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 19 July 2021 to Question 902875 on the covid-19 evictions moratorium, how much funding from the Homelessness Prevention Grant has been allocated to Enfield Council; what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of the end of the covid-19 evictions moratorium on Enfield North constituency; and what recent steps his Department has taken to protect renters and prevent homelessness in Enfield North constituency.

Enfield Council have been allocated £8,927,794 in Homelessness Prevention Grant in 2021/2022 (see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/homelessness-prevention-grant-2021-to-2022).

Legislation was in place to prevent bailiffs from serving eviction notices and carrying out evictions, except in the most serious circumstances between November 2020 and the end of May 2021. The ban has now been lifted, reflecting the easing of national restrictions and ensuring that landlords are able to exercise their right to justice. However, renters continue to be protected by longer notice periods of 4 months except in the most serious cases until the end of September, and new arrangements where a claim for possession is made in the county court, such as a new Review stage where tenants can access free legal advice, will remain in place until at least the end of November.

Evidence shows that the measures which the government has taken to protect renters during the pandemic have been successful in reducing evictions and preventing homelessness. Landlord repossessions reduced by 80% in May to June 2021 compared to the corresponding Quarter in 2019, whilst claims for possession decreased by 74%, indicating a drop in the number of cases which can progress to the stage at which someone can be evicted. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics-april-to-june-2021

The Statutory Homelessness statistics for 2020-2021 show that there was a 41.4% reduction in households owed a homelessness duty following the end of an assured shorthold tenancy in 2020/21 compared with 2019/20.