Asked by: Natasha Irons (Labour - Croydon East)
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 is taking to help support (a) homeless services and (b) supported housing providers with their finances.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has increased funding for homelessness services by £233 million in 2025/26 to a total of £1 billion to prevent rises in the number of households in temporary accommodation and to help prevent rough sleeping. This includes £185.6 million through the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant. The allocations for this grant can be found on gov.uk here.
The Spending Review provided over £5 billion of new grant funding for local services that communities rely on. This includes £3.4 billion of new grant funding through the Local Government Finance Settlement.
We also announced a 10-year rent settlement (that will permit increases by up to CPI+1% each year), which will give providers the financial certainty to invest in new and existing homes, and have committed to implement a convergence mechanism as part of the new rent settlement.
Asked by: Natasha Irons (Labour - Croydon East)
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 is taking to ensure that the supply of supported housing meets future demand.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
At the Spending Review, we announced £39 billion for a new Social and Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36.
The programme will not set numerical targets for particular types of homes other than Social Rent. However, it is designed with the flexibility necessary to support a greater diversity of social and affordable housing supply including supported housing.
Asked by: Natasha Irons (Labour - Croydon East)
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 is taking to help reduce the use of short-term accommodation for homeless families.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected.
We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness. This includes chairing a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, bringing together ministers from across government to develop a long-term strategy.
We are already taking the first steps to get back on track to ending homelessness. As announced at the Budget, funding for homelessness services has been increased by £233 million compared to last year (2024/25). This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total Homelessness spend to nearly £1 billion in 25/26, a record level of funding.
The £1.2 billion Local Authority Housing Fund will provide capital funding directly to English councils and is expected to provide up to 7,000 homes by 2026. It will create a lasting asset for UK nationals by building a sustainable stock of affordable housing for local communities.
The Government is also working with 20 local authorities with the highest levels of B&B use for temporary accommodation through a new programme of Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots, backed by £5 million to test innovative approaches and kickstart new initiatives.
Asked by: Natasha Irons (Labour - Croydon East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, What proportion of the (a) Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant and (b) Children and Families Grant will be allocated to Croydon East constituency.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The government will bring forward its proposals for the Local Government Finance Settlement 2025-26 in the usual way towards the end of the calendar year. This will set out provisional allocations for local authorities and invite views via a formal consultation.