Fire Safety Remediation: Protection for Leaseholders
(Putney) (Lab)
1. What steps he is taking to protect leaseholders from the costs
of fire safety remediation.
(Battersea) (Lab)
15. What steps he is taking to protect leaseholders from the
costs of fire safety remediation.
(Bedford) (Lab)
17. What steps he is taking to protect leaseholders from the
costs of fire safety remediation.
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
()
I have enormous sympathy with leaseholders who are being landed
with bills for faults for which they were not responsible and for
which the responsibility for remediation truly lies elsewhere. I
and my Department are looking at every available means to ensure
that the burden is lifted from leaseholders’ shoulders and placed
where it truly belongs.
I am glad to hear that response. Hundreds of Putney leaseholders
are facing agonising waits to get funding through the building
safety fund. People in the Radial development have been waiting
for 16 months, people in Hardwicks Square have been waiting for
17 months and those in the Swish building have been stuck at
stage 2 for 11 months. Meanwhile, one constituent is paying more
than £4,000 in insurance for a two-bedroom flat following a 500%
hike, which is not unusual. What is the Minister doing urgently
to speed up and simplify the building safety fund application
process and also to prevent insurers from cashing in?
As the hon. Lady rightly points out, leaseholders find themselves
caught in an invidious vice, whereby they are not only having to
pay remediation costs, but also find that insurance costs and the
capacity to sell on their flat are compromised by the situation
in which we find ourselves. Making sure that individuals are in
safe buildings is our first responsibility, and to do that we
must make sure that the building safety fund pays out and that we
get support for remediation from those in the private sector, who
also have a share of responsibility. I hope to update the House
on our plans shortly.
Leaseholders in Battersea should not be held responsible for
paying for remediation works when their homes were sold to them
with the assurance that they were safe. Due to the poorly
regulated EWS1 assessments, there have been cases where homes
were being awarded a B2 classification—the lowest
category—leaving leaseholders expected to pay for the repairs. In
one case, leaseholders in Battersea challenged that, providing
evidence proving that the building was of A2 classification. What
action is the Secretary of State taking to ensure that
leaseholders are protected from erroneous EWS1 assessment
outcomes and that the process is not a barrier to selling or
remortgaging, including properties below 18 metres?
The hon. Lady’s question emphasises the complexity of the issue,
but that is no reason not to take action to help her constituents
and others. One of the principal concerns that I know many
leaseholders have is that lenders will require the EWS1 form. The
EWS1 form is a consequence of previous Government acts and
decisions made by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
and others. We need to ensure co-ordinated action across the
piece to ensure we are in a stronger position to free people from
the position in which they currently find themselves.
A number of my constituents are facing terrifying bills for
remedial works. One couple made redundant due to covid need to
sell their apartment urgently, but are trapped because of the
safety issues. They have since heard that the developers have
gone bust. I was pleased to hear the Secretary of State recognise
how unfair it is to expect leaseholders to pay remediation costs,
but they are expected to, and people are desperate. The Leasehold
Reform (Ground Rent) Bill is a wasted opportunity to help them.
When will this unjust mess finally be sorted out?
Again, the hon. Gentleman reminds us in the case of his
constituents how widespread this challenge is. The leasehold
reform Bill can play a significant part in ensuring that the
position of those in the future can be safeguarded, but we need
to take action even before that legislation comes forward, and I
hope to update the House shortly on a series of measures that I
hope will help bring some relief to his constituents and
others.
(Hitchin and Harpenden)
(Con)
I have a constituent in my constituency who has been severely
affected by the lack of progress on building safety fund funding.
He is an example of the complexity and the “invidious vice” that
the Secretary of State mentions from the Dispatch Box. Will he
agree to meet me to discuss the particular complexities of this
situation?
My hon. Friend has been campaigning incredibly assiduously behind
the scenes on behalf of those who have been caught in this vice.
It is the case that 700 or so disbursements have been made from
the building safety fund so far, but we realise that we need to
take a number of measures to address this situation. He is right
that we need to do so with a sense of urgency, but we also need
to ensure that those measures are appropriately co-ordinated to
have the beneficial impact we would all like to see.
(Ipswich) (Con)
I very much welcome the fact that a number of properties in
Ipswich have been successful on building safety funding, but I am
concerned about the conditions that many people renting flats are
having to live through as the work is carried out. Yes, the work
must be carried out quickly, but in one case residents are
expected to live for 12 months behind shrink wrap with no natural
light whatsoever. Does my right hon. Friend agree that we must
balance the need to do the work quickly and make buildings safe
with the mental health and wellbeing of residents who are
expected to live in properties while that work takes place?
My hon. Friend makes a very good point. I do not know whether the
constituents to whom he refers are in private rented sector
accommodation or social tenants. In the latter case, some of the
changes that we hope to make with our forthcoming social housing
Bill will help to ensure that tenants are treated as they should
be by all registered social landlords. We are also looking at
appropriate re-regulation of the private rented sector.
(Rochester and Strood)
(Con)
Residents at The Wharf, a building of below 18 metres, are being
asked by the management company to foot large bills for works to
their building next year. Will my right hon. Friend outline how
he will support those residents? Time is of the essence, and some
residents will simply not be able to pay.
My hon. Friend makes a very important point. It is vital that we
proceed as quickly as possible on 18 metre-plus buildings
rendered unsafe because of aluminium composite material or other
forms of cladding whose unsuitability the Grenfell tragedy laid
bare, to make them safe. For some buildings of between 11 metres
and 18 metres, it is important that we take a proportionate
approach to safety and cost. Safety must come first, but for a
number of buildings between 11 and 18 metres, the action needed
can be taken quickly and may not be at the level or intensity—or
certainly the cost—of action required in other buildings.
