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1313904

registered interest
date	12/05/2021
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: Meetings
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 feasibility of allowing (a) virtual and (b) part-virtual council meetings indefinitely.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	948
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2021 answer text <p>On 25 March 2021 the Government launched a call for evidence on remote meetings and their use during the pandemic. This will inform any next steps on legislation or guidance regarding their use in the future. The call for evidence closes on 17 June 2021. The Government will consider all responses carefully before deciding how to proceed on this issue in the longer term.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 17/05/2021 16:10:40 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1307447

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
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	Home Information Packs: 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 assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) reducing the charge for freehold information packs for individuals selling properties or (b) making those charges means tested.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	179730
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2021 answer text <p>FME1 Freehold management forms enquire about information such as the amount of estate rent charges or service charge equivalent, when acting for a buyer of a freehold that shares services with other houses. The rent charge owner, management company, managing agent or their appointed representative should provide this information. The FME1 is not mandatory. We believe that freeholders would also benefit from having more certainty about the cost and timescales for providing this information. We propose to use legislation to set the same timescale and cost for provision of freehold information as we have already committed to for the provision of leasehold sales packs. <br> <br>We would want to ask whether the freehold packs should be subject to the same rules around cost and turnaround time as leasehold packs.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 15/04/2021 15:18:07 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1249961

registered interest
date	05/11/2020
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	Housing: Students
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 adequacy of regulation of student accommodation provision in the context of changing Higher Education provision as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	112148
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2020 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>The Government is committed to ensuring that every student has a safe, decent and secure place to live. The Government supports the student accommodation Codes of Practice run by Universities UK/Guild HE and Accreditation Network UK/Unipol. There are currently no plans to review the mechanism by which the Codes are administered. The Codes of Practice set the standards for the safety of halls of residence and purpose built student accommodation, the management of the property and the relationship between managers and student tenants. The Department for Education has published guidance on <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fhigher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses%2Fhigher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses%23accommodation&amp;data=04%7C01%7CParliamentary%40communities.gov.uk%7C54e18980c06b403b6b2008d887fae71c%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637408858968654372%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=QUq2s5Znf7RE1Uw1QWFvNQUm59wD4ZYSWk1VXYNw8cI%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">reopening buildings and campuses</a> which provides additional advice on student accommodation. The Government is also working with local authorities to raise standards in the private rented sector, including in student accommodation, and local authorities have been given a wide range of powers to tackle criminal landlords.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 16/11/2020 18:12:32 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1245589

registered interest
date	21/10/2020
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	Rents: 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, if he will make it his policy to record the number of people in rent arrears.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	107146
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government has established an unprecedented package of support to protect renters throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and as with all policy making, this is informed by a range of data sources.</p><p>This comprehensive package includes a range of support for businesses to pay staff salaries which will support renters to sustain tenancies. We have also strengthened the welfare safety-net with a nearly £9.3 billion boost to the welfare system, including an extra £1 billion to increase Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates so that they cover the lowest 30 per cent of market rents.</p><p>For those renters who require additional support, there is an existing £180 million of Government funding for Discretionary Housing Payments made available this year, an increase of £40 million from last year and which is for councils to distribute to support renters with housing costs.</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 02/11/2020 17:55:54 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1227574

registered interest
date	22/07/2020
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: Coronavirus
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 additional funding requirements of local authorities that have a budget shortfall as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	78938
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/09/2020 answer text <p>Councils across the country are supporting communities, protecting the most vulnerable and helping the NHS in our efforts to combat Covid-19. In order to meet additional cost pressures, we are providing local authorities with an unprecedented package of support, allocating £4.3 billion of support for spending pressures, including £3.7 billion of un-ringfenced grants and the £600 million Infection Control Fund. This direct financial support the Government has provided is just part of the comprehensive package of support which includes cashflow measures, support for the homeless, and bus and tram services, not to mention grants and business rates reliefs for businesses. In total, the Government has committed almost £28 billion to local areas to support councils, businesses and communities.</p><p>The Secretary of State has also announced measures to address lost income, including:</p><ul><li>a co-payment scheme to cover irrecoverable Sales, Fees and Charges income in 20/21 with the Government covering 75 per cent of losses beyond 5 per cent of planned income;</li><li>phased repayment of Collection Fund deficits over the next 3 years;</li><li>a commitment to determine what support is needed to help councils meet the pressures of irrecoverable tax income at the Spending Review.</li></ul><p>Our new approach to financial support for councils in the fight against Covid-19 is more robust and longer-term, replacing both previous rounds of allocations. It shares the burden fairly between central and local government. We have reset the whole approach by estimating both expenditure pressures and income reductions through to the end of the financial year, based on what local authorities have told us in the latest financial monitoring and operational response. Over 99 per cent of local authorities responded to our May Covid-19 financial monitoring survey. We are extremely grateful for their continued collaboration, which enables us to understand pressures at a national and local level.</p><p>We will continue to monitor the impact of Covid-19 on local government and would ask that any local authority who is faced with an unmanageable pressure or is concerned about their future financial position should approach MHCLG to discuss.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 01/09/2020 12:37:14 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1190266

registered interest
date	24/04/2020
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	Horticulture
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 viability of allowing shops selling domestic garden supplies that have closed due to the covid-19 outbreak to re-open.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	39802
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>Shops selling domestic garden supplies such as garden centres, are being asked to close along with many other retail premises to minimise the risk of the spread of the coronavirus.</p><p>At all times we have been consistently guided by scientific advice to protect lives. The current advice from SAGE is that relaxing any of the measures could risk damage to public health, our economy, and the sacrifices we have all made. The Government has set up five tests that must be met before the lockdown measures (including the closure of certain retail businesses) can be lifted. These consider NHS capacity, death rates, transmission rates, availability of PPE, and avoidance of a second peak of the virus.</p><p>It is positive to see the emerging thoughts on how businesses such as garden centres can reopen safely, and in line with wider social distancing measures – we will need to continue to work together on how easing measures could work when it is the right time to do so.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 04/05/2020 14:49:12 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

522467

registered interest
date	03/06/2016
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	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 Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 24 March 2016 to Question 32596, if he will place in the Library the spreadsheet used to calculate the allocation of the 2016-17 transition grant to individual authorities.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Chris Leslie
uin	39147
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2016 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has published an explanatory note setting out the method of calculation of the Transition Grant. Copies have been made available in the libraries of both Houses. It is available to view at:<br><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/510870/Explanatory_note_on_the_allocation_of_the_Transition_Grant.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/510870/Explanatory_note_on_the_allocation_of_the_Transition_Grant.pdf</a>.</p><p>The spreadsheet showing individual authority allocations was published on 8 February as part of the Core Spending Power: Supporting Information tables: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/corespending-power-final-local-government-finance-settlement-2016-to-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/corespending-power-final-local-government-finance-settlement-2016-to-2017</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Nuneaton answering member printed Mr Marcus Jones question first answered 13/06/2016 15:40:52 answering member 4024 label Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones
tabling member	422 label Biography information for Mr Chris Leslie

487162

registered interest
date	24/03/2016
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	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 Communities and Local Government, with reference to the final local government finance settlement 2016-17, published on 8 February 2016, if he will place a copy of the (a) methodology used for calculating the distribution and (b) detailed model used to calculate the allocation to each individual authority of the 2016-17 transitional grant in the Library; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Chris Leslie
uin	32596
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2016 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has published an explanatory note setting out the method of calculation of the Transition Grant. Copies have been made available in the libraries of both Houses. It is available to view at:<br><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/510870/Explanatory_note_on_the_allocation_of_the_Transition_Grant.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/510870/Explanatory_note_on_the_allocation_of_the_Transition_Grant.pdf</a>.</p><p>Individual authority allocations were published on 8 February as part of the Core Spending Power: Supporting Information tables: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/corespending-power-final-local-government-finance-settlement-2016-to-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/corespending-power-final-local-government-finance-settlement-2016-to-2017</a>.</p><p>The Secretary of State has already addressed questions from the House on this matter. I refer the hon. Member to the debate on Local Government Finance Report (England) on 10 February, <em>Official Report, </em>Columns 1643-1645.</p> answering member constituency Nuneaton answering member printed Mr Marcus Jones question first answered 15/04/2016 14:58:51 answering member 4024 label Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones
tabling member	422 label Biography information for Mr Chris Leslie

