Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Government Ministers Called To Give Evidence

Government ministers have been called to give evidence to the Grenfell Tower public inquiry in a move that means senior politicians could be cross-examined about their actions in the run-up to the disaster and its aftermath. Key figures have already been asked to provide written statements and some will face detailed questioning in public. The inquiry has not yet decided which politicians will be asked to give evidence in person. Theresa May was prime minister at the time of the fire that killed 72 people. Others who may be called include the former housing minister Gavin Barwell and the former communities secretary Eric Pickles, both now Conservative peers. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/dec/29/grenfell-tower-inquiry-government-ministers-called-to-give-evidence

Barwell: Government Thinking On Homeownership ‘Completely Dysfunctional’

Former housing minister Gavin Barwell says government thinking on homeownership or housing became “completely dysfunctional”. “I felt that housing policy had got into this weird position where it was a choice between whether you were either pro private housebuilders or you were pro affordable housing,” Barwell said. In an interview with the Institute for Government, Barwell also reiterated his expectation of appearing as a witness at the Grenfell inquiry and concedes to a “collective failure” in Theresa May not visiting the scene on the first day. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/barwell-government-thinking-on-homeownership-completely-dysfunctional/

‘Grenfell’ Housing Minister Joins Clarion Board

Former housing minister Gavin Barwell – whose ducking of questions outside 10 Downing Street was a defining image of Grenfell’s aftermath – has joined the Clarion Group board as a non-executive director. Barwell said: “I have long been a champion of the role played by housing associations in tackling the housing crisis.” Barwell, given a peerage in September, was warned in the Commons he could “potentially be in the dock for corporate manslaughter”, with his inaction in office making the government culpable over the Grenfell disaster. David Avery, chair of the Clarion Housing Group board, said he was “delighted” at Barwell joining the board and a “strong team” of non-executive directors. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/grenfell-housing-minister-joins-clarion-board/

Grenfell Housing Ministers Get Honours

Two former housing ministers tainted by Grenfell have been honoured by former Prime Minister Theresa May. Gavin Barwell gets a Peerage and Brandon Lewis a CBE. Both Barwell – whose ducking of questions outside 10 Downing street was a defining image of Grenfell’s aftermath – and Lewis were warned in the Commons they could “potentially be in the dock for corporate manslaughter”, with their inaction making the government culpable in the disaster. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/grenfell-housing-ministers-get-honours/

Government Breaks Promise On Right To Buy Replacements

The government has said 15,981 homes had been acquired or started as replacements for those sold under the Right to Buy since 2012. This contrasts with a figure of 17,072 required to meet the promise to replace all ‘additional’ homes sold within three years. In total within this period, councils have sold 63,518 homes. Last year, former housing minister Gavin Barwell said Right to Buy was “only politically justifiable” if the government was meeting its housing pledge. Read more on Inside  Housing.

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:VBFk8GbcUHoJ:https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/government-breaks-promise-on-right-to-buy-replacements-55559+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&safe=vss

BPF Launches Three-Year Pledge For Build To Rent

The British Property Federation (BPF) has given its three-year pledge on behalf of the Build to Rent sector – with 20 of the sector’s most active investors and developers as signatories. In the Housing White Paper, Gavin Barwell asked the sector to offer family-friendly tenancies, such as for three years, for those who want longer-term stability when renting. The BPF and a cohort of the Build to Rent key players have responded and published a pledge to demonstrate the sector’s commitment to providing three-year tenancies and working with government to ensure the sector can play its part in rolling back 20 years’ of housing undersupply. Read more on the BPF website.

Industry Pours Scorn And Derision On Fees Ban Consultation

The government’s consultation on its proposed ban for fees levied on tenants by agents has been greeted with derision and contempt by a string of industry bodies. Isobel Thomson, chief executive of the National Approved Letting Scheme, described the proposed ban as “a misguided attempt to help tenants which will only serve to hit the most vulnerable and make their access to the private rented sector even less attainable.” Meanwhile the Residential Landlords Association issued a statement claiming that the last four housing ministers - including the current one, Gavin Barwell - had publicly opposed a fees ban. Read more n Letting Agent Today.

Tax Rises And Tougher Regulation Kick In For Private Rented Sector

New conditions to crackdown on rogue landlords come in alongside tax rises critics claim will increase rents and stifle investment in the private rental sector. Housing minister Gavin Barwell says the new regulatory powers will give councils an edge over landlords flouting the law. Councils can now impose fines of up to £30,000 as an alternative to prosecution for a range of housing offences and retain all of the income to make sure it is used for private sector housing enforcement purposes. Rent Repayment Orders, which can be issued to penalise landlords managing or letting unlicensed properties, have also been extended. Read more on 24housing.

Government Launches Brownfield Registers

Housing and planning minister Gavin Barwell has announced that local authorities across England will now have to produce and maintain up-to-date registers listing all brownfield sites available for housing. The registers will be available to the public and the aim of them is to help house builders identify suitable brownfield sites for development. They will allow local communities to highlight local derelict or underused building sites that are primed for development. These new registers will give local authorities and developers the tools to do this. Brownfield registers were first piloted in 2016, when 73 local planning authorities across the country pioneered the measures. Read more on the Planner website.

Starter Home Initiative – Parliamentary Written Answer

John Healey:  To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department has made on rolling out the Starter Homes Land Fund.

