Economic Growth: Yorkshire and the North Mr Barry Sheerman
(Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op) 1. What steps he is taking to support
economic growth in Yorkshire and the north.(900431) The Secretary
of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (Michael Gove)
For our part, we wish Mr Speaker all the very best, and we hope
that he enjoys a speedy recovery—but it is wonderful to have you in
the Chair, Madam Deputy Speaker. I also welcome the hon. Member for
Oldham...Request free trial
Economic Growth: Yorkshire and the North
(Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op)
1. What steps he is taking to support economic growth in
Yorkshire and the north.(900431)
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
()
For our part, we wish Mr Speaker all the very best, and we hope
that he enjoys a speedy recovery—but it is wonderful to have you
in the Chair, Madam Deputy Speaker. I also welcome the hon.
Member for Oldham West and Royton () back to the Front Bench. I
know that he, too, was unwell recently, so it is great to see him
in his place and looking so well.
We are taking considerable steps to boost economic growth in
Yorkshire and the north, including the creation of two investment
zones in south and west Yorkshire and, of course, the extension
of devolution to the whole of the historic county.
Mr Sheerman
I am sure the whole House wants to see Mr Speaker back and well
again very soon.
The Secretary of State must be looking at different data from
that which I am looking at. I know he does not like experts, but
I have hope that, as Christmas approaches, he will have a Pauline
conversion—he will see a flash of light, fall off his camel and
realise that, in order to level up expertly and well, he needs
local authorities on the ground to deliver those policies. Will
he please reconsider his attitude to local government in this
country?
I am grateful to the hon. Member. As the Minister for Local
Government has just reminded me, when Saul was on the road to
Damascus he was not actually travelling on a camel.
Improving transport links with a new mass transit system for
Leeds is critical to the programme that we undertaking. We are
working with local authorities in Leeds; we are working with the
Mayor of West Yorkshire, , and with the chief executive
of Leeds City Council, Tom Riordan. Moreover, in Kirklees we are
investing £65 million through round 3 of the levelling-up fund,
with a new open market to provide regeneration in Huddersfield
and, of course, the upgrade of the Penistone line, for which my
hon. Friends the Members for Dewsbury () and for Penistone and
Stocksbridge () have been such brilliant
advocates.
(West Worcestershire)
(Con)
I, too, convey to Mr Speaker a “Get well soon” message.
In addition to the amenities in Yorkshire and elsewhere in the
north, there is a wonderful real ale pub called The Bell Inn at
Pensax, in the north of the Malvern Hills. May I put on the
record my strong endorsement of its bid to the community
ownership fund?
It sounds as if that particular inn, in the heart of Elgar
country, is something behind which all of us on the Front Bench
can rally. It sounds like an excellent candidate for the
community ownership fund, which has seen scores of buildings
taken back into public ownership by their communities for the
benefit of all.
Antisemitism
(Brigg and Goole) (Con)
2. What recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of
antisemitism.(900432)
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
()
Tragically, we have seen a significant increase in antisemitism
since the events of 7 October. The Community Security Trust
recorded 1,500 antisemitic incidents between 7 October and 22
November, the highest total in a 47-day period since records
began in 1984 .
Despite the first-hand accounts of survivors such as Yoni Saadon
and organisations such as ZAKA—whose members collected the bodies
following the Palestinian terror attack of 7 October, and have
described mutilated genitals and women’s bodies having been so
badly abused that their pelvises were broken—there are some in
the pro-Palestinian movement who continue to deny that these
atrocities took place. Whether we are talking about dead babies
or gender-based violence against Jewish women, it appears that
Jews do not matter. Does the Secretary of State agree that this
risks fuelling further the antisemitism that we have seen in this
country since those attacks?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right; the events of 7 October were
uniquely horrific. It was an exercise in calculated, premeditated
sadism which everyone in the House condemns. However, as my hon.
Friend says, some voices, including some prominent media voices,
have considered it appropriate to cavil, to question and to
prevaricate in the face of this violence. It is vitally important
for us to recognise—even as we recognise that all life is
precious, and even as we recognise that it is vital for us to do
what we can to minimise casualties in this conflict—that the
events of 7 October stand out as the biggest slaughter of Jewish
civilians since the holocaust, and for that reason there can be
no quibbling when we face such a transparent evil.
(Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)
I agree with everything that was said by the previous questioner.
Could the Secretary of State engage with his opposite number in
the Department for Education and argue for the promotion of
education about the events of the holocaust? I have believed for
a long time that one of the reasons behind the increase in
antisemitism, notwithstanding recent events, is the fact that the
holocaust is now slipping from memory into history, and we need
to perpetuate the analysis and grasp of that particular period of
history.
The hon. Gentleman makes a good point, and it gives me an
opportunity to thank the Holocaust Educational Trust, which
enjoys support across the House. The work done by its chief
executive, Karen Pollock, is exemplary. As the hon. Gentleman
rightly points out, as the voices of survivors fade and the
holocaust moves from memory to history, it is vital that we
ensure that every successive generation appreciates the unique
evil of that event, the origins of antisemitism and the need to
be vigilant against its recrudescence.
Sir (New Forest East) (Con)
I thank the Secretary of State for his robust answer to my hon.
Friend the Member for Brigg and Goole (). Does he agree that the sight
this weekend of bereaved family members from both the Muslim and
Jewish communities joining together in a combined rally against
Islamophobia and antisemitism was an inspiring sight that we
should all hold in our hearts and honour? Does that not serve as
a lesson to those people from one community or the other who
preached hatred against others who are in fact innocent
victims?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely correct. All of us approach
any conflict with a sense of horror and foreboding for what it
may mean for innocent civilians, and it is in that spirit that
the vigil that he mentions was held. It was great to see people
from across communities expressing solidarity. I had the
opportunity last week to talk to leaders from various Muslim
community groups across the United Kingdom, and I pay tribute to
them for their work in challenging extremism of all kinds.
(Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)
If we are to tackle the reality of antisemitism in the present,
it is vital that we learn from the past. In the summer of 1945,
300 Jewish children who had survived the death camps in Nazi
Germany made their lives and were rehabilitated on the banks of
Windermere lake at Troutbeck Bridge. They are affectionately and
proudly known by all of us as the Windermere boys. As we work
together to celebrate their legacy, and to use that legacy to
ensure that we fight antisemitism in every part of our country,
will the Secretary of State meet me and the people involved with
the project to discuss how we can build a lasting memorial to the
legacy of those wonderful young children who built a new life in
this country and overcame the horrors of Nazi Germany?
I am really grateful to the hon. Gentleman for reminding us of
that episode in our history, and I would be absolutely delighted
to work with him to ensure that that signal moment in our history
is properly celebrated. It has been a feature of the United
Kingdom that we have always recognised the importance of standing
up against antisemitism and providing refuge to those fleeing
persecution, so I look forward to talking to him in due
course.
Sir (Northampton North) (Con)
The London Borough of Havering has now reversed the appalling
decision it made last week to cancel its Hanukkah festivities for
the Jewish community. It is impossible to imagine any local
authority in the country trying to cancel the annual celebrations
of any other faith group. Does my right hon. Friend agree that
all local authorities should be careful to avoid any such rash
action at this sensitive time, and that they should use
intelligence and common sense in their decisions?
My right hon. and learned Friend is absolutely correct. I
understand that the London Borough of Havering has now reversed
its decision, but it seems to me that it was based on a
misconception, which is that the idea of the celebration of any
faith should be seen as provocative at this time. We know that
there are individual Jewish citizens who feel uncomfortable
wearing the kippah or any outward symbol of their faith, and to
have a London borough saying that the menorah should not be lit
because it would be provocative at this time is wholly wrong.
Freedom of religion—the chance for us all to express our faith—is
fundamental to British values, and he is right to say that other
local authorities should not go down that same route.
Levelling-up Fund
(Preseli Pembrokeshire)
(Con)
3. What recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the
levelling-up fund at distributing funding across all parts of the
UK.(900433)
(Clwyd South) (Con)
8. What recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the
levelling-up fund at distributing funding across all parts of the
UK.(900439)
(North Norfolk) (Con)
9. What recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the
levelling-up fund at distributing funding across all parts of the
UK.(900441)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
On Monday 20 November we announced that a further £1 billion will
be invested in 55 projects across Great Britain, from Bolton to
Elgin, and from Newcastle to Rhyl. In the third round we have
targeted funding at places across Great Britain that are most in
need, as assessed through our levelling-up needs metrics. We have
also ensured the best possible regional spread of projects, so
that every part of Great Britain benefits from the fund over its
lifetime. Further details are set out in a published methodology
note.
With new money helping Pembrokeshire County Council to regenerate
Haverfordwest town centre, with community ownership funding
enabling the villagers of Hayscastle Cross to save their local
pub, and with new investment in Visit Pembrokeshire to improve
accessibility for tourists visiting the county, does the Minister
agree that, compared with the clunky, difficult-to-access EU
funding schemes, these new pots of levelling-up money are being
distributed far more effectively to all parts of the United
Kingdom?
My right hon. Friend is right that the efforts we are making in
Pembrokeshire, in part thanks to him and other Members of
Parliament for the county, demonstrate levelling up in action in
his part of Wales. I am delighted to continue working with him on
that.
Does the Minister agree that Clwyd South’s £13.3 million of
levelling-up projects in the Trevor basin, Llangollen and Corwen,
which I recently visited, and the newly announced £160 million
investment zone for Wrexham, Clwyd South and Flintshire are
shining examples of the effectiveness of levelling up galvanising
investment and activity in north-east Wales?
My hon. Friend is a fantastic champion for his constituents in
Clwyd South, and for constituents in Shropshire as well. I
completely agree that the £13.3 million investment from the
levelling-up fund will protect a valuable heritage site for north
Wales, an area enjoyed by locals, while encouraging visitors to
stay longer and spend more in local shops, cafés and campsites.
The recently announced investment zone in Wrexham and Flintshire
also demonstrates our commitment to levelling up investment in
research, innovation and support for economic development in the
region.
My local council has sadly been unable to attract any
levelling-up funding or community renewal funding into North
Norfolk. As I have repeatedly requested in this place, I need
just £3 million for a roundabout at the top of Holway Road in
Sheringham, but £3 million is too small for a levelling-up bid
and too much for Norfolk County Council. In the spirit of
Christmas, how can the Minister give me a present of £3 million
for a roundabout in North Norfolk?
I wish I could give my hon. Friend a Christmas present. I
recognise his work, campaigning on behalf of the people of
Sheringham for the improvement of the A148 Holway Road junction.
I know he is already engaging closely with Norfolk County Council
on the project. The £600 million investment fund, agreed through
the Norfolk county deal, will provide the county council with the
local means to fund exactly this sort of project, with the first
tranche of funding due to be available next year. If there is
anything further I can do, I would be delighted to work with him
and with colleagues in the Department for Transport to progress
this project.
