Ministers from the Department for Housing, Communities and Local
Government were answering questions in the Commons. Subjects
covered included... Homelessness Homeowners: Mortgage Costs
Help To Buy Scheme Adult Social Care Funding Help
To Buy Scheme New Homes New Homes Local Authority
Plans New Homes for Social...Request free trial
Ministers from the Department for Housing, Communities and Local
Government were answering questions in the Commons. Subjects
covered included...
To see any of these in more detail, please click on the link, or
read below.
Homelessness
-
(Colchester) (Con)
2. What steps his Department is taking to reduce
homelessness. [904290]
-
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local
Government (Sajid Javid)
Tackling homelessness and rough sleeping is a key priority
for me and my Ministry. That is why we are spending more
than £1 billion through to 2020. We are implementing the
most ambitious legislative reform in decades—the
Homelessness Reduction Act 2017—and we have established the
rough sleeping and homelessness reduction taskforce.
-
The all-party group on ending homelessness recently took
evidence on the success of rapid rehousing models in
Denmark. What consideration has my right hon. Friend given
to the merits of rolling out such programmes alongside the
faster and wider roll-out of Housing First in England?
-
May I first pay tribute to my hon. Friend for the important
role that he has played as the co-chair of the all-party
group on ending homelessness? He is absolutely right to
point to international experience when looking at the huge
challenge that this country faces. As he knows, Housing
First has come from the experience of others, particularly
Finland. I thank him for his support.
-
(Manchester Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
The rising level of homelessness in Manchester is the
biggest issue that people raise with me on the doorstep and
elsewhere. All the good work that we are doing to rehouse
people does not matter when there are too many people
coming through the system at the other end. What
conversations is the Secretary of State having with other
Departments, especially the Department for Work and
Pensions, about stopping people from becoming homeless in
the first place? The situation is getting completely out of
control.
-
The hon. Lady is absolutely right to raise this issue,
which comes up in Manchester and many other parts of the
country. She is right to point to the cross-departmental
work that is required, including with the Department for
Work and Pensions and others, such as the Ministry of
Justice, given the number of offenders who sometimes end up
on the streets. The work is being co-ordinated, and the
taskforce that the Prime Minister has created is helping to
achieve just that.
-
(Lichfield)
(Con)
Does my right hon. Friend agree with Catherine Street of
the Memorial University of Newfoundland that the causes of
homelessness and sleeping on the streets are very many and
complex, and that this is not just down to a lack of
housing? Will my right hon. Friend also take the
opportunity to go to the west midlands to visit Mayor
to see the work and
initiatives that he is undertaking to prevent the problem?
-
My hon. Friend mentions two Streets; I agree with him on
both. Catherine Street is absolutely right about the
complex causes of homelessness, particularly rough
sleeping. , the Mayor of the west
midlands, has really led the way on this, including with
the Housing First project.
-
Mr (Exeter) (Lab)
Exeter has suffered a terrible increase in homelessness and
rough sleeping since 2010, although strenuous efforts by
its Labour council have led to a reduction in rough
sleeping over the past two years. Will the Secretary of
State and Government colleagues revisit the decisions to
cut supported living and public health grants to local
authorities, which fund alcohol and drug treatment
programmes, because that is hampering local authorities’
attempts to tackle this problem?
-
I am happy to join the right hon. Gentleman in commending
the work done in Exeter. We should all try to learn from
one another, and councils can learn from each other. It is
important that we keep up funding wherever it is necessary
to address the causes of addiction, whether that is drug or
alcohol addiction. That is why we are providing a total of
£1 billion in funding up to 2020, including for a number of
projects that are specifically designed to help with
addiction problems.
-
Mr (Kettering)
(Con)
Some 61% of rough sleepers in London are non-UK citizens.
What can we do about the importation of homelessness?
-
My hon. Friend is right to point to the causes of
homelessness. Of course, a number of people who sleep on
our streets are not from the UK. Everyone deserves help,
but we must look carefully at the causes of homelessness.
My Department is working carefully and closely with the
Home Office to see what more we can do.
-
(Bath) (LD)
LGBT young people are much more likely that others to
become homeless. According to the Albert Kennedy Trust,
they account for up to 24% of the young jobless population.
What is the Secretary of State doing to address this
particular problem?
-
I agree with the hon. Lady that anyone who is homeless,
particularly anyone who is sleeping rough, deserves the
help of central and local government. We have more than 48
different types of projects in place—many of them are
community-led and many are funded directly by the
Government—that are designed to reduce the number of people
on our streets and those suffering from homelessness.
-
(Cheltenham) (Con)
The last official survey in Cheltenham found nine homeless
people, each of whom is a living rebuke to us to do more.
Will the Secretary of State join me in thanking all the
staff at the P3 charity who are ensuring that the £1
million social impact bond provided by central Government
is being used to provide one-to-one support?
-
Yes, I commend the P3 charity for its work. I know that my
hon. Friend has taken a lot of interest in this. The
Government have helped to fund some eight social impact
bonds to help with rough sleeping, including the one in
Cheltenham, and they are making a huge difference.
-
(Glasgow Central)
(SNP)
In Scotland we have some of the strongest rights for
homeless people in the world. The Scottish Government’s
homelessness and rough sleeping action group recently
reported, and it has been praised by charities for taking
steps in the right direction, including with a £50 million
fund to eradicate homelessness. What cognisance are
Ministers here taking of the work that is going on in
Scotland? Will the Secretary of State look at the group’s
recommendations?
-
The hon. Lady rightly emphasises the point about learning
from each other. Where Scotland has had success on
homelessness and rough sleeping, we shall certainly look
into that, and we will seek other examples in the UK. My
hon. Friend the Housing Minister is visiting Scotland later
this week and will be looking at that particular issue.
Homeowners: Mortgage Costs
-
(Delyn) (Lab)
3. What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet
colleagues on support for homeowners in meeting mortgage
costs. [904291]
-
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local
Government (Sajid Javid)
One of the best ways in which the Government can support
homeowners with their mortgage costs is by ensuring that
the economy remains strong and competitive so that
employment is high and interest rates are as low as
possible.
-
At the end of this month, the Government are taking away
mortgage support from 110,000 people, and only 7,000 so far
have applied for the loan that replaces that scheme. What
do the Government think that the other 103,000 people are
going to do on 2 April?
-
I think that the right hon. Gentleman is referring to the
support for mortgage interest policy, on which the DWP
leads. The Government are right to strike the right balance
between the needs of hard-pressed homeowners and the
taxpayer. If he is really interested in helping homeowners,
perhaps he can explain to his constituents why he voted
against the stamp duty cut that this Government
implemented.
