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2 Jun 2009 : Column 452W—continued
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many representations have been received by her Department from (a) people and (b) social housing tenants in Brighton and Hove on (i) a further stock transfer ballot and (ii) a transfer of housing stock to registered social landlords; and how many such representations were in favour of a stock transfer. [276637]
Mr. Iain Wright: We have not received any correspondence regarding proposals to transfer Brighton and Hove city council's housing stock since the ballot the council held in February 2007.
Grant Shapps:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has provided to Brighton and Hove
City Council on (a) private finance options for funding its local delivery vehicle and (b) its budgeting for prudential borrowing. [276638]
Mr. Iain Wright: We have not issued any guidance, but have written to the council about their proposals. We are awaiting a response.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to announce her decision on Brighton and Hove City Council's proposed local delivery vehicle. [276639]
Mr. Iain Wright: We have written to the council subsequent to its formal application for consent to lease stock to its proposed local delivery vehicle and are awaiting a response.
Derelict Land
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what the monetary value of land banks held by registered social landlords was in each of the last five years; [274827]
(2) how many registered social landlords registered new land banks in each of the last five years; [274840]
(3) how many registered social landlords operate land banks; and what guidance her Department issues on how such assets should be classified in the landlord’s accounts. [274841]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Tenant Services Authority (TSA), the independent regulator of the registered social landlord (RSL) sector, does not monitor all RSL land banks on a comprehensive basis. The TSA does not register land banks held by RSLs. However, they do collect information on such holdings of undeveloped land for the larger developing RSLs.
The TSA has been monitoring this type of activity since January 2009.
Their latest figures, from April 2009, show that 100 associations have land yet to be developed with an overall value of £1.2 billion.
Lank banks are, in accounting terms, acquisitions of fixed assets in anticipation of future development plans and are therefore covered by the normal accounting requirements for fixed assets. Financial Reporting Standard (FRS) 15, Tangible Fixed Assets, is issued by the Accounting Standards Board and this will cover the accounting treatment of land banking by RSLs.
Empty Property
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 29 April 2009, Official Report, column 1365W, on empty property, if she will place in the Library a copy of each handout and presentation delivered at the Empty Homes seminar. [276920]
Mr. Iain Wright: The presentations at the Empty Homes seminar held on 23 April were all given by speakers from external stakeholders, who are responsible for their own presentations and handouts.
Green Belt: North West
Andrew Gwynne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her
Department is taking to protect (a) greenbelt and (b) open green spaces in (i) Greater Manchester, (ii) Tameside Metropolitan Borough area and (iii) Stockport Metropolitan Borough area. [277501]
Mr. Iain Wright: Policy RD4 of the Regional Spatial Strategy for the North West (RSS), published by my Department, states that there is no need for any exceptional substantial strategic change to the green belt and its boundaries in Greater Manchester before 2011. Strategic studies may be undertaken to inform future reviews of the RSS. However, the presumption will continue to be against substantial change after that date. Policy EM3 of the RSS also promotes the conservation and enhancement of open green spaces.
At the local level, the existing unitary development plans adopted by Stockport and Tameside Councils contain policies which seek to protect the green belt and open spaces.
It is for local councils to consider whether there is any need for detailed local boundary changes to the green belt for exceptional purposes through the preparation of their local development framework (LDF). However, any such changes would need to be justified against national planning policy as set out in planning policy guidance note 2, which seeks to preserve green belts, and would be examined by an independent inspector as part of the development plan process.
In accordance with national policy in planning policy guidance note 17, local councils should also plan for adequate provision of open space through their LDF.
Green Belt: South East
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likely effects on the environment of the proposals in the South East Plan on green belt protection. [276925]
Mr. Iain Wright: The South East Plan (Policy SP5) states that the existing broad extent of green belts in the region is appropriate and will be retained and supported. The opportunity should be taken to improve their land-use management and access as part of the initiatives to improve the rural urban fringe.
The plan also calls for selective reviews of a small portion of the green belt where this may be the most sustainable location for the region's development needs. However, the plan makes it clear that where any green belt land is lost, consideration should be given to carrying out a further review to determine whether additional land should be designated as green belt, thus maintaining its overall extent.
A full sustainability appraisal was undertaken of the proposals in the final version of the South East Plan. All south-east MPs and MEPs were sent a copy of the sustainability appraisal report. This is available in the Libraries of both Houses and may be viewed on the website of the Government Office for the South East at:
Homelessness
Grant Shapps:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many
statutorily homeless households were housed by (a) registered social landlords and (b) local authorities in each region in each of the last five years. [273404]
Mr. Iain Wright: Lets to statutorily homeless households owed the main homelessness duty are reported by registered social landlords through the Continuous Recording of Lettings (CORE) system, which covers the period 1 April to 31 March. The number of lets to statutorily homeless households owed the main homelessness duty reported by registered social landlords for each region in the last five years is shown in Table 1.
| Table 1: Number of lettings reported by RSL landlords made to statutorily homeless households owed the main homelessness duty (by region) | |||||
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
| Notes: 1. Figures reported by RSL landlords should show only those lettings made to applicants who were owed a main homelessness duty (under Section 193 of the Housing Act 1996). However it is possible that a number of applicants who were found to be homeless, but were not owed a main duty have also been included, so these figures may be over-reported. 2. RSLs with less than 250 units are not required to complete CORE returns. 3. The figures include general needs and supported housing lets. Source: Continuous Recording of Lettings (CORE) | |||||
Lets to statutorily homeless households owed the main homelessness duty are reported annually by local authorities via the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA), covering the period 1 April to 31 March. The number of lets to statutorily homeless households owed the main homelessness duty reported by local authorities
for each region in the last five years is shown in Table 2.
| Table 2: Number of lettings reported by LA landlords made to statutorily homeless households owed the main homelessness duty (by region) | |||||
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
| Notes: 1. LA reported figures relate to households accepted as owed the main homelessness duty (section 193(2) of the Housing Act 1996). 2. Figures include general needs and supported housing lets. Source: Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix | |||||
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