(Weaver Vale) (Lab)
If I include the Secretary of State, Housing Ministers have
promised 19 times to protect leaseholders from historical
remediation costs, yet as we speak we know of thousands of people
receiving invoices for astronomical remediation costs.
Thirty-three such residents are in Oyster Court in London, and
they could face bills of up to £80,000 each following an
assessment using the Government’s new PAS 9980 form. We will hear
a lot more about that in the media. Have the Government added yet
another toxic layer to the mess? What will the Secretary of State
do about it?
I do not believe that the Government have added anything that is
toxic to this mess. We need to ensure that we are in a position
to reassure lenders, leaseholders and everyone in the market that
buildings are safe. We also need to ensure, exactly as the hon.
Gentleman indicates, that leaseholders are not paying and not
shouldering an unfair burden for the remediation required. As I
mentioned earlier, I hope to say more about that in due
course.
(New Forest East) (Con)
The Secretary of State, like me, has been in the House a long
time. Does he agree that this scandal measures up to some of the
worst that we have seen, whether it be contaminated blood or the
wrongful jailing of innocent postmasters? While I welcome his
change of tone, does he agree that people are constantly paying
out colossal sums for things such as waking watch, and that this
must be remedied?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. In arriving in this
role, I was struck by two things. The first was the combination
of circumstances that come so unfairly on to the shoulders of
people who bought their properties in good faith and now find
themselves landed with wholly disproportionate and unfair bills.
In fairness, to respond to the hon. Member for Weaver Vale
(), I also realised that my
predecessors had worked hard to deal with a situation that is
intrinsically complex. That is not to take away from the urgent
need to tackle it, but good people both in government and outside
have been attempting to deal with an interconnected set of
issues. My right hon. Friend is absolutely right that they must
be tackled, but, for a host of reasons, that requires not just
Government but others to fulfil their responsibilities.
Homes: Climate Standards
(Luton South) (Lab)
2. What steps he is taking to ensure all homes meet high climate
standards.
(Jarrow) (Lab)
8. What steps he is taking to ensure all homes meet high climate
standards.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
I welcome the hon. Members’ attention to this important issue.
Homes are among our biggest sources of emissions, and we are
committed to reducing the carbon they generate. The recently
published heat and buildings strategy sets out the steps required
to improve the energy performance of our homes, and through the
future homes standard, from 2025 we will deliver a 75% reduction
in CO2 emissions compared with homes built to the current
standard. However, we are not waiting until 2025 to take action:
as a carbon-saving step along the way, we will introduce an
interim uplift to the current standard before the end of this
year—and there is not a lot of time left, as you will have
spotted, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker
What are you trying to tell me?
The cost of living crisis is hitting families in Luton South and
across the UK hard, and it is set to get worse this winter. With
rising energy bills, taxes and food costs, we have never needed a
retrofit programme more than now, but the Government’s heat and
buildings strategy is inadequate and unambitious. In advance of
Fuel Poverty Awareness Day on Friday, will the Minister commit to
Labour’s 10-year plan to invest £6 billion a year in home
insulation and zero-carbon heating, which will improve our energy
security, create jobs and reduce carbon emissions, while also
helping to cut bills by £400 a year?
Mr Speaker, I do not know about you, but I spent the weekend
reading “My climate action plan: Becoming a carbon neutral
borough by 2040”, by the hon. Lady’s local council, and I
understand the effort the local council is putting into ensuring
that all homes are going to be net zero. Obviously, the
Government are committed to that. I am disappointed to hear her
say we are unambitious given that we have committed £3.9 billion
to the social housing decarbonisation fund and a further £450
million to the boiler upgrade scheme to ensure that people can
claim £5,000 per property to replace their boilers with
carbon-efficient alternatives.
There is a significant funding gap to meet the housing investment
requirements of the Government’s energy performance targets. I am
informed that housing organisations will be expected to fund the
majority of this investment over a 10-year period. In my
constituency of Jarrow and across the UK, local authorities have
had more than half their funding cut over the last 10 years. How
are local authorities expected to meet this required investment
despite the obvious financial challenges that they are currently
facing?
I would say that many local authorities are already making
considerable progress along these lines. I am delighted to see
that the hon. Lady’s local council has joined the ambitious UK100
network—a network of councils committed to achieving net zero as
soon as possible—and I understand that it has committed to being
carbon neutral by 2030, so it feels to me as though councils are
getting the funding that they need.
(South Norfolk) (Con)
There is very clear evidence that people who commission their own
houses do so to much higher environmental standards, thus doing
their own bit to protect against climate change. What plans do
Ministers have to make it easier for ordinary people on normal
incomes to get a serviced plot of land so that they can
commission their own, much greener houses?
My hon. Friend is a frequent champion of his cause in this
Chamber, and I think the simple answer to his question is the
funding that we are providing through the help to build scheme,
but I look forward to further conversations with him in the
future to see what else we can do to assist him.
(Stroud) (Con)
Stroud residents are pleased and relieved about the potential
reforms in place to build new net-zero homes and protect rural
areas from overdevelopment, but we have a local plan going
through now and there is a lot of unrest about the consultation
process, net-zero homes not being built and mass development in
places such as Sharpness. Will my hon. Friend meet me to discuss
the areas where local plans are going through now to see how we
may benefit from some of the fantastic work going on for the
future?
My hon. Friend is a doughty champion off all issues environmental
and net zero. I am not sure I am the correct Minister to meet
her, but if I am, I will, and if I am not, I will ask my right
hon. Friend the Minister for Housing to do so instead.
