Social Housing Bill [HL]

Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville Excerpts

Committee stage
Wednesday 17th June 2026 Lords Chamber

Without a comprehensive review, we are left with fragmented data, inconsistent local practice and no reliable national picture. This amendment would change that. A report of this kind, laid before Parliament, would give us for the first time a clear and authoritative account of the level of social housing provision for veterans across England. We would be able to see how the system is working, where it is falling short and what still needs to be done to change things for the better. That is the foundation for informed policy, and it is the least we owe to those who have served this country.

[Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville (LD)]

My Lords, I will speak to Amendment 93 in my name and in support of my noble friend Lady Teather on her Amendment 91. My noble friend has made a compelling case for considering access to social housing for former service personnel who have served their country, often in foreign areas, moving from one posting to another. Their personal and home life will have been disrupted and sometimes their relationships have broken down, leaving them without a home to return to at the end of their term of service. Many service personnel will have suffered mental health breakdowns due to the level of stress they experienced in their postings. It is right that those who have served their country with bravery should be able to access a decent home on their discharge. I fully support my noble friend’s amendment.

I turn now to the support required by ex-offenders. I note that the noble Lord, Lord Farmer, also has an amendment down to support ex-offenders, and I look forward to his contribution. My amendment is a probing one. On being sentenced and imprisoned, many offenders find that their immediate family and relatives abandon them, sometimes because it is simply too far for them to travel to visit. The expense of a long rail journey and taxi fares at either end are too much for those on limited incomes. Sometimes the length of the sentence can mean that the offender loses all contact with the area they were originally living in. Their rented accommodation is lost, and they have no home to return to. On release, many find that they have nowhere to stay. There are, of course, probation hostels, but these are short term and may not be in a convenient area for those on release.

During the course of their sentence, an offender may have put a tremendous amount of effort into getting the basic grade qualifications in English and maths in readiness for his or her future life. On nearing the end of their sentence, and in preparing for parole, they may have applied for and been successful in getting an offer of employment, perhaps in Asda or another supermarket or outlet. They are essentially set up to be released, to be self-sufficient and to rebuild their life. However, if they have no accommodation, they are at a severe disadvantage. Even if they have a job offer, with no accommodation they are likely to end up sleeping rough, and within a very short period they will be picked up—possibly by criminal gangs, often drug dealers—and offered so-called “safe” accommodation out of the rain in return for what might be trailed as a “minor” drug deal. Within a matter of days of their release, they will be back in prison, with an additional tariff on their sentence. Instead of being able to support themselves and rebuild their lives, they are, despite their best endeavours, continuing to being detained at the taxpayer’s expense. This is a lose-lose scenario that is nothing like the win-win they had been working towards.

Unless statistics are collected on an authority-by-authority basis on how easy or otherwise it is for ex-offenders to access social housing, it will not be possible to be sure that their needs are being met. Ex-offenders, on release, have served their debt to society and help should be provided to allow them to rebuild their lives. Recording statistics will help local authorities and the Government to assess whether they are meeting this need and, thereby, preventing reoffending.

I realise that there are many claims for special treatment to be considered when allocating social housing. However, the category of ex-offenders should receive some consideration. The consequence of being detained, especially for a long sentence, has devastating effects on all involved. Often, those released after such a sentence feel exposed and uncertain about how to cope, and need help to take them forward. I look forward to the Minister’s response to this group, in particular to Amendments 91, 93 and 94.