Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the balance between supply and demand of student accommodation in university towns.

My Department has not made a specific assessment of the balance between the supply and demand of student accommodation in all university towns.

MHCLG and the Department for Education regularly engage with a range of stakeholders in the student accommodation market and will continue to do so.

The government recognise the concerns of some students about the availability and cost of accommodation in university towns across the country. We expect higher education providers to work collaboratively with local authorities to ensure there is adequate accommodation for their students, and we expect universities and private landlords to review their accommodation policies to ensure they are affordable, fair, clear, and promote the interests of students.