(Manchester Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
With energy costs rising exponentially and the Government having
scrapped Labour’s zero carbon homes policy months before it was
due to come in, abandoned the green homes grant and delayed the
future homes standard, is it not the case that families and
taxpayers pay the cost for the Government’s failures to make our
homes more sustainable? This is an obvious case of false economy,
with all of us paying more in the long run for higher bills and
future retrofitting costs. The Minister has already been asked
this question, but will he answer it this time: will he adopt
Labour’s plans for a national mission to retrofit every home that
needs it and bring forward all aspects of the future homes
standard without delay?
The simple answer is that this Government already have a pretty
good plan, so we do not need to look to others and adopt their
plans instead. It is unfortunate that the hon. Lady wrote her
questions in advance of my previous answers, in which I
mentioned, for instance, the £450 million that we have committed
to the boiler upgrade. So there is significant investment in this
area, we have a strong and sound plan, and progress is moving at
pace.
(Lichfield) (Con)
Has my hon. Friend examined the advantages of ground and air heat
pumps? I know it is difficult in smaller buildings to have ground
pumps because of the large infrastructure required, but air pumps
are a little more possible, so what encouragement can the
Government give to retrofit such pumps to existing homes?
In the summer I was fortunate to visit the Grey Mare Lane estate
in Beswick and see the work going on through the social housing
decarbonisation fund demonstrator. Heat pumps are being fitted,
and we will have the opportunity very soon to see how people
benefit from the experience of having those measures
introduced.
Children in Temporary Accommodation
(Mitcham and Morden)
(Lab)
3. What recent estimate he has made of the number of children in
temporary accommodation.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
It is certainly not ideal, but time spent in temporary
accommodation does that mean people are getting help and ensures
families have a roof over their heads. We are committed to
reducing the need for temporary accommodation by preventing
homelessness before it occurs, which is why we are investing £375
million this year to support local authorities to prevent
homelessness, an increase of £112 million on the sum last year.
However, on 30 June this year 124,290 dependent children were
living in temporary accommodation, although that is down 2.3% on
the same quarter last year.
Some 124,190 children will spend this Christmas in temporary
accommodation, without a place to call home. They will wake up in
hostels, bed and breakfasts and working industrial estates, often
far away from their schools and friends. Homeless families in the
UK are moved the equivalent of 400,000 miles around the globe
each year, at a staggering cost of over £1 billion. Given that
there have been over 100,000 children in temporary accommodation
since 2015, what hope can the Minister give this House, and more
importantly those children, that they will at some point have a
place to call home?
I completely sympathise with the cause trumpeted by the hon. Lady
and would say two things. First, some councils are doing
innovative work in this area: I understand Barnet Council is
working with Opendoor Homes to purchase properties itself to use
for temporary accommodation, as in that way it can at least
control the quality and associated cost. But my personal
preference is the work we are doing through Capital Letters,
which has been very successful so far in helping London boroughs
secure properties for use for temporary accommodation.
New Housing Developments: Community Consultation
(Wolverhampton South West)
(Con)
5. What steps he is taking to help ensure that local communities
are consulted effectively in the planning process for new housing
developments.
The Minister for Housing ()
As we know, local communities help to shape the identity of local
places, and it is right that they should be at the heart of our
planning reforms. I can tell my hon. Friend that public
engagement through consultations is already required for new
housing developments and in any preparation for local plans by
councils. We consider plans for the future as a priority to
ensure local people have a voice that is integrated much more
effectively into the planning process.
I welcome the Minister’s response on how we are making the system
more responsive to local residents, but what steps will he take
to ensure that residents have more of a say over the influence of
developer contributions to local communities such as mine in
Wolverhampton?
My hon. Friend makes an important point. Developer contributions,
provided by developers to local authorities in order to undertake
important infrastructure works, can often be slow to arrive, if
they arrive at all, and they are often not what was expected in
the first place. We want to put more power in the hands of local
authorities and local communities, and not developers. That is
one of the reasons why our infrastructure levy, which is under
development, will provide greater transparency and greater
certainty for communities about the important infrastructure that
they will get.
(Sheffield South East)
(Lab)
I think there is a desire across the House for a planning system
that gets homes built but also recognises the democratic rights
of local residents. Looking at the Minister’s planning reforms,
may I suggest that he drops his zonal proposals, which are really
quite bureaucratic and time consuming, and looks instead to
simplify the local plan system, allows for more residents to
contribute and be involved in it, and brings in his digital
proposals, which have been generally accepted? Once a local plan
is in place and an individual application comes in, should there
not be a presumption that that application will be accepted where
it is in agreement with the local plan, subject to any remaining
concerns from residents being taken into account and listened to
as part of the consideration of the application?
I am grateful to the Chairman of the Levelling Up, Housing and
Communities Committee, who makes some important and powerful
points. He is right that we need to have more people engaged in
the planning system. He will know that presently, about 1% of the
local community engages in local plan making; that is, as near as
damn it, local planners and their blood relations. That rises to
as much as 2% or 3% of the local community engaging in individual
local planning applications. We want to make sure that we have an
engaging process and that we use digitisation to help us with
that, and we will consider his proposals as we move forward with
our important planning reforms.
Transport Infrastructure: Cheshire
(Tatton) (Con)
6. What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State
for Transport on the potential contribution of transport
infrastructure to levelling up in Cheshire.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities (Neil O’Brien)
Levelling up is an ambition that runs right across the
Government. Ahead of the White Paper, the Transport Secretary and
the Levelling Up Secretary met in recent weeks to discuss the
critical contribution of transport to levelling up.
Winnington bridge provides vital access to thousands of homes and
businesses in Cheshire. It needs completely rebuilding to cope
with the current demands and the increased housing scheduled for
the area. May I urge the Government to provide funding for that
as part of their levelling-up agenda?
Neil O’Brien
I know that this is something that my right hon. Friend has been
campaigning very hard for. The next round of the levelling-up
fund will be open in spring next year, and I am sure that, with
her help, her local councils will be able to develop a strong bid
for that important bridge.
