Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of raising the threshold at which affordable housing quotas apply, from developments of 10 houses to developments of (1) 40, and (2) 50 houses, on the creation of affordable housing stock.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
In August 2020, HMG consulted on raising the threshold at which affordable housing contributions are required from 10 units to 40 or 50 units. This was proposed as part of the 'Changes to the Current Planning System'.
The analysis undertaken at the time was reported as part of the consultation.
A decision was taken in April 2021 not to take forward the proposal at that stage. We keep this situation under review but the reasons that applied in our decision not to proceed in 2021 remain powerful.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they remain committed to building 300,000 homes per year.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Housebuilding is a priority for this Government. As the Secretary of State has said, we remain committed to continuing our progress towards our target of 300,000 homes a year, as set out in the 2019 Conservative manifesto.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that rent remains affordable given the increased cost of living; and when they plan to introduce the Renters Reform Bill.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost-of-living crisis and that paying rent is often a tenant's biggest monthly expense.
Ensuring a fair deal for renters remains a priority for the Government. Legislation will be announced in the usual way.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address pressures on those hosting Ukrainian refugees through the Homes for Ukraine scheme in order to avoid unintended consequences, such as relationship breakdown or homelessness, where alternative solutions cannot be found for their guests.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Local councils have a responsibility to support Ukrainians who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, including providing temporary accommodation where required to ensure no family is without a roof over their head.
The Government is providing £10,500 per person to councils under the Homes for Ukraine scheme to enable them to provide support to individuals and families, including in the minority of cases where someone is left without accommodation.
The Government has updated the guidance on rematching in case of relationship breakdowns and for who are not ready to leave sponsorship and move into their own alternative accommodation, but are unable to extend their sponsorship with the current host, following the end of their initial stay.
We have also provided councils with £316 million for this year (2022) to help prevent and meet the costs of homelessness.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to include a revision of the definition of affordable housing in the National Planning Policy Framework review.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
We have no current plans to modify the definition of affordable housing. Any review of the National Planning Policy Framework will be consulted on.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to assist Ukrainian refugees in the UK who have been declared homeless.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Our priority was to get Ukrainians to safety as quickly as possible. As with any scheme of this size we anticipated relationship breakdowns which is why we put plans in place to address these risks
Local councils have a responsibility to support Ukrainians who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, including providing temporary accommodation where required to ensure no family is without a roof over their head.
Local councils’ statutory homelessness duties will apply in instances of sponsorship breakdown if the Ukrainian household does not have alternative suitable accommodation.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide housing solutions to Ukrainian refugees in the UK to enable them to increase their independence.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
We are working closely with local councils to understand where pressures may be and are actively exploring options to find suitable long-term accommodation for the Ukrainians who are likely to stay in this country beyond the households staying in the country beyond their initial sponsorship period. The updated guidance for the Homes for Ukraine guests, hosts and councils setting out all the support options available to them can be accessed (attached) here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils#four-to-6-months-after-guests-have-moved-to-your-area.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase support to Ukrainian refugees and their host families, in particular to address increases in the cost of living.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
We recognise the growing pressure on family finances, and the challenges that households are facing with the rising costs of living. We are working with local authorities and sponsors to support them to continue hosting.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the longer-term sustainability of the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
We are working closely with local councils and voluntary and community sector partners to monitor the housing landscape for Ukrainian households, develop our strategy and actively explore options to find suitable long-term accommodation for those who are likely to stay in the UK beyond the initial six months. We are also supporting Ukrainians that want to stay in sponsorships for a longer period, but with a different host by enabling a process of rematching and will continue to develop our bank of potential sponsors.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to assist Afghan refugees currently housed in poor-quality temporary accommodation.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government is working with councils to find families settled homes as quickly as possible. It is right that we take time to ensure that families are provided with suitable homes that support their integration and access to education and employment.
In addition to the funding local authorities receive for integration support costs, a £25.5million Housing Costs fund is available to local authorities to help meet the costs of housing. Funding provided to support integration can also be used towards costs needed to enable families to secure accommodation, including deposits and upfront rent, enabling families to fund their own accommodation.
We are working with Rightmove to identify potential properties available in the private rented sector. This provides councils with additional information to source appropriate properties. Our improved Housing Portal also allows property owners and organisations to submit offers of housing for people who have arrived from Afghanistan.
We are also working with councils to make it easier for Afghan families who are currently in bridging hotels to find and secure their own accommodation. We have formalised this as the 'Find Your Own Accommodation' pathway, and we have developed a supplementary training package to enable councils to support individuals and families throughout this process. We have also worked with the Ministry of Defence to make use of Service Family Accommodation and we are working directly with developers and educational bodies to consider alternative accommodation options.
We are working closely with local councils and voluntary and community sector partners to monitor the housing landscape for Ukrainian households, develop our strategy and actively explore options to find suitable long-term accommodation for those who are likely to stay in the UK beyond the initial six months. We have provided a tariff of £10,500 per arrival to councils to enable them to provide support to individuals and families. This is un-ringfenced, which allows councils to use the funding as best suits the local area, including measures to support guests to access the private rental market.