-
(Glasgow Central)
(SNP)
The withdrawal of support for mortgage interest came as a
bolt from the blue to my constituents who came to see me on
Friday. Many thousands like them will struggle due to the
withdrawal of the support and may not wish to take up an
additional loan. What options will be open to these people?
What assessment has the Secretary of State made of the
impact on people who are forced out of a home that they
have bought into social rented housing, and of the impact
on waiting lists?
-
I think that the hon. Lady misunderstands the policy—at
least it certainly seems so given the way she described it.
The Government are not withdrawing support; we are making
it fairer and ensuring that it is still available. The
support will be loan-based, with a soft loan secured on the
individual’s property. This also protects the rights of
taxpayers, and I would have thought that she would be
interested in doing that.
Help To Buy Scheme
-
(Harrow West)
(Lab/Co-op)
4. What estimate he has made of the profits derived from
the Help to Buy scheme by house builders. [904292]
-
The Minister for Housing (Dominic Raab)
The Help to Buy equity loan scheme alone helped 116,000
first-time buyers to get on to the property ladder and
stimulated the supply of new housing—both key aims of this
Government.
-
My constituents, some of whom have been on the wrong end of
aggressive behaviour by Persimmon, are concerned to know
that since Help to Buy was introduced, the biggest private
house builders have increased house prices by up to 10%,
with almost all of that banked as profit and much of it
paid out in senior managers’ enormous bonus payments.
Should not the Secretary of State and his ministerial
colleagues be doing more to tame the aggressive behaviour
of developers such as Persimmon, rather than subsidising
them through Help to Buy?
-
It is good news that Help to Buy has helped more homes to
get built. It has contributed to about 14% of new build
since 2015. I personally share some of the hon. Gentleman’s
concerns about executive pay, but I gently remind him that
it was this Government who introduced the corporate
governance reforms in August, including to make sure that
there is greater transparency and greater shareholder grip
over directors’ pay.
-
(Rochdale) (Lab)
The Minister will know that some 10% of those on the Help
to Buy scheme earn over £80,000 a year. Even in London,
they are people who can afford to buy without this taxpayer
subsidy. In the light of the Secretary of State’s earlier
comments about responsibility to the taxpayer, will he
contrast the poorest homeowners who will lose help with
mortgage interest with these heavily subsidised, well-off
people up and down the country?
-
I think that some factual clarification would help the hon.
Gentleman, because four out of five of those benefiting
from Help to Buy have been first-time buyers, and three out
of five households benefiting from Help to Buy had combined
incomes of £50,000 or less. We are on their side; it is a
shame that Labour is not.
Adult Social Care Funding
-
(Batley and Spen)
(Lab/Co-op)
5. What assessment he has made of the adequacy of projected
funding for adult social care until 2020. [904293]
-
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing,
Communities and Local Government (Rishi Sunak)
In addition to the spending review package, the Government
provided a further £2 billion for adult social care at last
year’s Budget and an additional £150 million in the most
recent local government finance settlement. As a result,
councils will be able to increase spending on adult social
care in real terms each year until 2020.
-
Kirklees Council spends 35% of its budget on adult social
care. It has just raised its council tax by 6%, and half of
that is ring-fenced to fund social care, but the council
will still have to cut tens of millions in the years ahead.
So, ahead of tomorrow’s spring statement, will the Minister
tell us what he has done to secure more funding from the
Treasury for social care to alleviate the pressure on
councils such as Kirklees?
-
In the most recent local government finance settlement, the
Secretary of State listened to councils’ concerns and
increased funding for adult social care by £150 million,
with £26 million for Kirklees Council in particular. I
recently met the Key Cities group, of which Kirklees is a
member, to discuss its ideas for reforming the funding
formula so as to adequately reflect the pressures faced by
councils such as Kirklees.
-
Mr (Hertford and Stortford)
(Con)
When the then Communities and Local Government Committee
adopted the Bill introduced by my hon. Friend the Member
for Harrow East (Bob Blackman) that became the Homelessness
Reduction Act 2017, Ministers, to their credit, engaged
really positively to make that Bill work. May I urge the
Minister to be just as positive about the planned joint
Committee inquiry into the funding of adult care? Indeed,
Front Benchers on both sides of the House will need to
engage with that process if we are to have a long-term
answer.
-
I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend. As he knows,
the Government are committed to publishing a Green Paper on
adult social care this summer. Alongside that, there is a
workstream on working-age adult social care to which I am
sure that he will be keen to contribute.
-
(Houghton and
Sunderland South) (Lab)
25. Increasing the social care precept will do nothing to
solve the challenge that we face in social care. Is it not
time that Ministers stopped passing the buck to local
councils and instead worked with us to try to find a
long-term solution to one of the greatest challenges that
we face as a country? [904313]
-
I agree with the hon. Lady that this is a challenge facing
our country, and it is important that we get this right and
put social care on a sustainable footing, not just for this
year but for the years to come. That is exactly why the
Government are committed to the Green Paper and to tackling
this problem, and she should look forward to seeing the
Green Paper’s contents this summer.
-
(Makerfield)
(Lab)
The Minister referred to the local government finance
settlement, but this year’s settlement still means a cut of
£177 million for adult social care compared with last year.
Given that the National Audit Office’s report states that
more and more councils are only just managing to balance
their books by using their reserves to cover overspends on
social care services, how does the Minister suggest that
councils can avoid declaring themselves effectively
bankrupt, as Northamptonshire County Council did last
month, as in many cases their reserves will be gone by
2020?
-
I simply do not recognise those figures. The Government
have increased funding for adult social care. Over these
three years, £9.4 billion has been allocated for adult
social care funding, with £150 million more at the last
local government finance settlement. This Government are
listening to councils and delivering extra resources to
help them.
-
(Warrington North)
(Lab)
The Local Government Finance Act 2012 divorced local
government funding from any assessment of need. The
Government’s insistence that the problem can be solved by
councils raising precepts is simply wrong, because councils
in wealthier areas, which have more properties in the
higher bands, can raise more money than those with more
properties in the lower bands, which usually have the
greatest needs, the greatest levels of long-term disease
and so on. When will the Minister understand this and
actually start to allocate social services funding on the
basis of need?
-
I can reassure the hon. Lady that the allocation for social
care funding does take into account the relative council
tax bases of local authorities across the country. That
said, I appreciate that the funding formula is out of date
and in need of review, which is why we have launched a
consultation on reforming it. That consultation closes
today, but I would welcome her comments and input into it.
