:00:26. > :00:36.Questions to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local
:00:37. > :00:39.Government. Happy New Year, Mr Speaker. I would like to take this
:00:40. > :00:43.question together with questionable four. Councils have long campaigned
:00:44. > :00:47.for one of the business rates retention. We judges to local
:00:48. > :00:50.Government Finance bill which will establish the framework for the
:00:51. > :00:54.reformed system and will work closely with local Government during
:00:55. > :01:02.the passage of the legislation to the reforms. I find the Secretary of
:01:03. > :01:07.State for his answer. I welcome the decision for Cornwall to be a pilot
:01:08. > :01:11.area for this. However, business rates there are low, especially
:01:12. > :01:14.compared to urban areas. Can he be sure the people of Cornwall the
:01:15. > :01:19.local council will not lose funding as a result of these changes? I'm
:01:20. > :01:25.pleased that Cornwall will be an area to pilot the elements of the
:01:26. > :01:30.new business rates retention system. The pilots will help us develop the
:01:31. > :01:35.system, want to work for local authorities. We have always been
:01:36. > :01:39.clear that in setting up the system we will ensure there is a
:01:40. > :01:42.redistribution between councils so areas do not lose our just because
:01:43. > :01:48.they collect less in local business rates at the moment. As you know,
:01:49. > :01:52.Buckinghamshire is the entrepreneurial heart of England.
:01:53. > :01:56.What assurance can he give the people there that the needs -based
:01:57. > :02:00.review and the new system will review -- result in rebalanced
:02:01. > :02:08.funding to better reflect economic growth in entrepreneurial areas? I
:02:09. > :02:11.visited the area a number of times and he is right to call it
:02:12. > :02:17.entrepreneurial. Under the new system, they will continue to get
:02:18. > :02:24.redistributed resources with baseline set so that all authorities
:02:25. > :02:27.are treated fairly. The Secretary of State will be aware that when the
:02:28. > :02:33.Select Committee looked at this issue they supported it in
:02:34. > :02:36.principle, the of details and so. One question that needs resolution
:02:37. > :02:39.is that in the in the future, the demand for adult social care is
:02:40. > :02:45.likely to grow quicker than the growth in business rates. Does he
:02:46. > :02:48.therefore recognise that as well as having 100% retention of business
:02:49. > :02:55.rates, local authorities will need additional funding for adult social
:02:56. > :02:59.care and will he look at that? First of all, I am sure the chair of the
:03:00. > :03:04.Select Committee welcomes the recent announcement last month of
:03:05. > :03:08.additional resources for our social care, but quite rightly, he points
:03:09. > :03:15.to the need for longer-term reform and the Government is taken that
:03:16. > :03:18.seriously. The Government's plans to devolve attendance allowance as part
:03:19. > :03:22.of business rates retention has caused great distress to over a
:03:23. > :03:27.million elderly people who rely on it to remain independence in their
:03:28. > :03:34.own homes. Can he reassure them that this reform will not strip them in
:03:35. > :03:38.any way of this vital allowance? Or the Honourable Lady highlights is
:03:39. > :03:42.that when the 100% retention reform takes place it will mean councils
:03:43. > :03:48.were collectively have an additional ?12.5 billion per year. More
:03:49. > :03:52.responsibilities do need to be pushed down to councils and the
:03:53. > :03:56.honourable lady is asking about what may be a make up those
:03:57. > :04:04.responsibilities. We've not decided yet but will. In the local
:04:05. > :04:09.Government area it is the district who decides where to allocate land
:04:10. > :04:12.for commercial development. Can the Secretary of State ensure that the
:04:13. > :04:18.districts are appropriately rewarded for taking difficult decisions? My
:04:19. > :04:21.honourable friend makes a good point about districts and their role in
:04:22. > :04:27.promoting business and development. I'm sure he will welcome the bill
:04:28. > :04:29.introduced last week, the father councils now outside of London can
:04:30. > :04:35.also promote business Taverna districts. The Government's Autumn
:04:36. > :04:43.Statement should an increase of ?2.4 billion income to the Treasury from
:04:44. > :04:46.business rates, 2017-2018. It is still an allocated. Will he protect
:04:47. > :04:49.local people from massive increases in council ties by investing this
:04:50. > :04:53.money and social care and ending the precept that suggested by Unison,
:04:54. > :04:59.the largest trade union supporting care workers, back in October last
:05:00. > :05:04.year. The honourable lady will be aware that back in 2010, this
:05:05. > :05:10.country had a huge Budget deficit thanks to the last Government. All
:05:11. > :05:14.areas of Government had -- have to contribute to that and that includes
:05:15. > :05:21.local. I'm sure she will welcome this change is announced last month.