Integrated Rail Plan
(Bradford South) (Lab)
7. What assessment he has made of the implications for his
polices on levelling up of the integrated rail plan.
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
()
As the Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and
Communities, my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Neil
O’Brien), pointed out in response to the previous question,
levelling up involves every Department working in a co-ordinated
fashion to advance a series of policies that spread prosperity
more equally across the country. The £96 billion integrated rail
plan was the single largest rail investment ever made by a UK
Government.
There was broad agreement around Lord Heseltine’s 2012 report
that investment in rail infrastructure is central to a
levelling-up agenda. The integrated rail plan really only
delivers an upgrade to the existing lines, axing the eastern leg
of High Speed 2 and the new high-speed Northern Powerhouse Rail
line. How can the Secretary of State do his job now that the
integrated rail plan has derailed progress in the north? With
less than three weeks of parliamentary time left in 2021, when
will he publish his long-promised levelling-up White Paper, which
is due this year?
The hon. Lady makes two very good points. On the first, if we
look at the integrated rail plan, we can see that there are
significant benefits for communities across the north of England.
Indeed, travel time between Leeds and Bradford is reduced from,
in some cases, just over 20 minutes to 12 minutes. That is a
real, material benefit for citizens of both great cities. It is
also the case that the potential for further work in making sure
that we can have a more effective mass transit system in West
Yorkshire is inherent in the approach that was outlined by my
right hon. Friend the Transport Secretary. More broadly, I am
grateful to the hon. Lady for her anxiety to see the broader set
of plans that we are keen to bring forward shared with the House,
and we will do so at the earliest possible opportunity.
(Rossendale and Darwen)
(Con)
What my constituents in Rossendale and Darwen would have liked to
have seen in the integrated rail plan was a rail line from
Manchester to Rawtenstall, but they did not see it. With that in
mind and with our shared ambition to level up Rossendale and east
Lancashire, will my right hon. Friend look favourably on our
levelling-up bid, which will have transport and other schemes in
it, when it comes forward?
My right hon. Friend makes a very good point. East Lancashire and
its success must be at the heart of a successful approach towards
levelling up. Whether it is Rawtenstall, Bacup, Blackburn or
Burnley, we need to ensure that all communities in east
Lancashire feel they have the right investment not just in
transport, but in skills, schools, and ensuring that streets are
safe and communities can take back control.
(Manchester, Withington)
(Lab)
HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail were never just about train
lines and journey speeds; they are about regeneration
opportunities. In the case of the cancelled eastern leg, 38,000
homes were planned on the back of that line, which now will not
happen. Some £38 billion of economic growth in Bradford, reliant
on Northern Powerhouse Rail, has been cancelled. Local government
leaders in the north are united in their opposition to the £18
billion reduction in rail investment plans. Is the north not once
again being let down rather than levelled up?
I would contest that. Although the hon. Gentleman is absolutely
right to say that the integrated rail plan creates opportunities
for broader regeneration, it is important to recognise that
transport is not the only tool that can promote regeneration
across the midlands and the north of England. The work that Homes
England does in making sure we can unlock the potential of
brownfield sites for regeneration is critically important. I
appreciate the disappointment felt by communities in Bradford and
elsewhere, but there is more to come, both in transport and other
investment, that will ensure that we meet our shared objectives
to spread opportunity more equally across the geography of
England.
(North West Leicestershire)
(Con)
What conversations is my right hon. Friend having with the
Department for Transport with regard to restoring your railway
funding, in particular for the reopening of the Ivanhoe line in
North West Leicestershire, where we currently have no railway
stations at all?
I was unaware that there were no railway stations in North West
Leicestershire. For the citizens of Ashby de la Zouch and other
communities, transport connectivity is as important as it is for
citizens elsewhere. I will look at whether the Ivanhoe line can
secure the investment it needs. I know my hon. Friend is a white
knight for rail investment. North West Leicestershire could have
no surer champion in the jousting required to secure the
investment needed. [Hon. Members: “Groan.”]
Mr Speaker
Stick with the day job!
EWS1 Forms
(Rutherglen and Hamilton
West) (Ind)
9. What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ guidance on EWS1 forms
is not a barrier to people selling their homes.
The Minister for Housing ()
The Government agree with the independent review of fire safety
that EWS1 forms should not be required on buildings under the
height of 18 metres. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
has issued guidance to professionals, as the hon. Lady will know,
on when EWS1 forms are required. That is being reviewed following
the independent expert group’s statement.
In February, the former Housing Secretary announced his
five-point plan to bring confidence to the housing market,
committing to a state-backed professional indemnity insurance
scheme for professionals. We still have not seen the scheme
materialise, so will the Minister provide an update today on when
that scheme will become available?
The hon. Lady is quite right. We made that commitment and we
adhere to it in the narrow circumstances that are required to
give fire risk assessment assurers confidence that PII ought to
apply. We believe that, collectively, the associated facts of the
Fire Safety Act 2021 and the fire safety order, the withdrawal of
consolidated advice note PAS9980, and the introduction of British
Standards Institution standards, will ensure a much clearer
approach to the sorts of challenges that she outlines.
Community Funding: Scottish Borders
(Berwickshire, Roxburgh and
Selkirk) (Con)
10. What assessment he has made of the potential effect of the
community renewal fund on local communities’ preparedness for the
introduction of the UK shared prosperity fund in the Scottish
Borders.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities (Neil O'Brien)
The UK community renewal fund and its successor, the UK shared
prosperity fund, are examples of how we will have more
flexibility to support communities now that we have left the EU.