We will reform the formula so that it can adequately take
account of need, as she suggests.
Help To Buy Scheme
-
(Somerton and Frome)
(Con)
6. What assessment he has made of the effect of the Help to
Buy scheme and the reduction in stamp duty on first-time
buyers. [904294]
-
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local
Government (Sajid Javid)
The number of first-time buyers was at an 11-year high in
2017, at 365,000 across the UK. That shows that our
concerted action to get more people into home ownership
through initiatives such as Help to Buy and the new stamp
duty exemption for first-time buyers is working.
-
It sounds like my right hon. Friend agrees with me that
home ownership is a fundamentally good thing. Some 86% of
our fellow citizens aspire to it, and there is nothing like
spreading the economic benefits of ownership more widely in
society. Does he further agree that we should use every
policy lever at our disposal to encourage home ownership
and to give those all-important first-time buyers a leg up
on to the ladder?
-
I could not agree more. The overwhelming majority of people
want to own their own home, and we need to do more to help
them to do just that. The plan that we have set out,
including last week, to build 300,000 homes a year will
help more and more people to realise that dream.
-
Mr (Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op)
Why does the Secretary of State not wake up? So many people
in my constituency and throughout the country know that
this Government have failed to deliver enough houses to buy
and enough to rent. The fact is that there are so many
nimbys sitting on the Government Benches—he is speaking to
one of them—that Ministers do not have the courage to do
anything about it.
-
It is the Conservatives who are responsible for house
building last year reaching its highest level in all but
one of the past 30 years, and it was a previous Labour
Government under which we had the lowest level of house
building that this country had seen since the 1920s.
New Homes
-
David T. C. Davies (Monmouth) (Con)
7. What progress his Department has made on the delivery of
new homes. [904295]
-
(Telford) (Con)
16. What progress his Department has made on the delivery
of new homes. [904304]
-
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local
Government (Sajid Javid)
Last year, some 217,000 homes were added to our housing
stock in England. We have set out bold and comprehensive
reforms to deliver on average 300,000 homes a year by the
middle of the 2020s in England, including in last week’s
publication of the draft revised national planning policy
framework.
-
David T. C. Davies
I congratulate my right hon. Friend on the enormous
progress that he is making. Does he agree, however, that it
will not be possible to get the housing shortage completely
under control until we have brought migration levels down
from the completely unsustainable heights that were created
by Labour?
-
My hon. Friend will be pleased to hear that we are
committed to both reducing net migration to sustainable
levels and building the homes that this country needs.
-
Telford is a rapidly growing new town in which thousands of
new homes are built every year, but for too many new-build
homeowners, the reality is unfinished communal areas,
unadopted roads, failure to comply with section 106,
developers failing to take responsibility and the local
council passing the buck. What will the Secretary of State
do to strengthen the rights of new-build homeowners?
-
First, let me commend my hon. Friend for the work that she
does through the all-party group on new towns. She is
absolutely right to raise that issue and to emphasise the
need for infrastructure alongside new housing. I know that
she welcomes the housing infrastructure fund. In terms of
holding developers to their commitments, I hope that she
will contribute to our consultation on that topic, which
was launched just this week.
-
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
20. Figures for York show that no new social housing has
been commissioned under the current council for the last
three years, except for older people’s accommodation, where
there has been a net loss. The right to buy has made things
worse. When, under the Government’s new planning framework,
will the council be forced to build social housing in York?
[904308]
-
We are working with councils throughout the country to help
them to meet their housing needs, including through more
social housing where that is required. The proof of that
was in the last Budget, in which we increased the housing
revenue account—the amount that councils can borrow from
the Treasury to build more council homes and other types of
social housing. If York wants to take advantage of that, it
can.
-
(Bristol East)
(Lab)
23. Bristol has the highest rate of office-to-residential
accommodation conversions outside London, and the permitted
development rights scheme means that that does not have to
involve any affordable housing element. What is the
Secretary of State doing to ensure that councils such as
Bristol can insist that affordable housing is built in our
city centre? [904311]
-
The hon. Lady is right to raise the importance of
affordable housing and having the right mix of housing
everywhere, including Bristol. We are currently working
with the Mayor of the west of England and the Mayor of
Bristol on a housing deal which, if it happened, would
include a significant portion of affordable housing.
-
(Wells) (Con)
Green-belt protections around Bristol and Bath are
displacing housing targets beyond the green belt into
Somerset. Should the councils unable to build enough houses
be required to deliver transport and infrastructure plans
that will service the commuting needs of new Somerset
residents needing to travel through the protected green
belt on their way to work?
-
We want to help all councils meet their local housing need,
and that includes helping with their plans as they develop
them, but also giving them more options other than looking
at the green belt, as we did in the recent draft plan that
was published earlier this month, and helping with
infrastructure, which means the £5 billion housing
infrastructure fund.
-
(Dulwich and West
Norwood) (Lab)
The previous Conservative Mayor of London set up the London
housing bank, a loan scheme so restrictive that housing
providers could not borrow from it. Will the Secretary of
State explain why, instead of responding to requests from
the current Mayor of London over the past 18 months to
remove some of the restrictions on this scheme to enable
much-needed affordable homes to be built, he has decided to
withdraw the funding for affordable homes altogether? Will
he also explain how it is that the first the Mayor’s office
heard of this was via an article in The Huffington Post?
-
We all want more affordable homes, including of course in
our capital city, and that is why over £3 billion was given
to London for affordable housing in the spring Budget. It
was the biggest ever settlement, and it was welcomed by the
Mayor. Yet despite that, we have seen a fall in affordable
housing delivery under . That is not acceptable:
he needs to do much better.
New Homes
-
(Loughborough)
(Con)
8. What steps his Department is taking to reduce the time
taken to build new homes. [904296]
-
The Minister for Housing (Dominic Raab)
Last week, the Government published the national planning
policy framework for consultation, which, with clearer
guidance to councils and developers, will help to deliver
more homes and do so more quickly.
-
I thank the Minister for that answer. Charnwood Borough
Council—for the sake for disclosure, I should say that my
husband is the leader, although I refuse to call him
that—has planning permissions for 10 years of housing, but
the difficulty is getting the developers to start building.
If that does not happen, that affects the five-year land
supply, which leaves other sites vulnerable to development.
Will the Minister tell the House what the Government are
planning to do to speed up delivery by developers on
planning permissions they already have?