Gavin Barwell: The Housing White Paper confirmed that the £1.2 billion Starter Homes Land Fund will be invested to support the preparations of brownfield sites for starter homes and other affordable home ownership tenures. 30 partnerships with local authorities were announced in January 2017 to identify and bring forward land opportunities. As of the end of February 2017, the Homes and Communities Agency had invested £61 million in 27 sites across the country, which have the capacity to deliver over 1,600 starter homes and other affordable home ownership units, and it is now undertaking detailed due diligence on further sites.

Right To Buy Extension Pilot Could Damage Supply In West Midlands

A West Midlands pilot of the Right to Buy for housing associations could add to stock pressures in the region, a new report warns. The report, which was authored by independent think tanks Futures Network West Midlands and the Human City Institute, argues that associations offering tenants the right to purchase their homes at a discount could lead to dwindling numbers of high quality social housing stock. Housing minister Gavin Barwell has said the West Midlands is a “strong contender” for a regional voluntary Right to Buy pilot for associations. Read more on Inside Housing.

Private Rented Housing – Parliamentary Written Answer

Richard Burden:  To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to improve awareness for tenants in the private rental sector of their rights and responsibilities as tenants.

Gavin Barwell: The Government has published ‘How to Rent: the checklist for renting in England’ to help tenants to understand their rights and responsibilities when renting a property in the private rented sector. This can be accessed online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-rent. The guide provides detailed information on each stage of the renting process, including how to get help if things go wrong.

Landlord and Tenant: Housing Benefit – Parliamentary Written Answer

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his most recent assessment is of the extent to which private landlords are unwilling to let to tenants on housing benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Gavin Barwell: The English Housing Survey Headline Report 2015-16 (published March 2017) shows that 24 per cent of households privately renting are in receipt of housing benefit. This suggests that recipients of housing benefit are able to access the sector.

Councils Forced To Pay £800m In RTB Cash Back To Treasury

Councils have paid over £800m in cash from right-to-buy sales back to the Treasury over the past five years. The sum arises out of a response from Housing Minister Gavin Barwell to a written question from Shadow Housing Secretary, John Healey. Barwell said the practice of seizing the local authority funds was “part of addressing the deficit in the nation’s finances.” However, Labour has called the revelations “shameful” and produced analysis showing that money could have been used to build 12,586 additional council properties – almost double the number actually built over the last five years. Healey is now urging the Chancellor to use the Budget to build more council homes. Read more on 24housing.

Barwell: Right To Buy 'Only Justifiable' If Replacements Built

The housing minister has pledged to look again at Right to Buy rules after he said the policy is “only politically justifiable” if the government is delivering replacement homes. Gavin Barwell revealed he will reassess the rules on the use of Right to Buy receipts because future government projections suggest they will not be able to replace the homes sold. He said: “I do want to look at the rules in relation to Right to Buy receipts… because my own view is that Right to Buy is a good thing but it’s only politically justifiable if I deliver a replacement.” Read more on Inside Housing.

Barwell Hints At RTB Deal For Councils

Gavin Barwell has revealed a consultation will shortly set out options for local authorities which must sell high value council house sales in order to fund the Right to Buy policy for social housing tenants. Barwell said sales will not be required in 2017-18 and a consultation is about to be published for local authorities. He committed the department to not putting councils in “an impossible financial position” but said it was a manifesto pledge. He did admit councils “won’t like it” when they see the consultation but it was better than it could have been. Read more on 24housing.

Housing: Construction – Parliamentary Written Answer

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will provide transitional loss protection for local authorities affected by the new taper on New Homes Bonus.

What assessment has he made of the potential effect of the new taper on New Homes Bonus on local authorities who approve and build a high volume of houses.

Gavin Barwell: The changes to the scheme are being made to increase the focus of the Bonus on delivery of new homes, to reward those authorities who are really committed to growth whilst also freeing up resources to be recycled within the local government settlement to support authorities with particular pressures, such as adult social care. Those areas who deliver the most housing growth will continue to benefit most from the Bonus under the new scheme. The payments for the Bonus in 2017/18 are £1.2 billion and will still be worth £900 million in 2018/19.

Affordable Rent Measures Promised In Housing White Paper

The government is promising a new emphasis on people who rent their homes when it unveils its housing strategy for England. Housing Minister Gavin Barwell said there would be minimum tenancies and more homes built for rent in a "change of tone" from previous Tory policy. He said the government had not given up making home ownership available to all. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the rental market was "incapable of giving people the security they need". Read more on the BBC website.

Barwell: Government Will Stamp Out 'Abuse' Of Leaseholder System

The government is “determined to stamp out” the “unfair, unjust and unacceptable abuse” of the leaseholder system, according to Gavin Barwell. The housing minister attacked the practice of certain developers building leasehold homes solely as a form of “investment vehicle for financial institutions”. Speaking at the Lease Annual Conference, Mr Barwell said reform of the leaseholder system would be included in the long-awaited Housing White Paper. He cited cases where people buy a leasehold only to find the cost of purchasing the freehold is “too prohibitive”. Read more on Inside Housing.

Affordable Housing: Finance – Parliamentary Written Answer

John Healey:  To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding has been earmarked for the (a) Affordable Homes Programme 2015-2018 and (b) Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21, broken down by budget heading.

Gavin Barwell: The 2015-18 Affordable Homes Programme, announced in September 2014 under the Coalition Government, included £2.9 billion grant funding and £400 million loan funding. At the Spending Review 2015, Government announced the new Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21, with £5.7 billion budget including £1 billion for existing commitments from the Affordable Homes Programme 2015-18, in addition to the funding already allocated. At Autumn Statement 2016, the Government announced an additional £1.4 billion investment to the Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21, increasing the overall budget to £7.1 billion.