The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) have concluded discussions with L&Q regarding the proposals to unlock additional affordable housing across the Up2U package of development sites. The specific bids which pertain to each individual site have yet to be entered onto the investment management system. This will be completed later this financial year.
There is no standard maximum household income at which a household becomes eligible for intermediate level affordable housing and/or shared ownership schemes. This will vary depending on the location and type of scheme. Purchasers’ household income must not exceed £60,000 and they must be able to demonstrate that they cannot buy without assistance but can sustain home ownership.
I have been asked to reply.
Sale and rent back agreements are not currently regulated. On 6 February 2009, the Government published a consultation document, proposing that companies offering sale and rent back agreements are brought within the scope of Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulation. The consultation will close on 1 May 2009. It is available at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consult_sale_rent.htm
The FSA has published a separate consultation alongside on the detail of its proposed new regime, available at:
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Policy/CP/2009/09_06.shtml
6,409 applications were made for the Own Home scheme to the end of March 2009, of which 4,758 were approved by the provider for the purchaser to seek a property. The average level of support in terms of Government funding was £28,400.
Provisional figures show that the Homes and Communities Agency allocated around £118 million in March 2009 on acquiring unsold stock for affordable housing. In total over £350 million was allocated on the purchase of unsold stock from developers to provide around 9,600 affordable homes.
The Government have no plan to review the maximum limits on Right to Buy discounts.
(2) what the maximum right to buy discount was in 2008-09 prices in each region in each of the last 10 years.
The answer is as follows:
£ London: February 1999 to March 2003 38,000 March 2003 to date: All boroughs but two 16,000 Barking and Dagenham, Havering 38,000 South East: February 1999 to March 2003 38,000 March 2003 to date: All districts but the following nine 38,000 Chiltern, Epsom and Ewell, Hart, Oxford, Reading, Reigate and Banstead, Tonbridge and Mailing, Vale of White Horse, West Berkshire 16,000 Eastern: February 1999 to March 2003 34,000 March 2003 to date: All districts but Watford 34,000 Watford 16,000 February 1999 to date: South West 30,000 North West 26,000 West Midlands 26,000 Yorkshire and the Humber 24,000 East Midlands 24,000 North East 22,000
Assured tenants of housing associations who were formerly secure tenants of local authorities and have transferred to their present landlords with their homes under large scale voluntary transfers (LSVTs) have a preserved right to buy their homes. The number of dwellings transferred under LSVTs during each of the last three years is as follows:
Region 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 London 4,194 8,984 1,099 South East 7,470 9,860 0 East 6,852 21,338 0 South West 7,882 2,354 0 East Midlands 0 12,659 5,241 West Midlands 0 2,317 0 Yorkshire and Humber 12,256 1,667 0 North East 23,780 11,482 1,911 North West 13,319 22,933 33,704 Total 75,753 93,594 41,955
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 28 October 2008, Official Report, column 970W.
The number of English local authorities giving cash incentive scheme grants in the last 10 years is as follows:
Number 1997-98 208 1998-99 188 1999-2000 84 2000-01 72 2001-02 56 2002-03 52 2003-04 46 2004-05 42 2005-06 47 2006-07 44 2007-08 37 Source: HSSA (2001-02—present), HIP Annual Plan (1997-98—2000-01) as reported by 354 local authorities.
The figures supplied count the number of local authorities giving cash incentive scheme grants and will not include any local authorities offering cash incentive scheme grants that were not taken up in that year.
In terms of registered social landlords, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Regent’s Park and Kensington, North (Ms Buck) on 10 March 2009, Official Report, column 322W.
The following table shows the number of housing association homes purchased under the Right to Acquire scheme in each year since it commenced in 1997.
Number of sales 1997-98 0 1998-99 0 1999-2000 4 2000-01 18 2001-02 38 2002-03 111 2003-04 236 2004-05 411 2005-06 471 2006-07 570 2007-08 544 2008-09 (provisional figure) 184 Total 2,587
Prior to 1 April 2004, receipts arising from the disposal of dwellings under right to buy (RTB) were retained by the local authorities, although authorities with debt set aside 75 per cent. of that receipt to repay their housing debt.
The following table shows for each financial year since 2004-05 the total housing receipts paid by local authorities in England which were retained by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) and those receipts which were passed to the Treasury. Most of these receipts arise from RTB sales, but data on this are not collected separately.
Receipts passed to the Exchequer Consolidated Fund Receipts retained by the Department for Communities and Local Government 2004-05 1,639 54.9 2005-06 990 74.5 2006-07 735 104.3 2007-08 588 106.1 2008-091 134.3 23.9 1 Figures for 2008-09 are estimates.
Receipts surrendered to the Exchequer Consolidated Fund are not hypothecated to specific policy areas but, together with other resources, contribute towards the overall fiscal package within which departmental public expenditure programmes are agreed as part of the Spending Review process. Receipts retained by CLG are used to support its housing and planning capital programme expenditure.
In 2007-08 CLG supported £5.5 billion of housing capital expenditure.
(2) whether funding from the £100 million fund to deliver new social housing at higher energy efficiency standards referred to on page 105 of the Budget 2009 Red Book will be available to housing associations; and if she will make a statement;
(3) how much is planned to be allocated to each local authority from the £100 million fund for new social housing at higher energy efficiency standards as referred to on page 105 of the Budget 2009 Red Book;
(4) what the higher energy efficiency standards will be for new social housing to be delivered with the £100 million of funding referred to on page 105 of the Budget 2009 Red Book.
The £100 million of funding referred to on page 105 of the Budget 2009 Red Book could potentially deliver up to 900 new council homes. The funding is specifically for local authorities, not housing associations, and will be allocated against bids assessed by the Homes and Communities Agency. The higher energy efficiency standards will be those in the Code for Sustainable Homes, which are ahead of the current building regulation standards. Schemes at higher code levels will be favoured.
(2) what the average level of financial support from the public purse has been for a home purchased under the Homebuy Direct scheme;
(3) how many properties have been purchased through the Homebuy Direct scheme in each region; and what the average price of a property purchased through the scheme has been to date.
The first HomeBuy Direct completions occurred during week commencing 20 April. Detailed sales data for the scheme are compiled and analysed on a monthly basis. These will be available early next month.