(East Antrim) (DUP)
The Minister will not have too much difficulty assessing the
effectiveness of the levelling-up fund in Northern Ireland,
because Northern Ireland is the only country in the United
Kingdom not to receive one penny in the last round of
levelling-up funding. He will not level with the people of
Northern Ireland, giving the spurious excuse that, because an
Executive has not been formed, he cannot allocate the money. What
discussions does he need to have with the Northern Ireland
Executive that he did not have with the Scottish Parliament, the
Welsh Parliament or any local authority in England before
allocating money there?
The right hon. Gentleman and I have had numerous conversations to
that effect. Northern Ireland has benefited from £120 million in
rounds 1 and 2 of the levelling-up fund but, in the context of
growing pressure on Northern Ireland budgets, it is right that
the UK Government should consider their approach to the funding
available for Northern Ireland in this round. In LUF3, £30
million has been reserved for Northern Ireland and, as part of
our commitment to levelling up, we will work with the restored
Executive to find the best approach to supporting people in
Northern Ireland. I again confirm to the right hon. Gentleman
that I will work with him and others, once the Executive are back
up and running, to see how we can best level up his
community.
(North Shropshire) (LD)
Whitchurch in my constituency has not received any levelling-up
funding, whether from the levelling-up fund itself, the towns
fund or the future high streets fund. Now it has found itself
without a civic centre because of dangerous reinforced autoclaved
aerated concrete, so it has lost its library, registry office and
driving test centre, which was soon to be reopened following a
long campaign by myself and others. Will the Minister meet me to
work out what we can do to put that important building back into
the heart of Whitchurch?
I would be happy to meet the hon. Member.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I call the shadow Minister.
(Ellesmere Port and Neston)
(Lab)
The Resolution Foundation’s report on economic stagnation,
published today, shows how levelling up simply is not happening
under this Government. One of the speakers at the event this
morning was Andy Haldane, the chair of the Levelling Up Advisory
Council, who said that greater financial devolution was needed in
all areas, not just in the favoured few. It sounds like he has
been taking inspiration from our proposed “take back control”
Bill. Does the Minister agree with him that more economic
devolution is needed in all areas of the UK?
I do agree with him. That is why we are following our devolution
framework, expanding devolution to more areas in the UK. Under
the last Labour Government, the only area in England that had a
devolution deal was London. Through devolution, we have been able
to expand that offer to more than 60% of England. We have
invested more than £13 billion of local growth funding into
communities the length and breadth of the country, restoring
pride and ensuring that we tackle regional inequality.
If the hon. Gentleman wants to see levelling up in action, he
need only look at places such as Teesside, which was left behind
under the last Labour Government. It is now being transformed
through the UK’s largest freeport, Teesside airport and the
Treasury in Darlington; town deals in Redcar, Middlesbrough,
Thornaby, Darlington and Hartlepool; high street funding in
Middlesbrough, Loftus and Stockton; and levelling-up funding for
Eston and TS6, Hartlepool, Guisborough, Yarm, Eaglescliffe and
Billingham. The Opposition are all talk; we are delivering
levelling up in action.
Ms Anum Qaisar (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP)
Madam Deputy Speaker, please pass on my best wishes to Mr Speaker
for a speedy recovery.
Alongside the levelling-up fund, the Department created the
community renewal fund in order to alleviate regional
disparities. If the Minister is to mark his own homework, how
does he think levelling up the country is going?
As I said in response to a previous question, we have committed
more than £13.9 billion of local growth funding to communities
across the United Kingdom, including in Scotland. We have
committed to publishing the details of the levelling-up missions
in due course, and I will ensure that the hon. Lady has an update
when we do that.
Ms Qaisar
In fact, academics from the University of Manchester have found
that the community renewal fund gave £9.9 million to the south of
England at the expense of other regions, which seems to be a
trend that we see in levelling up. Does the Minister agree with
me that his Department’s plans are, simply put, doing little to
tackle regional inequalities?
I completely disagree with the hon. Lady; the facts show
something quite different. As I said when I outlined round 3 in
the House on 20 November, the biggest recipients of the
levelling-up fund have been the north-west, the north-east, and
Yorkshire and the Humber. That tells a very different story from
the picture painted by the hon. Lady.
Private Rented Sector
(Rochdale) (Lab)
4. What steps he is taking to reform the private rented
sector.(900434)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
I am delighted to announce that our Renters (Reform) Bill
completed Committee stage in the House last week. Our ambitious
and balanced reforms will deliver on our manifesto commitment to
abolish section 21 evictions and to reform grounds for
possession, so that landlords can recover their properties when
they need to.
The Secretary of State moved with admirable speed after the death
of Awaab Ishak to ensure that social landlords honour their
obligations to tenants in terms of mould and safety, but those in
private rented accommodation do not have that protection. Can the
Minister tell the House, and the world, why private tenants are
put at risk in that way?
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for the work that he did
following the tragic and unnecessary death of Awaab Ishak. We
have tabled an amendment to the Renters (Reform) Bill to expand
the decent homes standard to the private rented sector for the
first time. I look forward to working with him to ensure that the
Bill is in as good a state as it can be when it leaves this
House.
(Sheffield South East)
(Lab)
The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee has been
taking evidence about local government finances. In the past two
years, expenditure on homelessness and temporary accommodation
has increased by 50%. The reality is that section 21 notices are
a prime driver of that. The Renters (Reform) Bill will abolish
section 21, but the Government have not yet announced a timetable
for the legislation’s implementation or the abolition. The
Government have said that we need court reform. I completely
agree, but how was that helped by the Chancellor’s announcing in
the autumn statement a freeze of the budget of the Ministry of
Justice for the whole of the next Parliament?