The CRF is funding eight projects in the Borders including on
employment support, skills development and environmental
sustainability. That will help to pilot new approaches and is
helping to inform the design of the UK SPF.
I was delighted to see eight successful projects from the
Scottish Borders secure funding from the community renewal fund.
It is brilliant to see the United Kingdom Government delivering
in all parts of this kingdom. I want to see even more successful
bids from the UK shared prosperity fund, so will the Minister
come to my constituency to visit the Burnfoot Community Futures
trust to discuss how its application might be as strong as
possible?
Neil O'Brien
I would be delighted to have an excuse to get back up to the
Borders.
(Croydon North) (Lab/Co-op)
Last week, the Minister for Levelling Up Communities told us that
many community renewal fund projects will finish late. That will
further delay the UK shared prosperity fund, under which areas
such as Cornwall have so far received only 1% of the amount that
they lost in European funding, having been promised that they
would get all of it back. Will the Minister tell us how the
latest CRF delays will affect the roll-out of the UK shared
prosperity fund?
Neil O'Brien
All the successful community renewal fund bids have been given
additional time to deliver their good programmes. We have asked
them all to be in touch if there is any issue and we stand by our
commitments to Cornwall and other places to which we have made
commitments to match EU funding.
There is a worrying pattern with this Government of overpromising
and underdelivering, is there not? We have had the great train
robbery and the return of the dementia tax and now they have
postponed levelling up. The community renewal fund is plagued by
delays. More than £1 billion of towns fund money has not even
been allocated yet, and two years after the scheme was announced,
it still has not delivered anything. If this is the Minister’s
idea of levelling up, does he accept that it is just not good
enough?
Neil O'Brien
The hon. Gentleman says that the scheme has not delivered
anything. I was in Norwich on Friday opening the first project
ever funded by the towns fund. Whether it is the towns fund, the
future high streets fund, the community renewal fund, the shared
prosperity fund or the levelling-up fund, this Government are
determined to put the financial firepower behind communities’
ambitions across this entire United Kingdom, so that we can level
up and unite this country.
(North Ayrshire and Arran)
(SNP)
The Institute for Public Policy Research has pointed out that the
UK shared prosperity funding of £1.5 billion from 2025 falls far
short of the £11 billion that would have been received from the
EU between 2021 and 2027. Will the Minister explain why the UK
Government have not delivered on their promise to replace EU
structural funds in full?
Neil O'Brien
The UK Government will match the spending that different places
had through the EU. We have had a delighted reaction from many of
the places across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have
secured funding through the different routes that are now
available, and we have all the additional flexibility and a
reduction in the bureaucracy of those old EU schemes. The
replacement funding not only matches the quantum of the funding
that we used to get through the EU, but gets rid of that
unnecessary bureaucracy.
Homelessness Reduction: London
(Hornsey and Wood Green)
(Lab)
12. What support his Department is providing to reduce
homelessness in London.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
This year, councils will receive £375 million to prevent
homelessness, with almost 50% of that funding going to London
councils. The funding is part of an overall investment in England
of more than £800 million to tackle homelessness and rough
sleeping this year.
Will the Government consider a specific fund for the relatively
small number of families with children who have a terminal
illness? I have several cases where there are specific
requirements around enlarged doorways and an extra bedroom so
that nurses and doctors can get around the bed and the child can
have care at home. Will the Minister look at specific funding for
certain London councils to provide that sort of special housing
need?
I think it would be easier for me to agree to meet the hon. Lady
to discuss the specific details of the case that she is talking
about.
Planning (Street Plans) Bill
(Weston-super-Mare) (Con)
13. What assessment he has made of the potential effect of
provisions in the Planning (Street Plans) Bill to allow residents
to vote on the design of new homes in their streets on levels of
housing supply.
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
()
It is a cracking private Member’s Bill. We shamelessly want to
rip off all the ideas in it and take them for our own.
I am delighted to hear it. Will the Secretary of State look not
only at those ideas, but at the related “build up, not out”
proposals in my soon-to-be-launched policy paper “Poverty
Trapped”? Both enshrine local democratic consent and style codes
as essential steps for new developments. Does he agree that they
are both vital to unlocking the scale of home building that will
make buying or renting homes more affordable, reducing poverty
and levelling up communities everywhere?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is rare that we have
legislation that combines greater democratic control with the
potential for the beautification —for want of a better word—of
our urban and suburban environment, and also unlocks the
potential for the value of individuals’ homes to be enhanced by
additional development. It is a triple whammy of good news; we
just need to make sure that it meshes with everything else that
we want to do that is beneficial. I am really grateful to my hon.
Friend and all the supporters of his legislation for helping the
Government out so much.
(Kingston upon Hull West and
Hessle) (Lab)
Residents in Hull and Hessle are often fearful that the design of
new homes and new housing developments will lead to increased
flooding. Anybody who has been a victim of flooding knows how
utterly devastating it is for everybody concerned, so will the
Secretary of State meet me to discuss my ten-minute rule Bill,
the Flooding (Prevention and Insurance) Bill, which is designed
to improve and strengthen flood mitigation and flood protection
measures for all new builds?
I know how prone so many communities in the East Riding are to
flooding. It is vital that we balance the need for new housing
with making sure that there is appropriate mitigation, so I will
ensure that I or another relevant Minister meet the hon. Lady to
discuss her Bill and how we can take forward those provisions
that mesh with our own ambitions.
Dorset: Increasing Opportunity
(West Dorset) (Con)
14. What steps he is taking to increase opportunity in
Dorset.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities (Neil O’Brien)
The Government are committed to levelling up the whole country,
and Dorset is no exception. The new community renewal fund is
investing in enterprise and skills training for young people in
Dorset. The local growth fund in Dorset has contributed more than
£98 million to 54 projects. We are also investing nearly £12
million into Dorset through the getting building fund to
stimulate job creation and support the region’s economic
recovery.