:05:22. > :05:24.Does the new system allow local authorities and discretion with
:05:25. > :05:29.regard to business rates levied on hospitals such as Southampton
:05:30. > :05:36.hospital, which following a revaluation, faces a large increase
:05:37. > :05:41.in business rates? I can sell my honourable friend that it does allow
:05:42. > :05:47.some discretion to councils, but I don't think for hospitals it will
:05:48. > :05:49.all I -- apply. It will apply to businesses and since my honourable
:05:50. > :05:57.friend has made a point, I will take it further. Further to the question
:05:58. > :06:01.of my honourable friend asked, when the Government committed to letting
:06:02. > :06:05.local authorities keep 100% of business rate income, they also
:06:06. > :06:10.promised further cuts to their funding from Whitehall. Given that
:06:11. > :06:12.they estimate the councils are already underfunded for the legal
:06:13. > :06:17.responsibilities, including social care to the tune of almost ?6
:06:18. > :06:21.billion, when a canny Secretary of State tell the House what further
:06:22. > :06:28.cuts in funding that people can expect the local services to suffer
:06:29. > :06:33.in England? The honourable member will be aware and should be since we
:06:34. > :06:38.publicly announced the numbers that is 97% of councils have accepted the
:06:39. > :06:42.four year Budget deal where they have come forward with efficiency,
:06:43. > :06:46.offerings and in return, the Government has guaranteed funding.
:06:47. > :06:50.That does not mask the fact that it is challenging for so many councils
:06:51. > :06:53.dealing with their settlement, the many councils are able to deal with
:06:54. > :07:02.that and honourable gentleman should look carefully about. -- carefully
:07:03. > :07:09.at that. Our actions to the spending review in 2015 and the settlement
:07:10. > :07:15.have brought the funding to 7.6 billion over the four years. How
:07:16. > :07:22.much they spend on adult social care is a matter for local councillors
:07:23. > :07:25.who know these pressures best. The local Government Association have
:07:26. > :07:30.been clear that the money raised through increasing that precept will
:07:31. > :07:36.not be nearly enough to address the ?2.6 billion gap facing adult social
:07:37. > :07:39.care by 2020. Instead of exacerbating the existing postcode
:07:40. > :07:44.lottery, will he not commit to an additional ring fence resources into
:07:45. > :07:48.social care to tackle this crisis? Mr Speaker, in the last spending
:07:49. > :07:54.review with the Government allocated three and a half billion pounds a
:07:55. > :07:59.year by 2022 adult social care. Recently I and the additional help
:08:00. > :08:02.of ?9 million over the next two years. Local councils do play a role
:08:03. > :08:07.in this and I know that in Sunderland, the average council tax
:08:08. > :08:10.oil is down in real terms and if in Sunderland a local councillor
:08:11. > :08:17.chooses to allocate more, they can do that. For many of my constituents
:08:18. > :08:22.the fundamental problem in many cases is we still separate health
:08:23. > :08:27.care funding and social provision. It makes no sense to my constituents
:08:28. > :08:30.and less to me. Can I urge the Secretary of State to speed up the
:08:31. > :08:34.integration of health and social provision so we can deal with the
:08:35. > :08:41.needs of patients in the round and put those first and not budgetary
:08:42. > :08:44.arguments. My honourable friend makes an important point and that's
:08:45. > :08:49.when it comes to adult social care, a 's all about money. Of course it
:08:50. > :08:53.has a huge role to play, but it is how that is delivered and we've seen
:08:54. > :08:58.many councils, where they can approach that integration in a
:08:59. > :09:03.better way, they have seen significant efficiencies and we can
:09:04. > :09:06.learn from that. I have the Secretary of State to face the House
:09:07. > :09:14.and we can benefit from his mellifluous tones. Between 2010 at
:09:15. > :09:17.2020, ?40 million will have been taken out of adult social care
:09:18. > :09:22.Budget and you can see the effect just this weekend when you see what
:09:23. > :09:26.is happening in our local NHS hospitals. Will the Minister think
:09:27. > :09:36.again and ensure the problem is that local are addressed by Central
:09:37. > :09:39.Government ring fenced money? I'm sure the honourable lady will
:09:40. > :09:42.welcome the announcement that was made a a few weeks ago, which is
:09:43. > :09:48.trying to recognise those precious she identifies and that is an
:09:49. > :09:50.additional funding on top of the 3.5 by 2020 and an additional nine and
:09:51. > :09:55.an additional 900 million over the next two years, but what she rightly
:09:56. > :10:03.highlights is an addition where it will -- situation that we need to
:10:04. > :10:07.keep looking at. Further to what he said, I couldn't agree more. I guess
:10:08. > :10:12.most members have had surgery somebody that desperately needs
:10:13. > :10:19.help. The local Government agree they need help as so does the health
:10:20. > :10:23.service, but the health service and local Government blaming each other.
