Local Authorities: Temporary Accommodation Costs

Lord Watts Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd April 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

The noble Lord makes a key point: it is very important that temporary accommodation is suitable for the needs of the household, and councils should keep the suitability of accommodation under review. Through the Renters’ Rights Bill, the Government will introduce powers to apply the decent homes standard to the private rented sector. Included in that provision is the power to bring temporary accommodation into the scope of the decent homes standard, as it is the Government’s intention that the decent homes standard should apply to temporary accommodation.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, does the Minister agree that the party across from the Government Benches introduced a policy to sell council houses without replacing them? Does she agree that it was a disaster and has cost billions of pounds to the taxpayer?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

As the leader of a council that lost thousands of our homes to right to buy, I believe that the scheme needed reform. We are reforming it to deliver a fairer and more sustainable scheme, reducing the maximum right to buy cash discounts to pre-2012 levels. This will allow councils to keep 100% of the receipts generated by right to buy sales. If we had that right from the start, we would not have had the significant loss we have had. We are also increasing protections for newly built social homes by raising the cost floor period, during which discounts can be reduced, from 15 to 30 years. I hope that will make a big difference.