I can confirm to the Chair of the Select Committee that I met the
relevant Minister in the Ministry of Justice just this morning to
discuss that point. We are working at pace to ensure that the
courts are ready for the biggest change in the private rented
sector in over 30 years. The hon. Gentleman talked about local
government funding. We are conducting a new burdens assessment
for local government to ensure that any additional burdens that
are placed on local government are funded properly.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I call the shadow Secretary of State.
(Ashton-under-Lyne)
(Lab)
In the festive spirit, I extend my sympathies to the Secretary of
State, who seems to spend his time haunted by the ghost of
Christmas past. In 2019, a Tory Prime Minister promised to ban
no-fault evictions. Since then, households have been put at risk
of homelessness because of a section 21 notice nearly 78,000
times. In 2017, the fifth predecessor of the Secretary of State
pledged action to end the medieval practice of leasehold, but
just last year another 207,000 homeowners became stuck in that
expensive nightmare. All the while, the Secretary of State has
been beavering away drawing up what can only be described as
Alice in Wonderland legislation: a Bill to ban no-fault evictions
that will not ban no-fault evictions, and a Bill to ban leasehold
that will not ban leasehold. Is he too scared to stand up to his
Back Benchers, or has he truly fallen down the rabbit hole?
I should remind the right hon. Lady that I am not the Secretary
of State. Let me also remind her that the Renters (Reform) Bill
is the biggest change to the private rented sector in 30
years—longer than I have been alive. We have to ensure that we
get this right both for tenants and for the 2.4 million landlords
in this country. She may be willing to brush aside the concerns
of landlords and turn her back on what are often small
businesses. We are not. We will deliver a Bill that protects
renters and ensures a fair system for landlords.
Local Authority Funding: Essex
(Witham) (Con)
5. What funding he plans to provide to local authorities in Essex
in the 2024-25 financial year. (900435)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
The Government will bring forward our proposals for the 2024-25
local government finance settlement in the usual way, towards the
end of the calendar year, but I pledge that it will be before the
House rises. We will set out our proposals for the 2024-25
financial year and then invite views in our formal
consultation.
I welcome the Minister to his new responsibilities. He may
know—he definitely will now—that Braintree District Council,
Colchester City Council, Maldon District Council and Essex County
Council provide essential statutory services to my Witham
constituents and many more. The costs of statutory services such
as adult social care and care for children are rising. I suspect
that he will give a nuanced answer, but can he give any
indication of how the local government finance settlement will
support those local authorities in delivering those vital
statutory services?
I have never given a nuanced answer in my life and I do not
intend to start doing so now. I thank all the councils my right
hon. Friend mentioned for the work they do in delivering services
for their communities. Local government has seen a real-terms
increase in core spending power over the period 2019-20 to
2023-24. I know she knows that, but I assure her and the House
that we recognise and understand the pressures on local
government. We will look in the round at sector spending when
finalising the budget at the upcoming settlement, as we do every
year, but I shall certainly bear at the forefront of my mind the
representations that she has made.
Leasehold Reform
(Stockton North) (Lab)
6. What steps he is taking to reform the leasehold system.
(900436)
(Sittingbourne and
Sheppey) (Con)
10. What plans he has for leasehold reform. (900442)
The Minister for Housing, Planning and Building Safety ()
On 27 November the Government introduced the Leasehold and
Freehold Reform Bill, which delivers the Government’s manifesto
commitments on leasehold reform and makes long-term necessary
changes to improve home ownership for millions of leaseholders
across England and Wales.
In January, the Secretary of State told The Sunday Times:
“I don’t believe leasehold is fair in any way. It is an outdated
feudal system that needs to go. And we need to move to a better
system and to liberate people from it.”
But the Government’s Bill does not sort it, nor does it free my
constituents from their feudal masters. Why?
As the hon. Gentleman will know if he has read the Bill that was
introduced last week, a substantial amount of progress is
proposed under it: a substantial number of leaseholders will be
much better off and experience a substantial improvement to their
lives as a result of the changes that this Government are
proposing.
A large number of freehold homeowners in my constituency pay
charges to property management companies for maintenance services
that are not always carried out. The management companies rarely
respond to complaints from residents, who often do not have the
money to seek legal advice with a view to taking court action.
Will my hon. Friend confirm that the new Leasehold and Freehold
Reform Bill will grant freehold homeowners the right to
transparency about how their money is spent, to challenge
companies when the contracted services are not provided and,
where necessary, to have the contract removed from that
company?
My hon. Friend is right to highlight that issue, and I know that
many of us will have heard of similar experiences in our
constituencies. That is another example—I return to the point
made by the hon. Member for Stockton North ()—of reform under this Bill
that will significantly improve the lives of leaseholders for the
long term.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I call the shadow Minister.
(Greenwich and Woolwich)
(Lab)
As you will no doubt be aware, Madam Deputy Speaker, the
Government’s Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill, designed to ban
the sale of new leasehold houses, does not actually contain any
provisions to ban the sale of new leasehold houses, because the
Department apparently did not have time to draft them before
publication. If and when the Government rectify their mistake and
add the necessary provisions, will they incorporate measures to
reinvigorate commonhold by making it accessible and available to
both prospective homebuyers and existing leaseholders? If not,
why not?
As has been outlined, we intend to bring forward further changes
to the Bill during the process, as Opposition Members know is
normal, because they have sat in the same Committees that we
have. We are not proposing to change leasehold to commonhold
under the Bill, but that remains part of our long-term approach
and we would like to see further reforms as soon as we are able
to.
(Worthing West) (Con)
One outsider and apparently one or two Opposition Members
misinterpreted what I understood the Secretary of State to be
saying in January. Can the Minister confirm that the
opportunities for enfranchisement will take away many of the
problems that residential leaseholders now suffer and, in effect,
that will get them to commonhold? I will just add that if we had
waited to transfer all leaseholds to commonhold, we would not
have the Bill now and 6 million leaseholders would have been
betrayed.
