Tory Minister Feared Risks From Right-To-Buy Homes Sell-Off Plan

The Observer can reveal that former housing minister Kris Hopkins wrote a letter in late 2013 in which he made it clear that the idea of forcing housing associations to sell off housing was fraught with risk.  In the letter, Hopkins said: “Unlike local authorities, housing associations are independent, not-for-profit voluntary bodies and if they are obliged to consistently sell off their stock at less than market value they might find it difficult to borrow which could impact adversely on their repair and maintenance programmes and affect the future provision of affordable housing. The government does not consider that it would be reasonable to require housing associations to sell these properties at a discount. Any increase to the discount available under the Right to Acquire would only be possible through upfront central government subsidy, potentially incurring a high liability for the public purse.” Read more on the Observer website.

Next Government Must Tackle Root Causes of Homelessness

The Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness has released its new report Addressing complex needs, setting out the issues around complex needs homelessness and exploring what more can be done to improve outcomes in the future. In an accompanying ministerial statement, Kris Hopkins MP, who chairs the Group, wrote of its work "prioritising concerted cross government action to tackle homelessness, bringing together departments across Whitehall." Responding, Howard Sinclair, St Mungo's Broadway Chief Executive, said: "Crucially, the Ministerial Working Group has recognised that homelessness isn't just about housing and we welcome support to tackle rough sleeping and improve the health and skills of homeless people.” Read more on the St Mungo’s website.

Housing: Construction – Parliamentary Written Answer

Mr Alan Campbell:  To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the net effect of New Homes Bonus allocations on council budgets in the 50 (a) most and (b) least deprived council areas.

Kris Hopkins: Figures for the aggregate funding given to each local authority can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/increasing-the-number-of-available-homes/supporting-pages/new-homes-bonus

We will be publishing a formal evaluation report on the New Homes Bonus in due course. [Edit]

Wikipedia Bedroom Tax Entry Is Edited Using Computer in GOVERNMENT Department

A Whitehall computer was used to censor a Tory Minister’s Wikipedia page to edit out all reference to “victims” of the Bedroom Tax. The entry for former Housing Minister Kris Hopkins includes a section which referred to the “disabled victims” of the hated Coalition policy. But it has been edited to read “disabled people who would pay” the levy. Online records show the IP address responsible for the change matches one used to hide the IT networks of Government departments. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.

Reshuffle Prompts Fear Homelessness Will Be Sidelined In Election

The removal of homelessness from the housing minister’s portfolio has prompted concerns that the government is intending to ‘sideline’ the issue in the run-up to next year’s general election.  Last week, the government announced that new housing minister Brandon Lewis will not be responsible for tackling homelessness. The brief instead remains with former housing minister - and now more junior local government minister - Kris Hopkins, as a reflection of the ‘importance of the issue’, the CLG said. However, Howard Sinclair, chief executive of St Mungo’s Broadway, said: ‘The risk is that [homelessness] is sidelined at a time when housing is just beginning to get some influence and notice nationally, and that housing issues are sidelined.’ Read more on Inside Housing.

Ditched Housing Minister to Carry On Homelessness 'Work'

Freshly axed housing minister Kris Hopkins has been asked to carry on his 'work' on homelessness. By specifically requesting that Hopkins dedicates himself to the task at hand, communities secretary Eric Pickles reckons he has reflected the 'importance of the issue'. The government says that since 2010 it has maintained over £500 million in funding to help those facing the threat of losing their home or sleeping rough. Read more on the Homeless Link website.

Hopkins 'Grateful To Prime Minister' After Losing Housing Job

Kris Hopkins says he is "honoured that the prime minister has shown continued faith in him" after being removed as housing minister less than a year into the role. Hopkins was moved sideways within CLG from housing to local government in David Cameron's reshuffle to make way for newly promoted Brandon Lewis, in what appears to be a more senior housing brief that also includes planning. In his role as Minister for Local Government, the former Bradford Council leader will also have responsibility for adult social care, community pubs, and planning policy relating to wind farms and solar energy. Read more on 24dash.