-
The good news is that, in 2017, we saw 160,000 new homes
registered to be built, which is the highest number since
the financial crash. My right hon. Friend is right about
speed. The NPPF will help to deliver that through the
housing delivery test, and my right hon. Friend for West
Dorset (Sir Oliver Letwin) is reviewing build-out rates.
-
(Bath) (LD)
rose—
-
Mr Speaker
I have no wish to be unkind to the hon. Lady, but let me
put it this way: we have had a dose from Bath, and by
long-standing convention, a Member is not called twice on
substantive questions. If the hon. Lady seeks to catch my
eye during topical questions, she may be successful. I
admire her persistence, but I hope she will understand that
that is the way we operate.
-
(Lichfield)
(Con)
She is greedy.
-
Mr Speaker
No, no. The hon. Lady is not greedy; she is just keen.
Local Authority Plans
-
The Minister for Housing (Dominic Raab)
In nearly all cases, it is for local authorities to take
the final decision on a local plan. In the past two years,
50 local plans were deemed sound by planning inspectors,
and one by the Ministry itself.
-
Yes, but let us look at this consultation from last week.
According to the Government, neighbourhood plans can be
overturned by local councils above them, and—above
them—local council plans can be overturned by the Secretary
of State and his faceless bureaucrats. What is wrong in
this country with freedom and democracy, with local people
making the decisions effectively, fairly and
democratically? Is this Joe Stalin or English democracy
that this Government are forcing upon us?
-
For all that thunder and lightning, we are investing £23
million to support neighbourhood planning groups. I gently
remind the hon. Gentleman that 94% of councils have
published local plans, compared with 32% when Labour left
office. The previous Labour Government wantonly failed to
deliver on encouraging the take-up of local plans, where
this Government have succeeded.
-
(Taunton Deane)
(Con)
Talking of planning ahead, two councils in Somerset—Taunton
Deane Borough Council and West Somerset Council—are waiting
to form a single council. They have already had major
savings by sharing services jointly, but they now really
need to know if they can form one authority. Will my hon.
Friend update me on the progress of this process?
-
The issue is under imminent review. The Secretary of State
is giving it his personal attention and a decision will be
taken shortly.
-
(Stoke-on-Trent
Central) (Lab/Co-op)
Last week I attended a meeting of the Eaton Park residents
association as part of the consultation on Stoke-on-Trent’s
joint local plan. They are aghast at proposals to use the
greenfield site of Berryhill Fields, while brownfield sites
are left unlooked at. When it comes to looking for new
housing development sites, what can the Minister say to
ensure that those residents know that brownfield sites will
always be chosen over greenfield sites?
-
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. We have reinforced
the focus on brownfield first, plus things like looking for
extra density where it can be provided, through the
national planning policy framework. I look forward to his
supportive comments during the consultation.
New Homes for Social Rent
-
(East Ham) (Lab)
10. What recent assessment he has made of trends in the
number of new homes for social rent since 2010. [904298]
-
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing,
Communities and Local Government (Mrs Heather
Wheeler)
Since 2010 we have delivered 357,000 affordable homes,
including about 128,000 homes for social rent. The
Government are providing £9 billion for affordable housing,
a £1 billion housing revenue account borrowing freedom, and
rent certainty for social landlords. Those measures will
support social landlords to build more affordable homes
where the need is greatest.
-
The number of Government-funded homes built for social rent
fell to 199 in the past six months—the lowest number since
records have been kept. Is it not now clear that there is
an urgent need for a major Government-funded programme of
social housing?
-
Mrs Wheeler
I know that this is an issue that the right hon. Gentleman
has championed, and it is a pleasure to do business with
him. We absolutely recognise the critical role that
supported accommodation can play in helping vulnerable
people to live independently. In fact, we have delivered
almost 30,000 new units and we have plans to increase the
number in those areas that need it most.
-
(Harrow East)
(Con)
I thank my hon. Friend for her answers. Will she explain
why the Department is returning to the Treasury money that
could be used to build desperately needed affordable new
homes?
-
Mrs Wheeler
I am delighted that my hon. Friend has asked that question,
because some people seem to be causing mischief. This is
less than 3% of the total budget. The money has been
re-profiled, to come back in in future years. When
councils, local authorities and housing associations can
bid in, the money is there to be spent. We want it to be
spent.
-
(Nottingham North)
(Lab/Co-op)
Building council houses is a very effective and financially
prudent way to provide houses for social rent, but it is
being choked off by the Government persisting with only
inching the cap up, when they could remove it completely.
When will they remove the cap and let our councils get
building?
-
Mrs Wheeler
I do not understand why people misunderstand what is going
on in local government finance. For those areas with the
most serious shortages of affordable housing, the cap has
been lifted to £1 billion of borrowing. We need local
authorities to step up. If the hon. Gentleman’s local
council has projects, like mine does, they will be looked
on favourably. Please ask local councils to step up.
Rough Sleeping: West Midlands
-
(Dudley North) (Lab)
11. What recent estimate he has made of the number of
people sleeping rough in the west midlands. [904299]
-
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing,
Communities and Local Government (Mrs Heather
Wheeler)
The number of evening rough sleepers in the west midlands
has increased by eight people over the year from 2016 to
2017.
-
indicated dissent.
-
Mrs Wheeler
I have the figures, sir; please do not disagree with me. We
have committed to providing £28 million of funding to pilot
a Housing First approach in three major regions, including
that of the West Midlands combined authority. I look
forward very much to working with Mayor Street.
-
Anybody in the west midlands who hears the Minister say
that the number of rough sleepers has increased by only
eight will be absolutely staggered at this Government’s
complacency. The fact is that rough sleeping has soared,
not just in Birmingham but even in towns such as Dudley,
where, tragically, a homeless man died in a tent in the
past few weeks. The Mayor’s policy will not result in rough
sleeping being abolished until 2027. We need a much more
urgent approach. Are Ministers prepared to fund an
expansion of Birmingham City Council and the Labour police
and crime commissioner’s street intervention teams, which
have helped hundreds of people over the past few months?
-
Mrs Wheeler
That was a really good question. Intelligent questions in
this Chamber are helpful, because they mean we can give
intelligent answers. The intelligent answer is that the
Housing First project is about wraparound care, with £28
million of public money going to help to solve this
desperate problem. The advisory panel is meeting for the
third time in two weeks’ time and the taskforce has already
met. This is an urgent matter for the Government and it
will be solved.
