Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the replacement of the Shared Prosperity Fund with the Local Growth Fund on child poverty.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
With the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) ending in 2026, the Government is changing how local growth is funded, as part of a wider approach comprising targeted interventions to drive growth and strengthen communities.
Across these new interventions, Scotland will receive the same annual funding in cash terms over the next three years as it would have received under the UKSPF this year to support economic growth, community cohesion, regeneration and public realm improvements - around £76 million a year and £228 million over the Spending Review period.
As part of this approach MHCLG and the Scotland Office are working together to design and deliver a new Local Growth Fund for Scotland. The programme will fund regional projects which will drive economic growth. That might mean projects like infrastructure investment, business support, or skills development - projects which will make a real difference in terms of skilled jobs and people’s prosperity. We will share the full investment and interventions framework in due course.
Further, the Pride in Place Programme is providing support to Scottish communities, helping build strong, resilient and integrated communities in areas that experience the most entrenched social and economic challenges.
By investing in local areas, reducing child poverty, and bringing down inflation, the Government is focused on delivering material change to people across the country – boosting living standards and improving public services. This sits alongside substantial increases to devolved budgets through the Barnett formula as a result of greater funding for English local authorities, giving devolved governments additional flexibility to target resource spending to their priorities, including tackling child poverty.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of schools in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency that will require capital adjustments to deliver expanded breakfast provision under the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department has so far successfully delivered 5 million meals through 750 early adopter free breakfast clubs and schools have told us about the many benefits these clubs provide including improved attendance, behaviour and attainment.
We have seen our early adopters successfully manage space constrains and we continue to encourage local authorities, responsible bodies, academy trusts, schools and providers to work together to solve problems collaboratively, ensuring the needs of parents and children are met.
Schools have flexibility to decide where to deliver their provision, in accordance with the minimum expectations. They are expected to consider all space available onsite, including classrooms. Alternatively, they can opt to offer the provision offsite at a nearby venue. Schools will receive a £1000 start-up grant to spend on any equipment, materials, training and infrastructure and systems needed to deliver.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that measures outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy designed to support families with newborn babies, including voucher schemes, are accessible to families seeking asylum.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government is committed to ensuring that vulnerable migrant children receive the support to which they are entitled.
Asylum seekers and their dependents who would otherwise be destitute can obtain support under Section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. In addition, asylum seeking families can access some of the support set out in the Child Poverty Strategy. This will include Best Start Family Hubs in England, which will be open to all families with children aged 0–19 (or up to 25 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities). The hubs will connect families to a wide range of support, including housing, employment, debt and welfare advice.
Asylum-seeking families are eligible for the 15 hour early education entitlement for 3- and 4-year-olds, and may be eligible for the 15 hour entitlement for 2-year-olds receiving additional forms of support.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing funding for a Best Start centre in York.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government is committed to giving every child the best start in life. We will fund Best Start Family Hubs (BSFH) in every local authority to ensure all children and families who need support the most can access it. Backed by over £500 million, the rollout will deliver up to 1,000 BSFH nationwide by the end of 2028, reaching an estimated additional 500,000 children.
These Hubs will be key to our vision for joined-up services in the community, bringing together professionals from health and education, and will work with nurseries, childminders, schools, health services, libraries and local voluntary and community groups.
BSFH will be open to all families, but we know they are particularly important for families who are disadvantaged or have additional needs or vulnerabilities. That is why we have set an ambition that 70% of Hubs should be in the 30% most deprived areas nationally. It is for the local authority to decide where a Hub should be located to best meet the needs of the area.
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. Our landmark Child Poverty Strategy will lift 550,000 children out of poverty by 2030. The department will prioritise funding the continuation of existing Healthy Babies (formerly Start for Life) services that support babies to have the healthiest start in life, including perinatal mental health, parent infant relationships and infant feeding.
In addition, we raised the early years pupil premium by 45% in April 2025 to support improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged children and break the cycle of poverty.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how is she supporting (a) babies growing up in poverty and (b) ensuring that early inequalities are addressed.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government is committed to giving every child the best start in life. We will fund Best Start Family Hubs (BSFH) in every local authority to ensure all children and families who need support the most can access it. Backed by over £500 million, the rollout will deliver up to 1,000 BSFH nationwide by the end of 2028, reaching an estimated additional 500,000 children.
These Hubs will be key to our vision for joined-up services in the community, bringing together professionals from health and education, and will work with nurseries, childminders, schools, health services, libraries and local voluntary and community groups.
BSFH will be open to all families, but we know they are particularly important for families who are disadvantaged or have additional needs or vulnerabilities. That is why we have set an ambition that 70% of Hubs should be in the 30% most deprived areas nationally. It is for the local authority to decide where a Hub should be located to best meet the needs of the area.
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. Our landmark Child Poverty Strategy will lift 550,000 children out of poverty by 2030. The department will prioritise funding the continuation of existing Healthy Babies (formerly Start for Life) services that support babies to have the healthiest start in life, including perinatal mental health, parent infant relationships and infant feeding.
