Affordable Housing: Social Homes for Rent

Debate between Lord Best and Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Tuesday 3rd July 2018 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Lab)]

My Lords, following on from my noble friend’s question—

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach (Con)]

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Best.

[Lord Best]

Thank you, I am most grateful. I congratulate the Government on moving towards more genuinely affordable low rents. We are seeing a swing in the pendulum; I hope that it is just the start of a swing that goes a lot further than it has done so far, but we are now heading in the right direction. Can the Minister impress on his Treasury colleagues that it really is important that rents are low enough for people genuinely to afford because otherwise the Treasury is paying more in housing benefit, people’s work incentives are much worse, and we end up with homelessness? We can see already that housing associations and councils have to turn people away because those on the lowest incomes cannot afford the so-called “affordable rents”. It would be to the benefit of the Treasury if the Minister could argue the case for more grant aid in support of real social rents.