Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will issue local authorities multi-year settlements to enable them to plan more efficiently and secure their long-term future.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are committed to providing a multi-year funding settlement starting in 2026-27. This will be the first multi-year settlement since 2016 and will provide local authorities with the certainty they need to focus on their priorities.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support is available to landlords who are subject to additional costs imposed by councils under the selective licensing schemes.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Local authorities are responsible for assessing the impact of a selective licensing scheme on their area. This may include the impact of licence fees on local rents.
Local authorities have discretion to charge fees which cover the cost of running selective licensing schemes. They may also offer discounts on fees to reduce costs for landlords. The government expects local authorities to make details of these fees, along with the rationale behind their determination, transparent and readily accessible.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of introducing selective licensing on the cost of renting.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Local authorities are responsible for assessing the impact of a selective licensing scheme on their area. This may include the impact of licence fees on local rents.
Local authorities have discretion to charge fees which cover the cost of running selective licensing schemes. They may also offer discounts on fees to reduce costs for landlords. The government expects local authorities to make details of these fees, along with the rationale behind their determination, transparent and readily accessible.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of landlords leaving the private rental market on the rate of homelessness across London.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The most recent English Housing Survey results, published on 28 November 2024, show that proportion of private rented sector (PRS) households in London which are part of the private rental market has increased from 27.4% in 2018-19 to 31.8% in 2023-24. Over the past 5 years data on dwelling stock shows that there has been an increase in the number of PRS properties in London. Live tables on dwelling stock (including vacants) - GOV.UK
Our Renters’ Rights Bill will deliver our manifesto commitment to transform the experience of private renting, including by ending Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions. The most recent homelessness statistics release reported between April and June 2024, 1,100 Londoners were put at risk of homelessness because they received a Section 21 eviction notice. By implementing the long overdue abolition of Section 21 evictions, this government will give renters much greater security and stability so they can stay in their homes for longer, build lives in their communities, and avoid the risk of homelessness.
However, homelessness levels in London and across the country remain far too high. This is why the government has committed to developing a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness once and for all. This includes a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, bringing together ministers from across government.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the increase in national insurance will have on local councils and their services.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer to Question UIN 11851 on 8 November 2024.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what impact assessments they have made of the proposal for a Mayoral Development Corporation to pedestrianise Oxford Street, and what discussions they have had with Westminster City Council on this topic.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Responsibility for designating any area of land in Greater London as a Mayoral development area rests with the Mayor of London. Any future proposal for Oxford Street will be subject to a statutory consultation in line with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011. The government remains supportive of locally-led plans to revitalise Oxford Street and looks forward to working with the Mayor of London and local leaders to ensure Oxford Street remains a world-class retail destination.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the levels of rough sleeping in tents in urban areas, in particular London, and what recent discussions they have had with local authorities and Transport for London on this topic.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The annual rough sleeping snapshot provides information about the estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night between 1 October and 30 November each year. MHCLG does not specifically collect data on the number of people sleeping rough in tents at either a national or local authority level. The MHCLG rough sleeping adviser team are in regular dialogue with local authorities and other agencies to understand rough sleeping pressures within local areas across England.
The Government is committed to getting us back on track to ending homelessness once and for all.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill will be published for pre-legislative scrutiny.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement made on Thursday 21 November 2024, which sets out government’s intentions to publish draft legislation on leasehold and commonhold reform in the second half of next year so that it may be subject to broad consultation and additional parliamentary scrutiny.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to launch a consultation on the proposed national supported housing standards and licensing regulations under the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, and whether they will consider producing interim guidance in the meantime to ensure sufficient supply of supported accommodation.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to consulting on the implementation of measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023. We will provide an update on our next steps in relation to the implementation of measures in the Act shortly.
The Department will shortly be publishing research on the supply and demand for supported housing. The Department will consider the findings of this research as it formulates future government policy on supported housing supply.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to define the concept of the grey belt and to develop related policies.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government set out its proposed approach to grey belt in its consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, which closed on 24 September.
Officials in my department are now analysing the responses with a view to publishing the Government’s conclusions, alongside a revised Framework, before the end of the year.