Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Social and Affordable Housing: South Shields

Monday 24 November 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 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Emma Lewell asked the Secretary of State about plans to strengthen social housing in South Shields after local efforts to limit houses in multiple occupation.
  • Mr Lee Dillon questioned the Secretary of State about the shortfall between the Government's affordable homes programme and Shelter's call for 900,000 homes over ten years.
  • Gareth Bacon asked why the Government refuses to publish a breakdown of the annual funding under their 10-year affordable housing programme, suggesting concerns about the distribution of funds.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Emma Lewell Lab South Shields
Housing
Context

The constituency of South Shields has a high saturation of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), which are seen as inadequate substitutes for good social housing. Emma Lewell's petition has already prompted the local council to limit new HMO developments.

Question

After a long campaign from myself and constituents, South Tyneside council has eventually agreed to curtail any new houses in multiple occupation, but we remain saturated with them. My right hon. Friend knows that they are no substitute for good social housing, so does he have any plans to strengthen the licensing regime, to close down badly managed HMOs and to deliver better housing?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Steve Reed)

I thank my hon. Friend for her question and for her petition, which the Department will respond to in the usual way. Planning authorities have the power to limit the number of HMOs within their locality, and they may withdraw a permitted development right in a specific area using an article 4 direction, but we are keeping this policy under review. I am aware of the concerns that her constituents have expressed to her, and those that others have expressed to their own MPs.

Partly answered

How: Under Review

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

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

Q2 Lee Dillon Lib Dem Newbury
Housing
Context

Shelter has called for the Government's affordable homes programme to deliver a much higher number of social homes over the next decade. The current programme aims to build 180,000 social homes, which is significantly lower than Shelter's target of 900,000.

Question

The Government’s affordable homes programme will contribute 180,000 social homes over the 10-year period, but Shelter has called for 900,000 homes over that period. Could the Secretary of State tell the House how much he expects social providers to provide on top of the 180,000 to be provided by the affordable homes plan?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Steve Reed)

The hon. Gentleman will be aware, as I am and as Shelter is, that we inherited a housing crisis from the previous Government, who failed to build sufficient numbers of social and affordable homes. The £39 billion that this Government are investing over 10 years will give us the biggest increase we have seen in a generation. We know that in the long term we need to go further than that, but I hope he will agree that this is a very positive first step.

Partly answered

How: Previous Government'S Failure

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

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

Q3 Gareth Bacon Con Orpington
Housing
Context

The Government’s affordable homes programme is expected to deliver a significant number of social and affordable homes over the next decade. However, there are concerns about transparency regarding the annual breakdown of funding for these homes.

Question

Ministers are claiming that this is a record amount of funding for affordable housing in South Shields and across the rest of England, but why are they consistently refusing to publish a breakdown of the annual funding under their 10-year programme? Is it because the majority of the cash is backloaded into future Parliaments and then exaggerated by inflation? The small-print prospectus says that the homes must be completed by 2039. That is 14 years away. As with Labour’s house building target, is this not just an exercise in hoodwinking people by promising homes that are never going to see the light of day in this Parliament?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Steve Reed)

It is ironic that the hon. Gentleman mentioned 14 years, because that is the amount of time his party was in government, and it left us with this crisis, rather than building the social homes this country needs. The £39 billion is a record. It will give us the biggest increase in social and affordable homes that this country has seen in a generation. Conservative Front Benchers should be welcoming that, as we do here. Bids to the social and affordable homes programme will open early in the new year, and we will then start to get those homes built so that people who were denied a decent home under the Conservative Government will get one with this Government.

Not addressed: Transparency of annual funding breakdown

How: Previous Government'S Failure

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

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