Dorset Council has historically been very financially
responsible, spending wisely according to need, but now we are
facing more pressure than ever, particularly from the cost of
social care and the need to provide vital rural transport links.
Will my hon. Friend confirm that Dorset will get its fair share
in the upcoming local government funding settlement? Will he and
his Front-Bench colleagues do all they can to support any future
levelling-up funding requests from Dorset?
Neil O’Brien
My hon. Friend makes a very good point. Yes, the Government are
providing approximately £1.6 billion in additional grant funding
in the LGDEL— local government departmental expenditure limit—
each year. That follows year-on-year real-terms increases for
local government since the 2019 spending review. It will allow
councils to increase spending on vital public services such as
social care. We will set out more details in the upcoming
provisional local government finance settlement later this
year.
Accessibility Standards for New Homes: Consultation Response
(Blaydon) (Lab)
16. What his Department’s timescale is for responding to the
consultation on raising accessibility standards for new homes
which closed in December 2020.
The Minister for Housing ()
My Department is considering responses to this very important
consultation. We will publish a response that sets out next steps
for increasing the supply of accessible homes as soon as
possible.
Housing association Habinteg estimates that more than 400,000
wheelchair users are living in homes that are neither adapted nor
accessible. Having new accessible homes reduces the need to adapt
as individuals change during their lifetime and allows them to
live independently for longer. Will the Minister meet me and
experts from the Centre for Accessible Environments to find out
what good accessible design can mean for users?
I salute the hon. Lady’s industriousness, the all-party
parliamentary group that she leads, and the work that Habinteg
and other groups undertake. She will know that as part of the
affordable homes programme, between 2021 and 2026, 10% of the
homes to be built—about 20,000 new homes—will require adaptation
for living. I am very happy to meet her to discuss what more we
can do and how quickly we can bring forward our response to the
consultation.
Housing Developments: Infrastructure
(Tewkesbury) (Con)
18. If he will take steps to help ensure that additional
infrastructure is in place before medium to large-scale housing
developments are started; and if he will make a statement.
The Minister for Housing ()
That is exactly what we are doing. As we consider new housing
developments, it is important to ensure that infrastructure is in
place for local communities. Our £4.3 billion housing
infrastructure fund seeks to achieve that by investing to improve
connectivity, healthcare services and vital infrastructure before
housing is built.
Mr Robertson
I welcome the Minister’s words, but, having visited my area and
observed the flood risk there, does he agree that the drainage
capacity of an area should be assessed before any houses begin to
be built, and that that assessment should be independent rather
than being conducted by the water companies?
As my hon. Friend will know, the national planning policy
framework was amended in July this year to ensure that all
sources of flood risk, including drainage, are fully considered
before planning permission is granted by a local authority.
Sustainable drainage infrastructure is hugely important. I should
be happy to discuss the subject further with my hon. Friend, and
I draw his attention to the speech that I made in last week’s
Adjournment debate in response to my hon. Friend the Member for
Buckingham ().
Topical Questions
(Hyndburn) (Con)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities.
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
()
I am very conscious of the additional responsibilities that I
bear as Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, which is why I
was pleased not only to be able to attend the British-Irish
Council just over a week ago as a guest of the Welsh First
Minister, but to have the opportunity this weekend, as we all
consider how we deal with the shadow of the new omicron variant,
to discuss with First Ministers across this United Kingdom how we
can co-ordinate all our efforts in order to defeat this new covid
threat.
The Secretary of State may know that I have campaigned tirelessly
for investment in our town centres across Hyndburn and
Haslingden, and those millions of pounds of investment would make
a significant difference. Can he confirm that the second round
will be confirmed in the White Paper, and will he visit my home
of Hyndburn and Haslingden to see at first hand how the money
would be spent?
Absolutely, and we will be saying more about how we can ensure
that the remaining tranches of the levelling-up fund are
allocated fairly. Accrington and Oswaldtwistle speak to me even
now as communities that I would love to visit, with my hon.
Friend as my guide.
(Brentford and Isleworth)
(Lab)
Not only have reforms of permitted development rights led to a
new generation of slum housing, but the latest developments pose
a huge risk to the beating heart of our high streets. Communities
in this position have no voice and no say in these conversions,
and councils are powerless to stop them. Will the Government at
least give councils and communities some transparency, and
release in full the promised regulatory impact assessment of the
Department’s changes to permitted development rights?
The Minister for Housing ()
The hon. Lady is quite wrong in her assertion. Local authorities
do have powers to deny permitted development. Prior approvals are
required in respect of matters such as aspect, parking and access
before the buildings can be constructed. Authorities can also
apply for article 4 exemptions for areas in which PDRs will
therefore not apply. I can tell the hon. Lady that as a result of
our PDR changes, 84,000 new homes have been built which otherwise
might not have been built, often on brownfield sites and often in
town centres, to the betterment of those people who want to live
in them. These are advantages for home dwellers.
(Chipping Barnet)
(Con)
T5. The housing targets that are being asked of outer
London boroughs such as Barnet are simply too high. Will the
Secretary of State lower them so that we can halt urbanisation
and save the suburbs?
My right hon. Friend has spoken frequently and passionately about
the importance of a balanced approach to the assessment of
housing need across the United Kingdom. It is certainly true that
the way in which we assess it needs to be updated. I think it
only fair to say that every part of England—indeed, every part of
the United Kingdom—will have to share in making sure that we can
meet the housing needs of the next generation, but we are seeking
to achieve a fairer and more equitable distribution of need
across the country.
