Oral Answers to Questions

Florence Eshalomi Excerpts

Monday 2nd November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Martin Wrigley (Newton Abbot) (LD)]

3. What assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing the value of thank you payments under the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme on the retention of hosts.

[The Minister for Homelessness, Democracy, Communities and Faith (Florence Eshalomi)]

We are grateful to everyone who has opened their home to Ukrainians. Over £1.8 billion has supported the scheme. Funding changes for Homes for Ukraine are sustainable; thank you payments continue recognition of a host’s generosity, and host retention depends on individual decisions and cannot be reliably estimated. Our councils retain the funding for re-matching and homelessness prevention.

[Martin Wrigley]

With the dropping of the thank you payment from £350 to £100 on 1 January, many hosts find that their costs are no longer being covered and are considering evicting their guests. Hosts and guests are being encouraged to move to a lodger scheme using the “rent a room” scheme. I am told that the going rate for a room in my constituency is around £600, and universal credit would pay a lot more than the £350 saved from the thank you payment. In addition, Ukrainian guests would lose the help available from the local authority to move on to a first private rental. All in all, this reduction in the thank you payment looks likely to cost the state more than it might save and to reduce the help on offer to our Ukrainian guests. Will the Minister meet me and local Ukrainian hosts, or would she prefer to think again about the reduction?

[Florence Eshalomi]

The Government remain committed to supporting Ukrainians in the long term. The funding changes are designed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the scheme. Councils can retain flexibility for funding and re-matching and for looking at homelessness prevention, including by helping guests to find accommodation and overcome any barriers to private renting. Existing host arrangements can move to lodging or rental agreements, and we will continue to monitor any issues around homelessness and will work with councils to respond as pressures emerge.

[Ben Goldsborough (South Norfolk) (Lab)]

4. What steps she is taking to ensure local authorities uphold the Nolan principles.

--- Later in debate ---

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

8. What discussions her Department has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on improving access to suitable accommodation for vulnerable households.

[The Minister for Homelessness, Democracy, Communities and Faith (Florence Eshalomi)]

Responsibility for supported accommodation in Northern Ireland is devolved, as the hon. Gentleman knows. In England we are implementing the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 to strengthen local oversight, improve quality and ensure that councils assess local needs, and we will continue to work with our devolved Governments.

[Jim Shannon]

I thank the Minister for her answer; she probably knows what my question is going to be. Veterans across this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland suffering trauma find it very difficult to find accommodation. As mental health is so complex, no two people have the same needs, making a case-by-case assessment essential. What discussions has the Minister had with the relevant Department and the Northern Ireland Assembly to ascertain what help can be given to veterans? I understand that the Barnett consequential has set aside moneys for homelessness, so there might be a methodology for providing help.

[Florence Eshalomi]

I agree with the hon. Gentleman that people have complex mental health needs and that our veterans face various issues. Each case has to be assessed on a case-by-case basis. I come back to my original response: as the hon. Gentleman knows, this is a devolved issue in Northern Ireland. However, I am always open to looking at the learning and at options that we can share across England to ensure that we end rough sleeping and homelessness for good.

[Antonia Bance (Tipton and Wednesbury) (Lab)]

9. What steps her Department is taking to further regulate the use of houses in multiple occupation.

--- Later in debate ---

[Josh Newbury (Cannock Chase) (Lab)]

T8. This summer’s wildfires showed us how incredible but stretched our firefighters are. Their ability to prepare for and confront fires and floods will match the ferocity of what they face only if we in this House do our part. Following the Budget and ahead of the spending review, will the Department make strong representations to the Treasury so that wildfire risk can be taken into account when fire and rescue budgets are set?

[The Minister for Homelessness, Democracy, Communities and Faith (Florence Eshalomi)]

I agree with my hon. Friend that our firefighters worked tirelessly to protect lives, homes and critical infrastructure during the wildfires this summer, and they should have the equipment to respond to that risk. That is why at the wildfire summit last month the Government announced £45 million of investment for wildfire-specific personal protective equipment for firefighters in England and UK-wide aerial capability. We will continue to engage with the Treasury post-Budget and ahead of the spending review to ensure that we are working towards meeting the needs of fire and rescue services.

[Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)]

T4. Westmorland and Furness council is England’s most rural unitary authority, but the Government’s new formula has punished us for being rural with a crushing 31% cut in our funding, putting care homes, help for the homeless and support for schools at risk. Does the Secretary of State think that is fair? Will she revisit this travesty urgently and provide emergency support?

--- Later in debate ---

[Naushabah Khan (Gillingham and Rainham) (Lab)]

Hundreds of people are being placed in my constituency by London councils. They are being moved away from their support networks through out-of-borough placements and without proper notification. Often these are vulnerable families with high needs, which then have to be met by overstretched services at Medway council. Will the Minister meet me to discuss how we can improve this system and support the authorities that are dealing with the bulk of out-of-borough placements?

[Florence Eshalomi]

Many hon. Members have raised the issue of local authorities using their temporary accommodation discharge narrative, and I am happy to meet my hon. Friend and other Members to discuss this further.

[Paul Holmes (Hamble Valley) (Con)]

Since I last asked the Minister about the Liberal Democrats’ £620 million-worth of debt at Eastleigh borough council, it has got bigger, the external auditors have said that there have been financial misstatements and a lack of management financially, and the Government have now given it £150 million for social housing. What will it take for this Minister to come down on Eastleigh borough council and get that debt down?

--- Later in debate ---

[Florence Eshalomi]

I recognise how distressing this situation will be for the many residents who have had to leave their homes, with the evacuation and the fear that the buildings might collapse. The buildings have been evacuated following defects identified in transverse slabs. My officials are supporting the London borough of Newham and the right-to-manage companies, and we are engaging with the developer, Galliard, and the warranty providers to ensure that they respond to this situation as swiftly as possible.

[Sir Julian Lewis (New Forest East) (Con)]

How does the abolition of a rural district council such as New Forest, and its absorption into a unitary authority dominated by an urban centre such as Southampton, increase devolution and local democracy?