Social Rented Housing: Veterans – Parliamentary Written Answer

Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to bring forward proposals to ensure local authorities prioritise the needs of armed forces veterans with regard to social housing.

Grant Shapps: We have finished consulting on plans to change the law, by regulation, so that former service personnel with urgent housing needs are always given high priority on waiting lists, and that personnel who move from base to base do not lose their qualification rights. We have also consulted on new draft statutory social allocations guidance for local councils, setting out how their allocation schemes can give priority to current or ex-service personnel, including through the use of local preference criteria and local lettings policies.  The responses to consultation were positive; we aim to issue the final guidance shortly and will lay the regulations as soon as possible thereafter.