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9 Mar 2010 : Column 207W

Communities and Local Government

Planning: Public Consultation

17. Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms are in place to enable the views of local residents to be taken into account in the consideration of major planning decisions affecting their areas; and if he will make a statement. [321015]

Mr. Ian Austin: Requirements to publicise planning applications are set out in Article 8 of the General Development Procedure Order. For major developments, this will normally include a site notice or neighbour notification letters, and publication of a notice in a local newspaper.

All representations submitted by local residents within the set consultation period must be taken into account by the local planning authority in determining the application.

Local Government Representation

18. Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations he has received on variations in the ratio between the number of people represented and councillors in different local authorities. [321016]

Mr. Malik: We have recently received representations on these matters in relation to certain unitary proposals we were considering and on the wards of a parish council in Bradford.

West Midlands Fire Service

19. Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with the West Midlands fire service on emergency response times. [321017]

Mr. Malik: The Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with West Midlands fire and rescue service on emergency response times.

Working Neighbourhoods Fund

21. Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of the working neighbourhoods fund which has been allocated to local authorities. [321019]

Mr. Denham: Since 2008, we have allocated over £1.5 billion of working neighbourhoods fund to help local authorities with high rates of worklessness support their communities. All of the fund is allocated to local authorities.

Regional Spatial Strategies

22. Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to end regional spatial strategies. [321020]


9 Mar 2010 : Column 208W

Mr. Ian Austin: We have no plans to do so. The Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act received Royal Assent in November 2009 and will commence on 1 April. Under the Act Regional Spatial Strategies will become part of the new single Regional Strategies.

Affordable Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Social HomeBuy sales have been completed in each (a) local authority area and (b) region in each year since 2005; and how many have been completed in 2009-10 to date. [320656]

Mr. Ian Austin: Table 1 shows the number of Social HomeBuy sales in each local authority area between April 2006 when the scheme started and March 2009.

Table 2 shows the number of Social HomeBuy sales in each Government Office region between April 2006 and March 2009.

During the six months 1 April 2009 to 30 September 2009, there were 59 completed Social HomeBuy sales by Registered Social Landlords. Figures for sales during this period by local authorities are not yet available.

Social HomeBuy is a voluntary and demand-led scheme in which only some social landlords chose to participate. It is one of several options available to help social tenants into home ownership. Purchasers can buy shares of between 25 and 100 per cent.


9 Mar 2010 : Column 209W
Table 1
Social HomeBuy sales
Local authority area 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Total

Adur

-

1

-

1

Allerdale

-

1

3

4

Ashford

-

-

1

1

Barking and Dagenham

-

0

1

1

Barnet

-

-

1

1

Basingstoke and Deane

-

3

-

3

Bexley

-

2

2

4

Birmingham

-

2

6

8

Bradford

3

2

1

6

Brent

-

5

1

6

Brighton and Hove

1

0

-

1

Bromley

-

5

2

7

Burnley

-

-

1

1

Camden

-

-

1

1

Cheltenham

-

1

-

1

Chorley

3

1

-

4

Copeland

-

1

6

7

Coventry

0

2

1

3

Crawley

-

7

-

7

Croydon(1)

6

3

8

17

Dudley

-

-

1

1

Durham

-

1

-

1

Ealing

-

3

-

3

Eastbourne

-

2

-

2

Eastleigh

-

1

-

1

Enfield

-

2

-

2

Greenwich

-

5

-

5

Hackney

2

12

1

15

Hammersmith and Fulham

10

4

1

15

Haringey

-

-

1

1

Hart

-

2

-

2

Hertsmere

-

1

1

2

Hillingdon

2

0

-

2

Hounslow

-

5

-

5

Islington

-

-

2

2

Kensington and Chelsea

3

7

2

12

Kingston upon Hull

6

0

-

6

Knowsley

-

-

1

1

Lambeth

-

-

1

1

Leeds

2

2

-

4

Leicester

-

1

-

1

Lewisham

-

1

-

1

Liverpool

-

1

-

1

Luton

-

-

1

1

Manchester

1

15

-

16

Merton

-

-

1

1

Middlesbrough

1

3

-

4

Milton Keynes

-

1

-

1

Newham

-

2

9

11

North Hertfordshire

-

1

-

1

Oldham

-

1

7

8

Pendle

-

1

-

1

Plymouth

-

1

-

1

Redcar and Cleveland

-

1

-

1

Richmond upon Thames

-

1

-

1

Rochdale

-

-

1

1

Sefton

-

13

-

13

Sevenoaks

-

-

1

1

Sheffield

-

1

1

South Tyneside

1

2

1

4

Southampton

-

-

2

2

Southend-on-Sea

-

1

-

1

Southwark(2)

-

21

4

25

Sunderland

-

-

6

6

Tameside

-

-

1

1

Test Valley

-

1

-

1

The Wrekin

-

2

3

5

Tower Hamlets

-

-

2

2

Tunbridge Wells

-

-

4

4

Waltham Forest

1

0

4

5

Wellingborough

3

1

-

4

Welwyn Hatfield

-

1

-

1

West Berkshire

-

1

2

3

Westminster

-

1

-

1

Wirral

-

-

3

3

Woking

1

1

-

2

Wychavon

-

-

1

1

York

1

1

-

2

Grand Total

47

160

99

306

(1) Croydon figure in 2008-09 includes four sales by the local authority.
(2) Southwark figures include five sales by the local authority, three in 2007-08 and two in 2008-09.
Source:
Homes and Communities Agency
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