(North Ayrshire and Arran)
(SNP)
In contrast to what the Under-Secretary of State for Levelling
Up, Housing and Communities, the hon. Member for Harborough (Neil
O’Brien), said in his earlier answer, the Institute for
Government has said that, far from reducing bureaucracy, the UK
Government have, in the shared prosperity fund, established a
system that fails to include devolved Governments to the same
degree as previously, and that the United Kingdom Internal Market
Act 2020 facilitates the UK Government riding roughshod over
devolution. How can the Secretary of State in all honesty work to
improve intergovernmental relations when the core thrust of his
portfolio is about undermining devolution and overriding devolved
Governments?
I share the hon. Lady’s concern for enhancing and improving
devolution, which is why we are working with local government in
Scotland and, indeed, with Scottish National party Members of
this House, to help to ensure that the levelling-up fund, the
shared prosperity fund and the community ownership fund meet the
needs of individual communities. That is why we are so pleased
that the hon. Members for Aberdeen North () and for Aberdeen South
()—SNP MPs—and the SNP
councils in Edinburgh and Glasgow were so happy to work with us
on these funds. I have to say that I sometimes find it
surprising—
Mr Speaker
I call .
I find it surprising that local government in Scotland—
Mr Speaker
Order. Order. Secretary of State, it is not fair to take
advantage. I know you enjoy teasing them, but my problem is that
questions and answers are meant to be short and succinct—that is
why they are called topical questions—and Mr Rosindell is
desperate. Come on Andrew!
(Romford) (Con)
T6. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Secretary of State will be
aware that the Tenant Fees Act 2019 banned landlords from asking
for pet deposits or pet damage insurance, but AdvoCATs has found
that one in five landlords who previously allowed pets no longer
do so since the Act was passed. He will be aware of the letter
that I have sent him, signed by 41 MPs and peers, asking for this
matter to be resolved. Will he please meet me, because this is in
the interests of animal welfare and the animals that we love so
much?
Companion animals are a really good thing—cats, dogs or whatever
they are—and it is vital that we work with landlords to ensure
that people have the right to have the animal that brings so much
joy into their lives with them, whatever form of tenure they
enjoy.
(Westminster North) (Lab)
T3. The Everyone In policy was very successful in taking
rough sleepers off the streets at the beginning of the pandemic,
but it was abandoned too quickly and last winter thousands of
people were back on the streets. With winter storms, bitter
weather and worry about a new covid variant, why are the
Government not giving priority to restoring a version of Everyone
In now?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
I am disappointed by the hon. Lady’s suggestion that it has been
abandoned. It certainly has not. The Government are committed to
giving all people somewhere safe to sleep. We have the £10
million winter pressure fund and we have the winter
transformation fund to help charities and faith groups to deliver
single-unit accommodation, so this Government are very much
committed to the cause and I would welcome working with the hon.
Lady on this in the future.
Nickie Aiken (Cities of London and Westminster) (Con)
T7. As the Secretary of State will be aware, I am working with
peers, other Members of this place and charities to secure the
repeal of the Vagrancy Act 1824, which criminalises rough
sleepers rather than helping them. My constituency is home to the
largest number of rough sleepers in the country. The former
Secretary of State said in the House in February in answer to a
question of mine that he thought that the Act should be
“consigned to history”. What does the current Secretary of State
think of the Vagrancy Act?
I think that the Vagrancy Act has to go. We do need appropriate
legislation to deal with examples of aggressive begging, but the
most important thing to recognise is that the work that
Westminster Council and Greater Manchester have done to reduce
rough sleeping has been exemplary. In partnership with my
Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and
Communities, my hon. Friend the Member for Walsall North (), the Minister for rough
sleeping, we must redouble our efforts, but I want to
congratulate Rachael Robathan, the hon. Lady’s successor, and
Andy on their success in dealing with
rough sleeping in the hotspots that have suffered most from that
phenomenon.
(Chesterfield) (Lab)
T4. The Prime Minister is always enthusiastic about sabotaging
the career prospects of the Secretary of State, so can the right
hon. Gentleman tell us what the time lag was between him getting
“levelling up” on his job title and the Prime Minister making it
clear that he was abandoning any pretence that this was a
levelling-up Government with his recent announcement on northern
rail?
Conspiracy theories are all the rage these days, but I have to
say that the hon. Gentleman should be above all that. He has a
number of important constituency issues that I long to work with
him on. I know that this raillery across the Dispatch Box can
entertain others but—I say this in the most generous of
spirits—let us concentrate on ensuring that we can work together
for the people of Chesterfield, and if we have legitimate
disagreements, that is fair enough.
(Loughborough) (Con)
Around 40% of workers who commute from the Charnwood Borough
Council area commute into Leicester city. This is due in part to
the lack of housing in the city. However, despite there being a
derelict doughnut of brownfield land around the city that could
be utilised for house building, more and more housing is being
built in the Leicestershire countryside. Will my right hon.
Friend set out what the Government are doing to encourage
development on brownfield land? Will he provide greater
incentives to councils to ensure this happens?
We are doing exactly that. The brownfield remediation fund is
providing significant moneys to ensure that brownfield is
remediated. My hon. Friend will be hearing more about that
shortly. We also made it clear when we uplifted the local housing
need numbers for the largest cities in our country that we expect
them to build within their own geographies and not to try to
shunt building outside those geographies. That will be made clear
to them time and again until they do so.
(Motherwell and Wishaw)
(SNP)
T8. Post offices are an essential part of our rural
communities and town centres across these islands. As banks leave
our high streets, post offices and sub-postmasters are playing a
greater role in ensuring access to cash for the most vulnerable,
so it is essential this network is protected. What discussions
has the Secretary of State, or one of his many Ministers, had
with the Chancellor to ensure post office numbers grow over the
year?