Local Government Finance Settlement 2018-19
-
(Kingston upon Hull
North) (Lab)
12. What assessment he has made of the effect of the local
government finance settlement 2018-19 on the financial
sustainability of local authorities. [904300]
-
(Warwick and
Leamington) (Lab)
19. What assessment he has made of the effect of the local
government finance settlement 2018-19 on the ability of
local authorities to meet their statutory responsibilities.
[904307]
-
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing,
Communities and Local Government (Rishi Sunak)
The 2018-19 settlement is the third year of a four-year
deal providing funding certainty and is accepted by 97% of
councils. The settlement sees a real-terms increase in
resources to local government over the next two years,
totalling £45.1 billion in the forthcoming financial year.
-
Hull is the third most deprived local authority in the
country. Two thirds more Hull residents require social care
compared with the national average. We have lost half our
Government funding since 2010 and we will be getting the
lowest amount per head from the social care precept of any
Yorkshire and Humber council. With the Government having
got it so wrong so far, will the Minister guarantee that
Hull will now get a fair funding settlement?
-
The hon. Lady makes some comments about funding for
deprived areas. She will be pleased to know that funding
per household in her particular area is higher than the
average for unitary authorities across the country and that
in general the most deprived local authorities have funding
per household that is 23% higher than the most well-off. On
her point, I can reassure her that we are committed to
introducing a new fair funding formula and I look forward
to hearing the responses from her council as we develop it.
-
In a letter to the Secretary of State last month, the
Conservative leader of Warwickshire County Council stated
that in the council’s view the current funding model for
local government is unsustainable. Is she correct?
-
I appreciate that the hon. Gentleman makes a point about
the funding settlement and the formula. He will know from
his membership of the Select Committee, which I have just
had the pleasure to appear before, that we are looking very
hard at the structure of local government financing, both
increasing the amount of business rates retentions to 75%
and introducing a new needs-based formula that takes into
account updated needs and resources. I know his Committee
will play a huge part in making sure that we get that right
for Warwickshire and for the country.
-
Mr (South West Devon)
(Con)
Over the years, I have strongly supported the pressure we
have rightly put local authorities under to improve
efficiency and bear down on waste, and I am sure that
elsewhere in the country there are examples of where more
needs to be done. In the south-west, however, my impression
is that the finances of Devon, Plymouth and many other
local authorities have been cut to the bone. I think there
is an opportunity for the Government to be more generous
with efficient local authorities in the south-west to
enable them to make sure their priorities are delivered.
-
I pay tribute to the work of local government across the
country. Local authorities have done a commendable job over
the past few years of delivering high quality services in a
difficult financial climate. I thank them, as I know their
constituents do. On my hon. Friend’s point, I look forward
to the representations from Devon and the south-west as we
reform local government financing through the fair funding
formula which is coming soon.
-
Mr (Tottenham) (Lab)
24. On 4 July, the Secretary of State said to the House
that he would help, with every precaution, local
authorities dealing with the cladding problem across our
country following the Grenfell Tower fire. Why is it,
despite over 41 local authorities asking for that help and
the Department giving £817 million back to the Treasury,
has he not been able to find the money to help those poor
worried people who are in those buildings as we speak?
[904312]
-
The Department is in discussions with multiple local
authorities on the requirements to improve the safety of
buildings. My understanding is that the Department has not
said no to any local authority thus far that is seeking
flexibility with those plans.
-
(High Peak) (Lab)
My own council in Derbyshire has seen £180 million—over
half of its budget—cut in the past seven years. It cannot
now offer enough money for social care packages for
terminally ill people to receive care in their own home.
They are being forced to die in hospital away from their
loved ones. What will the Minister do to make sure that
councils receive the proper funding that they need to be
able to free up hospital beds and support families in the
most urgent need?
-
As we have been discussing, the Government have put extra
financial resources into social care. It is pleasing to see
that over the past year, delayed transfers of care across
England attributable to social care have fallen by 34%,
showing that the resources we are putting in are making a
difference on the ground.
-
(Kingston upon Hull West
and Hessle) (Lab)
Since 2010, Hull City Council has been forced to cut its
children’s services budget by £37.2 million, which means
that it has not had the money that it has needed for early
intervention support for families. It is no surprise that
the number of looked-after children in Hull has increased
by 140—that is 140 children’s lives changed forever. Will
the Minister please give authorities such as Hull City
Council more money, so that they can give those families
support when they need it, before they enter crisis?
-
The hon. Lady is absolutely right to highlight the
important work that prevention plays. Nobody wants to see a
child in need in those circumstances, which is why this
Government have committed almost £1 billion to the troubled
families programme over this period in the spending review.
As recent results have shown, that is reducing the number
of children in need after heavy intervention from their key
workers in the programme.
-
(Oldham West and Royton)
(Lab/Co-op)
Last week, the respected National Audit Office published
its report on the financial sustainability of local
authorities. It laid clear the significant challenges faced
by councils and the vital services that they deliver. Can
the Secretary of State prove that he is on the side of
local councils and place in the House of Commons Library
any submissions that he has made to the Chancellor ahead of
the spring statement?
-
I also read the National Audit Office report with interest.
I was pleased to see that it made very positive comments
about the Department’s work in getting to grips with the
challenges across local government and making sure that the
sector is properly resourced and looks forward to the
reviews that are being put in place to improve funding and
business rates retention.
Council Housing
-
(Eltham) (Lab)
13. What resources he is providing to local authorities to
build council housing. [904301]
-
The Minister for Housing (Dominic Raab)
The Government are committed to delivering a new generation
of council homes, and we are providing local authorities
with the tools and resources to deliver them.
-
In 2009-10, the last Labour Government had 40,000 housing
starts in one year. This Government have financed 199 in
the last six months. Given that we have such a shortage of
social housing and a homelessness crisis, how do the
Government explain this risible performance?
-
For the record on the hon. Gentleman’s figures, local
authorities have built over 10,000 homes since 2010-11
compared with under 3,000 in the 13 years of the last
Labour Government. We are restless to do much more, and
that is why we are raising the housing revenue account
borrowing cap by up to £1 billion to make sure that we spur
local house building as far and as wide as we can.
-
Sir (New Forest West)
(Con)
Is it in the interests of the private sector to build in
sufficient quantity as to achieve a reduction in price?
-
It is a good question, and probably one for a symposium
with everyone from developers to planners. The reality is
that we want to see a stabilisation in house prices. We
need to build more homes and deal with some of the demand
issues that have been raised. There is no single answer; we
have to yank every lever at our disposal 20% or 30% harder.
