Rachel Maclean: ...is aware that Chesterfield Borough Council is under the control of the Labour party, which, with the assistance of significant Government grant funding, is responsible for delivering affordable housing in the area. It is up to Chesterfield Labour party, in control of that council, to work with developers to make sure that planning obligations deliver the houses that local people need.
Rachel Maclean: I thank my hon. Friend for bringing this vital issue to our attention on the Floor of the House. Of course, we expect local authorities to work together to tackle homelessness and to alleviate those pressures on the most vulnerable people. It is right for his Labour council to work with any other council that has responsibility for that.
Rachel Maclean: House building is a priority for this Government. We have announced £10 billion-worth of investment in the housing supply since the start of this Parliament, and ultimately, our interventions are due to unlock over 1 million new homes. We are also investing £11.5 billion in the latest affordable homes programme, to provide tens of thousands of new homes across the country.
Rachel Maclean: ...the reckless behaviour of his Liberal Democrat-run council. I completely agree that it is a disgraceful state of affairs. The council should be using that funding secured to deliver the affordable housing that his residents rightly need and deserve. As he suggested, Homes England will definitely not be contributing to backfilling that need.
Rachel Maclean: The hon. Gentleman brings his considerable knowledge to this matter, but I will take no lectures from him and the Labour party on house building. This Government delivered 242,000 houses in 2019-20—that is the highest level for more than 30 years, including the entire time that the Labour party was in government.
Rachel Maclean: ...we have a poor record of disposing of public land. Often, that public land is needed by hospitals and the MOD. So we are working closely and looking at where such land can be brought forward for housing. If it can, we absolutely will be doing that.
Rachel Maclean: I do not quite know how to give that a serious response. I have just set out in huge detail all the work backed by public funding—taxpayers’ money—going into delivering the houses that people need up and down the country. As far as I can see, the only people blocking housing development are those such as the hon. Lady, who is objecting to developments in her own constituency.
Rachel Maclean: ...the hon. Lady on the detail of the clauses in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill, but I am proud of the Government’s record in bringing forward levelling-up across the whole country, with house building backed by billions of pounds of public funding and taxpayers’ money. As I said in answer to the hon. Member for Sheffield South East (Mr Betts), our house building record is...
Rachel Maclean: I agree entirely. I thank my hon. Friend for the excellent debate that he brought to Westminster Hall, in which we discussed these issues in detail. I am happy to reiterate to the House that we will legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to deal with many of the issues that he has raised that are affecting freehold homeowners.
Rachel Maclean: ...still unimaginable events of 14 June 2017 continue to demand searching answers from us as a country about who we are and who we aspire to be. They reaffirm the unshakeable commitment across this House to those most affected: the commitment to provide long-term support for recovery and the rebuilding of shattered lives, and to provide a legacy worthy of the 72 men, women and children who...
Rachel Maclean: ...with the legislative measures that we have set out, including the Building Safety Act and all the other work that goes behind that, as the Secretary of State said. I was asked about social housing regulation. The direction of travel is clear: residents have spoken and reform is coming to the social housing sector. We are committed to implementing the new regulatory regime enabled by the...
Rachel Maclean: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities does not collect local level data on the number of homeowners who are currently waiting for a decision on a loan redemption application. We can confirm that between 1 April 2013 and 31 December 2022, 1,362 homes were purchased in East Hampshire, 1,086 in Southampton and 2,156 in the Test Valley area which covers Romsey using the Help to...
Rachel Maclean: ...across our United Kingdom. I am grateful to him, as ever. There is a broad consensus on the case for change. I want to reassure Members that the Government remain committed to creating a fairer housing system that works for everyone. We will introduce further reforms in this Parliament to address the historical imbalance in the leasehold system. As this debate has shown, the imbalance...
Rachel Maclean: .... To give homeowners greater control, we want to make sure that the benefits of freehold ownership are extended as far as possible. We remain committed to banning the sale of new leasehold houses so that, where possible, all new houses are provided as freehold from the outset. For flatted developments, we want to reinvigorate commonhold so that it can become a mainstream and widespread...
Rachel Maclean: .... I would be absolutely delighted to meet my hon. Friend’s residents. I implore her to contact my office so that we can arrange that as soon as we can. I hope this debate has demonstrated to the House, leaseholders and homeowners on freehold estates across the country our continued commitment to reform and to making things better. I am grateful to Members across the House, campaign...
Rachel Maclean: The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that local authorities should assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including those who require supported housing, and reflect this in planning policies. We also published guidance in 2019 to help councils put policies in place to achieve this. In addition, as part of our recent consultation on...
Rachel Maclean: Shared ownership rents are increased annually in accordance with the terms of the lease. We are however aware of the impact that inflation has had on rents. That is why we welcome the fact that housing associations representing 95% of the sector's shared ownership homes have confirmed - through the National Housing Federation - that they will voluntarily limit rent increases to no more than...
Rachel Maclean: The Affordable Homes Programme funds a variety of affordable and social housing. It funds traditional social housing, through social rent and affordable rent, alongside affordable home ownership options, like Shared Ownership. The provision of affordable housing is part of the Government's plan to build more homes and provide aspiring homeowners with a step onto the housing ladder. Our £11.5...
Rachel Maclean: I am today announcing that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities is undertaking a routine Public Body Review of Homes England. Arm's Length Bodies (ALBs) play an important role in delivering government policy. There are nearly 300 ALBs, employing around 300,000 people and they account for more than £220 billion of public spending. As required by the Cabinet Office’s Public...
Rachel Maclean: The Government strongly believes that self and custom build housing can play a crucial role as part of a wider package of measures to boost home ownership and diversify the housing market as well as helping to deliver the homes people want. We have put in place a number of interventions to support the sector, including the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding legislation, sometimes known as...
