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 issued guidance to local councils on offering social housing intended for elderly residents to younger applicants.

Local authorities are responsible for allocating social housing through schemes they set locally.  These are governed by a framework of rules set by central government which ensure social housing is prioritised for those in housing need. There is high demand for social housing, and it necessary that those who need it most are given priority.

It is for local authorities and Private Registered Providers to decide how to use their freedoms within this framework of rules to balance the need to allocate housing to those who need it most with the aim of building safe and stable communities.