Business: Levelling Up
Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) Ilfracombe and (b) other coastal communities?
Answer:
As an island nation, the Government is committed to supporting coastal communities and levelling-up across the Union. We are working with local leaders to ensure every region including coastal areas, cities and towns will recover from COVID-19 and ultimately level-up.
I am pleased that Ilfracombe is benefitting from a share of the £35.4 million Getting Building Fund investment across the Heart of the South West to boost economic growth, and fuel local recovery and jobs. This includes one project in the North Devon constituency: Ilfracombe Water Sports Centre, which is set to receive £1.5 million for the construction of a water sports centre and associated infrastructure on a brownfield site within Ilfracombe Harbour. The project aims to regenerate the harbour, improve and increase tourism, provide up to 101 direct and indirect jobs and support up to 300 local businesses. The centre will also provide training and events facilities.
The Heart of the South West LEP was also allocated £197.8 million from the Local Growth Fund (LGF) between 2015 and 2021. Recent LGF projects in North Devon include the North Devon Innovation Centre in Roundswell and Connecting Devon and Somerset to extend superfast broadband provision.
Officials will shortly be in contact with North Devon Council to discuss their unsuccessful Levelling Up Fund bid for Ilfracombe and to offer feedback to support future bids.
We have continued to make significant progress in supporting coastal communities in a number of areas, demonstrated by the Coastal Communities Fund now having supported 359 projects, totalling over £229 million since 2012. North Devon Council received £1.5 million in 2019 for the new swimming pool at the North Devon Leisure Centre in Barnstaple.
Our coastal economies and communities add unique value to the country and offer significant growth potential. Our commitment to unlocking this growth was demonstrated at Budget 2021, where the Chancellor announced 8 Freeports from 8 regions of England, 7 of them in coastal areas. Freeports will be national hubs for international trade, innovation and commerce, regenerating communities across the UK; attracting new businesses, spreading jobs, investment and opportunity to towns and cities across the country including in coastal areas.
Neil O'Brien MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, Communities and Local Government
2nd November 2021
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Public Lavatories: Coronavirus
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what further financial support will be provided to local authorities to enable them to open toilet blocks after the additional cleaning required as a result of the covid-19 outbreak?
Answer
We have now made £3.2 billion available to local authorities through an un-ringfenced grant so they can address pressures they are facing in response to the Covid-19 pandemic
The additional funding is un-ringfenced and can be used across all local services facing pressures, recognising local authorities are best placed to decide how to meet the major Covid-19 service pressures in their local area.
Simon Clarke MP, Former Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
9th June 2020
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Small Businesses: Coronavirus
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to provide support to local authorities to support SMEs during the covid-19 outbreak?
Answer
The Government has announced a package of support for businesses to help with their ongoing business costs in recognition of the disruption caused by Covid-19. In particular, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has been working across Government to provide £12.33 billion of grant funding to help small and rural businesses and businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors manage their cashflow through this period. This support will take the form of two grant funding schemes, the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF).
Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF):
- All businesses in England in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) and Rural Rates Relief (RRR) in the business rates system will be eligible for a payment of £10,000.
- This is estimated to apply to around 730,000 businesses across England.
Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF):
- Businesses in England that would have been in receipt of the Expanded Retail Discount (which covers retail, hospitality and leisure) on 11 March with a rateable value of less than £51,000 will be eligible for the following cash grants per property:
- Eligible businesses in these sectors with a property that has a rateable value of up to and including £15,000 will receive a grant of £10,000.
- Eligible businesses in these sectors with a property that has a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive a grant of £25,000.
Through Section 82 of the Coronavirus Act 2020, the Government has also made provision for a three-month moratorium on the ability of landlords of commercial properties to exercise any right of forfeiture that they may have due to the non-payment of rent by tenants. The provision delays the right to forfeiture; it does not otherwise impinge on a landlord’s right to claim forfeiture at the end of that period. The objective of the clause is to provide much-needed certainty to those businesses hit hard by the Coronavirus and worried about security of tenure during this difficult period. The moratorium is in effect until 30 June, a period that can be extended by Government if necessary.
Simon Clarke MP, Former Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
4th May 2020
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Business: Coronavirus
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to support (a) small businesses and (b) the high street to recover from the covid-19 outbreak?
Answer
The Government has announced a package of support for businesses to help with their ongoing business costs in recognition of the disruption caused by Covid-19. In particular, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has been working across Government to provide £12.33 billion of grant funding to help small and rural businesses and businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors manage their cashflow through this period. This support will take the form of two grant funding schemes, the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF).
Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF):
- All businesses in England in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) and Rural Rates Relief (RRR) in the business rates system will be eligible for a payment of £10,000.
- This is estimated to apply to around 730,000 businesses across England.
Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF):
- Businesses in England that would have been in receipt of the Expanded Retail Discount (which covers retail, hospitality and leisure) on 11 March with a rateable value of less than £51,000 will be eligible for the following cash grants per property:
- Eligible businesses in these sectors with a property that has a rateable value of up to and including £15,000 will receive a grant of £10,000.
- Eligible businesses in these sectors with a property that has a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive a grant of £25,000.
Through Section 82 of the Coronavirus Act 2020, the Government has also made provision for a three-month moratorium on the ability of landlords of commercial properties to exercise any right of forfeiture that they may have due to the non-payment of rent by tenants. The provision delays the right to forfeiture; it does not otherwise impinge on a landlord’s right to claim forfeiture at the end of that period. The objective of the clause is to provide much-needed certainty to those businesses hit hard by the Coronavirus and worried about security of tenure during this difficult period. The moratorium is in effect until 30 June, a period that can be extended by Government if necessary.
Simon Clarke MP, Former Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
4th May 2020
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