and 720 in Eastbourne. We do not yet have an estimate for Hastings.
The support package also included a 50 per cent discount for businesses taking on long-term empty shops, the doubling of small business rate relief for another year, a 2% cap on RPI increases for 2014/2015, and allowing businesses to spread their rate payments over 12 months.
Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many social housing units were built in Brighton, Kemptown constituency in the most recent five-year period for which figures are available.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
Statistics on house building completions by tenure in each local authority district are published in the Department's live tables 253 (annual) and 253a (quarterly), which are available at the following link:
http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building
Taken together, the Private Registered Provider (housing association) and local authority tenures provide estimates of total social housing completions, but these figures understate total affordable supply. This is because the house building figures are categorised by the type of developer rather than the intended final tenure, leading to under recording of affordable housing, and a corresponding over recording of private enterprise figures.
More comprehensive statistics on affordable housing completions funded by the Homes and Communities Agency since 2009-10 by local authority district are available at the following link:
http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/housing-statistics
These statistics include both newly built housing and acquisitions but exclude delivery of affordable housing not funded by Homes and Communities Agency programmes that are reported in local authority returns to the Department. A fuller picture of all affordable housing completions is published in the Department's live tables 1006, 1006a, 1007 and 1008, which are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
There is no data source that provides information on affordable homes delivery by parliamentary constituency.
Over 170,000 new affordable homes have been delivered in England since April 2010 (to the end of September 2013). Our Affordable Homes Programme will lever in £19.5 billion of public and private investment over the current spending review period. Over 2015-18, we will be investing a further £23 billion in public and private funding for affordable housing.
Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the protections currently available under planning law for parcels of land which are subject to planning applications and which are close to National Parks.
Answered by Nick Boles
The Government made clear in the National Planning Policy Framework that National Parks have the highest status of protection in relation to landscape and scenic beauty and that great weight should be placed on their conservation. In developing the planning guidance, which was published in March 2014 to support the Framework, the Government took account of feedback raised during the ‘Beta' test phase. . The guidance, which is a material consideration in planning decisions, explains that section 11A(2) of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 requires authorities to ‘have regard' to the purpose of National Parks ‘in exercising or performing any functions in relation to, or so as to affect, land' in National Parks. The guidance is clear that the duty is relevant in considering development proposals that are situated outside National Parks, but which might have an impact on the setting of, and implementation of, the statutory purposes of these protected areas.
Through the Localism Act, the Government has strengthened the role of Local Plans to shape where development should or should not go. This would allow councils to protect the countryside close to National Parks.
Asked by: Simon Kirby (Conservative - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether Mary Portas is still engaged as an adviser to the Government on high streets in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Mary Portas has helped raised the profile of British High Streets and sits on the Future High Street Forum as one of the founding members. All members play an important role and are working with Government to bring the issue of High Streets to national attention.
This Government is committed to standing up for local shops and high streets. We have done this by cutting business rates for local shops, making sensible changes to planning rules and taking action to tackle unfair parking practices.