Teesworks Project: Audit

Debate between Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top and Baroness Swinburne

Wednesday 20th March 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Swinburne (Con)]

I can assure this House that the mayor has accepted all the recommendations in that report and is enacting them now. We have asked for a report in six months’ time on how much progress has been made. We expect that there will be significant progress, including any renegotiation of those contracts.

[Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Lab)]

My Lords, I am disappointed by the Minister’s response. In the debate, I thought that we had established that the mayor was dealing with only a limited number of the recommendations, particularly on governance. There is a whole raft of others that he did not address in his letter. Neither we nor the public in Tees Valley have heard from the Government on what they will do to ensure that proper procedures, which have been undertaken by other local authorities for generations, are adhered to in Tees Valley. Can the Minister reassure us that there will now be a tendering and procurement process that is understandable in the public sector, even though this is a public/private arrangement? Will that take place, particularly given that the Secretary of State just last week transferred to two of the development corporations set up within the Tees Valley money from the local authorities without consulting them?

[Baroness Swinburne (Con)]

I assure the House that all procedures are being followed and, where necessary, they are being tightened as a result of the review. Therefore, where the recommendations need changes to be made, they will be made. Indeed, one of the recommendations affects DLUHC and another, more broadly, affects departments in central government. We are dealing with those now, including one for new systems of governance.

No-fault Evictions

Debate between Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top and Baroness Swinburne

Thursday 26th October 2023 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Swinburne (Con)]

We know that the profile of landlords providing homes in the private rental sector has changed over the past 20 years. A wide range of landlords operate in the sector, owning different numbers of properties and focusing on different markets, and they all have a role to play providing secure and decent homes. However, the Government also welcome new institutional investment in the private rental sector and have made a number of interventions to support the Build to Rent sector. Build to Rent boosts housing supply, diversifies the private rental sector and increases the quality and choice for renters in cities and towns across England.

[Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Lab)]

My Lords, does the Minister really understand the effect this is having on individuals? I was a bit late in today because on the way in I met someone in Greenwich—as I was going to get public transport here—who was soaking wet and clearly distressed. He was evicted; he claimed no fault but now cannot afford accommodation. Last night he could not afford the £12 to get into a hostel, so was soaking wet because he had to sleep in the park all night. These are real people who are being damaged, and we now know there are more children who are homeless through this than we have ever known before. The Government need to understand, show the compassion, get on and stop these no-fault evictions.