:10:24. > :10:33.It becomes a mess. Would it not be a good idea on a cross-party basis to
:10:34. > :10:37.look at a new model for social care. Mr Speaker, my honourable friend is
:10:38. > :10:42.correct to point that out. I've seen many situations like that in my
:10:43. > :10:45.constituency. He also highlights the need for all of us to talk about
:10:46. > :10:53.this issue and see what we can do working together. According to
:10:54. > :10:59.Stoke-on-Trent's clinical commissioning group, there are 26
:11:00. > :11:02.days between someone leaving Stoke and Royal hospital and getting
:11:03. > :11:08.social care in place. That's despite a ?6 million subsidy. Is that the
:11:09. > :11:15.City Council's fault or the Government's lack of funding? The
:11:16. > :11:19.honourable member highlights that for many areas, of course delivering
:11:20. > :11:24.adult social care is challenging and that is why I know he would welcome
:11:25. > :11:27.the recent announcement we made for additional funding on top of a
:11:28. > :11:32.funding settlement announced in the spending review in 2015. The
:11:33. > :11:35.Government also recognises there needs to be a long-term sustainable
:11:36. > :11:42.solution and I know that is the reform he would welcome. Having
:11:43. > :11:47.spent to date with carers and just before Christmas seeing their
:11:48. > :11:50.amazing work, they, like me, feel frustrated they are constantly under
:11:51. > :11:57.pressure. With the minister look at what could be done in increasing
:11:58. > :12:00.social care and making sure it is subject to a cast iron ring fenced
:12:01. > :12:06.to make sure the money goes where it is needed most? I can assure my
:12:07. > :12:12.honourable friend we will continue to look at the re-sources, both for
:12:13. > :12:17.local councils and Central Government to ensure they are both
:12:18. > :12:23.adequate. Also, we can continue to push the case for reform to ensure
:12:24. > :12:33.all councils realise more committed and besides funding. What steps is
:12:34. > :12:39.the Secretary of State taking to ensure local authorities are able to
:12:40. > :12:40.move patients in need of social care from hospitals to a more appropriate
:12:41. > :12:52.facility in a timely Mrs Beckett, the honourable Lady
:12:53. > :12:56.will know there is a role in doing that well from my department and
:12:57. > :13:04.working with local authorities and the Department of Health. -- Mr
:13:05. > :13:10.Speaker. That is why we are part of the funding ?1.5 billion by 2020 for
:13:11. > :13:13.the improved better care fund is designed to do just that, which is
:13:14. > :13:21.money that goes towards trying to promote just such integration. Thank
:13:22. > :13:27.you, Mr Speaker. The House of Commons library figures show that in
:13:28. > :13:34.the period from November 2013 to November 2016, instances of bed
:13:35. > :13:41.blocking where social care were solely responsible increased by 89%.
:13:42. > :13:47.In the 12 months to November 2016 alone, bed blocking has increased by
:13:48. > :13:51.39%. Does the Minister recognise that the preset package brought
:13:52. > :13:56.forward by the Government in December is insufficient to solve
:13:57. > :13:59.the crisis in our social care system, and is putting further
:14:00. > :14:06.pressure on an already stretched NHS? Mr Speaker, what the Minister
:14:07. > :14:10.recognises is that the additional funding announced in December will
:14:11. > :14:15.make a big difference. ?240 million of additional money coming in from
:14:16. > :14:22.the new homes bonus repurposed in, an additional ?600 million, it is
:14:23. > :14:27.new money, all at an additional ?600 million that is coming in from the
:14:28. > :14:30.precept changes. When it comes to the using of money, we all want to
:14:31. > :14:35.see a reduction in delayed transfers of care, she will be aware of big
:14:36. > :14:39.differences between local councils in delayed transfers of care, I
:14:40. > :14:46.think some councils can level others. Number three, Mr Speaker.
:14:47. > :14:50.With your permission, I will answer this question together with question
:14:51. > :14:55.number 15. 97% of councils have accepted our historic offer of four
:14:56. > :14:59.funding certainty and local government Finance Bill will ensure
:15:00. > :15:05.councils keep 100% of locally collected taxes by the end of this
:15:06. > :15:06.Parliament. The Secretary of State will be particularly aware that
:15:07. > :15:11.Worcestershire is an attractive place to live, work and visit and a
:15:12. > :15:15.particularly attractive place to retire, which is why we have a
:15:16. > :15:17.disproportionately large elderly publishing. How is the Department
:15:18. > :15:23.factoring in the additional needs of the more elderly publish in areas in
:15:24. > :15:27.the long-term funding plans? I thank my honourable friend for the
:15:28. > :15:31.question and as a Worcester MP myself I wholeheartedly agree with
:15:32. > :15:34.his opinion of our great country. It is a great place for anyone to
:15:35. > :15:38.visit, live and to have a holiday Inn. I recognise the demographic
:15:39. > :15:42.pressures are affecting different areas in different ways. That is why
:15:43. > :15:46.we are undertaking a fairer funding review to introduce a more
:15:47. > :15:49.up-to-date and more transparent and fair means assessment formula,
:15:50. > :15:54.something I know my honourable friend will welcome. Mr Speaker, as
:15:55. > :15:58.you well know, the Secretary of State has received a proposal from
:15:59. > :16:01.Buckinghamshire County Council to create a new unitary authority to
:16:02. > :16:06.serve the whole county. He is also having a meeting with the district
:16:07. > :16:11.councils, who are submitting a proposal to him to unitary
:16:12. > :16:17.authorities. Can the Secretary of State confirm to us that he will
:16:18. > :16:20.give both those proposals equal and full consideration, including
:16:21. > :16:25.consulting with local residents, as happened in Dorset, can he assure me
:16:26. > :16:32.that unitary status will not lead to any reduction in funding for
:16:33. > :16:35.residents? Mr Speaker, I can give my right honourable friend the
:16:36. > :16:38.assurance she seeks, I will give careful consideration to all
:16:39. > :16:42.proposals received from local authorities, such as those in
:16:43. > :16:46.Buckinghamshire, including any financial implications. We need to
:16:47. > :16:48.ensure that any reform is right for local people and can deliver better
:16:49. > :16:56.services and a strong local leadership. I should declare I am an
:16:57. > :16:59.elected member in Redbridge and local authorities like face a double
:17:00. > :17:05.whammy of pressures, both through an ageing population but also a high
:17:06. > :17:09.birth rate, which has real funding pressures on our local authority.
