Oral Answers to Questions

Stephen Williams Excerpts

Monday 30th June 2014 Commons Chamber

[Alex Cunningham (Stockton North) (Lab)]

7. What assessment he has made of recent trends in the level of rent arrears in social housing.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Stephen Williams)]

According to the Homes and Communities Agency, at the end of 2013-14, the average level of rent arrears among larger housing associations was 3.6%, an improvement from 4.1% over the previous quarter.

[Julie Hilling]

Bolton at Home tells me that its arrears stand at £1.9 million, even though it has a 97% collection rate and has employed an additional 11 people to increase collection and support tenants in financial difficulty. The Minister’s policies are jeopardising his business model on social housing and the ability to build new houses and improve current stock. Can he honestly say that his policies are working?

[Stephen Williams]

According to the information I have, the number of people affected by the social size criteria has fallen across Bolton, from 3,215 households when the policy started in May 2013 to 2,775 now, so there seems to be some discrepancy in the figures.

[Alex Cunningham]

Across Stockton borough, arrears for Tristar Homes are up by 25%, to nearly £1.2 million, on the year prior to the introduction of the bedroom tax, and they would be up by 60% if both Tristar Homes and the local authority were not helping with some discretionary aid. Several hundred people, many of them disabled, are in arrears for the first time in their lives, causing unseen misery and even shame. Was it really the Secretary of State’s intention to grind such people into the ground?

[Stephen Williams]

It is not the intention of either the Secretary of State or me to grind anyone into the ground. The whole point of applying size criteria to the social sector is to match the criteria that already exist in the private rented sector, and they existed throughout the entire 13-years period that the hon. Gentleman’s party was in government. The policy is about fairness to taxpayers as well as to tenants. For those tenants who have difficulty moving, Stockton council, like all local authorities, has discretionary housing payments in order to help them through the process.

[Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con)]

Can the Minister confirm that of the £68 million of discretionary housing payments made available to councils last year, £11 million went unspent?

[Stephen Williams]

My hon. Friend is indeed correct.

[Kate Green (Stretford and Urmston) (Lab)]

8. What discussions he has had with local authorities on the future of local welfare assistance schemes after April 2015.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Virendra Sharma (Ealing, Southall) (Lab)]

9. What progress his Department has made in advancing the agenda set out in its publication “Creating the conditions for integration”, published in February 2012.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Stephen Williams)]

We are supporting more than 30 projects to break down barriers, encourage community cohesion and celebrate what we have in common. During this holy month of Ramadan, it is appropriate to single out the Big Iftar 2014, when British mosques and community groups host non-Muslims as they share iftar after sunset. This demonstration of community integration in action has expanded from 30 events last year to well over 100 this year.

[Mr Sharma]

The Minister has slashed the budget for cohesion and anti-extremism work in the DCLG and cut back on the programmes being funded. That has led to a deterioration in our ability to deal with extremism. Does he think that was wise?

[Stephen Williams]

I am not aware of any slashing of budgets for community integration groups. I visit projects up and down the country, including in Ealing, where a great many community projects are undertaken, including the teaching of the English language and the Near Neighbours programme—a major £8 million investment, announced by the Secretary of State, the Archbishop of Canterbury and me, that is operating in several boroughs in London.

[Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North) (Lab)]

Are not Government policies driving social division, particularly in education? Has the Minister had a word with the Secretary of State for Education to try to prevent him from causing further damage in that direction?

[Stephen Williams]

One such example of community cohesion is in Luton. This coming Sunday, I will be in Luton visiting a Remembering Srebrenica event and a Big Iftar event. That will celebrate the bringing together of people in Luton and I hope to see the hon. Gentleman there.

[Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean) (Con)]

11. What recent assessment he has made of the effect on local authorities of the freeze on council tax.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Stephen Williams)]

It is right that an investigation takes place into what happened in Birmingham. However, whatever the governing structures and whatever the ethos of the school, some of the things that were said there were fundamentally wrong. Surely everyone in the House would agree with that.

[Guy Opperman (Hexham) (Con)]

Not only has Labour-run Northumberland county council not frozen its council tax; it has cancelled its monthly full council meetings on the premise of saving money. We know that it is to avoid protest about the teenage transport tax and the lack of a local plan. Does the Secretary of State agree that democracy, debate and scrutiny are key pillars of a council that should not be scrapped?