Housing

Baroness Howarth of Breckland Excerpts

Thursday 8th July 2010 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hanham]

My Lords, there will be reductions in housing benefit via a cap, but I am sure everyone will note that the real-terms costs of housing benefit have risen from £14 billion 10 years ago to £21 billion today. I think we would all agree that that is completely unsustainable. The measures announced in the Budget will refocus the welfare system on supporting those who should be working while continuing to provide for those most in need. Housing benefit reform will help to make better use of all our social housing, for example by freeing up larger homes for overcrowded families.

Some noble Lords will have read that up to £2,000 a week is being spent on housing benefit in the private sector. That is well beyond the means of all but a very few of the richest people in this country.

[Baroness Howarth of Breckland]

My Lords, as the Minister knows, affordable housing is needed mostly for vulnerable families with children. Will the Government ensure that any new building programme will include appropriate facilities for schools and other community resources?

[Baroness Hanham]

My Lords, again, it will be for local authorities to make sure that when major developments are being designed and developed and planning issues come up that appropriate infrastructure is included and that there are facilities. It makes absolute sense for them to be included in large developments, because without schools and infrastructure there is no community. There is no disagreement about that. As I have said before, this has all been passed down to local authority level. Local authorities will make their own decisions against their own plans and will know their own needs.