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30 Jan 2008 : Column 444W—continued
Local Government: Reorganisation
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many councillors each of the restructured local authorities will have; and how many councillors in total across both tiers the council areas will have in each case. [182080]
John Healey: The number of councillors if restructuring is implemented, in the five areas for which draft Implementation Orders have been laid before Parliament, is as follows.
| Local authority | Number of councillors 1 April 2009 |
A new unitary council’s number of councillors may change at the first election held after the Boundary Committee has undertaken a review of the council’s electoral arrangements.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities undergoing restructuring will have elections for the new council in (a) 2008 and (b) 2009; and in which year in each case parish council elections will take place. [182081]
John Healey: Under restructuring orders, which we have laid before the House, the first elections to the new unitary authorities will be in 2008, in the case of the unitary County Durham and Northumberland councils, and in 2009, in the case of the new unitary Cornwall, Shropshire and Wiltshire councils. In all five cases, subsequent elections will be in 2013.
Parish elections in those areas will be held in future on the same cycle as elections for the new unitary councils. As a result some parishes will hold elections in 2009, but the majority will be moved from 2011 to 2013.
Local Government: Standards
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the average number of (a) national priority targets and (b) local improvement targets that local area agreements will contain. [182085]
John Healey: No estimate has been made of the average number of (a) national priority targets and (b) local improvement targets in local area agreements (LAAs). Section 106 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 provides all targets in an LAA are local improvement targets. Up to 35 local improvement targets will be designated by the Secretary of State following negotiation between a local area and the relevant Government Office.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authorities will be set local improvement targets via the new (a) local area agreements and (b) multi-area agreements. [182573]
John Healey: Upper-tier and unitary local authorities will be required to determine local improvement targets when directed by the Secretary of State to prepare a local area agreement (“LAA”) under section 106 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. Once they have been determined in a draft LAA, the LAA will be submitted to the Secretary of State for her approval in accordance with section 107 of that Act. It is expected that all such authorities will therefore set local improvement targets in LAAs.
Unlike LAAs, multi-area agreements do not have a statutory basis. Any outcomes in an MAA are not local improvement targets, unless they are drawn from the relevant LAAs.
Maps: Green Belt
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 11 December 2007, Official Report, column 552W, on maps: green belt, what the timetable is for incorporating the green belt digital data from local authorities into the Maps on Tap database. [182902]
Mr. Iain Wright: We expect to complete the collection of Green Belt digital (boundary) data from local authorities in April and will incorporate this into departmental databases shortly after.
Mortgages: First Time Buyers
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of first-time buyers in England took out mortgages of 100 per cent. or more of the purchase price of the property in the most recent period for which figures are available. [183221]
Mr. Iain Wright: Data on first time buyers (FTBs) using a mortgage are available from the regulated mortgage survey which is supplied to the Department by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. As the survey is a sample, data on the number of FTBs for England are unavailable; however, we can derive proportions.
For 2006, based on figures from the regulated mortgage survey, the Department estimates that 8.3 per cent. of mortgages to first-time buyers (excluding sitting tenants) in England were for 100 per cent. or more of the purchase price of the property.
Multiple Occupation: Licensing
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to co-ordinate best practice in the implementation of the national licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation. [182439]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department has funded Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) to support local housing authorities in England and Wales in implementing mandatory licensing of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). LACORS issues guidance and advice, and co-ordinates and disseminates best practice in relation to regulation of private-sector housing.
Parish Councils: Cost-Effectiveness
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to abolish grants for best-value compliance to parish councils. [182082]
John Healey:
Section 136 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 removes parish councils from the duty of best value. Paragraph 3 of Schedule 7 to the 2007 Act removes the Secretary of State’s power to make grants to parish councils in
respect of their costs of complying with best value. We intend to commence both provisions with effect from 1 April 2008.
Parking: Planning
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will (a) direct or (b) encourage local planning authorities to revise local plan policies on parking standards in the light of the changes in planning policy statement 3 and the repeal of Planning Policy Guidance 3. [183257]
Mr. Iain Wright: Planning Policy Statement 3 "Housing" (PPS3) does not prescribe car parking standards for new residential development. Rather, it introduces a more flexible approach to the local provision of car parking by giving local planning authorities the ability to set their own residential parking policies, taking account of expected levels of car ownership, the importance of promoting good design and the need to use land efficiently.
The policies in PPS3, including that relating to car parking provision for new residential development, should be taken into account by local planning authorities in the preparation of their local development frameworks. They should also be regarded as material considerations in the determining of planning applications for new housing development which may supersede the policies in existing development plans.
