Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps his Department has taken to tackle (a) insecure tenancies and (b) overcrowding in social housing; and what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the covid-19 outbreak on equity of access to affordable housing in England.

The Government will improve security of tenure for renters with Assured Shorthold Tenancies by removing Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988, putting an end to evictions where the landlord does not have to provide a reason. At the same time, we will ensure landlords have the tools they need to gain possession of their property when they have a valid reason to do so. We have rightly been focused on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic but will publish a White Paper detailing these reforms.

This Government is committed to reducing overcrowding, by increasing the supply of affordable housing and enabling councils and other social landlords to make better use of their existing stock. As such we are investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over 5 years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This includes the new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, which will provide up to 180,000 new homes across the country, should economic conditions allow.

The Localism Act 2011 has also maintained the statutory 'reasonable preference' requirements which ensure that social housing is prioritised for those who need it most, including people who are in overcrowded housing. Building on this, statutory guidance recommends local authorities consider giving 'additional preference' (high priority') to families in severe overcrowding which poses a serious health hazard.

The development of policy changes and local differences across England in terms of housing pressures has meant that the national picture of allocations is a complex one. We need to better understand how the system is playing out in local areas in order to understand if it is striking the right balance between fairness, support and aspiration.

MHCLG continues to monitor the effect of lockdown on households including with regards to savings, arrears, wellbeing, and housing costs.​ In addition throughout the entire pandemic the Household Resilience Survey has also been monitoring changes in employment and income as a result of COVID-19, as well households who are in rent or mortgage arrears.