Local Government Finance

Debate between Alison McGovern and Rebecca Smith

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Alison McGovern]

It is extremely important that we properly fund authorities in Cheshire to help support those communities. I can confirm that that is what we are doing today, with significant increases in spending power for those authorities. I look forward to working with my hon. Friend and colleagues across the county to ensure that we do as he says and get social care back on a firmer footing as we move forward through the years.

[Rebecca Smith (South West Devon) (Con)]

I represent a constituency with two district councils with prudently created reserves and a unitary council with high levels of debt. Understandably, residents in the district council areas are concerned that local government reorganisation will see their reserves usurped by any new unitary council areas—if they have not already had to spend that reserve due to decreased funding under the settlement. Can the Minister reassure my constituents that their prudence is not being penalised and that, under the local government reorganisation, any reserves from a council will be ringfenced specifically for the communities that they come from, rather than being used to reduce the debt of the new council?

[Alison McGovern]

I thank the hon. Lady for her question; she values the prudence and good decision making of local authorities. At their best, that is what we see and it is what I hope to achieve through the local government reorganisation process.

National Plan to End Homelessness

Debate between Alison McGovern and Rebecca Smith

Thursday 11th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Alison McGovern]

I will join my right hon. Friend in commending Oxford city council’s plans. That is exactly the sort of action that this strategy envisages. We must get kids out of totally unsuitable B&B accommodation and help councils to have the resources to acquire much better accommodation that can stabilise family life. In order to back councils to do that, we have the £950 million local authority housing fund, which I mentioned earlier. I want to see local authorities charging forward to tackle this problem. Oxford’s council is not the only one that is getting this right—there are others across the country—but I would encourage all local authorities to look at the approach that Oxford is taking.

[Rebecca Smith (South West Devon) (Con)]

The excellent team at Plymouth city council work tirelessly to tackle homelessness, but pressures on the private rented sector in the city, increased because of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, has hindered the supply of permanent move-on accommodation. We know that it does not all need to be social housing and that we need private rented homes as well. The council puts the sustained number of Plymouth households in temporary accommodation at about 440 a month—half of them in B&Bs—of which 40 are families. Although I recognise support for councils to buy properties and aims for new home completions, the reality is that will not be enough. How long must households in Plymouth who are currently in temporary accommodation wait for a home? Is Plymouth one of the 20 local authorities being supported to eliminate B&B use as part of the child poverty strategy?

[Alison McGovern]

I will have more to say about funding for local authorities specifically in the coming days. As the hon. Member will know, we are expecting the provisional statement for local authorities. She mentions renters’ rights. Section 21 evictions are a significant cause of homelessness, so it is right that we have brought those to an end through the Renters’ Rights Act. We all want to see good-quality private rented accommodation too. Any area needs a mix of housing so that people can have choice and a good community around them.