School Funding
(1 day, 13 hours ago)
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The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)
Publication of provisional funding allocations for mainstream schools and local authorities in 2026-27, through the schools, high needs and central school services national funding formulae, has been delayed from the usual timetable due to the timing of the spending review and the need to ensure that rigorous quality assurance processes have been completed in full.
The Department for Education has received a number of requests for clarification of when the allocations will be published. Finalisation of the NFFs is being pursued as a matter of urgency. Our priority will be to publish the schools NFF shortly in order to allow local authorities to proceed with preparation of their local schools formulae.
[HCWS1059]
Hydro Benefit Replacement Scheme
(1 day, 13 hours ago)
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The Minister for Energy (Michael Shanks)
I am tabling this statement to inform Members of the outcome of the statutory review of the hydro benefit replacement scheme and the common tariff obligation, which help protect consumers in the north of Scotland from inherently high costs of electricity distribution in this region.
Electricity network charges are paid primarily by suppliers and then passed on to consumers. These charges are split into those for the high voltage transmission network, and the low voltage distribution network. It costs significantly more to operate and maintain the electricity distribution network in the north of Scotland than elsewhere, due to its large and sparsely populated terrain. Under the principle of cost reflectivity, this means consumers in this area face higher distribution network charges.
The hydro benefit replacement scheme was established under the Energy Act 2004 and provides an annual cross-subsidy—£112 million in 2024-25—which will reduce electricity distribution charges for consumers in the region by around £70 per household in 2025-26. It is funded by electricity suppliers across Great Britain, and hence ultimately by consumers, at an annual average cost of between £1 and £1.50 per household.
The common tariff obligation places a requirement on suppliers’ charging arrangements in the north of Scotland to ensure domestic consumers are not charged different prices based on their location within the region. There is no direct monetary amount attached to the common tariff obligation.
There is a statutory requirement to review the hydro benefit replacement scheme every three years. There has been a long-standing ministerial commitment to review the common tariff obligation alongside the hydro benefit replacement scheme.
The Government have reviewed these schemes through engagement with our delivery partners in Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks and Ofgem, combined with analysis of distribution charges and the assistance amount. The north of Scotland continues to have significantly higher charges compared to the rest of GB and therefore it remains appropriate for assistance to be targeted. The review concluded that the current design continues to strike the right balance between protecting consumers in the north of Scotland and maintaining the benefits of cost-reflective charging, which promotes efficient use of the network and minimises overall system costs. As such, the schemes will be retained in their current form.
The Government’s recent decision on reformed national pricing has no impact on the outcome of this review.
[HCWS1061]
Renters’ Rights Act: Implementation Road Map
(1 day, 13 hours ago)
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The Minister for Housing and Planning (Matthew Pennycook)
In their manifesto, the Government promised to overhaul the regulation of our country’s insecure and unjust private rented sector. The Renters’ Rights Act delivers on that commitment.
The Act will empower renters by providing them with greater security, rights and protections so that they can stay in their homes for longer, build lives in their communities and avoid the risk of homelessness. It will ensure that we can drive up the quality of privately rented housing so that renters have access to good-quality and safe homes as a matter of course. It will allow us to crack down on the minority of unscrupulous landlords who exploit, mistreat or discriminate against renters.
The Act will also provide tangible benefits for responsible landlords who provide high-quality homes and a good service to their tenants. Not only will it improve the reputation of the sector as a whole, but it will also ensure that good landlords enjoy clear regulation, better access to information, and clear and expanded possession grounds, so that they can regain their properties quickly when necessary.
I am announcing the publication of “Implementing the Renters’ Rights Act 2025: Our roadmap for reforming the Private Rented Sector”.
The document, a copy of which I will deposit in the Library, provides an overview of our implementation plans for the coming years and includes detail on how we will phase our reforms and when they will come into force.
We intend to implement the Act in three distinct phases:
In the first phase of our reforms, we will implement the new tenancy regime. This will apply to both new and existing tenancies and will come into force on 1 May 2026. In this phase, section 21 evictions will finally be abolished; we will move to a simpler tenancy structure where all assured tenancies are periodic; the practice of landlords demanding large amounts of rent in advance from tenants will be brought to an end; rental bidding will be prohibited; and tenants will be given strengthened rights to request a pet.
In the second phase of our reforms, from late 2026, we will introduce the new private rented sector database and private rented sector landlord ombudsman service. The database will help landlords understand their obligations and demonstrate compliance; will increase transparency and facilitate better access to information for tenants so they can take effective action to enforce their rights; and will support local authorities with effective enforcement. The ombudsman will provide quick, fair, impartial and binding resolution for tenants’ complaints about their landlord and will bring tenant-landlord complaint resolution in line with established redress practices for tenants in social housing and consumers of property agent services.
In the third and final phase of our reforms—dates to be settled following consultation—we will apply a modernised decent homes standard and Awaab’s law to the private rented sector for the first time. Extending the decent homes standard to the sector will give renters safer, better value homes and remove the blight of poor-quality homes in local communities. Extending Awaab’s law will set clear legal expectations about the timeframes within which landlords in the private rented sector must take action to make homes safe where they contain serious hazards.
The Government look forward to ongoing engagement with all stakeholders to ensure a smooth implementation of this transformative Act.
[HCWS1060]