Council To Force Viability Assessments Publication

House builders that claim they cannot meet a council’s affordable homes quota for new developments could be forced to make their details of financial viability assessments public. Southwark Council says it has devised the new policy in response to public concern over how affordable provision in new schemes is negotiated, with assessments usually kept secret due to claims of commercial sensitivity. Under the proposed new supplementary planning document, the viability assessment would be kept out of the public domain if a developer agrees to meet Southwark Council’s requirement of 35% affordable homes in any new development. But if the developer argues it is not viable to meet the target, a summary of the reasons will be published for public scrutiny. Read more on Southwark Council’s website.

Universal Credit – Parliamentary Written Answer

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when and where his Department plans to next introduce universal credit.  
Esther McVey: Universal credit is now available in 19 live sites across England, Scotland and Wales, and is continuing to roll out across the north-west of England. See link to the Press Notice published on 20 June 2014: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/north-west-universal-credit-expansion  
In total 90 Jobcentres, or one in eight Jobcentres in Britain, will offer the service once the north-west expansion has been completed.

Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the risk register for the universal credit programme.  
Esther McVey: In line with standard practice, as the universal credit risk register includes details of a sensitive nature, the Department will not be putting the risk register into the public domain.