Council Tax: Support Schemes
Debate between Lord Bishop of Hereford and Baroness Hanham
Baroness Hanham
My Lords, I thank my noble friend Lord Jenkin for that and I agree that the transitional grant is a great help. It enables local authorities to have extra resources this year to support what they are doing as they develop their own council tax support schemes. It is slightly disappointing that only half the local authorities in the country have felt able to take up this transitional grant because they have not been able and will not be able to bring down their increase for individuals to below 8.5%.
The Lord Bishop of Hereford
My Lords, with changes to council tax benefit coming on top of the changes to housing benefit, working tax credits, benefit up-rating and other changes, will the Minister tell us what the Government are planning to do to monitor and report back to this House the cumulative effect of these cuts on low-income families?
Homelessness: Rough Sleepers in London
Debate between Lord Bishop of Hereford and Baroness Hanham
Baroness Hanham
My Lords, the noble Lord may know that my department initiated an across-department ministerial working group, which is concentrating on all aspects of homelessness, including rough sleeping. It has been very effective in finding ways of ensuring that the problems that the noble Lord raises are dealt with.
The Lord Bishop of Hereford
Does the Minister care to say whether Her Majesty's Government are likely to take up the suggestion made by the Royal Institute of British Architects in its report published four days ago that local authority pension funds might contribute to the cost of affordable housing and so address the issue of homelessness by that route? If the Government are not mindful to take up that suggestion, will they find funding by some other route so as to increase the provision of genuinely affordable housing?
Baroness Hanham
My Lords, the Government have taken a number of initiatives over the past couple of years to ensure that affordable housing is provided. The question of whether pension funds can be used for this is not something that I can address today. That would be, I think, a matter for each individual pension fund and I am not sure whether local government pension funds would be entitled to do that. If I can find the answer for the right reverend Prelate, I will do so, but I do not have a brief on that today.
Housing: Rented Homes
Debate between Lord Bishop of Hereford and Baroness Hanham
Baroness Hanham
My Lords, I recognise entirely what the noble Lord has said. This is a very important aspect of getting money into residential accommodation. I think this matter is still being discussed with the Treasury. I hope that it will be able to say something about that in the not too distant future.
The Lord Bishop of Hereford
My Lords, we have heard questions about the rental prices in London. Will the Minister be kind enough to say something about what the Government are doing to try to ensure that there are more affordable rental homes in villages and the countryside as well?
Baroness Hanham
My Lords, the Government have a number of policies. The right reverend Prelate will know that a community right to build is one of the policies coming forward, which will enable communities to decide whether they can contribute in some way to getting affordable housing. Secondly, we are allowing decisions about the requirement for housing to be made locally so that local people have a bigger say in what is provided and where. We fully recognise the fact that affordable housing is needed in country villages but we also believe that if local people know where it is going to be, understand where it is going to be and are happy with that, there is far more likelihood that those properties will be built.