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Written Question
Council Tax: Second Homes
Monday 3rd July 2023

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to double council tax on second homes.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

Provisions to allow local authorities to charge a council tax premium of up to 100% on second homes are contained within the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.


Written Question
Refugees: Afghanistan
Monday 22nd May 2023

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help improve access to the private rental sector for Afghans in hotels under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme.

Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

The Home Office is the department responsible for the ACRS and ARAP schemes, including for providing tariff funding for local authorities. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is supporting cross-Government work to help Afghans into private rental sector accommodation where possible, and Government is providing £35 million of additional funding to local authorities for this purpose.


Written Question
Levelling Up Fund: Urban Areas
Tuesday 14th March 2023

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what proportion of projects that received money from the Levelling Up Fund: Round 2 aim to improve local high streets.

Answered by Dehenna Davison

As set out in the published thematic and geographic analysis, Over £760 million of funding was awarded to projects under the regeneration and town centres theme, with a further £120 million awarded to projects where funding is split evenly between regeneration and town centre interventions and other themes.


Written Question
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks: Capital Investment
Thursday 1st December 2022

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether any of the Investment Zone expressions of interest received include areas at least partially within the boundaries or setting of (a) National Parks and (b) Areas of outstanding natural beauty.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to Question UIN 90859 on 28 November 2022.


Written Question
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks: Capital Investment
Thursday 3rd November 2022

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department received expressions of interest for investment zones within the boundaries or setting of (a) national parks and (b) areas of outstanding natural beauty.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

We are assessing the proposals received through the recent Expression Of Interest process and policy will be announced in the usual way.


Written Question
Refugees: Afghanistan
Wednesday 19th October 2022

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

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 is taking to help Afghan refugees living in hotels following Operation Pitting to access the private rental sector.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Find Your Own Accommodation pathway was launched in June 2022 following engagement with Afghans and local authorities, who both were generally in favour of this added housing option. This pathway enables Afghans to find their own accommodation, whilst still receiving financial and non-financial integration support from the Government. For example, a local authority may use some of the £20,520 per person spread over three years from the Government to provide the deposit, first month’s rent, and furniture to help Afghans into the private rental sector. The Government is not prescriptive with the precise support provided, so this may vary from council to council.

This new process is in addition to Home Office's matching system, where Home Office engage with local authorities to source accommodation in the social and private rental sectors, and then match properties to individual households.


Written Question
Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Insurance
Friday 10th June 2022

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had discussions with the Association of British Insurers on reducing insurance premiums for households hosting non-Ukrainian asylum seekers.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

Asylum seekers are housed by the Home Office during the processing of their asylum claim.

In response to the Ukraine crisis, The Association of British Insurers has adopted a position to reflect support regardless of nationality: Association of British Insurers - Humanitarian response. As a result, policy holders will not experience any increase in the cost of their insurance premium when hosting a guest in their home for the first 12 months.


Written Question
Asylum: Housing
Tuesday 24th May 2022

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had discussions with the Association of British Insurers on reducing insurance premiums for households hosting asylum seekers.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

Insurers have agreed that homeowners accommodating Ukrainian Nationals in their home under the Homes for Ukraine scheme do not need to contact their insurer on the basis that they are accommodated as non-paying guests. Please refer to the Association of British Insurers' statement for more details.


Written Question
Local Government Finance
Monday 16th May 2022

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of inflation and the rise in the National Living Wage on local authority budgets.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade

The Spending Review settlement for local government takes account of a wide range of unit cost pressures, including increases in the National Living Wage and public sector pay. The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2022/23 makes available an additional £3.7 billion to councils in England, including funding for adult social care reform.

The Department will continue to work closely with the local government sector and other government departments to understand the impact of emerging challenges such as energy price rises and the impacts of the war in Ukraine on local authorities. Local government pay is negotiated between the National Joint Councils employer and union representatives. Pay is ultimately a decision for local councils.


Written Question
Council Tax: Homes for Ukraine Scheme
Thursday 24th March 2022

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether people who sponsor a refugee through the Homes for Ukraine scheme will still be eligible to claim 25 per cent single persons council tax discount.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

The Government is clear that the entitlement to the council tax single person discount should not be impacted by an individual's participation in the Homes for Ukraine scheme.