Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
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 city and town centres across (a) the UK and (b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
In recent years we have bolstered councils' enforcement powers, such as by almost doubling the maximum fixed penalty for littering. We have also published guidance on the provision of litter bins and provided nearly £1 million across 44 councils to help them purchase new bins.
We have 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 UK 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 regulatory options for tackling cigarette butt littering.
We have also consulted on introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers. We estimate that the scheme can reduce drinks containers being littered by 85%. Further details for when a Deposit Return Scheme will be introduced will be set out in the Government response to last year's consultation. We are working towards publication in late 2022.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 making funds available for the purposes of investing in high streets with amenities and space for children and young people.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
We want to see vibrant towns and high streets that are more attractive places to live, work and visit. This is central to our levelling up agenda.
Our £3.6bn Towns Fund is investing in amenities across the country that will benefit children and young people. For example, the £9 million Youth Zone in Crewe will have 13 high spec equipped spaces including large-scale sports hall and multi-use 3G pitch, as well as other facilities for young people.
Our £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund continues to invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life for residents across the UK. One key investment theme of the fund is regeneration and town centre investment. Applicants have been encouraged to submit bids which focus on bringing accessible community spaces into town and city centres.
The £2.6bn UK Shared Prosperity Fund was allocated to all areas of the UK and empowers places to identify and build on their own needs at a local level. Local places are free to choose a range of interventions to support, this includes specific funding to support the improvement of town centres and high streets.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 effect of the rising energy costs on levels of high street recovery from the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
This Government is committed, through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, to reinvigorate high streets and town centres. We have been working closely with high street businesses to understand the impact of the cost of living crisis and to develop plans to help them and their customers.
The recently announced Energy Bill Relief Scheme (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-outlines-plans-to-help-cut-energy-bills-for-businesses) ensures that all businesses and other non-domestic customers are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. A review of the scheme, to be published in three months, will identify the most vulnerable non-domestic customers and how the government will continue assisting them with energy costs after the initial six months.
This is in addition to the unprecedented package of support the Government provided to businesses over the past few years, including recent fuel duty and VAT cuts, business rates holidays, government backed loans worth around £400 billion and the £3.6 billion Towns Fund, which includes support for 101 Town Deals and 72 Future High Streets Fund projects. We will continue to stand firmly behind them and help our high street businesses succeed now and in the future.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
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 (a) local authorities and (b) metro mayors in levelling up their communities.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The Government is committed to working with local leaders to level up the country and reduce geographic disparities across the whole of the UK. The success of mayors such as Ben Houchen has shown how strong and dynamic local leadership can tailor policy to local priorities, attract investment and seize economic opportunities.
That is why the Government has set itself a mission that, by 2030, every part of England that wants one will have a devolution deal, with powers at or approaching the highest level of devolution, with a simplified, long-term funding settlement.
Significant progress is already being made, with a Mayoral devolution deal signed with York and North Yorkshire on 1st August 2022 and the first Mayoral combined county authority deal signed with the East Midlands on 30th August 2022. The Government continues to work with places to agree further devolution deals.
The Government is also providing £2.6 billion of new funding for local investment by March 2025 through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). In addition, the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund is investing in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing culture and heritage. The Government welcomes the wide range of bids received for the second round of the Levelling Up Fund; these are currently being assessed and an announcement is expected on successful bids later this year.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 potential impact of the Build Back Better High Streets Strategy on the future viability of high streets.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
In the Build Back Better High Streets strategy we set out Government’s long-term plan to support the evolution of high streets into thriving places to work, visit and live.
Following on from this, on Wednesday 11 May we introduced the Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill, (LURB). This new legislation will play an important role in reviving our high streets by introducing High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs). HSRAs will empower places to tackle decline by bringing vacant units back into use and will seek to increase cooperation between landlords and local authorities, and to make town centre tenancies more accessible and affordable for tenants, including SMEs, local businesses and community groups.
Similarly, local authorities will be given new tools and powers to support compulsory purchase orders and build-out to aid regeneration and delivery, which will result in better outcomes for high streets and towns centres. Other measures such as changes to the advertising regime, pavement licensing rules and permitted construction hours will also support businesses to grow, helping overall economic output.
