Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to use planning policy to support the provision of co-working spaces outside London.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
A key economic objective of the planning system is to ensure that sufficient land of the right types is available in the right places to support growth and innovation. The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published in July last year, makes it clear that planning policies should allow for new and flexible working practices and be flexible enough to accommodate needs not anticipated in the plan.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether (a) independent schools and (b) free schools are eligible for business rate relief, and whether his Department has plans to review that status.
Answered by Rishi Sunak
Schools may benefit from charitable rate relief from business rates if the billing authority considers that they satisfy the requirements and are used wholly or mainly for charitable purposes. The Government has no plans to review eligibility.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2019 to Question 207561 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Brexit, for what reason his Department does not hold data on funding allocated to preparing for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Jake Berry
Officials working on EU Exit are preparing for all scenarios, whether as part of their regular duties or within EU Exit teams. We are therefore unable to disaggregate the cost of preparing for a no deal scenario from other EU exit and business as usual work.
On 28 January, I announced via Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1279) an additional £56.5 million to help councils carry out their preparations. This funding is to support preparation for all scenarios.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much money his Department has allocated for preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal to date; how much of that funding has been made by way of ministerial direction; and for what functions that funding has been allocated.
Answered by Jake Berry
My Department is preparing for all EU Exit scenarios. We do not hold any data specifically in relation to the cost of preparation for a no deal scenario.
There has been no ministerial direction in relation to EU Exit funding for the Department.
HM Treasury announced the funding allocations for EU Exit Preparations in 2019/20 on 18 December. MHCLG received £35 million. Work is ongoing to decide where this money can best be allocated and an announcement will be made shortly.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of potential merits of bringing forward legislative changes to the Equality Act in order to ensure that claimants of housing benefit and universal credit are able to access accommodation in the private rented sector similar to such provisions in the Republic of Ireland.
Answered by Nigel Adams
We do not have any plans at present to bring forward legislative changes to the Equality Act. The Government appreciates the problems that housing benefit claimants can sometimes face in finding accommodation in the private rented sector. We strongly encourage landlords and agents to look at all potential and existing tenants claiming housing benefit on an individual basis and published a new How to Let guide on 26 June to help landlords better understand their rights and responsibilities. At present, the English Housing Survey Headline Report 2016-17 (published February 2018) shows that 22 per cent of households privately renting are in receipt of housing benefit. This suggests that it is possible for claimants to access the sector.
A number of other MHCLG policies work to combat discrimination and unfair practices. These include the introduction, in April 2018, of banning orders and a rogue landlord database designed to remove the worst landlords from the sector. On 2 July we launched a consultation seeking views on how to overcome the barriers to longer tenancies to ensure that all tenants have the security that they want and need. Further, since October 2014, all letting and managing agents in England have been required to belong to a Government approved redress scheme, giving tenants access to free dispute resolution where problems, including those related to discrimination, occur in relation to their agent.
In addition, we are committed to regulating letting agents and requiring them to meet minimum training standards and comply with a code of practice, which will include treating all tenants equally. We will also require all landlords to be members of a redress scheme to ensure that all tenants, not just those who use agents, have access to quick and easy dispute resolution when things go wrong. Our eight week consultation on strengthening redress in housing closed on 16 April. We are analysing responses with a view to publishing a Government response in the Autumn.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the number of council tax reduction recipients who are subject to recovery action in relation to their council tax liability.
Answered by Marcus Jones
Recovery action in relation to council tax liability, including for those individuals benefiting from council tax reduction schemes, is a matter for individual local authorities. The Government does not collect such data.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the minimum amount of council tax paid once the local council tax reduction scheme is taken into account in each local authority area.
Answered by Marcus Jones
The Department does not collect data on the minimum amount of council tax paid after the local council tax reduction scheme is taken into account. Each local authority sets the criteria for its scheme taking into account local circumstances and the needs of residents.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect on jobseeker's allowance claimants of local authority council tax reduction schemes which do not exempt such claimants.
Answered by Marcus Jones
Local council tax support schemes are administered by local authorities. Councils are required to consult their local residents when designing their schemes and to take their views into account.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the Government's policy is on the invitation from the Local Government Association to participate in cross-party talks on the future of adult social care.
Answered by Marcus Jones
As we stated in the Queen's Speech, the Government will work with partners at all levels, including those who use services and who work to provide care, to bring forward proposals for public consultation. The Government will consult on options to encourage a wider debate.
Local government - and the Local Government Association as its principal representative body - will be absolutely central to this, as will politicians from all parties.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will review the rules governing permitted development for change of use from commercial and industrial to residential; and what estimate he has made of changes in use by borough in each year from 2010 to 2015.
Answered by Marcus Jones
We continue to keep permitted development rights, and the contribution they make to national housing delivery, under review.
The Department publishes data on permitted development rights[1] and the number of homes delivered under the rights for each local authority[2]. Separate data is also published on planning decisions for the change of use by local authority area.[3]
[1] Table PDR 1: District planning authorities - applications for prior approvals for permitted developments, by local planning authority https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-planning-application-statistics
[2] Table 123 Housing Supply; net additional dwellings, component flows of, by local authority district, England: 2012-13 to 2015-16 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-net-supply-of-housing
[3] Table 124A District planning authorities- planning decisions by development type and local planning authority (yearly) https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-planning-application-statistics