Support for Local Government
-
(Charnwood)
(Con)
14. What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his
Department’s support for local government. [904302]
-
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing,
Communities and Local Government (Jake Berry)
The 2018-19 settlement sees a real-terms increase in
resources for local government over the next two years,
increasing from £44.3 billion to £45.6 billion.
-
My hon. Friend will be aware that under Governments of both
parties, Leicestershire has had one of the lowest per head
of population funding settlements in the country. Will he
ensure that as the new funding system is consulted on and
brought in, it addresses this issue and provides fair
funding for Leicestershire, alongside his Department
continuing to support our councils in driving further
efficiencies and service improvements?
-
In particular for Leicestershire but for all councils,
there could be no better champion than my hon. Friend of
fairer funding for the many councils, not the few. This
evidence-based review will provide an opportunity for more
accurate funding allocations for Leicestershire and other
councils.
-
(Denton and Reddish)
(Lab)
On 4 December, the Secretary of State told the House that
“the local government finance settlement is coming along
shortly, and he can look to see what happens with
that.”—[Official Report, 4 December 2017; Vol. 632, c.
684.]
Apart from our finding out that the Secretary of State is
bad at maths and does not know what is happening in his
Department, the settlement came and went with no help for
children’s services. Since then, Tory Northamptonshire
Council has effectively gone bust, citing children’s
services as one of the main cost pressures, and only last
week the National Audit Office published a damning report
showing the worst crisis in the local government sector’s
170-year history. That is happening on these Ministers’
watch. With the spring statement tomorrow, what will the
Minister do to ensure that our children’s services get the
£2 billion that even the Tory-controlled Local Government
Association says they so desperately need?
-
We have increased funding in real terms, which I am sure
the hon. Gentleman’s constituents, like mine, will welcome.
With the fairer funding review coming up, rather than
trying to score political points across the Chamber, why
does he not get involved with it so that local authorities
can concentrate on delivery?
-
Julia Lopez (Hornchurch and Upminster) (Con)
21. Can my hon. Friend provide assurances that the rapidly
increasing demographic pressures on outer London boroughs
will be fully considered as part of the fairer funding
review? [904309]
-
I can absolutely provide that assurance to my hon. Friend.
Demographic change will be at the heart of the fairer
funding review.
Children in Care
-
(Rutherglen and Hamilton
West) (Lab/Co-op)
15. What steps he is taking to support local authorities to
fulfil their statutory duties in relation to children in
care. [904303]
-
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing,
Communities and Local Government (Rishi Sunak)
Over the spending review period, councils will receive more
than £200 billion to deliver local services. This money is
largely not ring-fenced, so local authorities can
prioritise where they see fit, including for their
statutory duties relating to children in care.
-
With the education disparity between looked-after and
non-looked-after children being so wide, what more does the
Minister believe local authorities can do to bridge the
gap?
-
The hon. Gentleman raises a good point about the outcomes
for children in care. The Government are consulting and are
shortly to introduce the care leavers covenant, which will
look to support companies, charities and local government
to bring care leavers into employment after they leave
care, and we are strengthening corporate parenting
provisions under the Children and Social Work Act 2017.
Land Banking
-
(Vale of Clwyd)
(Lab)
17. What steps his Department is taking to tackle the
practice of land banking. [904305]
-
The Minister for Housing (Dominic Raab)
Over 1 million homes have been delivered since 2010, but we
are taking forward a range of reforms to build even more
homes more swiftly, including under the national planning
policy framework, which was published last week.
-
Two weeks ago, I asked the Department for the number of
houses that will not be built because of land banking, and
the answer came back:
“The Department does not hold the requested information.”
How can the Minister crack down on land banking if he has
no information? I believe that the Minister does have that
information, and I urge him to publish it so that he can
monitor the builders and we can monitor his performance.
-
I welcome that scrutiny. It is very difficult to establish
a negative in the way the hon. Gentleman suggests, but I
can reassure him, first, that we have the housing delivery
test in the NPPF, which will focus local authorities and
developers on the delivery of new homes, and, secondly,
that there is the review by my right hon. Friend the Member
for West Dorset (Sir Oliver Letwin) into build-out rates,
which will squarely address the point he is concerned
about.
Devolution to Towns and Cities
-
(Cleethorpes)
(Con)
18. What steps his Department is taking to devolve power to
towns and cities. [904306]
-
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing,
Communities and Local Government (Jake Berry)
For areas that have not agreed deals so far, we aim to be
able to provide clarity on how best to take forward their
ambitions for devolution and local growth over the coming
months.
-
The Minister will be aware that the Greater Lincolnshire
deal collapsed last year, despite its having the support of
an overwhelming number of the local authorities. Will the
Minister look favourably on a revised scheme from a smaller
number of authorities in the county?
-
Devolution could almost be regarded as the golden thread of
Brexit. If we want to take back control, we should bring
powers not just from Brussels to London but from London
back to our regions. Last Friday, I met borough and county
councils in both Gainsborough and the city of Lincoln, and
I was struck by the pent-up demand for devolution in
Lincolnshire. I suggest that my hon. Friend use his
considerable leadership role to drive forward devolution in
his area.
Topical Questions
-
(Corby) (Con)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities. [904314]
-
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local
Government (Sajid Javid)
Yesterday, we marked Mother’s Day, a few days after
International Women’s Day and the 100th anniversary of
women getting the vote. Hon. Members will want to join me
in applauding the exceptional women who make this country
great, including our Prime Minister, who last week launched
bold and ambitious reforms to planning rules to help to
build the homes this country needs. I am pleased to
announce that since my last departmental oral questions the
homelessness reduction taskforce has met for the first time
and that the Government have confirmed their support for
the national war memorial honouring Sikh servicemen.
-
Corby and East Northamptonshire have been at the forefront
of the building of new homes, which is entirely in line
with the agenda set out by the Prime Minister last week,
but can my right hon. Friend reassure my constituents that
the appropriate infrastructure will accompany those homes
at all times?
-
My hon. Friend is right to raise the importance of
infrastructure to the building of the homes that we need.
That is why the housing infrastructure fund is so
important. As a result of his hard work, Corby received £4
million in the first allocation, but I know that there is
much more to be done, and I am listening carefully to what
he says.
-
(Wentworth and Dearne)
(Lab)
Nine months on from the Grenfell Tower fire, can the
Secretary of State say—yes or no—whether every tower block
with a social or private landlord which has Grenfell-type
cladding has now been identified and tested?
