Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to increase investment into former coalfield communities.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
This Government is committed to levelling up the UK by spreading opportunity more equally across the country, investing in places that need it most, including coalfield communities.
Several former coalfield communities are benefiting from our Towns Fund, our Community Ownership Fund, and our £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund.
Finally, every area of the UK will receive a share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which empowers local places to identify and build on their own strengths and needs. It provides £2.6 billion of new funding for local investment by March 2025.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a specific levelling up fund for former coalfield communities; and if he will commission a levelling up review to consider that matter.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
Former coalfield communities are benefiting from the Levelling Up Fund, which just announced a second round of successful projects, including transport decarbonisation in the North East.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the rate of success of applications for funding from (a) the Dormant Asset Fund, (b) the Community Ownership Fund and (c) other sources for the development of community assets and services in coalfield communities.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The government is committed to levelling up the UK by spreading opportunity more equally across the country, investing in places that need it most, including coalfield communities.
Multiple former coalfield communities are benefiting from the Community Ownership Fund including the CANA resource and training centre in Rhondda Cynon Taf which received funding in round one. Dormant assets funding has no central bidding process for accessing it. In Wales, £39.2 million of dormant assets funding has supported a variety of projects, including investing £16.3 million in young people, learning, education and employment, whilst £4.7 million has been spent on climate change action.
In addition to this, former coalfield communities are also benefitting from the first round of the Levelling Up Fund, from the Towns Fund, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and our Freeports programme.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on plans for regeneration of coalfield communities in the next five years.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed. This Government is, however, committed to levelling up the UK by spreading opportunity more equally across the country, investing in places that need it most, including coalfield communities. Several former coalfield communities are benefiting from our Towns Fund, including Goldthorpe and Mansfield which have Town Deals running until 2025/26. Through our Community Ownership Fund, coalfield communities can apply for funding to save assets like local pubs, shops and sports clubs from closure - like the CANA resource and training centre in Rhondda Cynon Taf which received funding in Round 1.
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that people in coalfield communities are not disproportionately economically affected by the proposed ban on coal.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As stated when we consulted on our proposals, we want to ensure that our measures achieve environmental and health benefits but do not have an adverse impact on vulnerable groups. Our response to the consultation on the cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood, published on 21 February, reflects this approach.
We know that the burning of coal for domestic purposes is harmful to human health and the environment. That is why we will be working to help households that currently burn the most polluting solid fuels to shift to the most suitable, cleaner alternative for them. We will use the phased transition period to work alongside coal merchants to advise and educate their direct delivery customers on the benefits of alternative fuels. Analysis has been carried out that shows cleaner alternative fuels, such as Manufactured Solid Fuels (MSFs), are more energy efficient than coal, making them cheaper to burn. MSFs are available to be purchased in all areas of England.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the effects of a potential ban on house coal on former coalfield communities as part of the consultation on the cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As we said when we consulted on our proposals, we want to ensure that our measures achieve environmental benefits but do not have an adverse impact on vulnerable groups. Our response to the consultation will reflect this approach, and we intend to publish this in the near future.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to reintroduce funding for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust.
Answered by Jake Berry
The government no longer has a funding relationship with the Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT), as our final investment into the organisation from 2010 to 2015 was designed to assist it to become self-sustaining. This will support the CRT to respond to needs and opportunities in coalfield communities at a local level.
At the heart of the government’s commitment to places is recognising the crucial role of local leadership – such as the CRT - in directing investment to the priorities of their communities. In England, we have empowered communities to take decisions over investment by devolving over £9 billion of funding to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) between 2015 and 2021. We have also agreed nine devolution deals with core cities across England and introduced eight metro mayors. Furthermore, we have worked with devolved administrations and local partners throughout Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to negotiate ambitious City and Growth deals, creating strong partnerships to deliver investment throughout the UK.
We support organisations such as the CRT to discuss funding proposals with the relevant LEPs and Mayoral Combined Authorities, including for the forthcoming UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). Wider responsibility for regeneration in coalfield communities in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland is a responsibility largely devolved to the governments of those nations.
Final decisions on the overall quantum for the UKSPF will be made at a multi-annual Spending Review.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on ensuring that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for former coalfields and other less prosperous parts of the country has at least the same value as the EU funds it is planned to replace.
Answered by Jake Berry
The government no longer has a funding relationship with the Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT), as our final investment into the organisation from 2010 to 2015 was designed to assist it to become self-sustaining. This will support the CRT to respond to needs and opportunities in coalfield communities at a local level.
At the heart of the government’s commitment to places is recognising the crucial role of local leadership – such as the CRT - in directing investment to the priorities of their communities. In England, we have empowered communities to take decisions over investment by devolving over £9 billion of funding to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) between 2015 and 2021. We have also agreed nine devolution deals with core cities across England and introduced eight metro mayors. Furthermore, we have worked with devolved administrations and local partners throughout Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to negotiate ambitious City and Growth deals, creating strong partnerships to deliver investment throughout the UK.
We support organisations such as the CRT to discuss funding proposals with the relevant LEPs and Mayoral Combined Authorities, including for the forthcoming UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). Wider responsibility for regeneration in coalfield communities in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland is a responsibility largely devolved to the governments of those nations.
Final decisions on the overall quantum for the UKSPF will be made at a multi-annual Spending Review.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department allocated to the Coalfields Regeneration Trust in (a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018.
Answered by Jake Berry
This Department has not provided the Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT) with any direct funding since 2015. Our investment in the CRT from 2010 to 2015 was designed to assist the organisation to become self-sustaining, supporting them to respond to needs and opportunities in coalfield communities.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his Department’s definition is of a coalfield community; and which local authority areas contain an identified coalfield community.
Answered by Jake Berry
This Department does not hold a formal definition of a coalfield community.