Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the cost to the public purse was of the promotional film for the Northern Powerhouse project, Gunning for growth.
Answered by Mark Francois
The Northern Powerhouse is GREAT investment film, paid for by GREAT, was created to promote investment into all parts of the Northern Powerhouse. It has already been shown in Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Australasia. It was produced by Leeds agency Motiv Productions at a one off cost of just over £20,000.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many businesses in Redcar and Cleveland have taken part in the retail relief scheme in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16 to date.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
Information on business rates and reliefs collected by each local authority are published in the ‘National non-domestic rates collected by councils in England’ statistical series, which are available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-non-domestic-rates-collected-by-councils
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how he plans to respond to the recent request from the Leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council for a transitional sum of £1 million in lieu of raising the adult social care precept.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
The Spending Review recognised that demographic changes are leading to increased demand for adult social care. To support those most in need, we provided a social care package of up to £3.5 billion by 2019-20. This package includes giving all councils with responsibility for adult social care the option of an extra 2% council tax precept, as long as the precept is spent on adult social care. It is for Redcar and Cleveland to decide if they wish to take up this flexibility.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to make the level of discount received for tenants who exercise the Right to Acquire the same as for those who exercise the Right to Buy.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Government has a manifesto commitment to extend the Right to Buy to housing association tenants.
The voluntary agreement we have made with the National Housing Federation will give 1.3 million housing association tenants the opportunity to buy their home with an equivalent discount to the Right to Buy, delivering the manifesto commitment.
This will include those tenants who currently have a Right to Acquire.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on creating a Tees Valley combined authority; and whether an elected mayor is a pre-condition for any such authority.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
The five councils in the Tees Valley have proposed a combined authority and we are now carefully considering the proposals. An elected mayor is not a pre-condition for a combined authority. My rt. hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has been clear that the transfer of major power to a city will only happen to those cities who have a metro mayor.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to amend sections 44 and 45 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act to permit fire authorities to contract out the full provision of fire and rescue services.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
We are supportive of fire and rescue authorities looking at new and innovative ways of delivering their services to best meet the needs of their communities.
We have no current plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend sections 44 and 45 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act and I refer the hon. Member to the previous Parliamentary Under Secretary of State responsible for fire services (Brandon Lewis) speech in an Adjournment Debate on 13 May 2013 (Official Report, column 470 onwards) where he set out the Government's position on mutuals very clearly.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with Cleveland Fire Brigade about the introduction of public service mutuals.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
I and my officials meet representatives from fire and rescue authorities from time to time on a range of matters. Since becoming Fire Minister in July, neither my officials nor I have had a meeting with Cleveland Fire Brigade to discuss the introduction of public service mutuals.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to amend sections 44 and 45 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act to permit fire authorities to contract out the full provision of fire and rescue services.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
We are supportive of fire and rescue authorities looking at new and innovative ways of delivering their services to best meet the needs of their communities.
We have no current plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend sections 44 and 45 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act and I refer the hon. Member to the previous Parliamentary Under Secretary of State responsible for fire services (Brandon Lewis) speech in an Adjournment Debate on 13 May 2013 (Official Report, column 470 onwards) where he set out the Government's position on mutuals very clearly.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions his Department has had with local authorities in the Tees Valley on the creation of a combined authority.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
On 16 June 2014 the Government signed a City Deal with the Tees Valley in which the local leaders committed to develop plans to strengthen governance, including progressing the idea of a combined authority for the area.
It is for the local areas themselves to decide, given their circumstances, what governance arrangements will best enable effective and collaborative decision taking, which is transparent and locally accountable, thus delivering successfully the implementation of the area's Strategic Economic Plan. Where councils come forward with a proposal for a combined authority that commands wide local support, if the Secretary of State considers that the statutory conditions are met, he will invite Parliament to approve an Order which enables the combined authority to be established.