Housing Secretary Publishes Written Statement On Section 21

The Housing Secretary James Brokenshire has released a written statement on plans announced last week by the Government, to consult on banning Section 21. In the statement, Brokenshire says that the forthcoming Government consultation is “the start of a longer process to introduce these reforms”. He added: “We want to build a consensus on a package of reforms to improve security for tenants while providing landlords with the confidence that they have the tools they need.” Brokenshire goes on to explain the reasons behind the Government’s decision to consult on plans to abolish Section 21. Read the full statement on the Parliament website.

https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-04-23/HCWS1514

Welfare Reform - Written Ministerial Statement

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr Iain Duncan Smith MP):

Today I can confirm plans for the next stage of implementing Universal Credit to all remaining Jobcentres and Local Authorities as we progress national expansion through 2015/16 and secure delivery of Universal Credit across Great Britain. Universal Credit claims are now taken in over 50 Jobcentres and will be available in nearly 100 Jobcentres by Christmas – more than 1 in 8 across Great Britain. We have increased the groups who can claim Universal Credit to include couples and,from this autumn, we will extend this further to include families in the North West. Now national expansion will progress from February 2015 to all remaining Jobcentres and Local Authorities for new single claimants previously eligible for Jobseekers Allowance, including those with existing Housing Benefit and Tax Credit claims. Read more on the Parliament website.

Written Ministerial Statements - Empty Homes

On 10 May, the Minister for Housing, Mr Mark Prisk, gave a written update to the House of Commons on progress the Government has made in getting empty homes back into use.  Read the full statement on the Hansard website.

New Measures to Breathe Life into Empty Buildings

Eric Pickles has announced measures to ensure the very best use is made of empty and underused buildings, to provide much needed homes and businesses.  The changes will bring buildings back to life by reducing costs, cutting bureaucracy and making it easier to change them to other uses. New permitted development rights will enable offices to be converted to homes. This is an opportunity for office owners and developers to bring outdated and underused buildings back to life and create much needed new housing. Read the full ministerial statement on the CLG website.