Rachel Maclean: I would like to gently correct the assertion that the hon. Lady made about watering down housing targets. The Government are committed to building 300,000 houses across the country. We are building them in the right places, with community support. We understand the importance of social rented housing, and that is why we made a commitment in our levelling-up White Paper to ensure that more are...
Rachel Maclean: I thank my hon. Friend very much. He represents a new town, as I do—I am very proud to represent the new town of Redditch. We are absolutely committed to building the right houses in the right places, and that includes enabling local communities to have more say over the design and type of housing. We are doing that through the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: through design codes,...
Rachel Maclean: We have announced £10 billion of investment in housing supply since the start of this Parliament, with our interventions due to ultimately 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. Annual housing supply is up 10% compared to the previous year with over 232,000...
Rachel Maclean: I thank my hon. Friend for bringing this important matter to the House’s attention. Where authorities fall behind, as in the case of that Lib Dem-run local authority, which he has highlighted effectively, we will not hesitate to take action. We are working to provide all local authorities with the support they need, including by increasing planning fees and ensuring that planning...
Rachel Maclean: ...of a short-term let use class and associated permitted development rights. Those changes would give councils more control over the number of new short-term lets and help them to meet local housing needs.
Rachel Maclean: ...steps to make sure that we get the balance right between tourists visiting an area, bringing in vital income and supporting local businesses, and those local communities having the necessary housing for people and workers to live in and to buy. We are progressing this consultation as quickly as possible and will make further announcements in due course.
Rachel Maclean: I do not agree that there has been dither and delay. We have already capped ground rents for significant numbers of leaseholders. We are committed to creating a housing system that works for everyone. We are determined to better protect and empower leaseholders to challenge unreasonable costs, extend the benefits of freehold ownership to more homeowners, and introduce more legislation within...
Rachel Maclean: Yes, my hon. Friend is absolutely right and I thank her for bringing the concerns of her residents to the Floor of the House. We are determined to reform this system. It is a hugely complex reform. I point out to the House that Labour had the opportunity to do this in its 13 years in government and did nothing.
Rachel Maclean: It is right to point out to the hon. Lady that, since the Government’s announcement in December 2017 that we would ban the sale of leasehold houses, the number of newbuild leasehold houses coming on to the market has significantly decreased. Land Registry records show that 1.2 % of newbuild houses were registered as leasehold in 2020 compared with 17% previously, so the Government’s...
Rachel Maclean: I thank my hon. Friend for his determination in bringing forward this innovative measure, which will enable the Government to meet their ambition of delivering the houses that are needed all over our community. He is right to say that local communities should be able to set their own local design codes. That will be a fantastic way for them to create a huge number of houses, building up, out...
Rachel Maclean: The hon. Lady is quite right: not just in Bristol, but across the country, pressures on infrastructure are one reason why communities sometimes have concerns about new housing developments. It is right that we are reforming the planning system to make that infrastructure available in advance of developments so that we can deliver the housing the country needs, in Bristol and elsewhere.
Rachel Maclean: I think the whole House is united in expressing our sincere sympathies about the tragedy that occurred in the case of Awaab Ishak. It is completely wrong that people are living in homes that do not meet decent home standards. I thank the hon. Gentleman for the debates that we have had in this place. We are improving the quality of properties all across the private rented sector. We are...
Rachel Maclean: The Government are committed to increasing affordable housing of all kinds, which is why we are investing £11.5 billion, through the affordable homes programme, to deliver tens of thousands of homes for rent and sale right across the country.
Rachel Maclean: I would like to gently correct the assertion that the hon. Lady made about watering down housing targets. The Government are committed to building 300,000 houses across the country. We are building them in the right places, with community support. We understand the importance of social rented housing, and that is why we made a commitment in our levelling-up White Paper to ensure that more are...
Rachel Maclean: I thank my hon. Friend very much. He represents a new town, as I do—I am very proud to represent the new town of Redditch. We are absolutely committed to building the right houses in the right places, and that includes enabling local communities to have more say over the design and type of housing. We are doing that through the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: through design codes,...
Rachel Maclean: All licensed houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) are required to comply with mandatory conditions which include a gas safety certificate being presented annually to the local authority; ensuring that a carbon monoxide alarm is installed in any room in the house which is used wholly or partly as living accommodation and contains a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker; and...
Rachel Maclean: It is obvious that a rising population due to net migration puts pressure on housing supply, ultimately leading to rising prices. The standard method is used by councils to inform the preparation of their local plans, by considering how many new households there might be in an area in the future, as well as local wages and house prices. The Government is committed to delivering new 300,000...
Rachel Maclean: Where almshouse organisations are registered with the Regulator of Social Housing and are letting homes at Social or Affordable Rent, or providing low-cost home ownership through shared ownership schemes, those homes are likely to fall within the definition of affordable housing in the National Planning Policy Framework. As part of the National Planning Policy Framework consultation between...
Rachel Maclean: ...and visibly punished. This plan includes a commitment to produce comprehensive guidance for landlords to ensure they understand the tools available to tackle and evidence anti-social behaviour. Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) play an important role in the private rented sector and can provide relatively low-cost accommodation. Where there are problems with HMOs and anti-social...
Rachel Maclean: ...a long history of campaigning and speaking on this issue in Parliament, and I say to him and to any Member that of course the Government will listen to constructive dialogue from all parties in the House. That is the right thing to do as we go forward and get this legislation right. I thank the other Members who have spoken—the hon. Members for Stockport (Navendu Mishra), for Bath (Wera...