-
The right hon. Gentleman is right to raise this issue. It
is, of course, absolutely key that we ensure that we are
helping local councils to identify those tower blocks. When
it comes to social housing, we believe that all those tower
blocks, whether owned by local councils or housing
associations, have been identified. We continue to work
with local councils, and that includes giving them
additional financial support. Just last week we gave them
£1 million to make sure that they had identified every
single tower block in the private sector, and they will
continue to receive whatever support they need.
-
I think that that was a long-winded “no”, and it was
consistent with the recent building safety data release.
How is it that, nine months after Grenfell, not all private
tower blocks with suspect cladding have been tested? Why
have only seven of 301 blocks with Grenfell-type cladding
had it removed and replaced? Why has not one of the 41
councils that have asked for financial help with extra fire
safety work even received an answer from the Department?
The right hon. Gentleman is the Housing Secretary. What
does he say to reasonable people faced with those facts who
feel that he is failing the Prime Minister’s pledge in
June, when she said:
“My Government will do whatever it takes to…keep…people
safe”?
-
Reasonable people understand just how important this issue
is, and they do not take kindly to the right hon.
Gentleman’s playing party politics with it. If he actually
cared about the issue, he would not raise it in such a way.
He would not use numbers and twist the facts to try to
scare the public. The truth is that we are working with
local authorities up and down the country to locate every
single building and take remedial measures, and also
helping them with funds. Despite what he has said, not a
single council has been turned away. We are talking to
every single council that has approached us, and we have
made it clear that they will all be given the financial
flexibility, if they need it, that will enable them to get
the job done.
-
(Faversham and Mid
Kent) (Con)
T4. Thousands of houses have been granted planning
permission in my constituency, but there are often long
delays before they are actually built. What steps is my
right hon. Friend taking to ensure that, when planning
permission is granted, homes are built, particularly
affordable homes? [904317]
-
I can give my hon. Friend the assurance for which she has
asked. First, we have commissioned independent work from my
right hon. Friend the Member for West Dorset (Sir Oliver
Letwin) on speeding up building once planning permission
has been granted. We shall hear more about that this week.
Secondly, the consultation that was published earlier this
week focuses on developer contributions in particular, and
the need to ensure that developers stick to their word and
can no longer game the system.
-
(Warwick and
Leamington) (Lab)
T2. On 1 March we saw the relaunch of the parliamentary
campaign for council housing, bringing together MPs in all
parties to call for the mass building of council housing.
Can the Secretary of State, or a Minister specify what the
Department is doing to accelerate the expansion of the
building of council housing? [904315]
-
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing,
Communities and Local Government (Mrs Heather
Wheeler)
I reiterate that we are raising the housing revenue account
borrowing limit to £1 billion for local authorities where
there is the highest need for new council housing to be
built. Again, please may I ask the hon. Gentleman to
encourage councils in his area to apply?
-
(Brentwood and Ongar)
(Con)
T5. What recent assessment has the Department made of the
success of the troubled families programme? [904318]
-
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing,
Communities and Local Government (Rishi Sunak)
I know that my hon. Friend has a long history of being
interested in this programme. He will be pleased to know
that the evaluation reports published in December showed
promising progress, particularly with regard to children in
need. Further findings will be published in the annual
report, and I look forward to discussing them at length
with my hon. Friend then.
-
(Battersea)
(Lab)
T3. The current definition of affordable housing,
introduced by the coalition Government, is set at 80% of
local market rate, but when house prices are spiralling out
of control, as they are in my constituency, this definition
of affordable housing is a cruel joke to those on low or
median income. Will the Secretary of State commit to
replacing this absurd definition so that housing can be
genuinely affordable to my constituents? [904316]
-
The Minister for Housing (Dominic Raab)
I understand the issue the hon. Lady raises. I would just
say that the numbers on social housing waiting lists are
down by half a million since 2010, and the number of
affordable homes in total, including social housing, is
higher in the last seven years than in the last seven years
of the last Labour Government. However, we are anxious to
do even more. I am not sure that fiddling with the criteria
for how these things are measured is the answer. We need to
build more homes across the board and I welcome the hon.
Lady’s support in that regard.
-
(Loughborough)
(Con)
T7. My hon. Friend the Member for Charnwood (Edward Argar)
has already raised the issue of fairer funding for
Leicestershire County Council. The county council is
broadly supportive of the Government’s consultation, but
does the Minister agree that the overall funding formula
needs to be looked at in detail because, if the baseline is
not addressed Leicestershire will still be falling behind
other county councils? [904320]
-
I very much agree with my right hon. Friend, and
Leicestershire in particular has done much work on this,
which will certainly feed into the consultation on fairer
funding that is closing today. My hon. Friend the Minister
for Housing recently met with Leicestershire and I would be
very happy to meet my right hon. Friend to discuss this
further.
-
(Glasgow North)
(SNP)
T6. Given the importance of European Union regional
development funding to communities in Scotland and across
the UK, what discussions is the Secretary of State having
with the Treasury about replacement funding after Brexit?
[904319]
-
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing,
Communities and Local Government (Jake Berry)
We are having wide discussions with all Departments across
Government consulting on the UK’s shared prosperity fund,
which, crucially, in a post-Brexit world, will deliver on
Britain’s priorities when it comes to local growth funding.
-
(Thirsk and Malton)
(Con)
T8. A recent report by the Campaign to Protect Rural
England says that viability assessments favour large
developers over small developers and cut the number of
affordable homes by 50%. Will the Minister take the
strongest possible action to make sure that small and
medium-sized enterprises compete on a level playing field
with large developers, and that developers provide homes
for those most in need? [904321]
-
My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and through our
planning reforms we are putting far more rigour into the
system so that plans are clear about the obligations
expected for infrastructure and affordable houses, and also
so that developers can be properly held to account in
meeting those aspirations and commitments.
-
(Kingston upon Hull
North) (Lab)
T9. If the Government are serious about the northern
powerhouse and improving connectivity between communities
in the north, does the northern powerhouse Minister
think Transpennine’s plans to lengthen
journeys from Hull across the Pennines, and not turning up
to a meeting with the city’s MPs and business leaders last
week to discuss this, will help to deliver his plans for
the northern powerhouse? [904322]
-
It is extremely disappointing if Transpennine did not turn up to a
meeting with Members of Parliament from the city of Hull. I
hope that the hon. Lady will be encouraged, however, that
we are investing £13 billion—more money than any Government
in history—in our northern transport infrastructure, and we
have also set up Transport for the North, a subnational
statutory transport body, which is currently consulting on
a 30-year plan to improve transport across the north of
England. That is how to deliver a northern powerhouse.
