Government Accused of Lifetime Tenancy U-Turn

The shadow housing minister has accused the government of a breaking a promise to protect the rights of existing tenants. Alison Seabeck said ministers have gone back on a commitment not to scrap lifetime tenancies for tenants who are already in social housing. Under proposals in the Localism Bill, which is currently going through parliament, social landlords would be able to set fixed-term tenancies for new tenants. Housing minister Grant Shapps has insisted these reforms will not affect existing tenants under any circumstances. But during discussions on the Localism Bill, communities minister Andrew Stunell suggested discretion on retaining security of tenure when existing tenants move home ‘should be available to landlords’. Read more on Inside Housing.