Housing: Underoccupancy Charge Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Work and Pensions
Lord Geddes
Main Page: Lord Geddes (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)Department Debates - View all Lord Geddes's debates with the Department for Work and Pensions
(10 years, 9 months ago)
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Lord Freud
We meet local authorities very regularly. We hold meetings with them both at my level and at official level to make sure that we understand their issues and that we deal with them. Clearly, under the new burdens doctrine we are obligated to pay them any costs associated with administering this policy.
Lord Geddes (Con)
Can my noble friend advise the House of the extent of overcrowding in the social sector?
Lord Freud
Clearly, one thing about this policy is that it makes properties that are underoccupied available for people who are overcrowded. According to the English housing survey, the figure for overcrowding is about a quarter of a million. Under the 2011 census, the figure was higher, going up to a third of a million—361,000.