-
(Erewash) (Con)
T10. With High Speed 2 set to displace a number of tenants
living in social housing in my constituency, will my hon.
Friend consider whether the Rent Act 1977, which obliges
councils to rehouse council tenants whose homes are subject
to compulsory purchase orders, will need amending to
reflect the fact that the majority of social housing stock
is now owned by housing associations rather than local
authorities? [904323]
-
I entirely understand my hon. Friend’s concerns, but I hope
that I can give her some reassurance. I do not think that
there is any need to amend the 1977 Act because local
authorities are already obliged, through the Housing Act
1996, to consider those in need of social housing, so local
authorities will make appropriate nominations to housing
associations or offer tenancies in their own stock.
-
(Birmingham, Selly Oak)
(Lab)
March is generally regarded as the start of the illegal
Traveller encampment season. Given that the hon. Members
for Reading West (Alok Sharma) and for Nuneaton (Mr Jones)
are no longer in their posts in the Department, what has
happened to the consultation and the timescale for action
that the Government promised my frustrated constituents?
-
It is an important issue, and we are looking to see what
more we can do with the challenges that it represents. We
are planning to publish a consultation and will do so as
soon as possible.
-
Mrs
(Berwick-upon-Tweed) (Con)
An article in The Sunday Times yesterday highlighted that
some councils are still performing mass burials of babies.
To be honest, I was appalled. Some research today has
identified that, despite campaign efforts by colleagues
across the House and charities such as CLIC Sargent, we
have not yet been able to set up a children’s funeral fund.
Will the Secretary of State meet me to progress the matter?
-
Nothing can be harder on a parent than losing a child, and
we must always look to see what can be done to provide
help. Local authorities do provide help in many ways, but
my hon. Friend is right to raise this matter. I, too, was
concerned by the article she mentioned, and I will be happy
to meet with her.
-
Mr Speaker
Patience rewarded—I call .
-
(Bath) (LD)
Thank you, Mr Speaker. Every day is a school day,
particularly when it comes to parliamentary conventions.
Affordable housing and council housing are not the same.
Instead of always mentioning affordable housing and council
housing in the same breath, will the Minister consider
amending the national planning policy framework to enable
councils to specify in their strategic plans different
housing types for each site allocation?
-
The hon. Lady makes an important point but, if she looks at
the detail of the new revised national planning policy
framework, she will see that there is scope for local
authorities to make precisely the distinction that she
mentions. I look forward to her support.
-
(Filton and Bradley
Stoke) (Con)
When are we likely to get a decision on the fantastic plans
for expansion at the Mall at Cribbs Causeway in my
constituency? With the greatest of respect, I do not know
why the Secretary of State is taking so long, because I do
not know what there is not to like about thousands of new
permanent jobs, more housing and better transport
infrastructure.
-
I should declare an interest, because I have been shopping
at Cribbs Causeway many times and it is probably my mum’s
favourite shopping complex. It is a live planning issue and
we are considering it in detail. It is relatively complex,
but we will try to reach a decision as quickly as possible.
-
Mr Speaker
It is very useful to learn about Ministers’ domestic
habits, and we are grateful to the Secretary of State for
providing further information on that score.
-
(Harrow West)
(Lab/Co-op)
The Conservative-run Northamptonshire County Council has
recently gone bust. Was that due to a lack of Government
funding or local incompetence?
-
The council has not gone bust. Owing to concerns around its
finances, I appointed an independent investigation weeks
ago—a best-value inspection—and the inspector, Mr Max
Caller, will report back later this week.
-
(Broxtowe) (Con)
I welcome the Government’s encouraging words about the need
to improve funding for the upper tiers, but will the
Secretary of State congratulate the Conservative-run
Broxtowe Borough Council, which has frozen its council tax
yet again while delivering excellent services, reducing
rents by 1% and spending half a million pounds on parks and
open spaces? Does he share my amazement that the council’s
Labour and Lib Dem members voted against this otherwise
excellent budget?
-
I am not amazed by the behaviour of Labour and the Lib
Dems, because such behaviour is sadly happening throughout
the country. I warmly congratulate Broxtowe Borough Council
on keeping taxes low and service delivery high, which is a
reminder—so close to the local elections—that Conservative
councils cost less and deliver more.
-
Mr (Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op)
May I raise Grenfell and cladding in a nice, non-political
way? I am sure that the Secretary of State will agree that
the facts of the matter are that the Government have
rightly increased the standards and that the costs should
surely be borne partly by the freeholder, partly by the
leaseholder and partly by the Government. Why not get the
three parties together to do something about that?
-
We have made it clear that, when it comes to the private
sector and this type of remedial work, it should take a
lead from the social sector. It is the moral duty of any
freeholder to meet any necessary costs. There are a number
of legal issues. There is an important legal case that is
going through the courts right now, so I will not comment
much more, but it is something that we are keeping under
review.
-
(St Austell and Newquay)
(Con)
Councils in rural areas have received a raw deal on local
government funding for many, many years, even though the
cost of delivering services in rural areas is often
significantly higher. Will the Minister assure me that in
the local government finance review the true cost of
delivering services will be considered and that rural areas
get a fair deal?
-
I know that my hon. Friend is a doughty champion of rural
areas. I am delighted to tell him that his point will be
exactly considered in the fair funding formula. I am sure
that he will be heartened by the local government finance
settlement, where we increase rural services delivery grant
to its highest ever level.
-
Several hon. Members rose—
-
Mr Speaker
We have three remaining questioners if each of the three
agrees to ask a single-sentence question not exceeding 20
words. I call Mr .
-
(Witney) (Con)
I know that the Secretary of State is well aware of the
requirement for infrastructure when new homes are built.
What can he do to include broadband in that?
-
We are working with the Department for Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport to do just that.
-
Mr Speaker
He is not a lawyer for nothing. I call Julia Lopez.
-
Julia Lopez (Hornchurch and Upminster) (Con)
Thank you, Mr Speaker. Following revelations in The Sunday
Times about fraudulent Grenfell aid claims, what assurances
can my right hon. Friend offer that financial support is
going only to those directly affected by this tragedy?
-
I will not comment on the particular claims—I am sure that my
hon. Friend will understand—but it is important that both the
council and the police are working together on any such
alleged behaviour.
-
(Taunton Deane) (Con)
Under its new garden town status, Taunton Deane is delivering
well above the national average for houses, which the
Secretary of State will welcome. Does he agree that the best
way to provide the infrastructure that those houses need is
to succeed with the recently submitted housing infrastructure
forward funding bid, put in with West Somerset Council?
-
Yes.
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