Asked by: Lord Bishop of Derby (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for allowing local authorities to set their own right-to-buy discounts to reflect local circumstances.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The Government remains committed to the Right to Buy, which has helped over 2 million social housing tenants to become homeowners.
The Right to Buy is a statutory right for eligible local authority tenants across England, with the discount formulae set in regulations. This approach already recognizes higher property prices in London with a higher maximum discount for any sales inside London. This ensures a consistent offer for tenants across the country.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Derby (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the additional support required for social housing landlords as a result of the consumer regulation measures announced by the Regulator of Social Housing, including the Tenant Satisfaction Measures Standard, which are to be implemented from April 2024.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The Government recognises that there are demands on social landlords at this time, some of which relate to the introduction of revised consumer standards. It is essential that providers manage resources effectively to deliver for their residents.
All social landlords are responsible for providing safe and decent homes for their tenants and should be prioritising repairs and improvements where required. Landlords should not be looking to Government to fund bringing their social housing stock up to the required standards.
The Tenant Satisfaction Measure standard was introduced on 1 April 2023 and will come into force in April 2024. The Government has agreed to provide Local authorities with funding to meet the requirements of the Tenant Satisfaction Measure standard.