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1131230

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Arrears
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the increase in council tax arrears since 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Makerfield
	tabling member printed	Yvonne Fovargue
	uin	263136
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>Council tax arrears reported by local authorities in England for 2014-15 to 2017-18 can be found in Table 7 of the 'Collection rates for Council Tax and non-domestic rates in England' statistical release. The link to the latest table is <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/743738/Table_7_2017-18_revised.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/743738/Table_7_2017-18_revised.xlsx</a>.</p> answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) answering member printed Rishi Sunak question first answered 13/06/2019 16:33:50 answering member 4483 label Biography information for Rishi Sunak
	tabling member	4034 label Biography information for Yvonne Fovargue

1131231

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Debt Collection
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the Citizens Advice Costs of Collection report finding that council tax collection practices are adding nearly half a billion pounds a year to personal debt.
	tabling member constituency	Makerfield
	tabling member printed	Yvonne Fovargue
	uin	263137
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>I am aware of concerns of charities, debt advice bodies and local councils about council tax debt. That is why my Department is engaging with, and reviewing evidence compiled by these bodies with a view to making council tax debt collection fairer, more efficient and compassionate. Following these discussions we intend to publish updated guidance on good collection practices, before considering the scope for further reforms.</p> answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) answering member printed Rishi Sunak question first answered 18/06/2019 13:37:24 answering member 4483 label Biography information for Rishi Sunak
	tabling member	4034 label Biography information for Yvonne Fovargue

1131232

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Non-payment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to amend The Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992 to remove the sanction of imprisonment for non-payment of council tax.
	tabling member constituency	Makerfield
	tabling member printed	Yvonne Fovargue
	uin	263138
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government is currently engaging with a range of stakeholders to consider how to improve council tax collection. Following those discussions, we intend to publish updated guidance on good collection practices, before considering the scope of further reforms. The Government is clear that imprisonment should only ever be the last resort for non-payment of council tax. Before a magistrates’ court commits someone to prison for failure to pay their council tax, it must inquire as to the debtor’s means, and satisfy itself that failure to pay is due to “wilful refusal or culpable neglect”. This is to prevent persons who are genuinely unable to pay their council tax from being committed to prison.</p> answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) answering member printed Rishi Sunak question first answered 18/06/2019 13:38:21 answering member 4483 label Biography information for Rishi Sunak
	tabling member	4034 label Biography information for Yvonne Fovargue

1132004

	registered interest
	date	13/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Local Government Finance: Lewisham
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the per capita funding allocated to Lewisham Council.
	tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
	uin	264442
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/06/2019 answer text <p>The Department does not publish per capita funding allocated to local authorities.</p><p>Lewisham Council’s Core Spending Power for 2019-20, including on a per dwelling basis, can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2019-to-2020" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2019-to-2020</a>.</p> answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) answering member printed Rishi Sunak question first answered 20/06/2019 15:03:04 answering member 4483 label Biography information for Rishi Sunak
	tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1128842

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Parking: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what measures are available to landowners and leaseholders with rights over land to enforce reasonable parking charges when a vehicle is left on their land contrary to the terms displayed.
	tabling member constituency	Chelmsford
	tabling member printed	Vicky Ford
	uin	259459
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 grants keeper liability for vehicles, allowing landowners and parking operators to pursue the registered keeper of a vehicle for breaches of contract related to parking. Private parking companies must be a member of a trade association if they wish to access DVLA data in order to issue parking charges to vehicle owners. The two parking trade associations, the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC), have their own codes of practice and appeal procedures to which they expect their members to adhere. If a private parking company does not follow these codes responsibly, they risk being banned from accessing DVLA data and will be unable to issue parking charges.</p> answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) answering member printed Rishi Sunak question first answered 10/06/2019 11:38:08 answering member 4483 label Biography information for Rishi Sunak
	tabling member	4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford

