Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a reformed business rate for pubs that is equitable to other small businesses.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Valuation Office Agency determines the rateable value of public houses using the Fair Maintainable Turnover (FMT) basis, as agreed with representative trade bodies.
At Autumn Statement 2022, the government announced a package of support worth £13.6 billion to businesses over the next five years. This includes an extended and increased 75 per cent relief for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business for 2023-24. This is a tax cut worth over £2 billion for around 230,000 businesses, which will support the businesses that make our high streets and town centres successful.
This support builds on the previous temporary 50 per cent retail, hospitality and leisure scheme announced at Autumn Budget 2021, as well as the unprecedented £16 billion of business rates relief provided to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors throughout the pandemic.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to support local authorities in reducing traffic congestion in town centres.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The causes of congestion can be systemic, for example increasing population and urbanisation, or more localised, for example network pinch points, inadequate public transport or road works. Measures to combat congestion can be aimed at increasing capacity and / or decreasing demand.
Local traffic authorities have a statutory duty under the Traffic Management Act 2004 to manage their networks with the aim of ‘securing the expeditious movement of traffic’. The Department for Transport helps local authorities in achieving this by supporting sustainable alternative modes and providing design and other guidance as well as investment in infrastructure and innovative, data-led solutions.
The Government has already made record amounts of funding available to local authorities for investment in active travel schemes since the start of the pandemic. The second statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, published in July of this year, reiterated the Government’s commitment to this important agenda and set out the funding that is projected to be spent on it from 2020/21 to 2024/25.
The National Bus Strategy asked that all English Local Transport Authorities outside London publish Bus Service Improvement Plans, setting out local visions for the step-change in bus services that is needed, driven by what passengers and would-be passengers want. We have awarded over £1 billion to deliver service improvements, bus priority and ambitious fares initiatives.
The Government continues to invest in new technologies and the use of data to better manage road networks and provide accurate data about events such as congestion, to road users. For example, the department has invested several million pounds in creating ‘Street Manager’, a data platform which helps highway authorities and utility companies to plan and co-ordinate their road works.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department intends to bring forward policies focused on hyper-local community regeneration.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The Levelling Up White Paper sets out the policy programme committed to empowering and investing in communities. The Pride in Place mission intends that, by 2030, people's satisfaction with their town centre and engagement in local culture and community will have risen in every area of the UK.
Government support already includes a £150 million UK-wide Community Ownership Fund. This gives communities the opportunity to take local institutions into their own hands, working with investors and the private sector to match funding.
On town centres, the High Streets Task Force continues to help communities regenerate their high streets to reflect evolving local needs. It supports local authorities with access to expert support in areas such as placemaking, planning and design.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of lowering the minimum square footage threshold for retail impact assessments on out-of-town development.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government has made clear that in the first instance, main town centre uses such as retail, should be located in town centres. When assessing planning applications for town centre uses in out of town locations that have not been identified in a local plan, a sequential test should be applied to help ensure development that would have an unacceptable impact on existing centres is not permitted. The National Development Management Policies are intended to cover generic planning considerations that apply regularly in decision-making, of the sort already found in national planning policy, such as the town centre first principles.
The Class E Commercial, Business and Service use class includes a mix of uses such as retail and leisure uses that attract people to local areas. To help support existing businesses to adapt and diversify more quickly to meet changing circumstances, businesses in the same use class are able to change use of their premises to other uses within the use class without the need for a planning application.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether it is his Department's policy that Planning Use Class E enables out-of-town retail developments to proceed without full planning permission.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government has made clear that in the first instance, main town centre uses such as retail, should be located in town centres. When assessing planning applications for town centre uses in out of town locations that have not been identified in a local plan, a sequential test should be applied to help ensure development that would have an unacceptable impact on existing centres is not permitted. The National Development Management Policies are intended to cover generic planning considerations that apply regularly in decision-making, of the sort already found in national planning policy, such as the town centre first principles.
The Class E Commercial, Business and Service use class includes a mix of uses such as retail and leisure uses that attract people to local areas. To help support existing businesses to adapt and diversify more quickly to meet changing circumstances, businesses in the same use class are able to change use of their premises to other uses within the use class without the need for a planning application.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will take steps to develop a National Development Management Policy to strengthen town centre first planning principles.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government has made clear that in the first instance, main town centre uses such as retail, should be located in town centres. When assessing planning applications for town centre uses in out of town locations that have not been identified in a local plan, a sequential test should be applied to help ensure development that would have an unacceptable impact on existing centres is not permitted. The National Development Management Policies are intended to cover generic planning considerations that apply regularly in decision-making, of the sort already found in national planning policy, such as the town centre first principles.
