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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the effect on (a) individual homeowners and (b) social diversity in the affected area of compulsory purchase orders issued by local authorities in relation to regeneration projects.

Government policy is that a Compulsory Purchase Order will only be confirmed if there is a compelling case in the public interest.

When deciding whether or not confirm a compulsory purchase order, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government is subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. He must have due regard to the need to (a) eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation; (b) advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it; and (c) foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation

The Government has published a National Strategy for Estate Regeneration, which sets out government’s expectations for how landlords, developers and local authorities should engage with residents throughout an estate regeneration scheme, and for how residents should be protected.