Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of parking costs on footfall in town centres.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
My department is aware of the important link between parking provision and the vitality of our high streets and town centres, especially where transport infrastructure does not allow citizens to use public transport. We know that parking costs may have an impact on whether citizens decide to drive to town centres, but these also need to be balanced against other factors like the availability of adequate accessible parking and attractive alternatives to driving.
My department is currently developing a new, consolidated Code of Practice for the private parking industry which will raise standards and stop unfair practices in the private parking sector. This includes considering the right level of charges for motorists who have fallen foul of parking restrictions.
Furthermore, in the Build Back Better High Streets Strategy, we also committed to consider how we can further improve local authority parking to make high streets more accessible to shoppers, including working with councils to ensure that parking space supply and parking tariffs support high streets strategies, and are joined up with local transport plans.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the levels of funding required to achieve the Government's objectives under its levelling up agenda in the east of England.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
Government is providing substantial investment to achieve our levelling up ambitions in the East of England. This includes £287 million through the town deals programme, supporting twelve towns, including Ipswich, to drive growth and regeneration and an initial £87 million of investment through Round 1 of the Levelling Up Fund, funding five projects across the region. Both Norfolk and Suffolk have been invited to agree early county deals to provide them with more powers and freedom to achieve their levelling up ambitions and further investment will be provided across the East of England through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of identifying Ipswich as a priority levelling up area.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
The Government recognises that towns such as Ipswich are crucial to the success of the levelling up agenda. That is why we are investing £25 million in Ipswich though the Towns Fund programme, which will support eleven vital projects across the town.
This funding, coupled with £1,381,860 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), will make a tangible difference to the lives of people living in Ipswich, helping the town to reach its full potential and unlock local opportunities for all.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on levels of community engagement.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
A national programme of events and celebration is planned around the momentous occasion of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. While London provides the backdrop to celebrations including the Trooping of the Colour, the Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Platinum Party at the Palace, and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, community activity is planned right across the United Kingdom. Events include street parties, the lighting of beacons and pageants, with communities coming together to enjoy a weekend of celebrations.
My department are working closely with colleagues in DCMS to map community engagement and activity across the United Kingdom. To date there are over 200,000 local celebration events planned, including 70,000 big Jubilee lunches organised by local communities, with 4,000 events promoted on the Platinum Jubilee event map https://platinumjubilee.gov.uk/events/. We continue to communicate with local councils to encourage their continued involvement and support of the upcoming celebrations.