Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the £11.7 billion allocated to London to build homes over the next 10 years, how many homes will be built with that funding; how they will ensure those homes are delivered; what milestones they have set to ensure delivery of those homes within the 10-year period; and what assessment they have made of whether that funding will be sufficient to support delivery of the London building target of 88,000 homes per year.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Delivering historic levels of housebuilding in London is a critical part of this government’s commitment to build 1.5 million homes within this parliament.
At the Spending Review, the Chancellor confirmed £39 billion for a successor to the Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36. Our ambition is to deliver around 300,000 social and affordable homes over the programme’s lifetime.
Up to 30% of the funding over the programme (up to £11.7 billion over the 10 years) will be delivered by the GLA to use in London. We will set initial targets for Homes England and the GLA after we have received bids from providers, and will review these targets through the lifetime of the new programme to drive progress towards our ambition. It is our intention to publish a full prospectus for the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme in autumn 2025 and open it for bids in the winter.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many hectares of (1) brownfield land, and (2) greenfield land, there are in (a) the Metropolitan Open Land, and (b) the Green Belt, in each local authority in Greater London.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The department does not hold data on Metropolitan Open Land, which is entirely a matter for the Mayor.
The information requested is not recorded in that form. However, our general statistical estimates do record the hectarage of Green Belt land within each local authority that is in Non-Developed Use and Developed Use. These are available here.
For other information on Metropolitan Open Land and Green Belt, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer in the other place to Question 53097 of 28 May here.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the target to build 1.5 million homes in this Parliament is deliverable.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We have always been clear that building 1.5m homes is an ambitious target – which is vital given we have inherited the worst housing crisis in living memory. It will require a rate of housebuilding and infrastructure construction not seen in over 50 years. We recognise the scale of the challenge, and we are taking bold action to deliver the homes our country needs and unlock economic growth, but it will take time before that translates into delivery.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of introducing a two-week timeframe for companies and individuals that offer properties for short-term let to respond to enquiries from the local council.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
While short-term lets can benefit local economies, the government appreciates that excessive concentrations in some areas of the country can impact on the availability and affordability of homes to buy and rent, as well as having a detrimental impact on local services.
That is why we remain committed to introducing a national mandatory registration scheme for short-term lets, which will give local authorities access to valuable data to help address housing impacts and to protect the spirit of our communities. Public testing on the register is due to start in September. This means that we are on track to launch a full version of the scheme by next year. From April 2025, the furnished holiday lettings tax regime was abolished, eliminating the tax advantages that short-term let owners had over private rented sector landlords.
We are considering what additional powers we might give local authorities to enable them to respond to the pressures created by short-term lets.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of abolishing assured fixed-term tenancies through the Renters’ Rights Bill; and whether they have (1) considered the possibility that the availability of long-term rental properties may decrease and (2) that tenants may decide under the new legislation, if enacted, to sign a tenancy agreement then immediately serve notice.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Renters’ Rights Bill will remove fixed term assured tenancies, to strengthen tenants’ rights and provide them with more flexibility.
Good landlords have nothing to fear from the reforms. The sector has doubled in size since the early 2000s and there is no evidence of an exodus since reform has been proposed.
Tenants are unlikely to end tenancies unless they absolutely have to. Moving house is expensive and disruptive. Where tenants do end tenancies, they will be required to provide landlords with two months’ notice, to give time to find new tenants.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of housing associations offering lifetime tenancies to social housing tenants on the housing market.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The majority of housing association tenants are lifetime tenants with assured tenancies, and therefore already enjoy a high security of tenure.
The Renters' Rights Bill will abolish fixed term assured tenancies and assured shorthold tenancies. This change will enhance the security and stability for the minority of tenants with private registered providers who currently lack assured (lifetime) tenancies. Landlords will also benefit from clear and expanded possession grounds to evict tenants in circumstances where that is justified and reasonable.
The government published its Impact Assessment for the Renters’ Rights Bill on 22 November 2024, following scrutiny from the Regulatory Policy Committee. The Impact Assessment received a ‘green’ rating, indicating it is ‘fit for purpose’.
The impact assessment can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what housing targets they have set for each London borough under the National Policy Planning Framework; whether these targets are mandatory; and whether they plan for them to remain in place for each borough if the overall target for London is met.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The responsibility for the overall distribution of housing need in London lies with the Mayor, who considers an overall strategy for London's growth and development capacity through the statutory London Plan. Local authorities must assess and plan how to meet their local housing targets over the plan period, justified by evidence on land availability and constraints on development.
The National Planning Policy Framework expects strategic policy-making authorities, like the Greater London Authority, to take account of the national standard method when assessing local housing need, which incorporates a baseline of local housing stock adjusted upwards to reflect local affordability pressures. The local housing need for each London borough as calculated through the national standard method can be found here on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of giving local authorities the power to act against short-term lets in London which cause problems, and of requiring short-term lets to obtain planning permission before going on the market.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Primary legislation provides that homes in London that are liable for council tax may be let for temporary sleeping accommodation for up to 90-nights in a calendar year. Planning permission is required to let for more than this number of nights. We have committed to introduce a register of short term lets which will help local authorities to apply and enforce these rules. We understand the challenges presented by short term lets and continue to consider further action.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will issue local authorities multi-year settlements to enable them to plan more efficiently and secure their long-term future.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are committed to providing a multi-year funding settlement starting in 2026-27. This will be the first multi-year settlement since 2016 and will provide local authorities with the certainty they need to focus on their priorities.
Asked by: Lord Bailey of Paddington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support is available to landlords who are subject to additional costs imposed by councils under the selective licensing schemes.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Local authorities are responsible for assessing the impact of a selective licensing scheme on their area. This may include the impact of licence fees on local rents.
Local authorities have discretion to charge fees which cover the cost of running selective licensing schemes. They may also offer discounts on fees to reduce costs for landlords. The government expects local authorities to make details of these fees, along with the rationale behind their determination, transparent and readily accessible.