Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for extending support for private renters by maintaining the link between Local Housing Allowance and actual rents.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum housing support for tenants in the private rented sector. Claimants in similar circumstances living in the same area are entitled to the same maximum rent allowance regardless of the contractual rent paid.
LHA rates were restored to the 30th percentile of local market rents from April 2024 for one year.
Decisions on LHA for future years will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, housing priorities, and the fiscal context.
Oct. 15 2024
Source Page: Homes England RFI releases for April 2024Found: Fund to support and accelerate the development of a specialised housing market to support the housing
Oral Evidence Oct. 15 2024
Inquiry: The Grey BeltFound: and one overwhelming investment: social rent—a return to the direct construction of socially rented
Oct. 15 2024
Source Page: Details of Housing 2040 Strategy Board meetings: FOI releaseFound: Details of Housing 2040 Strategy Board meetings: FOI release
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
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 plans to take to help reduce health inequalities through housing in (a) Mid Cheshire constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) England.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is taking steps to reduce health inequalities through housing reforms including extending ‘Awaab’s Law’ to the private rented sector and introducing a new Decent Homes Standard to drive up the quality of rented housing. In addition, as part of the recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, we sought views on changes aimed at increasing the provision of public service infrastructure across England, including hospitals, and addressing issues like childhood obesity. The consultation closed on 24 September and responses are being analysed with a view to publishing a government response before the end of the year.
Asked by: Kemi Badenoch (Conservative - North West Essex)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's proposals for (a) higher quality standards, (b) cladding removal, (c) decarbonisation and energy efficiency requirements in the social housing sector on the financial capacity of housing associations to (i) build new social homes and (ii) purchase affordable homes from private developers.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to working with social housing providers to ensure that homes are safe, decent, warm and free from damp and mould. We have committed to bringing forward the regulations necessary to introduce Awaab’s Law in the Social Rented Sector this Autumn, and to consulting on and implementing a new Decent Homes Standard and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards. We will set out the costs and impacts of the relevant requirements alongside each consultation.
The Government’s Warm Homes Plan offers grants and low interest loans which support investment in insulation, low carbon heating and other improvements. Social landlords are responsible for improvements to their properties to ensure they meet the required standards.
As we set out in July, details of future government investment in social and affordable housing will be brought forwards at the Spending Review.
Asked by: Kemi Badenoch (Conservative - North West Essex)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to issue hardship tests in the private rented sector before landlords can evict tenants.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
There are currently no plans to introduce hardship tests relating to eviction of tenants, outside of the existing ’undue hardship’ test in the Housing Act 1988.
Asked by: Kemi Badenoch (Conservative - North West Essex)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the total (a) funding under the Build to Rent Fund and (b) finance supported from the Private Rented Sector Housing Debt Guarantee Scheme was; and what estimate she has made of the number of additional dwellings supported by these schemes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Build to Rent Fund provided over £606 million in debt financing to support the construction of 6,262 homes. The Fund closed in 2016, and all loans have now been repaid. The Private Rented Sector Guarantee Scheme has thus far supported the delivery of 7,660 Build to Rent homes, utilising c£1.5 billon of guarantees capacity.
We recognise that the Build to Rent sector plays an important role in driving up quality and delivering additional homes in the Private Rented Sector. We continue to offer support to new schemes alongside institutional investors and operators via the Levelling Up Home Building Fund.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing local authorities to (a) buy unoccupied housing in longstanding disrepair at a reduced rate and (b) raise council tax on long-term unoccupied housing to ensure properties are kept in the market in a suitable condition.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local authorities have strong powers and incentives to tackle empty homes. They have the discretionary powers to charge additional council tax on properties which have been left unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for one or more years. The maximum premium that a council can apply increases, depending on the length of time that the property has been empty for, with a premium of up to 300% on homes left empty for over ten years.
Local authorities can also use powers to take over the management of long-term empty homes to bring them back into use in the private rented sector. Since April 2024, local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) when a property has been empty for more than two years, subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for their proposal. More information can be found here.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
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 plans to take once the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme is introduced to a) incentivise the continuation of people hosting and b) reduce the risk of homelessness amongst displaced Ukrainians.
Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
More than two years on, we continue to stand firm with the brave people who remain in Ukraine, and to warmly welcome those who need sanctuary in the UK.
We are greatly appreciative of the overwhelming generosity shown by sponsors in accommodating guests under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. It is thanks to this generosity that we have been able to welcome over 156,000 Ukrainians to the UK. We continue to encourage those who can offer support to come forward with offers of sponsorship.
We provide a tariff of £5,900 per Ukrainian arrival to councils. This is un-ringfenced, which allows councils to use the funding to support households as best suits the local area, including measures to support guests who have left sponsorship to access the private rented sector.
Local councils have a responsibility to support Ukrainians who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, including providing temporary accommodation where required to ensure no family is without a roof over their head.