These new measures build on the Build Back Better High Streets Strategy and will help create attractive and lively high streets, with increased footfall and activity, which attracts people and businesses, increases pride in place and avoids the long-term presence of vacancies, ensuring high streets remain viable now and in the future.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
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 help support the regeneration of towns and high streets.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
Regenerating our high streets and town centres is essential to this Government's commitment to level up the country. Now, more than ever, it is vital that we continue to help our local economies by supporting town centres and high streets to innovate, evolve and thrive.
We are taking concrete steps towards reviving our high streets and town centres by committing billions of pounds to support economic growth and regeneration for high streets, through the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund. This is in addition to the £3.6 billion Towns Fund, which includes support for 101 Town Deals and 72 Future High Streets Fund projects, as well as the £220 million UK-wide Community Renewal Fund. Along with funding for capital projects, these also included significant revenue funding to provide resources to local authorities developing plans and projects.
Funding is only one way in which we are supporting local authorities. Beyond this, we are providing support to local leadership with the High Streets Task Force, which delivers hands-on support to local areas most in need, to develop data-driven innovative strategies and to connect local areas to relevant experts.
The Government has also introduced reforms to use classes to enable more flexible use of existing buildings. The use class reform creates a new ‘commercial, business and service’ use class which encompasses a wide range of uses which will attract people to high streets and town centres.
Furthermore, on Wednesday 11 May we introduced the Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill. This new legislation will play an important role in reviving our high streets by introducing High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs). HSRAs will empower places to tackle decline by bringing vacant units back into use and will seek to increase cooperation between landlords and local authorities, and to make town centre tenancies more accessible and affordable for tenants, including SMEs, local businesses and community groups.
This will help create attractive and lively high streets, with increased footfall and activity which attracts people and businesses, increases pride in place and avoids the long-term presence of vacancies, ensuring high streets remain viable now and in the future.
Asked by: Bim Afolami (Conservative - Hitchin and Harpenden)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to open the third round of applications for the Levelling Up Fund.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport, and investing in cultural and heritage assets.
Bidding for the second round of the Fund closed on 2 August, and we hope to announce successful bids to this round of the Fund in the Autumn.
We are determined to learn all the lessons we can in continuing to improve our support for local places. Given we will have an opportunity to evaluate the success of the first round before spring 2023, we are not yet committing to the timing or format of future rounds.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
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 help encourage private investment in coastal communities not covered by its policy on freeports.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
My department is committed to supporting coastal communities flourish, strengthening their appeal as places to live, work and visit.
From 2012 – 2022, my department delivered over £187 million throughout the UK through the Coastal Communities Fund. The Evaluation has recently been published, which showed the positive effects on the economy including stimulating job growth and prosperity. Since then, we have been busy to ensure coastal communities remain at the heart of our levelling up funds.
Of 101 towns, there are 22 coastal towns that are recipients of Towns Deals worth up to £25 million and coastal areas will benefit from over £673 million of investment (inclusive of successful Future High Streets Fund bids). In addition to this, the Levelling Up Fund offers investment opportunities for coastal communities to promote regeneration and build vital infrastructure. Both of these place-based interventions should boost private sector investment through the regeneration of high streets and town centres.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on reducing the headline rate of business rates.
Answered by Richard Fuller
The most recent review of business rates concluded at Autumn Budget 2021. The review reaffirmed the importance of business rates for raising revenue for essential local services and announced a £7 billion package of measures to support business over the next 5 years.
This includes a freeze to the business rates multiplier in 2022-23, which will support all ratepayers, large and small, meaning bills are 3 per cent lower than without the freeze. The Government has also introduced a new temporary relief for retail, hospitality, and leisure in 2022-23, worth almost £1.7 billion to the sector. These measures will support the businesses that make our high streets and town centres successful.
As with all taxes, HM Treasury keeps business rates under review.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to support local businesses in Battersea through reforming the business rates system.
Answered by Richard Fuller
The most recent review of business rates concluded at Autumn Budget 2021. The review reaffirmed the importance of business rates for raising revenue for essential local services and announced a £7 billion package of measures to support business over the next 5 years.
This includes a freeze to the business rates multiplier in 2022-23, which will support all ratepayers, large and small, meaning bills are 3 per cent lower than without the freeze. The Government has also introduced a new temporary relief for retail, hospitality, and leisure in 2022-23, worth almost £1.7 billion to the sector. These measures will support the businesses that make our high streets and town centres successful.
As with all taxes, HM Treasury keeps business rates under review.