Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Social Housing Supply

Monday 2 September 2024 · 6 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government are committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable house building in a generation.
  • The Government have published a formal response to the consultation, agreeing that social housing should be allocated fairly and efficiently.
  • The Government are setting a realistic but achievable target for London, as the previous urban uplift was unrealistic and unachievable.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Christopher Vince Lab Co-op Harlow
Housing
Context

The MP from Harlow is concerned about the lack of social housing and asks what steps are being taken to increase its availability.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to increase the supply of social housing?

Answer from Matthew Pennycook

The Government are committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable house building in a generation. In 59 days, proposed changes to the national planning policy framework have been made to support this objective and new flexibilities for councils and housing associations have been confirmed.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q2 Christopher Vince Lab Co-op Harlow
Housing
Context

The MP from Harlow discusses the previous Government's consultation and seeks confirmation that damaging proposals will not be pursued.

Question

In their dying days, the previous Government consulted on changes to how social housing is allocated. These were described as 'unnecessary, unenforceable and unjust'. Can my hon. Friend confirm that this Government will not be taking forward those damaging proposals?

Answer from Matthew Pennycook

The Government have published a formal response to the consultation setting out why they will not take those proposals forward. The Government agree that social housing should be allocated fairly and efficiently, but argue these proposals were deeply flawed.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q3 Richard Holden Con Basildon and Billericay
Housing
Context

The MP from Basildon and Billericay questions why the Government are proposing to reduce the number of new homes in London by 17,000 a year.

Question

Why is this Government now proposing to reduce the number of new homes in London by 17,000 a year and areas around London by 18,000 a year? Surely we need to increase that supply of social housing, particularly in London?

Answer from Matthew Pennycook

The changes relate to the national planning policy framework rather than social housing specifically. The Government are setting a realistic but achievable target for London, as the previous urban uplift was unrealistic and unachievable.

Partly answered

Not addressed: specific reasons for reducing new home numbers were not provided

How: Referring To National Planning Policy Framework

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q4 David Simmonds Con Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
Housing
Context

The MP from Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner inquires about the process leading to prioritising removal of green-belt protections.

Question

What led the Government to prioritise removing green-belt protections rather than building the 1.4 million new homes with planning consent already granted?

Answer from Matthew Pennycook

The changes aim to encourage the release of lower-quality grey belt land within the green belt while ensuring stalled sites are moved forward with additional support.

Partly answered

Not addressed: specific reasons for prioritising removal over home construction were not given

How: Referring To Changes In National Planning Policy Framework

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q5 David Simmonds Con Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
Housing Local Government
Context

The MP from Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner asks about measures to increase the take-up of approaches enabling local authorities to create new council housing.

Question

What measures do the Government have in mind to increase the take-up of this approach by our local authorities?

Answer from Matthew Pennycook

The Government are committed to working with councils, providing more flexibility for right-to-buy receipts and allocating an additional £450 million to secure homes for families at risk of homelessness. Plans will be set out at the next fiscal event.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q6 Helen Morgan Lib Dem North Shropshire
Housing Local Government
Context

The MP from North Shropshire raises the issue of local councils buying land at current value rather than hope value to deliver social housing.

Question

Will the Minister consider reforming the Land Conservation Act so that local councils can buy land at current value and get on with delivering the social housing we need?

Answer from Matthew Pennycook

The Government agree further reform is needed, particularly in connection with compulsory purchase orders. They will enact changes from the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 and consult on further reforms.

Partly answered

Not addressed: specific details about current value land purchases were not provided

How: Referring To Existing Legislative Measures

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email