Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the availability of affordable housing in West Ham and Beckton constituency.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.
At the Spending Review on 11 June, the Chancellor confirmed £39 billion for a successor to the Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36. For the first time in recent memory, this will give registered providers a decade of certainty over the capital funding they can access to build new housing developments.
The new programme will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent. We will publish further details shortly including in relation to the kinds of homes and schemes it will fund and the timeline for opening bids.
Following the recent consultation, the government has also confirmed a rent settlement of CPI + 1% for ten years, alongside a consultation to follow shortly on how to implement a catch-up (convergence) mechanism for social rents below formula.
We are also providing £950m capital for the fourth round of the Local Authority Housing Fund – the largest round of the fund to date – to support local authorities in England increase the supply of better quality temporary accommodation and drive down the use of Bed and Breakfasts for families with children. The fund will also provide safe and suitable housing for those on the Afghan Resettlement Programme. LAHF investment will provide local authorities with a lasting affordable housing asset for the future.
The government has also confirmed over £1 billion between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to accelerate social housing remediation by giving social housing providers equal access to government funding as private building owners receive. This will support providers of social housing to supply more affordable homes, while also improving the living conditions of tenants.
These announcements cover the main elements of our social and affordable housing investment strategy in this parliament. We will announce further details about other aspects of our reform programme, including in respect of future regulation on quality and safety and Right to Buy, shortly, so that there is the clarity and certainty needed to quickly ramp up investment in existing and new stock.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle hate crimes based on religion in (a) England, (b) London and (c) West Ham and Beckton constituency.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 37961 on 20 March 2025.
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to reform the leasehold system.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).
Asked by: James Asser (Labour - West Ham and Beckton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to encourage investment in high streets in (a) London and (b) West Ham and Beckton constituency.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government is committed to supporting businesses and communities that make our high streets successful.
This means addressing anti-social behaviour and crime, rolling out banking hubs, stamping out late payments, empowering communities to make the most of the vacant properties, strengthening the Post Office network, reforming the apprenticeship levy, and reforming business rates.
We will also use High Street Rental Auctions, to provide local authorities in England with a tool to tackle vacancy, promote minimum letting standards for commercial units and flexible rents.
The London Borough of Newham has received UK Shared Prosperity Funding which, amongst other uses, has helped support local businesses in building their financial sustainability.
Our Small Business Strategy Command Paper, to be published in 2025, will set out this Government’s intentions on supporting small businesses across key areas, including thriving high streets.