Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 6735 on Temporary Accommodation: Costs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential savings to local government in respect of temporary accommodation costs of (a) the end of section 21 evictions and (b) the wider provisions in the Renters' Rights Bill.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Renters’ Rights Bill will provide more security for vulnerable renters who face potential homelessness due to the service of a section 21 notice. Removing no fault evictions will have an immediate impact on preventing homelessness, as section 21 notices account for 8% of the reasons households became homeless in 2023-24.
The government submitted the Impact Assessment for the Renters’ Rights Bill on 16 September 2024 to the Regulatory Policy Committee. The government will publish the Impact Assessment in due course. In line with usual practice, the government will always consider the impact of any policies when taking the legislation through Parliament.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the (a) equality of and (b) potential impact on councils in low income areas of the funding formula for local government; and whether she has plans to reform that formula.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government is committed to fixing the foundations by reforming and rebuilding local government.
We will work hand-in-hand with councils by moving towards multi-year funding settlements and ending competitive bidding processes.
Over the coming months, we want to hear from local councils about the financial challenges they face and about improvements we can make to ensure the system works in support of local areas, not against them.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department plans to take to help ensure tenants are aware of new rights created through the Renters' Rights Bill.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government intends to publish accessible guidance so that tenants understand their rights and responsibilities under the new system. This will be supported by a communications campaign designed to raise awareness about the changes. We will also work with local authorities and advice providers like Shelter and Citizens Advice to further raise awareness of the reforms and make sure adequate support is in place.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of (a) section 21 evictions and (b) the provisions in the Renters' Rights Bill on (i) temporary accommodation costs and (ii) local authority finances.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Once enacted, the Bill will ensure that local authorities owe a homelessness prevention duty to a tenant evicted under section 8 grounds. This will enable tenants to maintain access to support to prevent homelessness, in line with the principles of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. We will carry out a new burdens assessment and will fund local authorities for any additional costs.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to protect workers travelling home late at night who are at risk of sexual violence.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government will treat tackling violence against women and girls as a national emergency and will use every tool to target perpetrators and address the root causes of violence on our streets.
We want women to feel safe and will use every lever to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade, across the whole of government, with policing and other experts.
To make our streets safe, we must drastically reduce serious violent crime and violence against women and girls, increase confidence in the police, stop young people falling into crime, and make our criminal justice system work for victims.
No one should ever have to face the risk of violence or harassment when travelling. This government is taking action to make sure our transport network is safe for all. The Department for Transport is working closely with transport partners, including the British Transport Police, on a range of initiatives to address the problems faced by different users, including women and girls, on the transport network.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when his Department plans to bring forward the Employment Rights Bill.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are committed to delivering the Plan to Make Work Pay in full. Ministers are identifying the most appropriate delivery mechanisms for the commitments in the Plan, including an Employment Rights Bill. The Bill will be introduced to Parliament within 100 days of taking office.