Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on what date controls on the headcount at the Housing Ombudsman Service were imposed; and who authorised that decision.

There are currently no controls on the headcount at the Housing Ombudsman. In 2010 controls were put in place on the headcount in line with MHCLG’s spending controls. These controls were approved by the Secretary of State at the time. In April 2017 the headcount controls were removed in line with the Department’s commitment to a collaborative partnership with its arm’s-length bodies, although the Housing Ombudsman is still expected to manage within its delegated pay budgets.