Rachel Maclean: The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) is not a centrally administered fund that local authorities can draw on. It is a ring fenced account within the authority's general fund, where it accounts for and records income and expenditure relating to its council housing stock. Any local housing authority with more than 200 homes is required to maintain an HRA. Overall delivery of new affordable homes...
Rachel Maclean: This Government is determined to increase levels of affordable housing, and as my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has outlined already, we are investing £11.5 billion through our Affordable Homes Programme which will deliver tens of thousands of much needed affordable homes right across the country. Additionally, we remain committed to delivering at least as much on-site affordable...
Rachel Maclean: I thank my hon. Friend for raising the concerns of his constituents, which are shared by many communities. We know how important it is that infrastructure is delivered alongside housing growth. That is why, through the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill, we will require local authorities to produce an infrastructure strategy as part of the infrastructure levy. I would be delighted to meet my...
Rachel Maclean: ...give “substantial weight” to using suitable brownfield land, and through our brownfield funds we are investing significantly in supporting redevelopment and release of brownfield sites for housing. We have also committed to launching a review to identify further measures that would prioritise the use of brownfield land.
Rachel Maclean: ...introducing a number of measures, as she set out, to support that brownfield-first approach, including requiring every local authority to publish a register of local brownfield land suitable for housing in their area.
Rachel Maclean: ...to regenerate those towns, cities and villages by introducing a new infrastructure levy, which will capture a higher land value uplift to enable more infrastructure to be delivered alongside housing.
Rachel Maclean: I will be happy to meet the hon. Lady to discuss housing targets in Coventry. In the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill we have set out the measures under which local areas will have more power to ensure that the right housing is built in the right places. I am happy to discuss that with her.
Rachel Maclean: ...very much for drawing the House’s attention to the issue of damp and mould. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has been extremely active in pushing forward improvements to social rented housing. It is right that we should level that up to private rented housing. We will be bringing forward the decent home standards in the private rented sector in the renters reform Bill.
Rachel Maclean: That sort of behaviour is completely unacceptable. I thank my hon. Friend for bringing it to our attention. We are committing to providing buyers of new build houses with strong powers of redress. We have legislated to establish the new homes ombudsman scheme in the Building Safety Act 2022, membership of which will be mandatory for developers.
Rachel Maclean: ...Fridays. The Bill seeks to enhance the integrity of voting at elections and to safeguard our democracy against those who would harm it, and I therefore welcome the progress that it has made in both Houses. Today gives us an excellent chance to see it speed its way towards the statute book. The new offence will be a hugely important addition to the various other measures, arising from the...
Rachel Maclean: ...have the confidence to challenge inappropriate behaviour where it occurs and to stamp down on any opportunity for coercion to take place at our elections. I therefore commend the Bill to the House.
Rachel Maclean: The Secretary of State set out, in the House, his intention to bring the 'outdated and feudal' tenure of leasehold to an end. The Government wishes to extend the benefits of freehold ownership to more homeowners. That is why we have committed to end the sale of new leasehold houses, and to reinvigorate commonhold so it can finally be a genuine alternative to leasehold; it is why we have...
Rachel Maclean: ...in respect of, for example, a specific development site where the LPA is seeking to apply a section 106 planning obligation on a developer for the provision of local infrastructure or affordable housing. Government guidance is clear that any such viability assessment, undertaken by the VOA or any other party, should be prepared on the basis that it will be made publicly available other...
Rachel Maclean: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities shares the cross-government objective of increasing the use of modern methods of construction. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on gov.uk.
Rachel Maclean: As part of creating a fair and just housing system, the Government is committed to making sure that homeowners and tenants are protected from abuse and poor service. Further announcements will be made in the usual way.
Rachel Maclean: ...sector on a range of issues. When considering changes to the New Homes Bonus, the Government has considered both the impact on local authorities and the effectiveness of the Bonus in encouraging housing growth. Further announcements will be set out in the usual way.
Rachel Maclean: Part 11 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill includes relevant provisions and is under consideration in the House of Lords.
Rachel Maclean: When preparing local plans, local authorities should make a realistic assessment of the number of homes their communities need. Local authorities should also assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community and reflect this in their planning policies.
Rachel Maclean: The department publishes data on homes which the permitted development rights have delivered. The figures can be found at Housing delivery Table 123.
Rachel Maclean: There is growing consensus across the House that in the past, too many decisions about local areas have been made by politicians here in Whitehall. It is not for me to stand in the way of the best interests of the democratically elected Middlesborough Council and the Mayor of Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, who is promoting the best interests of local people in seeking to regenerate the area. The...