My hon. Friend makes an important point. We all want to see those
in leasehold in a much improved situation. We are making huge
steps forward with this Bill and we look forward to continuing
and augmenting that reform in due course.
Council Funding
(Somerton and Frome) (LD)
7. What assessment he has made of the implications for his
policies of council budget shortfalls. (900438)
(Blackburn) (Lab)
18. What recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of
assessments of relative needs at ensuring the adequacy of council
funding. (900453)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
We are in close and regular contact with sector representative
bodies and councils from across the local government family to
monitor budgets and service delivery. I have had many discussions
with those bodies and organisations since my appointment. As hon.
Members will know, the final local government finance settlement
for 2023-24 made available up to £59.7 billion for local
government in England, an increase in core spending power of up
to £5.1 billion, or 9.4%, in cash terms on 2022-23. The
Government will continue to look in the round at local government
spending ahead of fiscal events, and we will be announcing
funding for next year’s finance settlement later this month.
May I take this opportunity to wish Mr Speaker a speedy
recovery?
I thank the Minister for his response, but I say respectfully
that I do not find it satisfactory. I declare an interest as a
proudly active Somerset councillor. Councils provide essential
services, such as adults’ and children’s social care, yet
increasing costs in social care, alongside inflation, mean that
many councils around the country are struggling to provide
adequate care. I must warn him that, without action, lives will
be foreshortened. The cost of providing services is higher in
rural areas than urban areas, yet rural residents will receive
13% less per head in social care support. Will he reassure me
that the forthcoming fair funding review will address the unequal
way rural councils are funded?
The hon. Lady, who is my constituency neighbour in some respects,
makes an important point in a serious way. I concur very much on
the seriousness of the issue and the challenge that it is
presenting to our upper-tier authorities. As I said, we will of
course look in the round at all the pressures being placed on
local government to see what we can do to help. She rightly
mentions the rural services delivery grant, which I have
championed. It is very much in my mind to see what we can do
during the settlement to address the issue that she raises of the
cost disparity of delivering quality services in rural settings,
particularly where populations are sparse.
Under the current relative needs assessment formula, the poorest
fifth of councils receive about 10% below their assessed needs,
while the richest fifth get 15% above them. That is hardly
levelling up, is it, Minister? A review of the current formula,
which is over 10 years old, has been repeatedly postponed.
Meanwhile, local authorities such as Blackburn with Darwen
Borough Council could be missing out on thousands or perhaps
millions of pounds, which could deliver much-needed services in
our town. When will the review finally take place?
The hon. Lady raises an important point about the formula. I am
tempted to say that if the spectre of covid had not, quite
rightly, taken up a huge amount of bandwidth in both central
Government and local government, we might have been in a
different place. We can spend an awful lot of time discussing the
minutiae of the formula, and there will be a time when that needs
to be done. The crucial task that we have in hand at the current
time is to play the cards that we have been dealt, to deliver a
settlement that works for local government and to deliver the
quality and range of services that all our communities,
irrespective of where they are in the country, have a legitimate
expectation to receive.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
We are not making terribly fast progress this afternoon. Could
everyone who has their question written down cut out the bit at
the beginning and just ask the question? This is not speech time;
it is Question Time, so let us just have questions. If we get
short questions, we can get short answers, too.
(Mansfield) (Con)
Local government finance has been front and centre of our local
news given the stark situation in Nottingham. The Minister will
know about Nottingham’s unique circumstances following decades of
poor decisions and mismanagement, but it will not be lost on him
that the whole sector is under significant pressure. I know that
he will make the case about finances to the Treasury, but the
Government could help significantly by allowing more flexibility
in the system. Will he work with colleagues around Government to
help us to remove ringfences, particularly in areas, such as
public health and transport, in which we could make better
decisions if we had more freedom to do so?
I am not going to give a running commentary on the situation in
Nottingham, save to say that my right hon. Friend the Secretary
of State and I keep it under close review. On my hon. Friend’s
wider point about trust and liberalisation, his call falls on
open ears. I am happy to work with anybody who wants to ensure
that our local authorities can stand up and deliver, as long as
they accept accountability and responsibility for the decisions
they take. The Government have a proud record on working in a
relationship of trust with our local councillors and councils in
order to deliver for people up and down the land.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I call the shadow Minister.
(Oldham West and Royton)
(Lab/Co-op)
In 2018, Tory-led Northamptonshire County Council issued a
section 114 notice—as close as a council can come to declaring
itself bankrupt. Since then, under this Conservative Government,
we have seen a further eight councils from across the political
spectrum do exactly the same. In September, the credit agency
Moody’s warned that more local authorities will
“fail over the near term”
due to high inflation, interest rates and service demand. By the
Government’s own assessment, how many more councils are at risk
between now and budgets being set next year?
I welcome the hon. Gentleman to his place and echo the remarks of
my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State; it is great to see
him back on the Front Bench.
The hon. Gentleman raises an important point. Nobody is going to
doubt that section 114 is a serious issue. As I have said to the
Local Government Association and others, I do not think it is
right for us to name and shame, point the finger or assign blame.
We are intent on working with councils that have already alerted
us to see what we can do to help, and on working alongside
councils that have concerns to ensure they do not fall into that
situation. I am not going to give a running commentary on that,
save to make this pledge: we will work with those councils to
ensure that they can continue to deliver for their voters.
