Contributions
1,571 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDAlmshousesMy Lords, my noble friend makes an incredibly important point: we want them to continue their endeavours without being burdened by the community infrastructure levy. We are…22 Oct 2020HANSARDAlmshousesMy Lords, as a humble entrepreneur and businessman, I say that we all want to see things thrive, and being weighed down by bureaucracy is not a good thing, so I am happy to make…22 Oct 2020HANSARDFire Safety BillThat the bill be committed to a Committee of the Whole House.15 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing: Rent, Evictions and Covid-19My Lords, I commend registered social landlords for their leadership but point out that in the wider sector, according to the latest data, 89% of tenants are paying their rent in…13 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing Delivery TestMy Lords, the worst that can happen through the housing delivery test is a presumption of sustainable development. No fines can be incurred. The affordable homes programme will…13 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing Delivery TestMy Lords, I thank my noble friend for raising the importance of getting small builders to build us out of this problem. Our reforms in Planning for the Future will make it much…13 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing Delivery TestMy Lords, the housing delivery target is based primarily on the housing needs assessment in the local plan. Where the plan is over five years old, we look at the housing needs…13 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing Delivery TestMy Lords, my noble friend is right to point to the importance of modern methods of construction, whether they be non-volumetric modular housing, volumetric modular housing or…13 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing Delivery TestMy Lords, I note the concerns of my noble friend. Some authorities are raising the issue regarding the housing delivery test. It is important to keep the planning system moving as…13 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing Delivery TestMy Lords, another fellow former council leader raises a very important point. It is reliant on the market and developers to step forward and build the homes that this country…13 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing Delivery TestGetting developers to build out is a problem. Having been a local authority leader, the noble Baroness will know that you can tell those developers who are intending to build and…13 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing Delivery TestMy Lords, the vast majority of councils—two-thirds—are building the homes that their areas need, and only 54 of over 300 authorities have below 75% deliveries. The test is…13 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing Delivery TestMy Lords, I think that my noble friend is referring to the housing needs formula. This takes affordability into account and is capped to limit increases for areas. That is a…13 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing Delivery TestMy Lords, speaking as a former council leader, I know that planning permissions are only extant for a certain period. The policy appears to be working. We have seen an uptick in…13 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing Delivery TestMy Lords, we had a far stricter central approach under the old unitary development plan in the first decade of this century. We then had the era of local plans without any central…13 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing Delivery TestThe housing delivery test plays an important role in providing transparency about where housing is or is not being delivered. It helps to identify the reasons behind underdelivery…13 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing: Rent, Evictions and Covid-19My Lords, that is precisely why the evictions moratorium had to end. We have to protect landlords from egregious rent arrears as well as from cases of abandonment, fraud,…13 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing: Rent, Evictions and Covid-19My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for this helpful policy point about the Spanish experience. I shall write to her on that matter.13 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing: Rent, Evictions and Covid-19My Lords, we are seeking to get this balance right. I thank my noble friend for raising the importance of protecting the interests of landlords in the relationship between…13 Oct 2020HANSARDHousing: Rent, Evictions and Covid-19My Lords, the mission to end rough sleeping is at the heart of what this Government are trying to achieve. I point to the Everyone In programme, led by Dame Louise Casey, and the…13 Oct 2020