Rachel Maclean: The 2004 Housing Act places a duty on local authorities to take enforcement action if they identify an 'crowding and space' hazard at the most dangerous 'category 1' level, as assessed by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). The HHSRS operates by evaluating the potential risk of harm to any actual or potential occupier from their living environment. For crowding and space...
Rachel Maclean: What I said was that the programme is from 2016 to 2023. It is already delivering affordable housing. I will send the hon. Gentleman a copy of my speech, and he will find it in Hansard.
Rachel Maclean: ...to make sure that the Government deliver a strong, functioning private rented sector. As has been reflected during the course of the debate, private rented accommodation is the second largest housing sector in England, providing homes for 4.6 million households and an estimated 11 million tenants. It plays a vital role in supporting people to study away from home, explore new locations or...
Rachel Maclean: I will not give way, if the hon. Lady does not mind, because I have a lot to get on the record. Cost of living pressures go beyond housing costs, and that is why we have taken decisive action to support households, totalling £94 billion or £3,300 per household on average, across 2022-23 and 2023-24. We uprated benefits and state pension by 10.1% in April. For 2023-24, the Government are...
Rachel Maclean: I refer my hon. Friend to my earlier remarks, which set out that we are building record numbers of houses both to buy and for rent. We will make further announcements on that point in due course. I gently remind the other Members who have spoken that all of them, I think, represent areas that have Labour-run councils, or else represent areas in the devolved nations. Their own councils have...
Rachel Maclean: ...agree with the premise of the hon. Lady’s question, which is that the devolved nations have been underfunded. Her Government in Wales is led by the Labour party, and it is up to them to deliver housing for people who live in Wales. I suggest that she address her comments to their door. We recognise the struggles that renters have faced in recent months, which is why we have taken...
Rachel Maclean: The Greater London Authority has responsibility for delivering Affordable Housing in London, with a delegation of £4 billion to invest in new housing from the £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme. Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes to rent and to buy right across the country, including thousands of new homes for social rent. Between...
Rachel Maclean: ...Assessment is available on the UK Parliament website. We understand the difficulties some existing leaseholders face with high and escalating ground rents. Unfair practices have no place in the housing market. This is why we asked the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate potential mis-selling of homes and unfair terms in the leasehold sector. The CMA have secured...
Rachel Maclean: The Department continues to work alongside Homes England, as the Government's Housing and Regeneration Agency.
Rachel Maclean: ...this debate on an issue that she feels passionately about. Indeed, many of us feel passionately about it, and it is a testament to the persistence and determination of many colleagues in the House that we are again debating this vital issue. As the hon. Member did during the recent Opposition day debate, she brought to the House’s attention powerful examples from her area; I think that...
Rachel Maclean: ...that all administration charges must be reasonable, which will mean that they may be challenged at the first-tier tribunal. I want briefly to mention the Competition and Markets Authority’s house building market study.
Rachel Maclean: ...and challenge every part of it. I very much hope that we can achieve a successful situation at the end of that process. In February, the Competition and Markets Authority launched a market study on house building, as part of which it will examine the fairness of estate management fees charged for unadopted roads and amenities. It will make recommendations about policy and regulatory...
Rachel Maclean: The department does not hold this data. Social tenants are not prevented from running a business from their home under current housing legislation, but some tenancy agreements may include terms preventing them from doing so. We would expect landlords not to withhold permission unreasonably.
Rachel Maclean: The National Planning Policy Framework already sets out that local authorities should assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community and reflect this in planning policies, including through their site allocations.
Rachel Maclean: Homes England, as the Government's Housing and Regeneration Agency, play a key role in delivering housing that works for all through the utilisation of a variety of tools and interventions.
Rachel Maclean: ...Trusts to deliver key worker accommodation where it is needed. Lord Markham and I announced last month we will lead a joint taskforce to work through the barriers identified for NHS staff accessing housing.
Rachel Maclean: This Government remains committed to supporting local authorities to continue to deliver their new and existing supply plans for council housing. In March of this year, we announced a preferential borrowing rate for council housebuilding from the Public Works Loan Board. We have also recently introduced greater flexibilities on how councils can spend their Right to Buy receipts to make local...
Rachel Maclean: ...the development and use of MMC, which has the capability of unlocking a range of benefits including increased energy efficiency, quicker delivery of new homes and improving the diversity of the housing sector.
Rachel Maclean: The Government is committed to our ambition of delivering 300,000 homes per year to help create a more sustainable and affordable housing market. We recognise – and are monitoring – the challenges currently facing the sector, driven by the tough economic climate. The Government recognises how critical a strong and skilled labour market is for industry. We are supporting developers to...
Rachel Maclean: The Government are committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing, which is why, through our £11.5 billion affordable homes programme, we will deliver tens of thousands of affordable homes for both sale and rent in communities up and down the country. When it comes to Chesterfield, I am aware that the local plan was adopted in July 2020, but ultimately local authorities are...