Land Use: Renewable Energy Generation
(Buckingham) (Con)
12. What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of
State for Energy Security and Net Zero on the use of land for
renewable energy generation. (900444)
The Minister for Housing, Planning and Building Safety ()
The Government have in place a framework, developed in
collaboration with the Department for Energy Security and Net
Zero, that supports the deployment of renewable energy
technologies. That is balanced by national planning policy, which
is clear that land assets such as farmland must also be
protected.
On current usage, 2,000 acres of solar panels are required to
power around 50,000 homes, whereas a small modular reactor
requires just two football pitches and powers 1 million homes.
Does my hon. Friend agree that solar is a highly inefficient land
use, and can he confirm that the provision to protect land used
in food production remains in the new national planning policy
framework?
I know that my hon. Friend has a long-standing interest in this
issue. We will be publishing more on the NPPF shortly, but he is
absolutely right that we need a variety of different energy
sources that can support the UK’s future energy needs.
(Strangford) (DUP)
As the Minister knows, there is a disparity between the contracts
for difference scheme for the mainland and what exists for
Northern Ireland. I have made overtures to the Minister
responsible to see whether we can get that changed, but that has
not happened yet. Will the Minister use his influence to make
sure that we in Northern Ireland are treated equally with
everybody else in the United Kingdom?
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his question. He might
like to write to me, or I am happy to speak to him separately in
order to understand the issue, and either I or my colleagues in
the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will be happy to
respond.
Levelling-up Policies: Regional Inequalities
(Glasgow North) (SNP)
14. What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the
Government’s levelling-up policies at reducing regional
inequalities. (900446)
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
()
A lot done, a lot still to do, but certainly much more than the
Scottish Government.
In that case, can the Secretary of State tell us whether Scotland
will receive more or less funding to tackle regional inequality
than it would have received if we had done as 78% of voters in my
constituency did and voted to remain in the European Union?
We are doing better outside the European Union. If we had
followed the hon. Gentleman’s advice and remained in the European
Union, we would have found that the fishing industry was
decimated by the common fisheries policy and we would not have
had the opportunity to invest in new levelling-up partnerships in
Argyll and Bute, the Western Isles, Dundee and, of course, the
west central belt. This UK Government are intervening where the
Scottish Government cannot to support local government in
Scotland, which is why whenever I address the Convention of
Scottish Local Authorities, I get a warmer welcome than the First
Minister of Scotland does.
(Stoke-on-Trent North)
(Con)
Does the Secretary of State agree that it is a great shame that
Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which is now Labour-run, has scaled
back its levelling-up plans by getting rid of the proposed
e-sports arena? The first of its kind outside of London, it would
have built on Staffordshire University’s UK-leading—indeed,
world-leading—e-sports courses, as well as the 9,000 jobs created
since 2015, the £56 million we got in levelling-up funding, the
£17.6 million Kidsgrove town deal, and much more.
When it comes to levelling up and the e-sports centre, I am
always clear that it is my hon. Friend the Member for
Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove who answers the call of duty.
He is absolutely right to say that, under the Labour council now
in Stoke-on-Trent, the huge progress we were making on levelling
up has stalled. What we need are more Conservative elected
representatives in Stoke-on-Trent.
Electoral Commission
(Ogmore) (Lab)
16. What recent discussions he has had with the Electoral
Commission on administering free and fair elections.(900451)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
Free, fair and resilient elections are pivotal to our society,
and if we agree on nothing else in this House, I hope it is on
that. The Government regularly meet the Electoral Commission,
both at ministerial and official level, to discuss a broad range
of electoral issues, and I am due to have my first meeting with
it next Tuesday.
I thank the Minister for his answer, and I welcome him to his
place. He will know that the cyber-attack in October 2021 was not
detected until August 2022, and the commission admitted that it
had failed a cyber security test in the same year. What work is
the Minister doing with the Security Minister to ensure that the
defending democracy taskforce has a remit with the Electoral
Commission? I agree with the Minister, as should all Members of
this House, that we should have free and fair elections without
intervention from other states, so what work is he doing to
ensure the general election next year is protected from any
hostile states?
The hon. Gentleman—and, dare I say it, my friend—raises an
important point. There is a good range of discussion taking place
between my Department and the Home Office and a range of meetings
focused on that. Conscious of the role that the commission can
play, we must ensure that those who stand in our elections,
participate in them and administer them feel safe and secure in
their roles, and moreover that the results, whatever they are,
stand up and are not open to challenge as a result of
cyber-attack or anything else.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Vauxhall)
(Lab/Co-op)
A report from the all-party parliamentary group on democracy and
the constitution has found that the photo voter ID scheme creates
a real risk of injustice and potential discrimination. The report
highlighted the case of an immunocompromised woman who was denied
her right and her voice at the local elections after being told
that she needed to take off her mask. Does the Minister agree
that denying someone a say in how their community is run because
of a disability is completely unacceptable? Can he confirm that
any indications of potential discrimination found in the photo
voter ID system will be dealt with prior to the next set of
elections?
The hon. Lady raises a serious point, and let me put it on record
that I would be happy to meet her and the APPG to discuss their
issues and concerns. We have made great strides—there is a
specific workstream—in ensuring we maximise how those who have a
disability can vote and do so in a free and unfettered way, and
we will continue with that. I am very sorry to hear about the
case the hon. Lady raises, but if she wishes to write to me on
the issue, I will of course look into it in my discussions with
the commission. It is absolutely pivotal that, in all we do with
regard to our election rules, access to voting—freedom to vote—is
absolutely at the heart of it, and as the Minister responsible
for elections, I shall guarantee that.
Topical Questions
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
Right, I am going to issue a challenge to the House. We have 10
topical questions and others to get through, we have very little
time to do it—and we have a lot of business today—and I would not
like Mr Speaker to think that we are going slowly just because he
is not here: short questions, short answers!
