Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what parameters her Department uses to determine whether to activate the Flood Recovery Framework.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
My thoughts are with all householders and business owners impacted by flooding which is a devastating experience for those affected.
Government recovery support in the aftermath of flooding is only provided in exceptional circumstances. Activation of the Flood Recovery Framework is at the joint discretion of Ministers in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Growth, Department for Business and Trade and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who own and administrate the various schemes in the Framework. There are no fixed thresholds for activation. When making the decision each event is considered on its own merits looking at factors including how widespread the event is, the significance and scale of impacts, comparison to previous events / activations and the severity of the on-going situation. These factors combined help to determine if an event can be considered exceptional. For comparison, when the Framework was last activated following Storms Babet in October 2023 and Henk in January 2024, together over 8,500 homes and businesses were impacted across England.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason the Flood Recovery Framework was not activated following the flooding on 1 January 2025 in Stockport.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
My thoughts remain with all householders and business owners impacted by flooding at the end of December last year and early in January 2025; flooding is a devastating experience for all those affected.
Government recovery support in the aftermath of flooding is only provided in exceptional circumstances. The scale of impacts in early January were not significant enough for the Flood Recovery Framework to be activated in any area. For comparison, when the Framework was activated following Storms Babet in October 2023 and Henk in January 2024, together over 8,500 homes and businesses were impacted across England.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of abolishing residential leaseholds.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has allocated funding towards the future of Cheadle Train Station.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
My department approved the business case confirming £8.3 million of funding for Cheadle Train Station in 2022. This project forms part of the broader £13.9 million Cheadle Town Deal agreed in March 2021. I am pleased to confirm we will continue to honour existing Town Deal commitments. Officials will continue to work closely with Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council and the Department for Transport to progress the delivery of the Cheadle Train Station project.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the proposed train station in Cheadle will continue.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The proposed train station in Cheadle forms part of the £13.9 million Cheadle Town Deal agreed by the previous government. All Town Deal business cases have been approved and all funding is fully committed, with the expectation that funding recipients will have invested the entirety of their allocation by March 2026. The Chancellor has set out a path to confirming plans for this year and next at the forthcoming Budget on October 30th. We understand that this will have caused uncertainty about the status of some projects and the challenge that it presents locally; however, this Government must be sure to make responsible decisions on public spending. During this time my officials will continue to work with local authorities and across government to help resolve any delivery issues that may arise, including with the Stockport Council and the Department for Transport (DfT).