A Quick Guide to New Housing and Planning Minister Brandon Lewis

·         He's the fourth housing minister in three years - Into the revolving door of Tory housing ministers, he follows in the footsteps of Kris Hopkins (10 months), Mark Prisk (one year, one month) and Grant Shapps (two years, four months).

·         He holds both housing and planning portfolios - For the first time in five years, and the first time within the coalition, the housing and planning portfolios will be held by a single minister of state. Previously these closely linked areas were split between two different ministers, now they both fall under the responsibility of one fully fledged minister of state. With planning difficulties frequently blamed for slow housebuilding rates, people within the housing sector will hope that having a single person in charge will lead to better policy and an increase in development.

Read more on the Guardian website.

Hopkins Moved To Cover Local Government Brief

Kris Hopkins has been moved off the housing brief after just nine months as part of the reshuffle in what has been branded a ‘ministerial merry-go-round’, the CLG has confirmed. Mr Hopkins, MP for Keighley, was promoted to housing minister in the last reshuffle in October, replacing Mark Prisk. A spokesperson for the CLG said that Mr Hopkins will cover local government. The CLG confirmed that Brandon Lewis has been promoted to cover the housing and planning brief, uniting the two roles. Read more on Inside Housing.

Housing Revenue Accounts – Parliamentary Written Answer

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to assist local authorities in acquiring necessary skills, partnerships and capacity to utilise the increased borrowing allowed against the Housing Revenue Account (HRA). 

Kris Hopkins: This Government has made available £300 million of extra HRA borrowing to help stock-holding local authorities build new affordable homes. The first allocations of £60 million across 15 local authorities was announced on 7 July alongside a second round of bidding to ensure councils make full use of this opportunity. Each scheme was assessed individually against a range of criteria including value for money and deliverability as well as the track record of the local authority to ensure they had the technical capacity to deliver the schemes or with a partner organisation. We have also encouraged councils to work closely with their local enterprise partnership in support of local growth strategies, to increase the supply of housing locally. (Extract)

£100 Million Fund Will Put Power in the Hands of Tenants

Council tenants wanting more influence and control over their homes will have access to a share of £100 million to do just that, Housing Minister Kris Hopkins has announced. Mr Hopkins said the fund will help unlock further investment in maintaining and building social homes across the country. Since November 2013, tenants living in council housing have had a right to request that the management of their homes be transferred to a housing association - and that the council cooperate in that process.  Tenant groups wanting to exercise this Right to Transfer will now be able to bid for a share of this £100 million fund to help that process, with the money becoming available from next year. The £100 million fund is also available for councils wishing to transfer their stock, with proposals that provide good value for money and have the support of residents. Read more on the GovUK website.

Hopkins to Make Councils Reveal Value of Their Housing Stock

Local authorities are to be forced to reveal the value of their council housing stock under plans announced today by Housing Minister Kris Hopkins. Members of the public will be able to see the value of the housing assets councils hold for the first time in a bid to encourage greater transparency, as part of plans put out for consultation by the CLG. The new rules would require councils to publish the most recent and subsequent valuations of their social housing stock every year. The consultation also calls for evidence on what local authorities are already doing to use their public assets to deliver more homes.  Read more on 24dash.

Support to Resolve Social Tenants' Complaints

Tenants have a right to know how to complain if they get a poor service from their social landlord, Housing Minister Kris Hopkins said today (7 July 2014). While the vast majority of social tenants are happy with the service they receive and the relationship they have with their landlords, Mr Hopkins made clear that there must be no delay in resolving issues where they arise and that tenants need clear and simple advice about how to make a complaint. Mr Hopkins wants tenants up and down the country to get the service they deserve – but also to know where they can turn if they get a raw deal. The complaints process for social tenants is now published on the government’s website, while the Homes and Communities Agency has clarified its role as the industry’s regulator. Read more on the CLG website.

Local Growth Fund: Housing Revenue Account Borrowing

 Kris Hopkins writes to local authority leaders about additional housing revenue account borrowing (Extract follows).

“The Government has announced today (7 July) an increase of £60 million in additional Housing Revenue Account borrowing across fifteen local authorities to help increase the numbers of affordable new homes in England, and I am also announcing that we will be holding a second bidding round for new schemes in 2016/17 to the programme”

Download the full letter from the GovUK website.