:17:10. > :17:12.Does the Secretary of State accept that even by diverting resources
:17:13. > :17:17.from other council services into adult social care, and even by
:17:18. > :17:19.charging the maximum social care presets available, local authorities
:17:20. > :17:24.like-minded will still face a shortfall in funding for vital
:17:25. > :17:31.services for older people and what will he do about it? Mr Speaker, the
:17:32. > :17:35.measures were announced in December will help is local authority. They
:17:36. > :17:39.will help every local authority in the land to deliver more adult
:17:40. > :17:43.social care services, but as I have said, as well as more money, we need
:17:44. > :17:50.reform and some councils do need to learn from others. The 2015
:17:51. > :17:55.committee report outlined a reduction in central government
:17:56. > :18:00.support to local authorities by 37% between 2010 and 2016. Whilst did --
:18:01. > :18:03.what does the Secretary of State had to say to my constituents concerned
:18:04. > :18:11.about how the cuts announced by Bristol City Council last week will
:18:12. > :18:16.affect them? I would say to her that Bristol South constituents do not
:18:17. > :18:19.forget where a Labour Government gives you, the deepest deficit of
:18:20. > :18:24.any developed country, the biggest recession in almost 100 years, the
:18:25. > :18:28.largest banking bailout, all of that has meant that this Government has
:18:29. > :18:32.had to make some difficult decisions, and every part of local
:18:33. > :18:38.government has had to contribute. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Does my right
:18:39. > :18:42.honourable friend agree with me that the long-term financial stability of
:18:43. > :18:46.local government is not only a function of funding from government,
:18:47. > :18:50.but good management within local authorities? What does my right
:18:51. > :18:54.honourable friend think we can do to attract people with business
:18:55. > :19:01.experience to run good local government? My honourable friend
:19:02. > :19:08.makes a very good point. It is also about leadership and that means
:19:09. > :19:11.having many businesses in your area and promoting them, and you need
:19:12. > :19:14.someone with a good track record, who has got that experience that
:19:15. > :19:21.local people would benefit from. I can think of someone like that in
:19:22. > :19:28.the West Midlands, Andy Street. He knows full well that leaving
:19:29. > :19:34.patients in hospital when they are medically fit to be discharged, like
:19:35. > :19:38.130 currently at Aintree Hospital, is a very expensive way of looking
:19:39. > :19:42.after people. Why is he not shouting from the rooftops for the 4.6
:19:43. > :19:45.billion that was cut from social care to be reinvested so that
:19:46. > :19:52.councils can address the problem now and in the long-term? Mr Speaker,
:19:53. > :19:55.helping with adult social care is about resources, that is why I know
:19:56. > :19:59.the honourable gentleman would welcome the announcement of a few
:20:00. > :20:03.weeks ago, an additional ?900 million over the next two years, but
:20:04. > :20:06.also, I'm sure he will agree it is about reform as well and he will
:20:07. > :20:11.have noticed the big difference in delayed transfers of care between
:20:12. > :20:19.one authority and another. Question five. Mr Speaker, the Government has
:20:20. > :20:21.listened to calls from local government and representations made
:20:22. > :20:27.by honourable and right honourable members across the House. New
:20:28. > :20:31.changes outlined in the provisional of local leisure provision of local
:20:32. > :20:37.government finance report pointed to an extra ?900 million over the next
:20:38. > :20:41.two years. The precept would raise about two by 5 million in Sutton but
:20:42. > :20:45.it is losing around 8 million in support grants. A one-off social
:20:46. > :20:49.care grant would give Sutton about ?750,000, but it is losing 1.5
:20:50. > :20:54.million from the new homes bonus changes, which are paying for the
:20:55. > :20:57.one-off grant, resulting in a loss of ?800,000. Does the Minister agree
:20:58. > :21:02.that as long as the Government are robbing Peter to pay Paul, we will
:21:03. > :21:08.see cancer operations cancelled and patients left in distress because of
:21:09. > :21:12.bed blocking? Mr Speaker, as a result of the Spending Review
:21:13. > :21:18.announcement of ?3.5 billion extra into adult social care by 2020, that
:21:19. > :21:22.is per year, and the announcement I made a few weeks ago, ?900 million
:21:23. > :21:25.over the next two years, all councils including Sutton will have
:21:26. > :21:31.more resources to do with adult social care challenges. I think
:21:32. > :21:34.you'll agree with me that the progress in Torbay made in adult
:21:35. > :21:40.social care was very welcome, but also agree that would he agree that
:21:41. > :21:43.it was concerning that strict financial rules from NHS England
:21:44. > :21:49.prompting a renegotiation in terms of a risk agreement, even though
:21:50. > :21:53.extra money was not spent? Will he worked to see if we can resolve
:21:54. > :21:59.this? First of all, I am happy to work with my honourable friend and
:22:00. > :22:04.see what can be done, and to listen to the issue in Torbay, but Torbay
:22:05. > :22:08.is a good example of how integration can work and how it can really help
:22:09. > :22:16.local people. Number six, Mr Speaker. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The
:22:17. > :22:20.Government is committed to tackling homelessness, we have launched a ?50
:22:21. > :22:24.million homelessness prevention package and we are backing the most
:22:25. > :22:28.ambitious legislative reforms in decades through the homelessness
:22:29. > :22:32.reduction bill. I am delighted that Chelmsford will be one of the
:22:33. > :22:37.country bold-mac first trailblazer areas announced by the Prime
:22:38. > :22:42.Minister last month. -- the country bold-mac. Would he agree with me
:22:43. > :22:46.that whilst leaving the 20th century -- rough sleeping in the 20th
:22:47. > :22:51.century is unacceptable, can to me more about what has been done that
:22:52. > :22:57.only in England but also in Chelmsford, to end this stain on our
:22:58. > :23:00.society? Mr Speaker, I think the whole House will agree with my right
:23:01. > :23:06.honourable friend that it is totally unacceptable. We should do all we
:23:07. > :23:11.can to end rough sleeping. Our ?20 million rough sleeping grant will
:23:12. > :23:15.fund 54 projects working to provide rapid response support for rough
:23:16. > :23:18.sleepers across England. It will help prevent people from spending a
:23:19. > :23:22.night on the streets in the first place. I'm delighted to tell my
:23:23. > :23:25.right honourable friend that Chelmsford will receive almost
:23:26. > :23:31.?900,000 for preventing homelessness in partnership with neighbouring
:23:32. > :23:36.local authorities. The inspirational ladies football player Fara Williams
:23:37. > :23:42.was homeless at 15 but went on to captain and play 157 times for
:23:43. > :23:46.England and is now at Arsenal. Following the appeal for funds to
:23:47. > :23:50.set up the first national freephone helpline for 16 to 25-year-olds, who
:23:51. > :23:54.are homeless and at risk of a life on the streets, with the Minister
:23:55. > :23:59.agree that this is a tremendous initiative, long overdue and should
:24:00. > :24:05.be government funded? I think the honourable lady quite rightly brings
:24:06. > :24:09.to our attention a prime example of the fact that just because somebody
:24:10. > :24:13.is homeless or somebody is rough sleeping, they do not have the
:24:14. > :24:18.ability to actually reach their full potential and that is what we need
:24:19. > :24:25.to encourage. I would say to the honourable lady that the Government
:24:26. > :24:30.currently pays for a service called Street Link, where people can ring
:24:31. > :24:33.in or use an app where they can report people who are sleeping
:24:34. > :24:42.rough, which is then brought to the attention of the local housing needs
:24:43. > :24:44.provider. With the Minister congratulate Kettering Borough
:24:45. > :24:48.Council and its housing director John Conway for the measures they
:24:49. > :24:51.have taken during the recent cold weather to get all rough sleepers
:24:52. > :24:55.off the streets in Kettering and give them the appropriate housing
:24:56. > :25:01.advice they need? I thank my honourable friend for bringing in
:25:02. > :25:06.that very, very important and heartening example, some of our
:25:07. > :25:09.local authorities are doing excellent work to prevent
:25:10. > :25:11.homelessness and rough sleeping and the type of initiative that my
:25:12. > :25:15.honourable friend is talking about is the type of initiative that
:25:16. > :25:21.should be followed by other local authorities. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
:25:22. > :25:24.On Wednesday Glasgow City Council considered a report that shows the
:25:25. > :25:27.devastating impact that universal credit Willard is having on
:25:28. > :25:31.homelessness services in the city. So far it has resulted in 73
:25:32. > :25:39.homeless individuals racking up debts to the Council of ?144,000. It
:25:40. > :25:44.is completely unsustainable, both for the individuals and for the
:25:45. > :25:47.Council. Can the Minister Tommy what impact the Willard is having on
:25:48. > :25:53.local authorities across the UK? -- tell me. This Government has
:25:54. > :25:57.increased discretionary housing payments to ?870 million across this
:25:58. > :26:02.Parliament to mitigate some of the short-term challenges that people
:26:03. > :26:07.face from the welfare changes that are being made. I would also say to
:26:08. > :26:12.the honourable lady that in terms of local housing allowance rate, 30% of
:26:13. > :26:16.that funding or the savings from the policy will be repurposed to help
:26:17. > :26:21.people that are in the highest value areas in terms of the challenges of
:26:22. > :26:27.affordability. I'm afraid that is completely inadequate. Since 2011 to
:26:28. > :26:32.2012 welfare reform has meant homelessness performs in Glasgow
:26:33. > :26:35.have seen cuts over ?6 million to the temporary accommodation budgets.
