Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of charities commissioned by local authorities to provide (a) housing support and (b) rehabilitation services.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Local authorities are responsible for the commissioning and assessment of local housing-support and rehabilitation services. They are best placed to understand local need and to assess the effectiveness of charities they commission.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities plans to evaluate the effectiveness of our work are set out in our evaluation strategy.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department makes assessments of the effectiveness of charities commissioned by local authorities to provide (a) housing support and (b) rehabilitation services.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Local authorities are responsible for the commissioning and assessment of local housing-support and rehabilitation services. They are best placed to understand local need and to assess the effectiveness of charities they commission.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities plans to evaluate the effectiveness of our work are set out in our evaluation strategy.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to help improve the quality of (a) social and (b) private rented housing in Northumberland.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The Levelling Up White Paper set out our ambition to reduce the number of non-decent homes by 50% by 2030 with the biggest improvements in the lowest performing areas, highlighting our commitment to level up the sector and ensure all renters have good quality homes. We are committed to ensuring that rented home are decent, regardless of whether tenants have received housing benefit or not.
In the Social Housing White Paper: Charter for Social Housing Residents the government committed to a range of measures to drive up the quality of social housing, including through the introduction of a new, proactive consumer regulation regime and a review of the Decent Home Standard. Our Social Housing (Regulation) Bill will bring in a rigorous new regime where the Regulator of Social Housing will proactively inspect landlords and will have the power to issue unlimited fines. It will be able to intervene in cases where tenants' lives are being put at risk and, in the very worst cases, it will have the power to instruct that properties are brought under new management.
The Renters (Reform) Bill will deliver a fairer, more secure, and higher quality private rented sector that is fit for the 21st century. It will deliver the government's commitment to 'a better deal for renters' - improving the system for responsible tenants and good faith landlords. The Bill will legislate to abolish section 21 'no fault' evictions so that tenants have greater security in their homes and are empowered to challenge poor conditions. We remain fully committed to implementing these reforms and will bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity to apply the Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector to give renters safer, better value homes and remove the blight of poor-quality homes in local communities.
The English Housing Survey shows that between 2010 and 2021 there was a reduction in non-decent homes in the private and social housing sectors of 22 per cent, from 1.8 million to 1.4 million.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to help improve the quality of (a) social and (b) private rented housing in Northumberland.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The Levelling Up White Paper set out our ambition to reduce the number of non-decent homes by 50% by 2030 with the biggest improvements in the lowest performing areas, highlighting our commitment to level up the sector and ensure all renters have good quality homes. We are committed to ensuring that rented home are decent, regardless of whether tenants have received housing benefit or not.
In the Social Housing White Paper: Charter for Social Housing Residents the government committed to a range of measures to drive up the quality of social housing, including through the introduction of a new, proactive consumer regulation regime and a review of the Decent Home Standard. Our Social Housing (Regulation) Bill will bring in a rigorous new regime where the Regulator of Social Housing will proactively inspect landlords and will have the power to issue unlimited fines. It will be able to intervene in cases where tenants' lives are being put at risk and, in the very worst cases, it will have the power to instruct that properties are brought under new management.
The Renters (Reform) Bill will deliver a fairer, more secure, and higher quality private rented sector that is fit for the 21st century. It will deliver the government's commitment to 'a better deal for renters' - improving the system for responsible tenants and good faith landlords. The Bill will legislate to abolish section 21 'no fault' evictions so that tenants have greater security in their homes and are empowered to challenge poor conditions. We remain fully committed to implementing these reforms and will bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity to apply the Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector to give renters safer, better value homes and remove the blight of poor-quality homes in local communities.
The English Housing Survey shows that between 2010 and 2021 there was a reduction in non-decent homes in the private and social housing sectors of 22 per cent, from 1.8 million to 1.4 million.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps he has taken to help people living in supported housing; and whether his Department monitors how councils commission housing providers.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government is committed to ensuring all supported housing residents receive good quality support and accommodation. We are supporting the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Bill which will introduce national standards for supported housing and local authority led licensing schemes.
We are also investing £20 million in the Supported Housing Improvement Programme to drive up quality in the supported housing sector in some of the worst affected areas, while we develop regulatory measures.
