Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Social Housing Occupancy

12 March 2024 · 4 other contributors · 4,487 words

Opened by Catherine West Lab Hornsey and Friern Barnet

Responding minister: Jacob Young

Housing

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Catherine West raised concerns about social housing occupancy in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Ms Catherine West is concerned about overcrowding in social housing due to a shortage of affordable homes.
  • She cites statistics showing over 1.2 million families waiting for social homes and highlights the situation in Haringey.
  • Ms West calls on the government to build more social and affordable homes and revisit planning loopholes.

Key requests to Government

Ms Catherine West calls on the government to prioritise building more social and affordable homes, ensuring that developers meet their commitments to provide new social homes, and revisiting planning loopholes like permitted development rights that allow substandard housing conversions without proper checks. She also urges a renaissance in council housebuilding.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Catherine West Lab Hornsey and Friern Barnet

Ms Catherine West is concerned about the increasing problem of overcrowding in social housing due to a lack of affordable homes. She cited statistics that show over 1.2 million families are waiting for social homes, with her own borough having 13,343 households on the housing register. In Haringey alone, there are an estimated 1,053 individuals living in overcrowded or severely overcrowded council homes and 871 private tenants in high-priority bands experiencing similar conditions. She highlighted that over 2 million council homes have been sold off with only a 4% replacement rate. The housing crisis has led to issues such as damp, mould, electrical faults, and cramped living spaces for families.

Other contributors (4)
  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    Acknowledged the issue of social housing applies to Northern Ireland as well, pointing out that despite a smaller population, there are 38,000 applicants on the waiting list and only 18,000 rural social homes.

  • Neil Coyle Lab Bermondsey and Old Southwark

    Thanked his hon. Friend for securing the debate and congratulated the London Mayor on building homes, noting that in Southwark alone there have been 926 new builds. Agreed with his hon. Friend about the need for Labour-led efforts to address housing problems through partnerships across sectors. Neil Coyle intervened to question the Minister about whether the number of people living in overcrowded social housing is increasing and asked for an acknowledgment of the coalition government's decision to slash Homes and Communities Agency funding by 83%.

  • Peter Gibson

    Noted that Darlington's Conservative council is delivering 1,000 council homes over ten years but suggested this was insufficient and asked whether the right to buy should be ended.

  • Yasmin Qureshi Lab Bolton South and Walkden

    Yasmin Qureshi highlighted the issue of overcrowding in social housing, citing figures from the 2021 census where 7,000 homes were overcrowded in Bolton with 3,840 being households with dependent children. She criticised the previous government's funding cuts to affordable and social housing which led to a decline in the construction of three and four-bedroom homes.

Government Response

Jacob Young

It is a pleasure to serve under the chairmanship of Sir Gary Streeter. The minister commends Catherine West for securing this debate on social housing occupancy, acknowledging her long-standing work in promoting the interests of people living in social housing. He highlights his own experience growing up in Middlesbrough and the importance of decent homes for community well-being. Since 2010, the Government has delivered nearly 700,000 affordable homes, including over 1,800 in his constituency and more than 3,400 in Haringey. The £11.5 billion affordable homes programme aims to deliver thousands of new properties for rent and purchase. The minister mentions the Government's investment of £90 million in Blackpool to improve housing conditions. He notes that social housing is a finite resource managed by councils through local schemes, with central government setting guidelines for allocation. The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 aims to improve standards and accountability within the sector, including Awaab's law which addresses hazards like damp and mould in social homes. From April 2024, £1.2 billion will be invested to restore local housing allowance rates to support low-income households with rental costs. The minister emphasises that social housing should benefit those who have contributed to the country and played by the rules.

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