Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Weaver Vale)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to provide cladding remediation funding for (a) leaseholders, (b) shared ownership leaseholders and (c) freeholders who purchased their home under the Right to Buy scheme in timber-frame properties with UPVC cladding.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
We are aware of the action being taken by Barnet Council and continue to engage closely with them on the steps they are taking following the Moss Hall Grove fire in June 2023. Department officials met with Barnet Council representatives on 10 April and will continue to discuss with them.
Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many homes have been delivered through the Homes England Older People’s Shared Ownership scheme in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The figures in the table below represent the number of shared ownership homes aimed at older persons by shared ownership providers, the majority of which, but not all, will be provided through the Older Persons Shared Ownership (OPSO) scheme.
Year | Actual Completions |
2013/14 | 235 |
2014/15 | 36 |
2015/16 | 253 |
2016/17 | 214 |
2017/18 | 170 |
2018/19 | 316 |
2019/20 | 224 |
2020/21 | 314 |
2021/22 | 270 |
2022/23 | 176 |
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
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 help average-income families access the housing market.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
We have introduced a number of interventions that aim to increase the opportunities available to those wishing and able to get on the property ladder for the first time. These include First Homes, the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, Shared Ownership and Right to Buy. We have also reduced stamp duty and raised the thresholds for First-Time Buyers’ Relief. We also run the Lifetime ISA scheme to help young first-time buyers save for their first home.
Moreover, our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country. Since 2010, we have delivered over 696,100 new affordable homes, including over 482,000 affordable homes for rent, of which over 172,600 homes for social rent.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
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 help improve housing affordability for first-time buyers.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
We have introduced a number of interventions that aim to increase the opportunities available to those wishing and able to get on the property ladder for the first time. These include First Homes, the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, Shared Ownership and Right to Buy. We have also reduced stamp duty and raised the thresholds for First-Time Buyers’ Relief. We also run the Lifetime ISA scheme to help young first-time buyers save for their first home.
Moreover, our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country. Since 2010, we have delivered over 696,100 new affordable homes, including over 482,000 affordable homes for rent, of which over 172,600 homes for social rent.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to home ownership schemes funded through Homes England, whether his Department collects data on the (a) number of households in shared ownership or rent to buy properties, (b) income of tenants, (c) number of tenants that have transitioned to full ownership under shared ownership and rent to buy and (d) number of years tenants rented their homes for before purchase.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Information on the number of shared owners who have staircased to full ownership is publicly available from our live tables on social housing sales.
The department collects information on the number of households living in Shared Ownership homes via the English Housing Survey.
It is not possible to distinguish between Rent to Buy – Shared Ownership and other Shared Ownership products in these datasets.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many and what proportion of households have transitioned to full ownership under (a) Shared Ownership and (b) Rent to Buy schemes funded by Homes England.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Information on the number of shared owners who have staircased to full ownership is publicly available from our live tables on social housing sales.
The department collects information on the number of households living in Shared Ownership homes via the English Housing Survey.
It is not possible to distinguish between Rent to Buy – Shared Ownership and other Shared Ownership products in these datasets.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
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 access to shared ownership properties for potential buyers who have inherited a property or part of a property that they cannot or are unable to sell, but which is not suitable for them to live in.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The provision of affordable housing is part of the Government’s plan to build more homes and provide aspiring homeowners with a step onto the property ladder. Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country, including new shared ownership homes.
If a beneficiary inherits a shared ownership home that it is not suitable for them to live in, we advise that they discuss their sale options with the home’s landlord, including how best to market the home and if the landlord can help to identify eligible buyers.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to support high street businesses in Ashford constituency.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government is fully committed to supporting our high-street businesses and communities. The department has announced over £15 million in targeted funding in Ashford constituency since 2021, including:
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding Angus constituency has received from (a) all funding schemes put in place to replace EU structural funding, (b) the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, (c) the Levelling-Up Fund and (d) the Long-Term Plan for Towns in each year since 2016.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
There is no single fund that directly replaces EU structural funding. Levelling up funding comprises various measures that include, for example, the Levelling Up Fund, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Long Term Plan for Towns, the Community Renewal Fund, the Community Ownership Fund, and pre-existing programmes such as the City Region and Growth Deals. These come alongside the largest block grant ever for the devolved administration in Scotland which the Chancellor recently confirmed, and other measures such as the Green Freeports and Investment Zones Programme which cover four areas across Scotland.
In general, details of funding support are held at local authority rather than constituency level. The UK remained a member of the European Union until January 2020.
Since then, Angus Council has been awarded nearly £5 million from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, as well as £26.5 million from the Tay Cities Deal. It has also received nearly £300k from the Community Ownership Fund awarded to a project in Brechin for Davidson Legacy Cottage SCIO, and over £230k awarded via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme including to replace the 3G pitch at Forfar Community Football Trust, for floodlights at Station Park and Market Muir, and for solar panels at Arbroath Football Club. At Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced that Arbroath in Angus will be a Long-Term Plan for Towns location and will receive £20 million of funding.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to amend the shared ownership scheme to prevent residents paying fees to (a) extend their lease and (b) sell their part of the property.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 13515 on 22 February 2024.