1130371

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Tax Rates and Bands
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has pans to encourage local authorities to reduce rates of council tax.
	tabling member constituency	Stevenage
	tabling member printed	Stephen McPartland
	uin	261214
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>Council tax levels are determined by local authorities, although the Government maintains a referendum threshold to ensure local residents can have the final say on excessive increases. Referendum principles are set each year alongside the Local Government Finance Settlement, and proposals for 2020-21 will be published later in the year.</p> answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) answering member printed Rishi Sunak grouped question UIN 261215 question first answered 11/06/2019 09:26:09 answering member 4483 label Biography information for Rishi Sunak
	tabling member	4093 label Biography information for Stephen McPartland

1130372

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Council Tax: Tax Rates and Bands
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has plans to reduce the two per cent referendum threshold on council tax increases to zero.
	tabling member constituency	Stevenage
	tabling member printed	Stephen McPartland
	uin	261215
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>Council tax levels are determined by local authorities, although the Government maintains a referendum threshold to ensure local residents can have the final say on excessive increases. Referendum principles are set each year alongside the Local Government Finance Settlement, and proposals for 2020-21 will be published later in the year.</p> answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) answering member printed Rishi Sunak grouped question UIN 261214 question first answered 11/06/2019 09:26:10 answering member 4483 label Biography information for Rishi Sunak
	tabling member	4093 label Biography information for Stephen McPartland

1130373

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Local Government Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on encouraging local authorities to invest more of their reserves in local communities.
	tabling member constituency	Stevenage
	tabling member printed	Stephen McPartland
	uin	261216
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>Councils are free to determine the level of reserves they hold and are accountable to their electorate for the decisions they make. No powers exist to redistribute/reclaim this resource. All local authorities are required to hold sufficient unallocated reserves to meet unforecastable financial risks. <br> <br> Many council’s reserves are earmarked for particular purposes. Earmarked reserves are funds that are spent at the discretion of the local authority.</p> answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) answering member printed Rishi Sunak question first answered 13/06/2019 16:33:11 answering member 4483 label Biography information for Rishi Sunak
	tabling member	4093 label Biography information for Stephen McPartland

1129001

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Recreation Spaces
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to enact statutory protection for green spaces; and what steps he is taking to promote the health benefits of parks and urban green spaces.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	259043
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government does not have plans to enact statutory protection for green spaces. We are committed to reducing excessive central reporting burdens on local government. It is for local authorities and local communities to decide how best to manage their local parks and green spaces and how to utilise available funding to best effect.</p><p>The Government recognises the health benefits of parks and urban green spaces. We have invested over £15 million in 2018-19 to support a robust package of new Government initiatives to support the sustainability of green spaces – including £3.75 million on the expansion of the Pocket Parks Plus programme and £9.7 million to ensure local authorities can continue to maintain and develop good quality, accessible parks and green spaces.</p><p>The 25 Year Environment Plan (25YEP) sets out that spending time in the natural environment can improve our mental health and feelings of well-being. Government has committed to actions that seek to help people improve their health and well-being by using green spaces. These commitments include:</p><ul><li>Considering how NHS mental health providers in England could work with environmental voluntary sector organisations to offer mental health therapies</li><li>Establish a cross-government programme that helps health professionals and local authorities to connect more people with nature to support their health and wellbeing.</li></ul><p>Defra, NHS England, Public Health England and Natural England are working together to launch these actions and establish a programme which will deliver the 25YEP mental health commitments.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) answering member printed Rishi Sunak question first answered 10/06/2019 11:39:59 answering member 4483 label Biography information for Rishi Sunak
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1129341

	registered interest
	date	03/06/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Public Lavatories
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the Royal Society for Public Health report entitled The decline of the great British toilet, published in May 2019; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	259060
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the report. Whilst the provision of public toilets is a matter for local authorities, we encourage councils to keep these important amenities open. At Budget 2018 the Chancellor announced a 100 per cent business rates relief for public lavatories in England, and the Government will introduce legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows. In addition the Department recently launched a consultation proposing changes to Building Regulations to create more Changing Places toilets for severely disabled people.</p> answering member constituency Richmond (Yorks) answering member printed Rishi Sunak question first answered 10/06/2019 11:37:25 answering member 4483 label Biography information for Rishi Sunak
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly