Previous Section Index Home Page

10 July 2007 : Column 1426W—continued

Housing: Low Incomes

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many social housing properties were made available by property developers in each London borough in each of the last five years. [145495]

Mr. Iain Wright: The Housing Act 2004 gave the Housing Corporation the power to provide grant to fund affordable housing to other bodies such as private developers. In 2006-07, a total of 260 social rented homes were provided by non-registered social landlords (RSL) through Housing Corporation's affordable housing programme. None of these homes were in London.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in how many planning permissions for housing development the granting of permission incorporated a condition that a proportion of the properties built should be affordable in each of the last 10 years for which records are available; and what proportion of new homes granted planning permission in this period were affordable. [148174]

Mr. Iain Wright: This information is not held centrally.

Communities and Local Government collects quarterly aggregate statistics on development control statistics from all local planning authorities in England. These statistics also include the number of planning decisions granted for major and minor developments relating to residential developments. However, we do not collect data on individual planning applications.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion
10 July 2007 : Column 1427W
of planning permissions granted in each of the last 10 years for which records are available for residential development which included an element of affordable housing have been (a) started, (b) completed and (c) occupied. [148254]

Mr. Iain Wright: This information is not collated in the format requested.

Communities and Local Government collects quarterly aggregate statistics on development control statistics from all local planning authorities in England. These statistics also include the number of planning decisions granted for major and minor developments relating to residential development. However, we do not collect data on individual planning applications.

Housing: Standards

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many non-decent homes there were in (a) Essex and (b) the London borough of Havering in the latest period for which figures are available. [147370]

Mr. Iain Wright: In 2006 local authorities and registered social landlords in Essex reported that they had between them 20,325 non decent homes, out of 86,072 homes.

In the London borough of Havering, registered social landlords and the council reported that they had 3,621 non decent homes out of 13,125 homes.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government are taking to ensure that private build houses meet the same standards as those completed by housing associations. [147965]

Mr. Iain Wright: All newly built housing, irrespective of whether privately or publicly funded, is subject to the minimum standards specified in the building regulations. Beyond that, builders and developers in the private sector are generally free to design housing as they wish, responding to market and consumer demand.

In relation to sustainability, the majority of new homes built with Government funds allocated after April 2007, and all new homes built with Government funds allocated after April 2008, must comply with Level 3 of the code for sustainable homes. This sets standards across nine areas of sustainability and goes significantly beyond the standards set in building regulations. Private build houses are not required to meet standards above building regulations. However in our consultation document ‘Building a Greener Future' published in December 2006 we suggested that all new homes (public and private) should be required to have a mandatory rating against the code from April 2008, indicating whether they have been assessed and, if so, the performance of the home against the code. We believe that this will encourage higher take-up of the code in the private sector.

We are currently considering responses to our consultation and will make a further announcement shortly.


10 July 2007 : Column 1428W

Internet: Taxation

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much taxation was collected from wi-fi installations by or on behalf of the relevant collections authorities during 2006-07. [148365]

John Healey: The Department for Communities and Local Government holds no data on how much taxation was collected specifically from wi-fi installations during 2006-07. Wi-fi installations, if rateable, are not separately identified from the mobile phone and broadcast wireless installations described as ‘Communications Stations' in the local rating lists. A breakdown of the rating lists to separately identify wi-fi installations is not therefore possible.

Local Authorities: Housing

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the Audit Commission performance rating is for each local authority housing department in England; and what stock options strategy each is following. [144157]

Mr. Iain Wright: A table showing the housing scores and decent homes delivery option for each of the 115 unitary local authorities in England has been placed in the Library of the House. There is no annual assessment of district council housing functions as with single tier authorities through the Comprehensive Performance Assessment framework.

Local Government Finance

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities had their accounts qualified in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07. [146151]

John Healey: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and the Chief Executive was asked to write to the hon. Member. The Chief Executive subsequently replied to him on 28 June and I have placed a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 28 June 2007:


10 July 2007 : Column 1429W

Local Government Finance: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the value was per household of the Government grant to local government in 2006 for (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council and (b) Telford and Wrekin borough council. [147674]

John Healey: The figures for the two authorities are not comparable because Shrewsbury and Atcham council, as a shire district council, carries out fewer functions than Telford and the Wrekin borough council, which is a unitary council.

According to revenue account budget returns submitted by local authorities to the Department, the total amounts of revenue grant (revenue support grant, redistributed non-domestic rates and specific and special grants inside aggregate external finance) budgeted to be received by Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council and Telford and the Wrekin borough council for 2006-07 were £7.6 million and £175.6 million respectively.

These amounts are equivalent to £185 and £2,660 per household respectively, using estimates of the number of households in each local authority's area in 2004, as published at:

Local Government: Pay

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total back pay liability for all expected years is for each local authority that has applied for a capitalisation direction in respect of equal pay; and how much each authority is seeking to have capitalised. [146750]

John Healey: A number of local authorities are currently engaged in complex negotiations with their employees and Trade Unions, the outcome of which will determine the scale of their liability, if any, under the Equal Pay Act. Publishing the information requested could prejudice ongoing negotiations.

Planning Permission: Retail Trade

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will amend the General Permitted Development Order to require planning permission for change of use of small shop units into large ones. [148394]

Mr. Iain Wright: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 10 July 2007, Official Report, [147857].

Whether planning permission is required for the merger of shop units depends on what work is proposed. Unless a change of use is involved, planning permission will not usually be required if the merger involves only internal works. Transforming small shop units into large ones would not usually be considered a change of use. However, where works would affect the external appearance of a building, planning permission is likely to be required. Where planning permission is needed, local planning authorities can already prevent the merger of shop units through imposing planning
10 July 2007 : Column 1430W
conditions in the context of their planning strategy for their town centres. “Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for Town Centres” (PPS6) gives further advice on the effective use of planning conditions to ensure that the character of a development cannot subsequently be changed to create a form of development that a local authority would originally have refused.

We have no plans to change the current arrangements.

Regional Planning and Development: Northamptonshire

Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans there are for infrastructure improvements in North Northamptonshire to coincide with the expansion in housing. [148421]

Yvette Cooper: The provision of appropriate infrastructure is clearly critical to the effective delivery of the Sustainable Communities Plan. Since 2004, the Government working with partners in the Northamptonshire area have invested £100 million additional funding through the Growth Area Fund in Northamptonshire.

Furthermore the Government have set up an Inter Regional Board dedicated to delivering the coordination of sustainable growth across the Milton Keynes and South Midlands growth area reporting directly to Ministers.

Officials from the Department, the Government Office for the East Midlands and the Department for Transport are working closely with local partners to develop a package of measures to resolve the particular issues associated with the A14 and the local transport networks in the Wellingborough and Kettering area. I expect further details to emerge from that work towards the end of the year, when we will have a clearer picture on timing and the phasing of development.

Work with other agencies on the wider infrastructure issues is also progressing and these matters will be the subject of further consideration at the Examination in Public of the North Northamptonshire Core Spatial Strategy commencing in October this year. The purpose of the examination will be to test the "soundness" of the plan, which includes the delivery of infrastructure.

In addition, from the commencement of the new East Midlands Rail Franchise timetable in December 2008, rail passengers will benefit from a new hourly service between Kettering and London (including Wellingborough), increasing the number of off peak services on the midland main line to five trains per hour. It has also been agreed in principle to extend this service to a new station at Corby from December 2008.

Revenue Support Grant

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration her Department has given to the position of local authorities on the revenue support grant floor under the pooled funding arrangements to take effect from April 2008 to support local area agreements. [147085]


10 July 2007 : Column 1431W

John Healey: The pooled funding arrangements supporting local area agreements will have no effect on the distribution of Formula Grant to local authorities.

Shops: Planning Permission

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to require planning permission for the merger of ground floor shop units. [147857]

Mr. Iain Wright: Whether planning permission is required for the merger of shop units depends on what work is proposed to be carried out. Unless a change of use is involved, planning permission will not usually be required if the merger involves only internal works. However, where works would affect the external appearance of a building, planning permission is likely to be required. Where planning permission is needed, local planning authorities can already prevent the merger of shop units through imposing planning conditions in the context of their planning strategy for their town centres. “Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for town centres” (PPS6) gives further advice on the effective use of planning conditions to ensure that the character of a development cannot subsequently be changed to create a form of development that a local authority would originally have refused.

We have no plans to change the current requirements.

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to require planning permission for conversion of class A1 shops into coffee shops or internet cafés. [147858]

Mr. Iain Wright: The Government have already made a number of positive changes to the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 (as amended). Planning permission is now needed to convert a shop under Class Al: “Shops” into a coffee shop under Class A3: “Restaurants and Cafés”. This class was designed specifically for businesses where the primary purpose is the sale and consumption of food and light refreshments on the premises. The Use Classes Order also allows Class A3 uses to change to Class Al uses without planning permission.

In 2005 the Government changed the Use Classes Order to expand Use Class Al to include internet cafés which are premises where the primary purpose is to provide access for members of the public to the internet. Internet cafés provide a valuable service to the public and contribute to the vitality and viability of high streets. Planning permission is therefore not needed to convert a shop into an internet café, and the Government has no plans to change the Use Classes Order in this regard.

Local authorities have a range of tools available to them to plan proactively for the character and future vitality and viability of their high streets and Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for town centres advises on the scope of some of these. In addition, the Planning White Paper, Planning for a Sustainable Future, published in May 2007, set out proposals to introduce a new impact test which will improve
10 July 2007 : Column 1432W
consumer choice and promote competition and which will enable local authorities to better test the likely impact of development proposals outside town centres on town centre shops and services.

South West Regional Assembly

Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the running cost of the South West Regional Assembly was in each of the last five years. [147948]

John Healey: Government grant since 2003 to the South West Regional Assembly in order for it to undertake its Regional Scrutiny, Planning and Housing functions is set out in the following table:

South West Regional Assembly
£

2003-04

1,613,000

2004-05

2,101,000

2005-06

2,101,000

2006-07

2,289,500

2007-08

2,470,164


Next Section Index Home Page