In addition, we raised the early years pupil premium by 45% in April 2025 to support improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged children and break the cycle of poverty.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of households affected by the Local Housing Allowance freeze since its introduction.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum housing support for tenants in the private rented sector. Households in similar circumstances living in the same area are entitled to the same maximum rent allowance, regardless of the contractual rent paid. LHA rates are not intended to cover all rents in all areas.
LHA rates are reviewed annually at Autumn Budget. The Secretary of State confirmed in his Written Ministerial Statement that LHA rates would be maintained at their current 2024/25 levels for 2026/27.
Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
The impact on private renters was considered alongside factors such as rent levels across Great Britain, the fiscal context and welfare priorities including the decision to remove the two-child limit which will bring 450,000 children out of poverty.
Information on the number of households in receipt of LHA and those in shortfall (i.e. where contractual rent costs exceed LHA), is available on Stat-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/). Monthly Universal Credit statistics showing the number of households in receipt of LHA and those in shortfall are published in the Households on Universal Credit dataset, and the Housing Benefit – Data from April 2018 dataset, and are currently available to August 2025.
Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest, and if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.
Renters facing a shortfall in meeting their housing costs can apply for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) from local authorities. From April 2026 DHPs for England will be incorporated into the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). However, DWP would also point out that the causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and interact dynamically making it very difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors. We work closely with other departments, including MHCLG, to ensure the impacts of LHA on homelessness are considered.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Local Housing Allowance freeze on homelessness.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum housing support for tenants in the private rented sector. Households in similar circumstances living in the same area are entitled to the same maximum rent allowance, regardless of the contractual rent paid. LHA rates are not intended to cover all rents in all areas.
LHA rates are reviewed annually at Autumn Budget. The Secretary of State confirmed in his Written Ministerial Statement that LHA rates would be maintained at their current 2024/25 levels for 2026/27.
Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
The impact on private renters was considered alongside factors such as rent levels across Great Britain, the fiscal context and welfare priorities including the decision to remove the two-child limit which will bring 450,000 children out of poverty.
Information on the number of households in receipt of LHA and those in shortfall (i.e. where contractual rent costs exceed LHA), is available on Stat-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/). Monthly Universal Credit statistics showing the number of households in receipt of LHA and those in shortfall are published in the Households on Universal Credit dataset, and the Housing Benefit – Data from April 2018 dataset, and are currently available to August 2025.
Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest, and if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.
Renters facing a shortfall in meeting their housing costs can apply for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) from local authorities. From April 2026 DHPs for England will be incorporated into the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). However, DWP would also point out that the causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and interact dynamically making it very difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors. We work closely with other departments, including MHCLG, to ensure the impacts of LHA on homelessness are considered.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to review the current freeze on Local Housing Allowance rates.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum housing support for tenants in the private rented sector. Households in similar circumstances living in the same area are entitled to the same maximum rent allowance, regardless of the contractual rent paid. LHA rates are not intended to cover all rents in all areas.
LHA rates are reviewed annually at Autumn Budget. The Secretary of State confirmed in his Written Ministerial Statement that LHA rates would be maintained at their current 2024/25 levels for 2026/27.
Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
The impact on private renters was considered alongside factors such as rent levels across Great Britain, the fiscal context and welfare priorities including the decision to remove the two-child limit which will bring 450,000 children out of poverty.
Information on the number of households in receipt of LHA and those in shortfall (i.e. where contractual rent costs exceed LHA), is available on Stat-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/). Monthly Universal Credit statistics showing the number of households in receipt of LHA and those in shortfall are published in the Households on Universal Credit dataset, and the Housing Benefit – Data from April 2018 dataset, and are currently available to August 2025.
Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest, and if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.
Renters facing a shortfall in meeting their housing costs can apply for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) from local authorities. From April 2026 DHPs for England will be incorporated into the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). However, DWP would also point out that the causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and interact dynamically making it very difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors. We work closely with other departments, including MHCLG, to ensure the impacts of LHA on homelessness are considered.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of freezing Local Housing Allowance rates in 2026-27 on private renters.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
At Autumn Budget, the Secretary of State reviewed Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates and confirmed in his Written Ministerial Statement that LHA rates would be maintained at their current 2024/25 levels for 2026/27.
The impacts on private renters were considered alongside a range of factors, including rent levels across Great Britain, the challenging fiscal context and welfare priorities which included our commitment to reduce child poverty by removing the two-child limit which will bring 450,000 children out of poverty.
Renters facing a shortfall in meeting their housing costs can apply for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) from local authorities. From April 2026 DHPs for England will be incorporated into the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF).
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of levels of Local Housing Allowance rates on households in the private rented sector following the removal of the two-child limit; and whether he has plans to review LHA levels, in the context of recent trends in the cost of renting.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Secretary of State reviews LHA rates annually and rates were reviewed in November at Autumn Budget. A decision was made to maintain LHA rates at their current 2024/25 levels for 2026/27.
A range of factors were considered, including rent levels across Great Britain, the wider fiscal context and welfare priorities. This included the decision to remove the two child limit, which will lift 450k children out of poverty.
Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Discretionary Housing Payments are available from local authorities for low-income renters who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. From April 2026 DHPs for England will be incorporated into the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF).