Leasehold Reform (Amendment) Bill

Lord Beecham Excerpts

Friday 7th February 2014 Lords Chamber

[Lord Beecham (Lab)]

My Lords I congratulate the noble Baroness on bringing forward the Bill. As one ex-council leader to another, I am delighted that she has done so comprehensively and explained it so well. I declare an interest as the holder of a leasehold interest in the block of flats in which I live.

I hope that the noble Baroness will forgive me if I depart slightly from the provisions of the Bill, which she rightly says does not deal at all with other issues of leasehold reform and more particularly the commonhold issues. I suspect that the noble Baroness, Lady Gardner of Parkes, may wish to raise those today and will certainly raise them in a Question next week. I hope that the Minister will forgive me, too, but I take this opportunity to address this almost by way of advance warning. I wonder whether it is not time for the Government to review how the commonhold process is working. How many cases have there been where the right has been exercised and will any further changes need to be made in the legislation that permits commonholds to be created? The impression is that not very many have gone through, so it is perhaps now time, several years after the latest piece of legislation, for a review—although obviously not today. Perhaps the Government will look at that and give an indication of whether they might be willing to conduct a review or perhaps ask the Law Commission to do so.

Having said that, I strongly support the Bill. It is a small measure, but it deals with a matter that can affect a number of people. The House is indebted to the noble Baroness for bringing it forward.