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 increase the building of new council homes.

The Prime Minister announced on 3 October at the Conservative Party Conference that the caps on local authorities borrowing to fund the construction of new homes will be removed, enabling them to fund a new generation of council housing that meets the needs of local people. On 18 October we wrote to stock owning local authorities consulting them on a draft determination revoking previous determinations that specified a local authority's limits of indebtedness.

In addition, local authorities can bid alongside housing associations for the £9 billion Affordable Homes Programme to build affordable homes. We are also providing a longer term rent deal for 5 years from 2020 to provide local authorities with a stable investment to deliver new homes, and we have consulted on options for allowing local authorities more flexibility in the use of their Right to Buy receipts, including extending the time limit for spending Right to Buy receipts from three years to five years for existing receipts.