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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to UNISON’s report entitled a decent place to live: Homes Fit for Key Workers, published in July 2021, what recent assessment he has made of the findings of that report.

In terms of housing and social housing, the Government has a clear set of policies:

• Build more social and affordable homes, including a further £11.5 billion of taxpayer funded grant to support that endeavour in the coming years. We are also using the programme to fund a First Homes pilot to help key workers and local first-time buyers on the property ladder. It will offer homes at a discount of at least 30% compared to market price.
• Support the delivery of the new model for Shared Ownership and extend it as widely as possible through the Affordable Homes Programme.
• Maintain the Right to Buy scheme for social housing tenants, which has helped over 2 million to become homeowners since 1980. We believe that anybody who works hard across the country and aspires to own their own home should have the opportunity to realise that dream.