Budget Resolutions

Abena Oppong-Asare Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Ms Abena Oppong-Asare (Erith and Thamesmead) (Lab)]

I welcome the Budget and its focus on giving families a bit of breathing space during this difficult period. Many people in my constituency welcome the £100 household energy payment this winter alongside the reforms to carer’s allowance and support for working families. As Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, I will focus my remarks on devolution, local government, our high streets, rough sleeping and housing delivery.

I welcome the Government’s commitment to devolution and the publication of the fiscal devolution road map. However, we need greater clarity on how the proposals will work in practice. As powers are devolved, accountability, scrutiny and local capacity must keep pace. Devolution should not simply be about moving decision making out of Whitehall; it must deliver better outcomes for the communities it is intended to serve. The Committee will continue to scrutinise these reforms and how they are implemented on the ground.

I also welcome the measures to support and revitalise our high streets, including expanded business rates relief and support for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses. High streets are more than economic activity; they are the heart of community life, providing places where people meet, work and access services. That is particularly relevant to the Committee, which is currently undertaking an inquiry into revitalising our high streets and town centres. We look forward to examining whether the Budget measures are delivering the long-term regeneration and economic resilience that our communities need.

The Budget must also be judged on whether it addresses the long-term pressures facing local government. Councils continue to face significant pressures, including special educational needs and disabilities and rising demand for children’s services, adult social care and housing support. Previous Committee work has repeatedly highlighted concerns about the sustainability of local government finance and the growing gap between what councils are expected to deliver and the resources available to them. A sustainable funding settlement remains essential if councils are to plan for the long term, invest in prevention and deliver high-quality services for residents. Across local government, housing and devolution, the common challenge is delivery. Communities need to see the commitments translated into tangible improvements in their daily lives.

I strongly welcome the significant investment to tackle rough sleeping and help people off our streets—I had the opportunity to attend the rough sleeping summit—but if we are serious about ending rough sleeping we must address its causes as well as its consequences. That means looking again at issues repeatedly highlighted by the Committee, including homelessness prevention, the five-week wait for universal credit and the continued freeze in the local housing allowance.

Ahead of the Budget, I urged Ministers to reconsider the local housing allowance freeze. I am disappointed that it remains in place. Charities have warned that it could push hundreds of thousands more people into poverty or deeper hardship. If ending rough sleeping is truly a national priority, we must ensure that housing support keeps pace with the reality of rents and the pressures facing low-income households. The Budget rightly invests in support services, but lasting progress will require action on the structural factors that push people into homelessness in the first place.

Finally, I welcome the additional investment in social and affordable housing, including the £1.5 billion top-up, which is expected to support 10,000 additional homes. However, it is still vital to consider whether these measures alone translate into homes being built at the pace and scale needed. The OBR has warned that housing delivery is likely to be slower than previously forecast, highlighting the challenges that remain. The question is not whether we have the ambition but whether we can remove the barriers that prevent homes from being built at the scale required. The Committee will continue to scrutinise what further action is needed to meet the Government’s house-building ambitions and more generally to ensure that more affordable homes are delivered.

Overall, there is much in the Budget to welcome, from support with energy bills to investment in social housing and a renewed commitment to devolution. The Budget sets out an ambitious agenda, but that ambition must be met with delivery. My Committee will scrutinise how the commitments are implemented and whether they are delivering real change for the people and communities we represent.

[Several hon. Members rose—]