← Back to Westminster Hall Debates
Park Home Owners
28 April 2026
Lead MP
James Naish
Rushcliffe
Lab
Responding Minister
Matthew Pennycook
Tags
Standards & Ethics
Word Count: 14339
Other Contributors: 24
At a Glance
James Naish raised concerns about park home owners in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
I ask the government to consider stronger protections at the point of sale, review local authorities' resources for enforcing site standards, work with Ofgem on utility charging transparency, and confirm willingness to reform the current commission arrangements after the call for evidence.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
I am concerned about the issues faced by park and mobile home residents in my constituency, including maintenance and site standards, transparency of pitch fees and charges, enforcement gaps, utilities pricing, and the 10% sales commission. Residents report poor upkeep, damaged roads, high fees for unclear services, threats of eviction, and difficulties with utility bills. The 10% sales commission is seen as disproportionately high, with a home sold in 2026 generating a £16, £16,000 commission compared to £1,200 in 1983.
Alison Hume
Lab
Scarborough and Whitby
Ms. Alison Hume highlighted the exploitation of park [4D [K park home owners, particularly retirees, through mis-selling practices by s [1D [K site owners. She cited an example of her constituent Dennis who was misled [K about residency rights on a holiday park, faced harassment to vacate, and s [1D [K suffered financial losses. Ms. Hume also mentioned that 80% of UK mobile ho [2D [K home owners are over 65 years old and many suffer similar issues leading to [2D [K to mental health problems and even suicides.
Andrew Pakes
Lab Co-op
Peterborough
Andrew Pakes highlighted the power imbalance between [7D [K between park home owners and site owners, noting that some sites exploit re [2D [K residents' relatives by buying homes cheaply after deaths and reselling the [3D [K them at a huge profit. He cited an example where a £25,000 home was sold fo [2D [K for £85,000 shortly after a resident's death. Pakes also criticized the 10% [3D [K 10% commission made by site owners on sales and raised concerns about poor [K maintenance despite increasing fees charged to residents.
Cat Smith
Lab
Lancaster and Wyre
The constituent of Cat Smith discussed problems with [4D [K with Havenlyn residential park, including bullying, intimidation, and rules [5D [K rules being changed without consultation. She asked the Minister to empower [7D [K empower local authorities to better regulate and enforce regulations.
Chris Coghlan
Lib Dem
Dorking and Horley
Mr. Chris Coghlan intervened, agreeing with Alison H [1D [K Hume's concerns about the exploitative practices of site owners who pressur [7D [K pressure park home residents to sell their homes for a 10% commission.
Christchurch
The hon. Member for York Outer praised the Mobile Ho [2D [K Homes (Pitch Fees) Act 2023, which changed pitch fee maximums from RPI to C [1D [K CPI. He called for action on complex ownership issues and urged the Governm [7D [K Government to protect park home owners from rogue operators. When the Minister visited the APPG on park homes, he [2D [K he heard from Nat Slade about urgent action needed regarding complex owners [6D [K ownership structures. This issue was first promised attention in 2017 and M [1D [K Mr Chope asked where this stands on the Minister's agenda.
Clive Jones
Lib Dem
Wokingham
Mr. Clive Jones supported the debate, stating that p [1D [K park home residents face unfair financial penalties when selling their home [4D [K homes, including a mandatory 10% charge to site owners. He argued for endin [5D [K ending this charge and ensuring fair treatment similar to other homeowners. [11D [K homeowners.
Esther McVey
Con
Tatton
McVey referenced a petition signed by 165 residents [K for changing pitch fee increases from retail price inflation to consumer pr [2D [K price inflation and asked the Minister about the current call for evidence [K on reforming the 10% commission charge.
Gagan Mohindra
Con
South West Hertfordshire
Mohindra highlighted the range of complaints and con [3D [K concerns from park home residents in South West Hertfordshire, particularly [12D [K particularly about exploitative site operators. He stressed the need for th [2D [K the Government to continue its inquiry into reducing the 10% commission cha [3D [K charged by site owners during the purchase of park homes, which is especial [8D [K especially damaging to elderly residents lacking excess capital.
Gregory Campbell
DUP
East Londonderry
Mr. Campbell intervened to highlight the need for a [K balance between park home owners and site owners in Northern Ireland, parti [5D [K particularly in his constituency.
Helen Morgan
Lib Dem
North Shropshire
Morgan agreed with Law's point about sales commissio [9D [K commission charges, questioning whether another consultation is necessary w [1D [K when the 2022 consultation concluded there was no justification for them. S [1D [K She urged a fixed timeline for action.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Jim Shannon highlighted issues faced by park home ow [2D [K owners in Northern Ireland, noting that residents often find themselves cau [3D [K caught between Westminster legislation and its implementation locally. He r [1D [K raised concerns about the 10% exit fee, energy costs for off-grid residents [9D [K residents, and site licensing enforcement. Shannon requested parity across [K the UK on these issues.
