Housing: Rhondda

Opened the debate

Mr. Bryant is concerned about the housing crisis in his constituency, where a combination of factors such as the bedroom tax, housing benefit cap, changes to buy-to-let taxation, Welsh housing quality standards, interest rate increases, and landlord sell-offs are pushing people out of social and commercial rented properties into temporary accommodation. There has been a 65% increase in families leaving private rental because of no-fault evictions and a 69% rise in temporary accommodation placements. The local authority's costs for providing temporary accommodation have more than tripled from £514,000 to £1,633,000 between 2019-20 and 2022-23.

Government Response

It is a great pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms McVey. The Minister acknowledged the hon. Member for Rhondda's speech on behalf of his constituents and the sense of pride in place he conveyed for his constituency. She noted that she had visited Rhondda Cynon Taf and recognised the picture painted by the MP regarding housing issues. The Government value the strength of their Union and see its importance, reinforcing and strengthening the powers of local authorities like Rhondda Cynon Taf with funding to support decisions close to those they serve. The Minister highlighted that for this financial year alone, £19 billion is provided via block grants for the Welsh Government to spend on devolved matters including housing, schools, and transport. She focused on addressing inflation, a key concern impacting mortgage payments and rent costs, mentioning support such as Help with Mortgage Interest (HMIS) schemes. The Chancellor has taken significant action by instructing mortgage lenders to deal fairly with their customers amid economic stress. For those most in need, the Government have put into place a generous UK-wide support package including cost of living payments for eligible benefits up to £900 and additional winter payments for pensioners. Working age and disability benefits were uprated by 10.1% from April this year. Regarding energy costs, the Minister announced that the Energy Price Guarantee will remain at £2,500 until June end, saving households an additional £160, bringing total Government support since October to £1,500 for a typical household. She acknowledged concerns about insulation in older properties and committed to ensuring constituents are warm and dry regardless of property age. In addressing the private rented sector, she mentioned plans to ban section 21 no-fault evictions through the Renters (Reform) Bill, noting that this aligns closely with Welsh Government measures. The Minister also highlighted investment in social housing, including £11.5 billion for an affordable homes programme in England.