Virginia Blackman’s Post

Today, the Government published the first iteration of its online register of CPO decisions in England: https://lnkd.in/eUcpKY24 The intention behind publishing the register is to increase transparency on how CPO decisions are taken and to improve knowledge and awareness of the purposes which compulsory purchase powers may be used. It is hoped this will give authorities greater confidence to use their CPO powers and help clarify misconceptions about the CPO process.   The publication of the register of CPOs decisions brings the compulsory purchase process in line with the transparency of other case types such as development consent orders and planning appeals.   The first iteration of the register includes details of each CPO submitted to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities for confirmation since 2019 and provides a broad description of the scheme, the enabling CPO power used, a summary of the decision and who made the decision.   We intend to update the register with new decisions on a quarterly basis. The next update is planned for July 2024.   Going forward, our aim is to enhance the register with copies of decisions letters/reports for each individual CPO confirmed by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. 

MHCLG has updated the Right to Buy guides for both councils and tenants, following the review of Right to Buy discounts announced on 30 October 👇🏻 https://lnkd.in/esQfwwTf https://lnkd.in/eNBh2rhj It has also published guidance on retained Right to Buy receipts and their use for replacement supply: https://lnkd.in/dHrxTrpF The guides provide practitioners with information and good practice, advice and tips on the operation of the Right to Buy scheme. They are not statutory guidance nor intended to be a definitive interpretation of the legislation.

Two rather big updates to begin with this October: 1. An updated guidance on compulsory purchase process together with updated Crichel Down Rules (see below) and 2. New (shorter) time limits for s106 agreements at planning appeals. The new guidance requires that as of 2nd October, an executed and certified copy of s106 agreement for written representations and a draft s106 agreement for hearings and inquiries should be submitted at the time the appeal is made. Before this modification, section 106 agreements had to be submitted with 7 weeks from the starting date of the appeal. This development will undoubtedly put a lot more pressure on developers and local authorities to have the s106s agreed early and inevitably might lead to more unilateral undertakings being submitted due to lack of time. The paper can be seen at the following link https://lnkd.in/eUDKYv4N

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities have today launched a consultation inviting comments with regard to measures aimed at accelerating the planning system. The measures covered by this consultation are: 1. The introduction of a new accelerated planning service which would offer a new application route with accelerated decision dates for major commercial applications and fee refunds wherever these are not met. 2. Changes in relation to extensions of time agreements, including a new performance measure for speed of decision-making against statutory time limits, and an end to the use of extension of time agreements for householder applications and repeat agreements for the same application for other types of application. 3. An expansion of the current simplified householder and minor commercial appeal service to more written representation appeals. 4. Detail on the broadening of the ability to vary a planning permission through section 73B applications and on the treatment of overlapping planning permissions.

What does the Budget 2024 mean for education moving forward? On Wednesday 30 October, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the government's Budget for 2025-26. The Education Hub, on the Gov.uk website, explains what this year's Budget means for early years providers, schools, colleges and children’s social care: https://bit.ly/3YNuVV4 #Reed #Budget #Education #Schools #GovernmentBudget

What does the Budget 2024 mean for education moving forward? On Wednesday 30 October, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the government's Budget for 2025-26. The Education Hub, on the Gov.uk website, explains what this year's Budget means for early years providers, schools, colleges and children’s social care: https://bit.ly/3YNuVV4 #ReedEducation #Budget #Education #Schools #GovernmentBudget

SEND Tribunals should remain in place to protect the rights of children and families, with EHCP Plus providing a different solution to meet the challenge! Our response to Isos Partnership, County Councils Network, and Local Government Association's report "Towards an effective and financially sustainable approach to SEND in England" outlines how EHCP Plus saves time, improves quality, and reduces the chances of complaints. This means that crucial processes that enable the rights of children and families can stay in place, but will instead be most focused on the cases that really need them. 🔗 You can read our full response here: https://lnkd.in/eyRw8dPM #SEND #EHCPs #Tribunal #LGAi #ImprovingOutcomes

Its not all about #thebudget today. A further round of Planning Consultation launched today too! An accelerated planning system - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). All about speed and amendments to planning permissions (further details on S73B) 👇

Did you know that we publish a SENCO update as part of the Schools Bulletin each week? The update brings together key articles from across Surrey County Council and relevant statutory updates. https://lnkd.in/erW532cp Reading some articles will require a login to the Surrey Education Services (SES) Hub, so please make sure you have a user account. If you don't have an account, you can ask your School Business Manager/Bursar to set you up (must be a full account not a delegate account) or you can request an account via the SES Hub. #education #educationservices #NoOneLeftBehind

A lot of focus on the King's speech today, but the Regulator of Social Housing has also published its consumer regulation review for 23/24. This sets out the key themes from the consumer regulation casework it has undertaken over the previous year. The most important themes coming out of the review are that landlords must: ·       meet all health and safety requirements to keep tenants safe ·       know the condition of the homes they own and manage ·       handle complaints effectively ·       engage effectively with tenants and treat them with fairness and respect The review covers the 12 month period before the new consumer regulation regime came into force. In other words, the review only covers cases where there was shown to be “serious detriment” which is no longer a requirement for intervention under the new consumer standards. Going forward, we expect to see more cases of potential breaches of the consumer standards, but the themes will likely be the same. Consumer regulation review 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) #socialhousing #ukhousing