Planning
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations the Sustainable Development Commission has made to her Department on (a) the Planning Bill and (b) the Infrastructure Planning Commission. [182562]
John Healey: The Sustainable Development Commission responded to consultation on the Planning White Paper in August last year.
My Department maintains an ongoing dialogue with the Sustainable Development Commission in its role as Government’s independent adviser on sustainable development.
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the proposed national policy statements will over-ride provisions on existing planning policy (a) guidance note/planning policy (b) statement. [183248]
Mr. Iain Wright: National policy statements will provide the national policy framework for development consents for nationally significant infrastructure projects. They will incorporate relevant elements of town and country planning policy and other relevant Government policies.
Some national policy statements will also be relevant to smaller infrastructure projects which require town and country planning permission. National policy statements will feed through into regional spatial strategies and local development plans in relation to those categories of infrastructure, alongside other aspects of planning policy.
Planning: Public Participation
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 10 December 2007, Official Report, columns 148-49W, on planning: public participation, if she will place in the Library a copy of each substantive response to the Planning White Paper, excluding campaign write-in submissions. [182811]
Mr. Iain Wright: Copies of the substantive responses listed in “Planning White Paper Consultation: Government response to consultation replies” have not been placed in the Library because of the volume we received. They are available for inspection at the Department.
Planning: Retail Trade
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 10 December 2007, Official Report, column 149W, on planning: retail trade, what representations she has received from supermarkets on the revision of Planning Policy Statement 6 since May 2007. [182918]
Mr. Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) on 29 October 2007, Official Report, column 149W, which set out the written representations the Secretary of State (or her officials) has had from supermarkets up to 15 June 2007.
Since then, the Secretary of State (or her officials) has received written representations from the following supermarkets in relation to the proposed revisions to Planning Policy Statement 6, as announced in the Planning White Paper “Planning for a Sustainable Future” which was published in May 2007:
Asda*
John Lewis Partnership/Waitrose*
Lidl
Marks and Spencer
Musgrave GB
Tesco
Supermarkets which have asked that their representations remain confidential are indicated by ‘*’. Copies of other representations have been placed in the Library of the House.
Public Libraries: Standards
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Public Library Service Standards will be included in the new national indicator set. [182087]
John Healey: The National Indicator Set was announced on 11 October 2007 and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Regeneration: Greater Manchester
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mr. Hunt), of 11 December 2007, Official Report, columns 554-5W, on regeneration: Greater Manchester, what the terms of reference are for the review of regeneration alternatives to the regional casino in Manchester; and whether the review will consider (a) the option of eight small and eight large casinos and (b) the effect of the increase in the number of casinos authorised under the Gaming Act 1968 prior to the implementation of the Gambling Act 2005. [182164]
John Healey: In July, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said that the Government would look at whether deprived areas could be equally well served by forms of regeneration other than the development of regional casinos.
While Manchester will clearly have an interest in the findings of the review, the response is not specific to alternatives to a regional casino in Manchester; it applies to deprived areas more broadly.
The Review did not look at the case of the small or large casinos or consider the Gambling Act more generally. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is currently considering next steps on casino policy under the Gambling Act 2005, and will make an announcement to Parliament in due course.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mr. Hunt) of 11 December 2007, Official Report, columns 554-5W, on regeneration: Greater Manchester, and to the answer of 17 December 2007, Official Report, column 1131W, on casinos, whether the review of regeneration alternatives to regional casinos has received evidence from representatives of (a) Anschutz Entertainment Group, (b) its associated companies and (c) business partners. [182236]
John Healey: In July the Prime Minister said that the Government would consider the question of whether deprived areas could be equally well served by forms of regeneration other than the development of regional casinos. While Manchester will clearly have an interest in the findings of the review, the response is not specific to alternatives to a regional casino in Manchester; it applies to deprived areas more broadly.
There is no record that the Review received any evidence from Anschutz Entertainment Group or from any party known to me to be its associated company or business partner. When the Review is published it will list the evidence sources that have been referenced.
Regional Planning and Development
Mr. Pickles:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2007, Official Report, columns 1157-8W, on regional planning and development,
whether a Secretary of State’s decision to require the draft Local Area Agreement to be amended may be imposed on local councils against their advice. [182059]
John Healey: Section 107(1) of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 allows the Secretary of State to require the amendment of a draft Local Area Agreement, but does not specify the considerations that might affect such a decision.
The Government Office will be expected to resolve any difficulties earlier in the negotiation, reducing the likelihood that the draft LAA will need to be redrafted. This is emphasised in sections 4.17 to 4.18 of the draft statutory guidance: “Creating Strong, Safe and Prosperous Communities”, available on the CLG website at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/local government/statutoryguidance
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