:26:36. > :26:39.Does the Minister not accept that to really help rough sleepers and to
:26:40. > :26:42.help people who are homeless, there must be actual coordinated work
:26:43. > :26:47.across all government departments? You cannot have one department
:26:48. > :26:51.undermining the services of another. That is certainly a good point the
:26:52. > :26:54.honourable lady mentions and I can assure the honourable lady that we
:26:55. > :27:00.are working extremely hard across government through a cross
:27:01. > :27:03.governmental working group that I chair. I can also say to the
:27:04. > :27:08.honourable lady in relation to the issue of temporary accommodation
:27:09. > :27:13.that she mentions, the management fee which originates from the DWP
:27:14. > :27:18.policy, is being devolved to local authorities, been devolved to the
:27:19. > :27:21.Scottish Government. Rather than patting themselves on the back,
:27:22. > :27:25.should the Government not be apologising for allowing rough
:27:26. > :27:29.sleeping the double since 2010? This is not an insoluble problem, it just
:27:30. > :27:39.requires action like that taken by the last Labour Government... Which
:27:40. > :27:43.saw street homelessness cut by three quarters. So will the Minister adopt
:27:44. > :27:46.the initiative announced last month by my right honourable friend the
:27:47. > :27:49.member for Wentworth and Darren and commit to an extra 4000 homes to end
:27:50. > :28:00.rough sleeping altogether? Will not be lost on him that during
:28:01. > :28:06.the Labour Government in 2003, homelessness was at a peak. What I
:28:07. > :28:12.would say is this Government is committed to making sure we
:28:13. > :28:19.eradicate rough sleeping and we are working extremely hard. There's ?20
:28:20. > :28:22.million scheme put local authorities, ?10 million to the
:28:23. > :28:32.social impact upon to get all most entrenched rough sleepers off the
:28:33. > :28:38.street. We've taken significant action to help high streets thrive
:28:39. > :28:42.and changing shopping habits. Figures from the estate agents show
:28:43. > :28:49.that investment in high street retail property last year was up 17%
:28:50. > :28:53.from the year before. That high streets in my constituency continue
:28:54. > :28:57.to struggle, just as they do all over the UK. The local authority
:28:58. > :29:01.does what they can be their support is limited. They need intervention
:29:02. > :29:06.and support to make the transformation needed. Will the
:29:07. > :29:12.Minister meet with me? I would be delighted to meet. The business rate
:29:13. > :29:17.revaluation will have a positive impact. I discussed this with the
:29:18. > :29:20.chair of his local enterprise partnership, Christine Gaskell, just
:29:21. > :29:26.before Christmas. The timer more than happy to meet to discuss that
:29:27. > :29:32.and we're walking with... This is a varied picture across the UK. Small
:29:33. > :29:39.market towns are being stripped of their banks. What is the policy of
:29:40. > :29:43.the Minister to try and encourage more competition in the retail
:29:44. > :29:51.banking sector so that we can try and encourage banking in our rural
:29:52. > :29:57.towns? This is an important point. It has affected my own constituency.
:29:58. > :30:00.I'm happy to discuss this with the Treasury further. The business rate
:30:01. > :30:03.revaluation will have a positive impact on retail property in his
:30:04. > :30:17.constituency, as it will across many parts of the North and Midlands. We
:30:18. > :30:23.recognise the pressures faced by the Central care system on top of the
:30:24. > :30:29.funding we announced in 2015, which will deliver 3.5 billion a year by
:30:30. > :30:36.2020, we are providing an additional 900 million over the next two years
:30:37. > :30:41.for social care. Unfortunately, the Roma has already had to make ?55
:30:42. > :30:45.million worth of cuts. The precepts will bring you 4 million, but
:30:46. > :30:51.there's another 40 million of cuts the pipeline so we are facing is
:30:52. > :30:58.fight that some villagers have private contractors and cons of all
:30:59. > :31:01.social care whatsoever. Could I suggest the ministry goes back to
:31:02. > :31:06.the Treasury and asks for an announcement on March the 8th? The
:31:07. > :31:12.honourable lady will know that the Roma will benefit from the
:31:13. > :31:14.additional ?900 million the Government is giving local
:31:15. > :31:29.authorities over the latest two years.
