HC Deb 05 April 1995 vol 257 cc1296-8W
Mr. Banks

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses were held by each of the district authorities in North Yorkshire at the end of each financial year since 1979. [18815]

Mr. Robert B. Jones

Local authorities report the numbers of dwellings they own in their annual housing investment programme returns. The figures for 1979 to 1994 for each district in North Yorkshire can be found in the "HIP1 All Items Print" for those years, copies of which are in the Library.

The references of the relevant columns in prints for 1979 to 1993 are as follows:

  • 1979: B11
  • 1980 to 1990: A11
  • 1991 to 1993: A11 and A16

For 1994 the figures can be found in section A of the "1994 HIP1 All Items Print".

Mr. Robert Banks

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the values of disposals of council-owned property by each of the North Yorkshire district authorities for each financial year since 1990. [18817]

Mr. Robert B. Jones

The information requested, as reported by each of the district authorities in North Yorkshire, is as follows. The figures for council house purchase are based on the values of dwellings without subtracting the value of mortgage lending by local authorities.

Capital receipts from the sale of council dwelling in North Yorkshire (execluding lending for council house purchase)
£ thousand
Local authority 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94
Craven 517 263 379 612
Hambleton 1,087 1,288 1,348 31,422
Harrogate 1,367 1,480 888 1,487
Richmondshire 812 1,035 833 1,100
Ryedale 27,319 0 0 0
Scarborough 2,228 1,565 1,306 1,645
Selby 1,721 1,281 1,133 1,575
York 1,973 2,001 2,183 3,009

Mr. Raynsford

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to require Cherwell district council to consult further with its tenants before he considers any further proposals for the transfer of any of its housing to another landlord. [18777]

Mr. Curry

Whether the council should be required to carry out further consultation with its tenants is a matter which would need to be considered only when the council submitted an application for the Secretary of State's consent to transfer housing to a new landlord. No application from the council is before the Secretary of State.

Mr. Raynsford

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of all tenants of Cherwell district council voted(a) in favour and (b) against the proposed transfer of their homes to another landlord when they were consulted on this option. [18776]

Mr. Curry

In March 1994, separate ballots were held in the Banbury area and the rest of the district, and in each area the tenants were asked two questions. On the question whether they were in favour of the council transferring all its homes in their area to a new housing association, 31.4 per cent. of the tenants, taking the district as a whole, voted for transfer and 47.5 per cent. voted against. On the question whether they were in favour of their own homes transferring to a new housing association even if a majority of the tenants in their area decided to stay with the council, 27.6 per cent. of the tenants, taking the district as a whole, voted for transfer and 49.2 per cent. voted against.

Mr. Raynsford

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what evidence he has of the impact of the delay of the proposed transfer of housing from Cherwell district council to the Cherwell Valley housing association on the housing revenue account in Cherwell district in 1995–96. [18778]

Mr. Curry

I understand that Cherwell district council has decided to increase the rents of its remaining houses by an average of £1.62 a week in 1995–96, which is below the Department's HRA subsidy rent guideline of £1.82 a week.

Mr. Robert Banks

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses have been sold in each financial year since 1982 by each of the district authorities in North Yorkshire. [18816]

Mr. Robert B. Jones

Tables showing the available information on the volume of total council house sales for each English local authority for every financial year since 1980 and a cumulative total to March 1994 are in the Library.

Mr. Turner

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the total allocation to housing co-operatives by the Housing Corporation in 1995–96 reflects the proportion of the total Housing Corporation allocation that housing co-operatives were targeted to achieve in the Housing Corporation's Co-operatives strategy published in 1993; what steps he is taking to increase the funding to housing co-operatives; and if he will make a statement. [18838]

Mr. Robert B. Jones

The total allocation for development made by the Housing Corporation to housing co-operatives in 1995–96 will be some £9.5 million. The corporation's co-operatives strategy made it clear that target investment levels were subject to co-operatives gaining funding on the same criteria as other housing associations. All housing associations including co-operatives bid for allocations from the Housing Corporation's approved development programme on a competitive basis. The successful bids are those which meet the priority needs identified by local authorities in their housing strategies, on the most cost-effective basis.

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