I could not agree more with the hon. Lady. The Post Office is a
marvellous UK-wide institution, and the universal service
obligation ensures that everyone across the United Kingdom
benefits in exactly the same way. It is one of the strengths of
our Union, and I look forward to working with her and with the
Chancellor of the Exchequer to ensure we have a robust network
for the future.
(Bracknell) (Con)
The Minister will know I am very concerned about rampant house
building in east Berkshire and elsewhere in the south of England.
Will he please assure me of what might be forthcoming in the
planning Bill to protect assets such as farmland, school playing
fields, golf courses, open spaces and the Pinewood Centre in
Crowthorne?
I am grateful to my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour for
making that important point. He represents a beautiful part of
east Berkshire, and it is important that we maintain our
protections for areas of environmental importance and areas of
aesthetic distinction. We all need to recognise that sustainable
additions to the current housing stock are an important part of
making sure the next generation also have a chance to own homes,
too.
Ben Lake (Ceredigion) (PC)
T9. The 2019 Conservative manifesto promised that Wales will
not lose any powers or funding as a result of our exit from the
EU. If Wales is to receive £167 million from the levelling-up
fund, as opposed to the £375 million a year it received from EU
structural funds, from which funding pot can the people of Wales
expect to receive the shortfall?
I would challenge the hon. Gentleman’s arithmetic, but I know
time is short. All I will say is that when I visited Merthyr
Tydfil and Pontypridd less than a fortnight ago there was
jubilation, not on my arrival but on the arrival of the money
from the levelling-up fund that is helping fantastic figures in
Welsh local government to deliver for their citizens. I hope I
have the chance to visit Ceredigion to see how we can support
more projects there.
(Sevenoaks) (Con)
I urge my right hon. Friend to increase protections for the green
belt in the forthcoming planning Bill. In Sevenoaks we are 93%
green belt, yet we are constantly inundated with speculative
planning applications that worry the local community. The answer
should be clear: if it is green belt, it is protected; and if it
is a speculative planning application, the answer is no.
I would hate to be a developer facing my hon. Friend. When it
comes to these speculative and ill-thought-out planning
applications, developers had better put on their armour because
she fires truth bullets at them from the hip, and repeatedly. Of
course it is vital that we protect our green belt. However, the
best protection that any local authority can have is to make sure
its plan is properly designed and adopted.
(East Ham) (Lab)
T10. Lease-holders in Kingfisher Court, built by Barratt in
my constituency, have just been told that, unlike leaseholders in
very similar buildings nearby, their application to the building
safety fund has been rejected. They do not know why, and they now
face bankruptcy. Can the right hon. Gentleman offer any
reassurance that I can take when I meet them later this
evening?
Yes. I take this incredibly seriously. The right hon. Gentleman’s
office may have already been in touch with the Department, but if
it can be in touch with my private office directly, I will see
what we can provide by way of additional information before he
sees his constituents later. Whatever information we can provide
in the meantime, let us try to make sure we can have a proper
conversation about how we can resolve this problem in depth.
(North Devon) (Con)
Will my right hon. Friend meet me and other coastal MPs in Devon
and Cornwall who are concerned about the deepening housing
crisis, with no private rentals, no affordable homes and public
services unable to recruit, as no one can afford to live in what
were communities but have become holiday camps by summer and
ghost towns by winter?
My hon. Friend makes an important point, which emphasises the
need for us to make sure that affordable housing is available for
those in communities who are the vital workers—the productive
workers who are at the heart of successful communities. Although
of course it is legitimate for people to have second homes, that
also means we need to look at one or two of the loopholes that
allow some to not necessarily contribute to the community as much
as they might.
(City of Durham) (Lab)
Across Durham, social housing in in short supply, while much of
the stock that is available is of poor quality, and housing
associations, such as Believe Housing, are struggling to meet the
needs of residents on repairs and maintenance. Does the Secretary
of State share my belief that residents in social housing in
places such as Sherburn Hill and Brandon deserve housing that is
fit to live in? Will he meet me to discuss the problems?
I do share that view, and our affordable homes programme will be
part of making good on our commitment to more and better social
housing. I look forward to working with the new administration at
Durham County Council in order to achieve just that.
(Bury North) (Con)
Does my right hon. Friend agree that culture can play a central
role in levelling up throughout the north of England, and that an
excellent example of this would be the proposed purchase and
refurbishment of the Co-op theatre in Ramsbottom? May I invite
him to visit this cultural gem from the 1870s, which has all its
unique features still in place? What support can his Department
give to supporting the cultural sector throughout the north of
England, which is so important to levelling up?
Culture is absolutely vital to levelling up. One thing I was
discussing with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport earlier today was the
importance of making sure that more of the Arts Council funding
that is currently spent in London and the south-east is spent in
the midlands and in the north. Our acting and performing talent
is spread equally across this country, but funding and
institutions are not. We must do more, and my hon. Friend is
absolutely right.
(Leeds Central) (Lab)
The Secretary of State said earlier that his revised plans to
solve the cladding crisis would be published shortly. Will that
be before the forthcoming recess? All long-suffering leaseholders
in my area want for Christmas is finally to hear that they will
not have to pay sums they do not have to fix a problem they are
not responsible for.
Yes, I really do have to come back before Christmas with
proposals. I cannot promise at this stage that they will relieve
the burden on every leaseholder of every obligation, but we will
do everything we can to help.
(Weaver Vale) (Lab)
On a point of order, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker
Is it related to these questions?
It is. The right hon. Member for Tatton () referred to a priority
levelling-up bid for Winnington bridge in my constituency, and
too right, as this is much needed. How do I get it on the record
that this is a joint bid, Mr Speaker? I am looking for your
advice.
Mr Speaker
The best is answer is: what you have just done. It is on the
record, and I think it was more a point of clarification than of
order.