:31:30. > :31:36.Given that so much funding for adult social care goes to care homes and
:31:37. > :31:41.given that so many of those their inspections, would be ministerial
:31:42. > :31:45.team consider wrapping care home reform into the adult social care
:31:46. > :31:49.reform? And what they consider require local authorities to build
:31:50. > :31:58.new care homes just as they do schools and surgeries? We are always
:31:59. > :32:02.willing to listen to constructive suggestions. My honourable friend
:32:03. > :32:08.may be aware the Department of Health are looking very carefully at
:32:09. > :32:11.the way care homes are provided, particularly in terms of the
:32:12. > :32:18.regulation and the role of the seat QC. Funding per head of population
:32:19. > :32:23.in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea is almost that double
:32:24. > :32:29.received by Enfield, which is facing spending pressures of ?5 million in
:32:30. > :32:34.adult social care in 2017-2018. Could the Minister confirm that he
:32:35. > :32:39.will look both that the ring fencing issue and will reflect the assessed
:32:40. > :32:44.needs of our communities in the future local Government funding
:32:45. > :32:51.formula? I met with a chief finance officer of Enfield along with my
:32:52. > :32:55.honourable friend for an field and Southgate is part of the local
:32:56. > :33:01.Government finance settlement consultation. She will be aware that
:33:02. > :33:05.local authorities across the country will get benefit of the ?900 million
:33:06. > :33:09.that they will have access to over the next two years and improved care
:33:10. > :33:18.which is also ramping up quickly over the next three years. The
:33:19. > :33:21.neighbourhood planning Bill and my recent statements will further
:33:22. > :33:25.strengthen neighbourhood planning, ensuring communities have the
:33:26. > :33:31.ability to shape their area and not speculative development. Thank you
:33:32. > :33:35.for that welcome and the sun. It has been encouraging to watch
:33:36. > :33:38.communities develop their own plans. Could it clarify how much time
:33:39. > :33:44.councils and communities will have two update their neighbourhood plans
:33:45. > :33:48.once new housing number data has been published? Will he ensure
:33:49. > :33:56.neighbourhood and local plans carry full weight for that period? I can
:33:57. > :33:59.reassure my right honourable friend that the Government's expectation
:34:00. > :34:02.will be every five years, but when there is new data, it doesn't mean
:34:03. > :34:09.the existing plans are automatically out of date. Will the Minister
:34:10. > :34:12.ensure that when we have neighbourhood plans, we involve
:34:13. > :34:18.local and national businesses are more in that planning procedure? So
:34:19. > :34:22.many of these global and national chains suck the money out of our
:34:23. > :34:30.communities and many of them put little back in terms of investment.
:34:31. > :34:34.What can we see what can introduce? Well, first of all, there's the
:34:35. > :34:39.possibility of having neighbourhood plans for business district areas.
:34:40. > :34:44.There's the wider issue of ensuring that we capture the uplift in value
:34:45. > :34:51.when businesses apply for planning permission. There's a review on my
:34:52. > :34:55.desk at the moment. Would he pay tribute to the hundreds who devoted
:34:56. > :35:00.a great deal of their time putting together neighbourhood plans and
:35:01. > :35:06.assure us that in his white paper, that steps will be taken to secure
:35:07. > :35:10.the integrity of those plans? I'd like to pay tribute to not just that
:35:11. > :35:16.the people he mentions but to him also, because he's been a huge
:35:17. > :35:20.champion for neighbourhood planning. I hope the ministerial statement as
:35:21. > :35:27.hell to address some of his concerns and there will be further action in
:35:28. > :35:29.the housing white paper. Balou Du Reventon pressure on local budgets
:35:30. > :35:43.to this completely misses the point in
:35:44. > :35:45.terms of local need. To homes. Can you say will be done to offensive as
:35:46. > :35:56.this? The National Planning Policy
:35:57. > :36:00.Framework is clear. They shouldn't just look at the total number of
:36:01. > :36:06.homes require, but the right mix of housing to cater for the
:36:07. > :36:11.demographic, the number of elderly people and so she is right to draw
:36:12. > :36:18.attention to that issue. I welcome the increased number of housing has
:36:19. > :36:22.doubled since 2009, but to get to the level we need, we need a
:36:23. > :36:26.resurgence of the small and medium-sized house-building. To the
:36:27. > :36:29.Minister agree we need local authorities and communities to
:36:30. > :36:34.allocate more small sites in the local plan are neighbourhood plans?
:36:35. > :36:38.He is right, we are far too dependent at this point on a small
:36:39. > :36:43.number of large developers and we need both to make sure the land is
:36:44. > :36:50.released and is attracted to small developers and make sure they have
:36:51. > :36:55.access to finance. Since July, we've announced a 3 billion fund and an
:36:56. > :37:01.additional 1.4 billion for affordable housing and a ?2 billion
:37:02. > :37:04.construction programme. 2 billion infrastructure fund and support for
:37:05. > :37:12.17 garden towns and villages and the white paper will contain further
:37:13. > :37:22.measures. The all party group of which I'm chairman finance the
:37:23. > :37:26.quality of new-build housing. Will he be willing to meet with all party
:37:27. > :37:28.group to discuss our findings on what suggestions could be included
:37:29. > :37:36.in the forthcoming white paper as well? I would be delighted. I
:37:37. > :37:43.attended the meeting on the all party rental sector. Which he also
:37:44. > :37:47.chairs! Busy man. But he is quite right to say that as we address the
:37:48. > :37:51.fundamental challenge to get the homes we desperately need, we must
:37:52. > :38:04.not lose sight as quality as well as quantity. Or Westminster Council
:38:05. > :38:07.right to expect authorities in the South East today, responsibility of
:38:08. > :38:16.housing as well as education and social care for London's people? I
:38:17. > :38:18.would think London MPs and Westminster councillors and
:38:19. > :38:22.everybody would expect as much as possible that local authorities
:38:23. > :38:26.should meet the need to howls those in their own area and that is what I
:38:27. > :38:30.guidance is clear run. The fights and local authorities have to police
:38:31. > :38:34.people outside their areas is an indictment of the failure of this
:38:35. > :38:40.country over the last 40 years to build enough homes. We will correct
:38:41. > :38:44.that. Local communities are incentivised to deliver new homes.
