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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2019 to Question 234648 on Housing Ombudsman Service, what effect the 35 per cent reduction in the subscription fee for the Housing Ombudsman Service has had on the length of time taken by that service to determine cases entering its formal remit.

The Housing Ombudsman Service is funded by subscription fees from its members on a per housing unit per year basis. Unit costs were £1.47 in 2013-14, £1.02 in 2014-15 and £0.96 in 2015-16 and 2016-17. In accordance with paragraph 3 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme approved by the Secretary of State, the Ombudsman sets the level of subscriptions by reference to budgeted cash requirements, including a prudent provision for relevant contingencies.

We are working with the Housing Ombudsman to reduce the time it takes to determine their cases. From 2017-18, the Department approved a fee increase to £1.25 for three years that is helping deliver reductions in average complaint determination times and business improvements. The proposed fee for 2019-20 was set out in the Housing Ombudsman’s draft Business Plan 2019/20 for consultation. Together with the Corporate plan 2019-22, it sets out a series of strategic priorities and measures of success for the coming year and includes its plans for subscription levels.