Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to cover housing associations in England.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This government is committed to increasing transparency and accountability in the social rented sector.
In September 2025, we directed the Regulator of Social Housing to introduce new Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs) for private registered providers (PRPs) of social housing, including housing associations, to enable residents to request information about their housing management. From October 2026, PRPs will be required to proactively publish information relating to the management of their social housing. From April 2027, they will also be required to respond to information requests from tenants.
We carefully considered the case for bringing PRPs of social housing within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 but ultimately decided that a bespoke scheme would be the most effective and proportionate way of ensuring that all social tenants can access information about the management of their homes.
The divergences from FOI, such as specifying that only tenants and their representatives can access information and that information requests must relate to issues relevant to the management of social housing, are proportionate for PRPs in their capacity as private businesses.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will set out the mechanisms for leaseholders and shared ownership tenants to challenge unexpected or excessive maintenance charges; and whether his Department plans to (a) strengthen enforcement or (b) provide additional support for those in dispute with housing associations.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Most shared owners have a landlord who is a member of the Housing Ombudsman Service. Tenants can therefore take complaints about service charges, not including fees, to the Ombudsman.
The new Social and Affordable Homes Programme places new expectations on shared ownership providers to improve customer experience. These include giving greater consideration to long-term customer affordability and increasing transparency and fairness on costs.
I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 4 July 2025 (HCWS780).
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to review the practices of housing associations in relation to the application of maintenance charges for shared ownership properties; and what steps he will take to ensure charges (a) reflect actual services delivered and (b) are communicated in plain language.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Most shared owners have a landlord who is a member of the Housing Ombudsman Service. Tenants can therefore take complaints about service charges, not including fees, to the Ombudsman.
The new Social and Affordable Homes Programme places new expectations on shared ownership providers to improve customer experience. These include giving greater consideration to long-term customer affordability and increasing transparency and fairness on costs.
I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 4 July 2025 (HCWS780).
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure transparency and fairness in the calculation and application of maintenance charges for shared ownership properties; and whether he will assess the potential merits of introducing clearer guidance to prevent unexpected or disproportionate costs being passed on to (a) leaseholders and (b) part-buy, part-rent tenants.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Most shared owners have a landlord who is a member of the Housing Ombudsman Service. Tenants can therefore take complaints about service charges, not including fees, to the Ombudsman.
The new Social and Affordable Homes Programme places new expectations on shared ownership providers to improve customer experience. These include giving greater consideration to long-term customer affordability and increasing transparency and fairness on costs.
I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 4 July 2025 (HCWS780).
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms he plans to put in place to safeguard community sports provision if the current statutory consultation arrangements be changed.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of removing Sport England as a statutory consultee in the planning system on the protection of community playing fields; whether he plans to publish his Department's impact assessment on moving Sport England as a statutory consultee in the planning system; and what mechanisms he intends to put in place to safeguard community sports provision should the current statutory consultation arrangements be changed.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 17 November 2025, my Department published a consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system. That consultation closes on 13 January 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.
No decision will be made on Sport England’s role until responses to the consultation have been fully analysed and considered.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support local authorities to deliver supported housing for young people.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Young people need the right support alongside housing to improve health, wellbeing and socio-economic outcomes, enabling them to access and retain housing and reducing their risk of homelessness and rough sleeping.
Funding for local housing support services is primarily through the Local Government Finance Settlement – commissioning of local housing-related support services is for local authorities to determine.
In December 2025, the government announced a £124m supported housing programme over 2026-29, working with targeted local areas, reaching over 2,500 people, both to prevent homelessness and to help people, including young people, off the streets and into more stable housing.
The Social and Affordable Homes Programme includes new flexibility on grant rates for accommodation where design and adaptation drive higher costs and calls on providers to produce ambitious bids for new supported housing – helping to increase the overall supply of supported housing, including options for vulnerable young people.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his timetable is for the publication of a chapter of the Homelessness Code of Guidance on young people.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Through our National Plan to End Homelessness the Government has set out its intention to develop a national Youth Homelessness Prevention Toolkit and develop a dedicated chapter of the Homelessness Code of Guidance on young people. We will publish these documents in due course.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will make an estimate of the number of households currently paying higher council tax due to (a) incorrect and (b) inconsistent banding.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has a duty to maintain an accurate list of all council tax bands. If the VOA becomes aware of an inaccuracy, it will update the list by adjusting the council tax band for the relevant properties.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps are being taken to support young people living in supported housing to move on.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We have invested over £1 billion in homelessness and rough sleeping services this year, which can be used flexibly to address a range of local needs, including support for young people. The Spending Review protects this record level of investment to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping for the next three years.
For young people ready to live independently, we are delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, backed by the £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme. We are also reforming the private rented sector to give more security to tenants, bringing an end to rental bidding, outlawing discrimination against prospective tenants with children or those who receive social security benefits; and preventing landlords from demanding large amounts of rent in advance.