Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department expects to provide details on the design of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK. At Spending Review 2020, the Government committed to set out further details on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund later this year and to confirm its funding profile at the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, on what date his Department intends to publish the draft local government finance settlement for 2022-23.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Department intends to publish the next provisional Local Government Finance Settlement this year.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the estimated cost to the public purse was of changing the name of his Department.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Any necessary changes will be done in a cost-efficient way with expenditure being kept to a minimum.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department plans to take to assess the impact of (a) The Towns Fund, (b) the Levelling Up Fund and (c) the Community Renewal Fund against previously implemented area-based initiatives.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We are committed to robust monitoring and evaluation to understand the impact of our funding, ensure value for money and learn from what works to inform the design of future initiatives.
The Towns Fund evaluation will examine the impact of its interventions, including on: employment, land values, resident incomes, business turnover and profits, investment, well-being and perception of place.
This is summarised in the Towns Fund Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy, which the Department will publish in due course.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much and what proportion of the total funding has been allocated from the Towns Fund to date.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Through the Towns Fund all 101 Towns invited to submit proposals for a Town Deal have been provided with a Heads of Terms offer, worth a combined total of £2.4 billion; in addition, all 72 successful Future High Streets places have been allocated funding, worth a combined total of £830 million.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what data his Department holds on the amount spent by local authorities in England on maintaining coastal protection in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
Local authorities in England report expenditure in long-established annual returns to the Department. Capital expenditure on coastal protection can be found in table A1 of the local authority data tables which are linked from www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-capital-expenditure-receipts-and-financing. Revenue expenditure on coastal protection is in table RO5 of the local authority data tables which are linked from www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what data his Department holds on the number of tree preservation orders issued by local authorities in England in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
None.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Written Statement of 1 July 2021 on Revitalising high streets and town centres, whether it remains his policy to restrict the use of article 4 directions by local authorities.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Our new policy on Article 4 directions announced on 1 July requires that Article 4 directions are used appropriately and proportionately and are targeted so that they only apply to the smallest area possible. Any new Article 4 directions made by local authorities are required to be in accordance with this policy.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will define levelling up.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Levelling up is about empowering local leaders and communities; growing the private sector and boosting living standards, particularly where they are lower; spreading opportunity and improving public services, particularly where they are lacking; and restoring local pride. As the Prime Minister set out in his speech on the 15 July 2021, the forthcoming Levelling Up White Paper will set out further details.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what data his Department holds on the number of instances of illegal street trading recorded by local authorities in England.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
This data is not collected by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.