The Department does not routinely monitor how councils commission housing providers.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has had recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on the adequacy of funding for homeless charities and shelters.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Department has regular discussions with local authorities and voluntary organisations about their work to end rough sleeping.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for what reasons the Government has entered into partnership with DP World to run Thames Freeport given its criticism of the business in 2022.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
Businesses operating in Freeports are subject to the same UK employment laws and protections as they would be elsewhere in the country, including the Seafarers' Wages Bill which received Royal Assent on 23 March 2023 and will make access to UK ports conditional on operators of regular services demonstrating that they will be paying at least an equivalent rate to the UK National Minimum Wage whilst in UK waters.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that partially sighted and blind people are able to easily participate in elections; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that (a) at least one large version of the ballot paper is displayed inside each polling station to assist voters who are partially-sighted and (b) a mechanism is made available to enable voters who are blind or partially-sighted to cast their vote without need for assistance from the presiding officer or a companion.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The changes in the Elections Bill aim to strengthen the support for all voters with disabilities in the polling station and improve the way that this support is delivered. Rather than a blanket provision, we want disabled voters to get the support that is right for them and for Returning Officers to tailor their approach to suit the needs of disabled electors in their area - including blind and partially sighted voters. The provision of a large print ballot paper will remain in law and there are no plans to change this.
The Government is working with the Electoral Commission to support guidance which will provide a consistent framework for Returning Officers. This guidance will be twofold in setting out clear and thorough details of what support should be provided to disabled voters and providing practical guidance to assist Returning Officers in carrying out the new responsibilities effectively. The guidance will also be produced in partnership with the Government’s expert Accessibility of Elections Working Group, which includes representation from a number of disability charities and civil society organisations. The Commission will review the implementation of this guidance and ensure it is being implemented effectively through its performance standards used to monitor and assess how well Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers manage their duties.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to provide additional support to tenants facing eviction following the end of the ban on bailiff-forced evictions came to an end on 31 May 2021.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
As we gradually ease restrictions introduced during the coronavirus pandemic, the Government has to balance supporting tenants with landlords' ability to exercise their right to justice where needed.
The Government continues to provide support for tenants. A significant package of financial support is available to tenants to help them pay their rent. Local Housing Allowance rates were increased in April 2020 to the 30th percentile of market rents. In 2020/21 rates have been frozen in cash terms meaning claimants renting in the private rented sector will continue to benefit from the significant increase applied in April 2020. We have also made £140 million in Discretionary Housing Payments funding available, for local authorities to distribute to renters who require additional support. This is in addition to the wider support available through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and £20 weekly uplift to Universal Credit, which are in place until the end of September.
Tenants continue to benefit from longer notice periods of four months in most cases, giving them more time to make alternative arrangements where needed. New arrangements have also been introduced to protect tenants where a possession claim is made to the court. These include requiring landlords to provide information about how their tenant has been affected by the pandemic, and a review stage to enable tenants to access legal advice. A new mediation pilot integrated into the court process is supporting landlords and renters who face court procedures and potential eviction to resolve issues and to help sustain tenancies where possible.
Evictions must be scheduled with a minimum of 14 days’ notice and will not be carried out if bailiffs are made aware that a member of the household has COVID-19 symptoms or is self-isolating. In certain circumstances, tenants are able to apply to suspend an eviction, for example if a tenant missed the court hearing for a good reason and there would have been a good case for the possession order not to have been granted had they attended.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate is Department has made of the number of people in Wansbeck in rent arrears after the end of the ban on bailiff-forced evictions on 31 May 2021.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
We do not hold data on the number of people in rent arrears in Wansbeck following 31 May 2021.
The UK Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support which is available to support tenants with living costs. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and £20 per week uplift in Universal Credit are in place until the end of September helping renters to continue paying their rent. Local housing allowance rates have been maintained at their increased level in cash terms in 2021/22, meaning claimants renting in the private rented sector continue to benefit from the significant increase in the local housing allowance rates applied in April 2020. For those who require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available. For 2021-22 the Government has made £140 million available in DHP funding, building on the £180 million provided last year.