Joshua Reynolds
Lib Dem
Maidenhead
Reynolds highlighted the challenges faced by park ho [2D [K home owners, particularly older residents on fixed incomes. He criticised t [1D [K the lack of attention given to this group in housing discussions and the 10 [2D [K 10% commission taken from sale prices, which can be a significant financial [9D [K financial burden for those needing funds for care costs or downsizing. He a [1D [K also mentioned unscrupulous site owners who use intimidation to drive resid [5D [K residents off their pitches. Many park home residents in Maidenhead have expresse [8D [K expressed frustration that significant portions of the consultation are not [3D [K not relevant to them but rather to site owners. He asked for clarification [K on which questions the Minister expects residents to respond to.
Kevin Bonavia
Lab
Stevenage
Bonavia highlighted residents' fears about pitch fee [3D [K fee increases without proper explanations, called for better maintenance en [2D [K enforcement by local authorities, and urged the Minister to consider reduci [6D [K reducing or removing the 10% sales commission.
Luke Charters
Lab
York Outer
Residents of park homes in York and North Yorkshire [K face financial difficulties due to uncontrollable pitch fees. The 10% commi [5D [K commission charge on resale is unjust, as it requires sellers to hand over [K a significant portion of their home's value to the site owner.
Michelle Welsh
Lab
Sherwood Forest
Welsh raised concerns about residents' uncertainty o [1D [K over utility bills, stressed the lack of transparency in billing arrangemen [10D [K arrangements, and urged the Minister to introduce reforms for fairness and [K protection for park home owners.
Noah Law
Lab
St Austell and Newquay
Law thanked James Naish for raising issues like the [K 10% commission, a financial burden on residents during vulnerable times. He [2D [K He also pointed out the confusion caused by incorrect council tax bandings [K and site owners being charged council tax on empty pitches.
Paul Holmes
Con
Hamble Valley
He highlighted the importance of park homes in the n [1D [K national housing market, with about 159,000 people living in mobile or park [4D [K park homes across 1,800 sites. He emphasised the need for site owners to be [2D [K be fit and proper persons and raised concerns over energy costs faced by pa [2D [K park home residents who often do not have the freedom to choose their own e [1D [K energy supplier.
Peter Swallow
Lab
Bracknell
Swallow thanked Law for giving way and encouraged al [2D [K all park home residents to contribute to the call for evidence, aiming to a [1D [K abolish the 10% charge by building a robust evidence base.
Rachel Hopkins
Lab
Ms. Hopkins discussed the 10% sales commission and r [1D [K rising pitch fees, which she stated are major issues for many of her consti [6D [K constituents who reside in park homes. She provided a specific example wher [4D [K where a resident had to pay £28,000 to the site owner when selling their ho [2D [K home, describing it as 'for doing nothing'. Ms. Hopkins also mentioned conc [4D [K concerns about transparency and value for money regarding pitch fees.
Rebecca Smith
Con
South West Devon
Rebecca Smith addressed planning issues at Devon Oak [3D [K Oaks Park where the owner mis-sold properties on varying tenancy lengths, i [1D [K impacting residents when planning conditions are breached. She also discuss [7D [K discussed the challenge of high LPG fuel costs for park home owners and req [3D [K requested support equivalent to that provided to households using oil.
Roger Gale
Con
Herne Bay and Sandwich
The speaker emphasized the need for fit and proper p [1D [K persons legislation to be properly implemented, argued that local authoriti [9D [K authorities lack expertise in enforcing park home licensing laws, and sugge [5D [K suggested that addressing the 10% commission issue would affect business mo [2D [K models negatively.
Samantha Niblett
Lab
South Derbyshire
Samantha Niblett echoed Jim Shannon's concerns regar [5D [K regarding the 10% exit fee for park home owners and emphasised the need for [3D [K for Government action to address this issue.
Sarah Owen
Con
St Albans
She agrees with the need for reforms and supports th [2D [K the lead MP's points about maintenance issues, enforcement gaps, and the la [2D [K lack of transparency in pitch fees.
Stuart Anderson
Con
South Shropshire
Mr. Anderson highlighted the issue of a 10% sales co [2D [K commission on park homes in South Shropshire, which he argued is discrimina [10D [K discriminatory and traps residents into their homes due to financial penalt [6D [K penalties upon resale. He cited specific examples from Hollins Park and Hig [3D [K Highley Park Homes where owners feel unable to move out without significant [11D [K significant financial loss. Mr. Anderson also noted that pitch fees add an [K additional burden on park home owners.
Government Response
Matthew Pennycook
Government Response
The minister outlined the current legislative framework governing park home sites, including the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 and the Mobile Homes Act 2013. He acknowledged that despite substantial enforcement powers granted to local authorities, there are challenges in their application. The minister also addressed the ongoing call for evidence regarding the commission payment, aiming to understand its rationale and impact before making informed policy decisions. He committed to publishing a summary of responses by summer and outlining final positions by year-end.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy
About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.