Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
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 improve the quality of student accommodation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is improving the quality of student accommodation by overhauling the regulation of the private rented sector through the Renters’ Rights Bill.
The Bill will provide tenants, including students, with greater security and stability and empower them to challenge bad practice. This change will help increase flexibility and prevent students in the private rented sector from being trapped paying rent for substandard properties – assured periodic tenancies will incentivise timely repairs and better standards.
For purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), only providers signed up to approved government codes will be exempt from the assured system. Quality in private PBSA is safeguarded through government-approved codes of practice, administered by ANUK/UNIPOL, which set rigorous standards for safety, maintenance, and student wellbeing.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 41589 Rented Housing: Housing Improvement, whether the First-tier Tribunal takes account of a landlord’s declaration when determining a market rent assessment.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It is important that means-tested energy efficiency grants schemes are used to benefit tenants. That is why, for example, we have set a clear expectation that landlords should declare that they do not intend to raise rents as a direct result of the upgrades funded by the Warm Homes: Local Grant that was launched in April.
When determining market rent, the First Tier-Tribunal disregards improvements made and funded by the tenant.
However, the Tribunal does not disregard measures funded by landlords, including instances where they may have been partially supported by specific government grants.
We strongly encourage landlords and tenants to communicate early about what adjustments to rent are sustainable for both parties.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to involve young people with lived experience of homelessness in the development of the cross-departmental homelessness strategy.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
As part of the development of the cross-Government homelessness strategy the Government has engaged representatives from across the homelessness and rough sleeping sector, local and combined authorities and wider experts, including those who have lived experience.
The Government hosted a series of lived experience forums to ensure that the voices of those with lived experience are reflected in the strategy. Young people with lived experience of homelessness were included in this work.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
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 reduce reliance on temporary accommodation.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 51683 on 19 May 2025.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of homelessness since July 2024.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
Local housing authorities report their homelessness activities under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) by completing the quarterly Homelessness Case Level Information Collection (H-CLIC) statistical return. You can find a link to the latest data, commentary and technical notes on collections here Research and statistics - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how often the inter-ministerial group on homelessness meets.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
The Inter-Ministerial Group on homelessness meets as often as is required to develop the Government’s long-term homelessness strategy. The most recent meeting took place on Tuesday 13 May 2025.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will meet with representatives from the youth homelessness sector to discuss a dedicated chapter on youth homelessness in the proposed policy paper on homelessness.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
Homelessness levels are far too high, and I recognise the unique challenges young people face in securing stable housing. The Government has engaged with stakeholders within the youth homelessness sector to discuss the needs of this cohort as we work to develop a long-term, cross-Government homelessness strategy to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness. I will be continuing this engagement with stakeholders to discuss what is needed to address youth homelessness.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a national Supporting People programme.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
Local authorities are best placed to decide how their funding is spent locally. The Government has a delivered a Settlement that begins to fix the foundations of local government by providing significant investment redirecting funding towards the services and places that need it most. The Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the number of houses that will be built by the end of 2025.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 36228 on 14 March 2025.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether there are obligations on landlords in relation to the rent they charge if their property has been improved with a grant under the (a) Energy Company Obligation, (b) Boiler Upgrade Scheme and (c) Warm Homes: Local Grant.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Energy Company Obligation schemes do not place obligations on landlords in relation to the rent they charge if their property has been improved.
Currently, private landlords in England and Wales are eligible to apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, with regulations setting out the full eligibility criteria. These do not place any requirements in relation to rent.
Warm Homes: local grant requires landlords to declare that they will not raise rents as a direct result of the upgrades being installed funded by government grants. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is monitoring the impact of this scheme including on rents and may make changes if needed.