:38:45. > :38:49.However, few residents are aware of this and do not see the gain of
:38:50. > :38:52.development. With the Minister agree that local authorities to set out
:38:53. > :38:57.how they spend their new home bonus in the annual council tax bills
:38:58. > :39:02.statement? He makes an important point which I'm happy to look into.
:39:03. > :39:06.There's a wider issue of ensuring the communities see the benefits of
:39:07. > :39:11.new housing. There's community infrastructure Levy and making sure
:39:12. > :39:17.communities know the benefits they are getting in return for accepting
:39:18. > :39:21.housing. I don't think we can do much more in this area if their
:39:22. > :39:25.Budget was being cut by 20% compared to just 1% in Surrey and 2% in
:39:26. > :39:29.Buckinghamshire. It has put pressure on a whole range of services, not
:39:30. > :39:34.just here but we are seeing libraries close, social services
:39:35. > :39:38.under pressure. Over Christmas, hard-working low-paid staff had to
:39:39. > :39:43.take three days unpaid leave, effectively a pay cut of 1% because
:39:44. > :39:51.of this Government's cuts. How can you tell me the cuts are in anyway
:39:52. > :39:55.fair? The question was about building more homes and as I pointed
:39:56. > :39:58.out in the course of this Parliament, they aren't doubling the
:39:59. > :40:07.housing Budget which will enable more homes to be built. The
:40:08. > :40:11.Government concluded the business rates review in March 2000 16.
:40:12. > :40:17.Following that, the Government announced a 6.7 billion cut in rates
:40:18. > :40:21.over the next five years and a permanent doubling of small business
:40:22. > :40:22.rates relief. Six and a thousand small businesses will now pay no
:40:23. > :40:44.business rates at all. I hear what he said in there's no
:40:45. > :40:49.doubt there are external factors challenging our high streets. But
:40:50. > :40:54.I'd say there's a significant package, 6.7 billion. You may want
:40:55. > :41:00.to encourage some of the business on his high street to check the
:41:01. > :41:01.re-evaluation of their business rate following the 2017 business rate
:41:02. > :41:19.revaluation which is now online. No one should ever have to sleep
:41:20. > :41:25.rough. Our ?20 million grants will help those new to the streets.
:41:26. > :41:30.Social and buy bonds will also cover 48 areas ambled on success of the
:41:31. > :41:34.social impact bond which we funded in London. It has helped over 400
:41:35. > :41:44.entrance rough sleepers get by, feet and into accommodation. I appreciate
:41:45. > :41:49.that. But number of rough sleepers are district is very high. Local
:41:50. > :41:56.trusts are tackling it, but the council Budget has been slashed by
:41:57. > :41:59.50%. Would he agree that unless we support local authorities, we stand
:42:00. > :42:06.no chance of reducing the number of rough sleepers? She will know, this
:42:07. > :42:09.Government is backing the homelessness reduction Bill
:42:10. > :42:13.currently going through the House. That will put a number of
:42:14. > :42:17.obligations on local authorities to hold people earlier so they don't
:42:18. > :42:23.become homeless. The announcement in terms of funding for the board will
:42:24. > :42:28.be made shortly and we are also, as she has heard, providing ?50 million
:42:29. > :42:33.to start that work at this point so we do not waste time for the
:42:34. > :42:36.legislation to come into effect. This Speaker, we are currently
:42:37. > :42:41.looking at alternative ways of giving to the homeless, such as
:42:42. > :42:45.vouchers, or through a website. Can I ask the Minister to look at this
:42:46. > :42:51.alternative method of giving as it is possible to take them forward? My
:42:52. > :42:56.honourable friend makes a very good point and it is generally for
:42:57. > :43:00.members of the public to consider the way in which they may want to
:43:01. > :43:08.give to people that are homeless. As I've said, the Government is
:43:09. > :43:13.absolutely focused on helping rough sleepers and the social impact bond,
:43:14. > :43:16.?10 million will help the most entrenched sleepers off the street
:43:17. > :43:24.and I'm sure that's what you want to see. Mr Speaker, the pub is at the
:43:25. > :43:29.heart of community life and that's why we've made provision for assets
:43:30. > :43:59.of community value for committees that value their pub.
:44:00. > :44:06.There are 750 probes listed on the assets of community value. The
:44:07. > :44:09.moment a nomination goes in, those rights are removed. Local
:44:10. > :44:12.authorities are free if they wish to apply for an article for designation
:44:13. > :44:48.and remove those rights across a whole area.
:44:49. > :44:59.I can announce to the House that we are providing ?50,000 of funding to
:45:00. > :45:12.pubs which will help them be valued by communities. They are in the
:45:13. > :45:16.process of introducing banning orders and civil penalties of up to
:45:17. > :45:52.?30,000 and mandatory licensing. We need to drive up the road
:45:53. > :45:52.landlord -- rogue landlords so the decent ones are not facing
:45:53. > :46:04.competition.