(Newport West) (Lab)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities.(900456)
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
()
At the autumn statement, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of
the Exchequer made available to my Department money for
investment in London, Cambridge and Leeds, planning capacity and
capability, the local authority housing fund, the local housing
allowance, home buying and selling and the affordable homes
guarantee scheme—quite a coup.
Madam Deputy Speaker
Brilliant.
I think I got most of that. Newport West is home to a thriving
and inclusive Muslim community, and I pay tribute to the
multi-faith work being done to bring our communities together
after the terrible events in the middle east. Can the Minister
outline what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government
about supporting this multi-faith work, and about eradicating
Islamophobia in Wales and the UK once and for all?
I am very grateful to the hon. Lady. Of course, Newport is one of
many cities and towns where there is effective working between
representatives of Muslim communities and figures in local
government more widely. I had the opportunity to discuss some of
these issues with the First Minister of Wales at the
British-Irish Council just 10 days ago, but there is much more
that we need to do to deal with anti-Muslim hatred.
(Ipswich) (Con)
T2. Over the summer, the Minister for Housing, Planning and
Building Safety, my hon. Friend the Member for North East
Derbyshire () published a non-binding code of practice for cladding
remediation works, following intensive discussions with him, and
also my highlighting the devasting case of St Francis Tower. Will
he update the House on how in practice that non-binding code of
practice is working? Has it led to improved behaviour and been a
step forward, and has he considered further my view that perhaps
that code of practice needs to be legally binding?(900457)
The Minister for Housing, Planning and Building Safety ()
My hon. Friend was a driving force behind that code of practice,
and we are monitoring it actively. Anecdotally I am seeing fewer
issues, although there are still some. I would be happy to
receive from him and other Members of the House any information
or evidence that suggests there is still a problem.
(Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab)
T4. The cost to councils of delivering services will exceed their
core funding by £2 billion this year. Newcastle expects a funding
gap of £56 million, following £369 million of Conservative cuts
to funding and years of Conservative economic failure. Can my
constituents rely on council services under a Conservative
Government?(900459)
They certainly cannot rely on a Labour Government, because the
Leader of the Opposition just this morning has been talking about
his admiration for Margaret Thatcher and cost cutting. I am
afraid all the hon. Lady is doing is raising false hopes that
have no chance of being satisfied under a Labour Government.
(New Forest West) (Con)
T5. [R] My interest is in the Register of Members’ Financial
Interests. Why is it Government policy to deny a landlord and
tenant the ability to agree a mutually convenient fixed-term
tenancy?(900460)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
Fixed-term tenancies can trap tenants into poor-quality homes,
and trap landlords into long-term tenancies with bad tenants.
With the abolition of section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, we no
longer see such things as necessary, but I am happy to work with
my right hon. Friend to ensure that the Renters (Reform) Bill
works for his constituents.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I call the shadow Minister.
(Weaver Vale) (Lab)
The latest Government figures highlight that a record 139,000
children—children!—are in temporary accommodation in the lead-up
to Christmas, which is a 14% increase. Meanwhile, only 9,500
homes for social rent were built last year. If we take into
account all the homes built since 2010, that is minus 14,000 each
year. Does the Minister regret handing back £1.9 billion of
unspent departmental money to the Treasury last year, given that
we are in an urgent housing crisis? Why not adopt Labour’s plan
to get Britain building again, with 1.5 million homes over that
parliamentary period?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up,
Housing and Communities ()
I remind the hon. Gentleman that our target is 300,000 homes per
year which, when multiplied by five, equals 1.5 million. In the
autumn statement we had three measures to address the challenges
of temporary accommodation: we uprated the local housing
allowance to the 30th percentile; there is a new £120 million for
a homelessness fund; and an extra £450 million for the local
authority housing fund.
Jonathan Gullis (Stoke-on-Trent North) (Con)
T7. Does my hon. Friend agree that Stoke-on-Trent City Council
should invest its share of the £200 million that it recently
secured from the National Lottery Heritage Fund on one of the
three beautiful “beasts” of Burslem, including the indoor market,
in order to regenerate the mother town, for which the leader of
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is a local ward
councillor?(900462)
It is fantastic that Stoke-on-Trent has been chosen as one of the
20 places to benefit from the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s
£200 million investment in the Heritage Places initiative. The
fund will make its funding decisions under that initiative and
independent from Government. However, I am sure that the National
Lottery has heard my hon. Friend’s loud cry for Burslem, and I am
sure it will look at it favourably.
(Bedford) (Lab)
T6. Sacha from Kempston, Bedford, is one of an increasing number
of freeholders who are afflicted by estate maintenance charges.
Will the Secretary of State commit to a review into the role of
those excessive, unpredictable and often opaque fees and
insurance costs that not only treat mostly new homeowners as cash
cows, but are putting their homes at risk?(900461)
That is a very important point, and yes, we are on it.
(Waveney) (Con)
T9. The Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft enterprise zone, which was
set up in 2012, has been very successful. With no investment
zones in the east of England, will my hon. Friend meet my right
hon. Friend the Member for Great Yarmouth (Sir ) and me to consider how best
the enterprise zone can be enhanced, so that it can continue to
create jobs in the low-carbon energy sector?(900464)
I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend and my right hon.
Friend the Member for Great Yarmouth. We have no plans at present
to amend enterprise zones, but I am keen to ensure that their
constituents continue to reap the rewards of levelling up,
including the £100 million of investment for Sizewell C and
freeport east, which will generate thousands of jobs across his
region in new low-carbon technology.