Helping Councils to Build More Homes

Answering the inevitable question at the CIH Conference in Manchester, Kris Hopkins gave the inevitable answer: the Government is not minded to lift council HRA debt caps any time soon. But he threw down a challenge: if councils can spend the extra £300 million borrowing approved in the last Autumn Statement in full and on time, he said, we can go back to the Chancellor with a much stronger case for more. The credibility of local government's call for freedom to borrow more depends on its ability to show that it has the will and the capacity to use the money effectively to deliver the extra new homes that are needed. Read more on the ARCH website.

Freud Quizzed Over Bedroom Tax Report

A delayed interim review of the bedroom tax will be published by the summer recess, Lord Freud has said. Baroness Quin quizzed the welfare minister in the House of Lords as in October last year he had said the report would be published by spring. Lord Freud didn’t respond twice when challenged about why it was delayed, also by Lord Richard, however a spokesperson for the DWP said that the timeline for the report to be published had always been ‘in due course’. Kris Hopkins, housing minister, also said last November in a bedroom tax debate in Westminster Hall that the report would be published in April.  Read more on Inside Housing.

Right to Buy Scheme – Parliamentary Written Answer

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what steps his Department is taking to monitor the effect of the Preserved Right to Buy on the number of affordable homes;  

(2) how many homes have been sold to date through the Preserved Right to Buy; what steps his Department takes to ensure such homes can be replaced; and how many homes sold under Preserved Right to Buy have been replaced to date.  

Kris Hopkins:In the first year of the reinvigorated scheme (2012-13), there were 2,458 preserved right to buy sales.  As housing associations are independent organisations, and stock transfer agreements are private commercial contracts, we do not mandate what they do with receipts they receive from preserved right to buy sales. It is the Department’s expectation that these receipts should be used to help fund new homes for affordable rent, and we would encourage housing associations to work in partnership with local authorities, and use other sources of cross-subsidy, to help achieve this.

PAC Report on Help to Buy: Equity Loan - Government Response

Housing Minister Kris Hopkins responds to the Public Accounts Committee report on the Help to Buy: equity loan scheme. He said:

The Help to Buy: equity loan scheme is helping build more homes and support the economy - in fact we estimate the wider economic benefits of the scheme could be as much as £1.9 billion. So it is offering excellent value for money for taxpayers’, and to suggest otherwise is simply absurd.

Since the scheme’s launch, housebuilding is up a third and now at its highest level since 2007. Over 27,000 people across the country have used Help to Buy to get on the property ladder with a fraction of the deposit they would normally require, with cities including Leeds, Durham and Manchester seeing some of the biggest numbers of sales.

Read more on the GovUK website.

Minister Hails Affordable Housing Success Story

Nearly 200,000 new affordable homes have been delivered since April 2010, new figures show. Housing Minister Kris Hopkins welcomed the news as “a real success story”. The figures show there were 41,654 affordable homes started in the year to March 2014 – 15% higher than the previous year. In addition 125,000 of the 170,000 homes planned through the Affordable Homes programme, in which the government is investing £19.5 billion public and private funding, have now been delivered. It means that since April 2010, 197,792 new affordable homes have been delivered. Overall, the government has delivered 445,000 new homes since April 2010. In contrast, between 1997 and 2010 the number of social housing homes dropped by 420,000. Read more on the GovUK website.

How to Rent: Tenants Helped To Know Their Rights with New Checklist

The heat is on for the small minority of rogue landlords as Housing Minister Kris Hopkins launched a new on-the-move guide to give private rented sector tenants the need to know rental rights at their fingertips. Mr Hopkins said that encouraging a new generation of well-informed tenants with easy access to useful and understandable information would help root out the small minority of rogues and raise the game of any landlords who don’t know what is expected of them. The launch comes as the government confirmed plans to require all letting agents to publish a full tariff of their fees - both on their websites and prominently in their offices. Anyone who does not comply with these new rules will face a fine – a much stricter penalty than currently exists. Read more on the GovUK website.