76287

registered interest
date	08/07/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Buildings
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the duration of his Department's lease at 2 Marsham Street is; and what break clause arrangements there are.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Chris Leslie
uin	204622
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The move to 2 Marsham Street will reduce my Department's running costs by £9 million a year from 2015-16. Overall, these changes will save the Government £24 million a year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department does not have a lease for 2 Marsham Street. Our co-location with the Home Office is formalised through an inter-department Memorandum of Terms of Occupation.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Since 2010, the Department has had considerable success in reducing the cost of its wider estate through the rationalisation of retained office space and targeted building disposals. This has seen the Department surrender six leasehold office properties through a combination of lease breaks and expiries, generating net savings in the period of around £7 million per annum. The Department has also successfully sub-let surplus space across its leasehold office estate during the same period, reducing the overall property costs by around £6.5 million per annum.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Building on this success, in 2013-14, we have already secured further savings of £4.6 million by subletting further space in Eland House in London. Most recently, the Department negotiated the early surrender of Eland House and is scheduled to relocate to 2 Marsham Street.</p><p> </p><p><em> </em></p><p> </p><p>This illustrates the scope for local government and, indeed, the public sector as a whole to make sensible savings through better property management.</p><p> </p><p><em> </em></p><p> </p><p>In June 2013, supporting the Prime Minister's commitment to support the development of small and medium enterprises, the Department agreed terms with business incubator providers to take vacant space at 2 Rivergate House in Bristol and Bridge House, Guildford. This is an important part of the Government's drive to assist the start-up and small and medium enterprises business and we are also working with the Government Property Unit on potential Government Space for Growth opportunities in other properties held by DCLG.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 14/07/2014 15:58:18 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
tabling member	422 label Biography information for Mr Chris Leslie

47177

registered interest
date	07/04/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for his Department in the last financial year; and how much in agency fees was paid to each of them.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Chris Leslie
uin	195547
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>In answering this question, we have used the Cabinet Office definition for contingent labour (temporary staff) which includes admin and clerical agency staff, interim managers and specialist contractors: use of such staff for short-term or specialist work can be better value for money than hiring staff on permanent contracts.</p><p>Details of the five companies that my Department has used most often in the last financial year for the provision of contingent labour are set out below:</p><p>Financial Year 2013-14</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Organisation</p></td><td><p>Total Expenditure (excluding VAT)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Capita Resourcing Ltd</p></td><td><p>£1,736,580</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Reed Employment Services</p></td><td><p>£172,702</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Reed Specialist Recruitment Ltd</p></td><td><p>£136,335</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Manpower UK Ltd</p></td><td><p>£40,423</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Premier Employment Group Ltd</p></td><td><p>£22,677</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>To put this in context, my Department has cut spending on contingent labour from £14.4 million in 2009-10 to £3.3 million in 2013-14 as a result of the tightening of its internal management controls, institutionalising these in its systems and adhering to Treasury and Cabinet Office spending rules. This represents a saving of £11.1 million a year (2013-14 compared to 2009-10)</p><p>In addition to the savings on temporary workers, our departmental audited annual accounts for the core Department show that staff costs fell from £216 million in 2009-10 to £99 million in 2012-13, a reduction of 54% in cash terms, or a further saving of £117 million a year.</p><p>These savings also reflect the Coalition Government's agenda of decentralisation, ending the micromanagement of local government, the abolition of regional government, and the broader need to tackle the deficit left by the last Administration.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 28/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
tabling member	422 label Biography information for Mr Chris Leslie