House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 03 July 2008 (pt 0011)

3 July 2008 : Column 1063W—continued

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Regional Spatial Strategies: Eco-towns

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether eco-towns will count towards a local authority's building targets as set out in regional spatial strategies. [215061]

Caroline Flint: As we have set out in the consultation document, Eco-towns—Living a greener future, at Annex A, paragraph 6 we are expecting eco-towns to contribute significantly to meet revised targets in the emerging regional spatial strategies and have assured local authorities which include an eco-town in their future housing plans that it will count towards current and future housing targets, which in many cases are likely to be more stretching.

Regional Spatial Strategies: Green Belt

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities are being instructed to undertake green belt reviews as a consequence of the provisions of each regional spatial strategy. [213924]

Mr. Iain Wright: No local planning authorities have been instructed to undertake green belt reviews. The Government’s policy on green belts is set out in planning policy guidance note 2 (PPG2). Green belts have performed an important role in preventing urban sprawl and protecting the countryside for 50 years. It continues to be a matter for local authorities and regional assemblies to look at how the green belt best protects the countryside and guards against inappropriate development.

Regional Spatial Strategies: West Midlands

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the meaning is of the phrase adjustment of green belt boundaries, as referred to in the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy Phase Two Revision. [215092]

Mr. Iain Wright: The reference to adjustment of green belt boundaries is unchanged from the published RSS but the draft phase two revision expands on the circumstances where adjustment might be made. This wording represents the West Midlands regional assembly’s proposals which will be subject to an examination in public next spring.

Social Rented Housing: Sales

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties have been disposed of by registered social landlords in each year since 1999-2000. [214319]

Mr. Iain Wright: The following table shows the number of properties disposed of by RSLs in each year since 1999-2000. The figures are taken from the annual Regulatory Statistical Return showing right to buy (RTB), right to acquire (RTA), Voluntary Purchase Grant (VPG) and later, Social HomeBuy (from 2006) (SHB), disposals
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to other RSLs, disposals to the private sector (for example property built for outright sale, market rented property, former social housing sold at auction or on
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the open market) and other disposals (for example local authorities, health authorities and organisations like English Partnerships).

Number of properties disposed of by RSLs since 1999-2000
	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
RTB	7,245	7,098	8,224	10,473	14,525	8,665	6,356	4,835
RTA	4	18	38	111	236	435	471	570
VPG and SHB	86	140	133	142	154	132	78	47
To other RSLs	—	—	—	—	—	1,130	2,872	1,635
To private sector	—	—	—	—	—	3,157	3,081	3,257
Other disposals	—	—	—	—	—	2,399	1,207	1,235
Total	7,335	7,256	8,395	10,726	14,915	15,918	14,065	11,579
Notes: 1. Data for disposals to other RSLs, to the private sector and other non-social housing before the years 2004-05 was collected in a different form and is not comparable. Therefore they have been omitted. 2. As part of reducing the regulatory burden RSLs in the size range 250 to 999 units were exempted from the return in 2006-07 with regards to disposals to other RSLs, to the private sector and other non-social housing (previously this threshold was less than 250 units). 3. Some of these units may not have been in social housing use at the time of the disposal. 4. Data for 2007-08 is not yet available.

Temporary Accommodation: Greater London

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of out-of-borough temporary accommodation placements made by each London local authority in each of the last five years. [214327]

Mr. Iain Wright: Information about English local authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level.

Information collected includes the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.

Information on the numbers of households being housed in various types of temporary accommodation (TA) is reported quarterly by local authorities as at the last day of each quarter. The figures include: those households who have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty; those for which inquiries are pending; those being accommodated for a limited period because they have been found intentionally homeless and in priority need; those being accommodated pending possible referral to another authority, and those being accommodated pending the outcome of a local authority review or county court appeal.

The following table shows the number of households in temporary accommodation by each London borough as at 31 March, and those of which were housed in another local authority district, from 2003-04 to 2007-08:

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	2003-04		2004-05		2005-06		2006-07		2007-08
	No. in TA	Of which: i n another LA district	No. in TA	Of which: i n another LA district	No. in TA	Of which: i n another LA district	No. in TA	Of which: i n another LA district	No. in TA	Of which: i n another LA district
Barking and Dagenham	790	20	470	0	560	0	790	0	700	0
Barnet	1,960	250	2,330	190	2,410	80	2,540	100	2,490	170
Bexley	320	120	380	120	420	120	400	100	300	70
Brent	4,210	230	4,450	490	4,310	420	4,120	400	3,910	390
Bromley	720	110	450	⁽¹⁾—	1,000	60	800	⁽¹⁾—	720	70
Camden	2,170	760	2,170	120	1,930	670	1,640	570	1,440	530
City of London	30	0	30	30	20	20	30	30	20	20
Croydon	3,550	10	3,350	0	2,620	0	2,080	⁽¹⁾—	1,790	0
Ealing	2,010	60	2,220	⁽¹⁾—	2,270	50	2,080	50	1,990	40
Enfield	2,960	50	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	3,290	20	3,280	70	3,200	0
Greenwich	380	60	540	120	860	140	650	120	440	120
Hackney	2,270	120	2,480	⁽¹⁾—	2,310	⁽¹⁾—	2,010	0	1,900	20
Hammersmith and Fulham	1,780	490	1,830	460	1,670	540	1,510	420	1,200	670
Haringey	4,770	0	5,310	⁽¹⁾—	5,700	⁽¹⁾—	5,860	⁽¹⁾—	5,390	⁽¹⁾—
Harrow	1,460	0	1,280	0	1,160	0	1,090	10	1,060	40
Havering	820	0	810	0	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	580	0	640	0
Hillingdon	1,870	0	1,880	10	1,650	0	1,480	0	1,360	0
Hounslow	1,130	100	1,230	220	1,300	180	1,230	100	1,120	90
Islington	1,440	320	1,550	520	1,520	400	1,240	460	1,010	330
Kensington and Chelsea	970	470	1,200	540	1,120	520	950	⁽¹⁾—	920	700
Kingston upon Thames	840	70	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	770	⁽¹⁾—	810	⁽¹⁾—	780	⁽¹⁾—
Lambeth	1,850	530	2,380	510	2,410	300	2,450	480	2,120	480
Lewisham	1,640	30	1,850	0	2,280	0	2,560	0	2,500	80
Merton	170	10	160	10	140	0	120	0	110	10
Newham	5,160	1,710	5,820	2,200	6,110	2,690	6,040	2,230	5,600	2,120
Redbridge	2,430	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	2,760	0	2,770	60	2,740	100
Richmond upon Thames	530	170	460	180	400	40	320	80	280	80
Southwark	930	80	970	40	1,150	80	1,280	70	1,160	70
Sutton	540	40	640	30	550	30	480	20	410	40
Tower Hamlets	2,900	1,380	2,950	750	2,650	520	2,540	520	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—
Waltham Forest	1,670	110	1,810	170	1,960	190	1,930	160	1,920	280
Wandsworth	1,640	190	1,590	110	1,360	120	1,160	90	940	90
Westminster	2,940	1,310	3,150	1,480	3,110	900	3,010	1,410	2,870	⁽¹⁾—
⁽¹⁾ Denotes data not reported. Source: CLG P1E data

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