Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Homelessness

Monday 20 January 2025 · 3 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ruth Jones questioned the Minister about the needs of young people in the homelessness strategy.
  • David Simmonds inquired about the flexibility of the homelessness prevention grant for councils.
  • David Simmonds raised concern over a Labour-led council using standards procedure to penalize its members for discussing homelessness issues.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Ruth Jones Lab Newport West and Islwyn
Housing Children & Families
Context

Funding for homelessness services in England is increasing next year by £233 million, taking the total to a record £1 billion. Today, emergency winter pressures funding has been tripled from £10 million to £30 million.

Question

I welcome today’s announcement. Given that young people’s experiences of homelessness differ considerably from those of other age groups across all countries in the UK, will the Minister commit to addressing their needs specifically in the homelessness strategy that is coming up?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Rushanara Ali)

My hon. Friend makes a really important point about the impact on children and young people. It is an absolute scandal that nearly 160,000 children are in temporary accommodation, and we are determined to ensure that the Government’s long-term strategy addresses the underlying issues affecting youth homelessness. We are working with mayors, councils and key stakeholders, including in the charitable sector, to get us back on track to ending homelessness.

Answered
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Q2 David Simmonds Con Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
Housing
Context

St Mungo’s has reported a 27% rise in rough sleeping in London under this Government compared with the same period under the last Government.

Question

Will this Government commit to removing the ringfences that they have introduced around the homelessness prevention grant, heeding councils’ calls to give them back the flexibility they need to get rough sleepers and homeless households into accommodation?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Rushanara Ali)

I thank the shadow Minister for his question. The fact is that this Government are investing record amounts of funding to tackle the root causes. That requires action on prevention, and we are working with councils to ensure that we address those underlying causes. We have inherited a mess—record levels of homelessness and rough sleeping—and we are determined to get a grip on it.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment to remove ringfences around the homelessness prevention grant

How: Heeding Councils’ Calls, Flexibility They Need

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Q3 David Simmonds Con Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
Housing Local Government
Context

One strategy that councils use to address homelessness is to move homeless households elsewhere in the country.

Question

Does the Minister share my concern that Labour-led Rushmoor council is using the standards procedure to attack its own members for bringing this legitimate matter of concern to public attention?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Rushanara Ali)

The shadow Minister will be aware that the shortage of housing is driving out-of-area placements. I am very happy to come back to him on his specific example, but the Deputy Prime Minister has written to councils setting out their responsibilities and that out-of-area placements should be a last resort. We will continue to work with councils to support them as they deal with the challenge of the underlying problem, which is the housing shortage and the crisis that has been left behind.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment to investigate concerns about out-of-area placements by councils

How: Written To Councils, Responsibilities

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