Oral Answers to Questions

Mary Kelly Foy Excerpts

Monday 12th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Yuan Yang (Earley and Woodley) (Lab)]

7. What steps he plans to take to reform the property management system.

[Mary Kelly Foy (City of Durham) (Lab)]

10. What steps he plans to take to reform the leasehold system.

[Dame Caroline Dinenage (Gosport) (Con)]

18. What steps he is taking to strengthen the rights of leaseholders.

--- Later in debate ---

[Matthew Pennycook]

The Government are determined to reduce the prevalence of private estate management arrangements and to provide those who currently live on freehold estates with greater rights and protections. To that end, we launched two comprehensive consultations before Christmas; I am very glad to hear that my hon. Friend has engaged with those consultations, and I encourage all hon. Members from across the House to do the same. I am more than happy to meet a group of Labour colleagues to discuss the consultations and our proposals in more detail.

[Mary Kelly Foy]

Residents of the Aykley Woods development in my constituency have recently been informed that collectively, they will be charged £15,000 this year for the management company to run their estate of just over 270 homes, on top of a scandalous £31,000 just to cover the running costs of the management company itself. This is happening to millions of homeowners up and down the country, so does the Minister agree that it is long past time that we end the scandal of freeholders being locked into agreements with management companies and make local authority adoption the default for new builds?

[Matthew Pennycook]

The case that my hon. Friend draws the House’s attention to highlights the unfair charges that so many residential freeholders are subject to. As well as acting to reduce the prevalence of privately managed estates, which are the root cause of the problems experienced by residential freeholders, we are committed to implementing new consumer protections for homeowners on freehold estates. The consultation launched before Christmas seeks views on how, not whether, we implement the relevant provisions in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. I know that my hon. Friend will ensure that her constituents are supported in sharing their views on the subject as part of that exercise.

--- Later in debate ---

[Steve Reed]

I am sure that the right hon. Gentleman knows that the measures put in place during the pandemic were always intended to come to an end; his Government were going to do the same thing. The Chancellor is looking at the impact of revaluation. She is fully aware of the concerns raised by publicans in Streatham and across the country, and is reviewing the situation, and we expect an announcement in due course.

[Mary Kelly Foy (City of Durham) (Lab)]

T3. Major planning applications in Durham, such as those for the Milburngate site and Stack in the city centre, have been stalled for years. This has not only left two white elephants in the city centre, but had a significant impact on jobs, the economy and key venues that have been left undeveloped. What steps is the Minister taking to ensure that major developments in the City of Durham and across the country are not subject to long delays?