The Class E Commercial, Business and Service use class includes a mix of uses such as retail and leisure uses that attract people to local areas. To help support existing businesses to adapt and diversify more quickly to meet changing circumstances, businesses in the same use class are able to change use of their premises to other uses within the use class without the need for a planning application.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the forecast by the Bank of England that the UK economy will enter recession, what steps they plan to take to support (1) high street businesses, and (2) the voluntary sector.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
In addition to the comprehensive package of support which protected businesses and jobs through the pandemic, the Autumn Statement demonstrates the Government’s continued commitment to the businesses that make our high streets and town centres so successful.
The Chancellor announced a generous package of changes to business rates, worth £13.6 billion over five years. In addition to freezing the multiplier, the Autumn Statement extended the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief scheme in 2023-24 and increased relief from 50% to 75%, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. This means around 230,000 properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors will receive a tax cut worth almost £2.1 billion in 2023-24.
We will also support businesses and the voluntary and public sector facing pressure from substantial global price pressures this winter through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS). The government will discount wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic consumers. This is a temporary measure that will protect them from soaring energy costs and provide them with the certainty they need to plan through the acute crisis this winter.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities in deterring anti-social behaviour in town centres.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour (ASB). We know the serious impact that persistent ASB can have on both individuals and the wider community.
We provided the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to ASB through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers depending on the specific circumstances. The Home Office published statutory guidance to support local areas to make effective use of these powers. The guidance sets out the importance of focusing on the needs of the victim and the local community, as well as ensuring that the relevant legal tests are met.
The Home Office announced in March this year that ASB would be one of the primary crime and issue types being targeted in the next rounds of the Safer Streets Fund. This funding goes towards local projects aimed at increasing the safety of public spaces for all with a particular focus on addressing neighbourhood crime, anti-social behaviour and tackling violence against women and girls. At the end of July, we announced the outcome of Round Four of the Safer Streets Fund, investing an additional £50 million and supporting 111 projects across England and Wales.
We are committed to ensuring that policing has the resources it needs to cut crime and increasing the number of police officers by 20,000 by March 2023. These 20,000 additional officers will be on top of recruitment to cover retirement and those leaving the police.
Police forces in England and Wales have recruited 15,343 additional uplift officers as at 30 September 2022, through the Police Uplift Programme, 77% of the 20,000 officer target by March 2023.
It is for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, as operational leaders and elected local representatives respectively, to decide how best to respond to local.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to take steps to make it easier for blue badge holders to park in town and city centres.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Responsibility for traffic management on local roads and the provision or restriction of on-street parking, rests with the relevant local authority as they are best placed to consider how to balance the needs of residents, emergency services, local businesses and those who work in and visit the area. Local authorities are also responsible for ensuring their roads are managed in a way which meets the Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010.
The Blue Badge Scheme is a national scheme, the scope and legal parameters of which are set nationally by the Government. Blue Badges are recognised throughout the UK. The provisions granted under the Scheme convey several on-street parking concessions such as being able to park for up to three hours on yellow lines, provided there are no bans on loading or unloading in force, and free of charge and without time limit at on-street parking meters and pay-and-display areas.
The Blue Badge is not, however, a licence to park anywhere. Badge holders are not entitled to park in places where it would cause an obstruction or danger to other road users otherwise, they may be prosecuted or have their badge withdrawn. The Department is currently not intending to make any changes to this.
Asked by: Aaron Bell (Conservative - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle littering in (a) city centres, (b) town centres, (c) the UK and (d) the Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Litter policy is a devolved matter. Defra is the lead department for litter policy in England.
In 2017 Defra published the Litter Strategy for England which sets out our aim to deliver a substantial reduction in litter and littering within a generation. Since publishing the Litter Strategy, we have bolstered councils' enforcement powers, such as by almost doubling the maximum fixed penalty for littering, published guidance on the provision of litter bins and provided nearly £1 million across 44 councils to help councils purchase new bins.
We have also brought together chewing gum producers as part of a voluntary producer responsibility scheme that has recently announced funding of £1.25 million to help more than 40 councils across the United Kingdom clean gum off pavements. It is the first project of the five-year programme through which gum producers will invest up to £10 million to help tackle chewing gum littering.
We are also actively exploring options for tackling cigarette butt littering. Our current proposals for extended producer responsibility for packaging will place the financial costs of managing street bin litter on producers and we have consulted on introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers which we estimate can reduce drinks containers being littered by 85%. Further details for when a deposit return scheme will be introduced will be set out in HM Government response to last year's consultation. We are working towards publication in late 2022.