(Battersea) (Lab)
T8. Caius House is a small youth charity in Battersea that leases
a space in a multi-use high-rise building that includes
residential dwellings. Despite its having state-of-the-art fire
alarm systems, the charity faces huge waking watch costs. As the
Building Safety Act 2022 does not protect registered charities,
such as Caius House, will the Secretary of State look into this
case? Will he seek to bring forward legislation to protect
charities from high costs due to fire safety remediation
work?(900463)
I think we responded to a written question on this matter just a
few months ago, but I am happy to meet the hon. Lady to talk
about it in more detail, if there still is a problem. I am not
aware of one at the moment.
(Horsham) (Con)
Horsham is suffering severe water stress and is subject to water
neutrality. Does the Minister agree that mitigations should be
thorough, evidenced and monitored?
I absolutely agree. Water neutrality is impacting on small parts
of the country, but it needs to be dealt with seriously and
proportionately by statutory consultees, and then with a can-do
attitude from councils where appropriate.
Luke Pollard (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport) (Lab/Co-op)
T10. Does the Minister agree that young people leaving care
after their 18th birthday should get more help to get their first
home? Will he back my campaign that I am running with Barnado’s
and Plymouth care leavers for a deposit scheme for care leavers
and a rent guarantee scheme, because every single care leaver
leaving local authority care deserves a good, decent and safe
first home?(900465)
I know the hon. Gentleman has done a significant amount of work
on this matter within Plymouth, and I know that my colleagues in
the Department for Work and Pensions are doing a significant
amount of work, too, and I would be happy to meet him to talk
more about the matter.
(Harrow East) (Con)
Sadly, a second homeless person died over the weekend. The number
of rough sleepers is increasing, and the temperatures are
falling. Will my hon. Friend take immediate action to ensure that
rough sleepers are provided with a decent place to sleep,
particularly during this cold weather?
My hon. Friend raises an important point. Clearly, the death in
Manchester was tragic. Local authorities can activate the severe
weather emergency protocol measures. Manchester did activate
those, but sadly the man was not known to local services. I
absolutely agree with my hon. Friend, and we will do everything
to support rough sleepers over the winter period.
(Edmonton) (Lab/Co-op)
The Government announced in the autumn statement £120 million of
new money for homeless prevention for next year, but that is just
a drop in the ocean, with Enfield Council alone facing a £9.8
million overspend on temporary accommodation for this year. When
will this Government recognise the scale of the crisis and
provide top-up funding for the homelessness prevention grant and
discretionary housing payments?
I remind the hon. Lady that our total package for homelessness
and rough sleeping over three years is £2 billion. The £120
million is in addition to that, but I agree with her that there
are real pressures on homelessness, particularly in London, and
that is why there were three measures in the autumn
statement.
(Warrington South) (Con)
It is now 10 weeks since the bins were emptied in Warrington. A
national pay dispute has spilled over into a local disagreement.
Does the Minister agree that it is now urgent that Labour-run
Warrington Borough Council gets round the table with the unions
and finds an urgent agreement, before the situation turns into a
health emergency?
Absolutely. Again and again, we find that Labour-run local
authorities, despite their much-vaunted relationship with trade
unions, are incapable of resolving these disputes. Whether in
Birmingham or Warrington, Labour must do better, otherwise
working people suffer.
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
On public services, City of York Council area comes 152 out of
152 when it comes to public funding. As a result, services are
now having to be cut in the area, as the council has £55 million
less than when we last had a Labour Government. How will the
Secretary of State ensure that fair funding stretches across all
public services when looking at the new funding formula?
We are absolutely committed to making sure that local authorities
receive the resources they need. Having had conversations with
the leader of City of York Council, I appreciate the constraints
under which it is operating, and we hope to be able to say more
in the local government finance settlement.
(Stroud) (Con)
I have spoken to Ministers about the work of organisations such
as Fromehall Mill and the Sub Rooms, and we have been down to
Berkeley town. With them in mind, when will the next round of
announcements about the community ownership fund be made?
I am delighted to confirm to my hon. Friend that the next round
of the community ownership fund opens this week, on 6 December.
We will have the outcomes of the last window in the coming weeks,
but I know that she is very keen on Fromehall Mill and Berkeley
Books, which she has been championing.
(Edinburgh West) (LD)
The announcement that Edinburgh airport is for sale comes hard on
the heels of the announcement last week that Grangemouth is
closing the oil refinery. What can the Secretary of State say to
reassure my constituents in Edinburgh West that everything
possible has been done to ensure that this does not undermine the
green enterprise zone in the area?
The hon. Lady does a fantastic job of standing up for her
constituents in Edinburgh West, and she is absolutely right: the
UK Government should be, and are, working with the Scottish
Government and private sector partners in order to ensure that
sustainable growth continues to be part of the plan for Edinburgh
and the wider Lothian region.
Neil O’Brien (Harborough) (Con)
It is clear that the Government are planning to protect councils
during the transition to the new planning system, and are not
planning to force councils into having an out-of-date plan by
taking away their right to submit a new, up-to-date plan. Can the
Secretary of State help me get this across to my local Lib
Dem-run council, which is saying the exact opposite?
I had the great pleasure of visiting Harborough on Friday, when I
was able to see the enormously high regard with which my hon.
Friend is held. Unfortunately, that high regard does not extend
to Oadby and Wigston Borough Council or Harborough District
Council—two Liberal Democrat authorities that are playing fast
and loose with the planning system, and which are not putting in
place the protection that their residents deserve. All too often
we find that Liberal Democrat local authorities do not have plans
in place, do not have planning departments that work, and let
their residents down. The Liberal Democrats are the enemies of
good housing policy, and that is why we need to make sure that
Conservatives are in power in local government.
|
