Renters Rights Bill: Bishop of Manchester tables amendments on temporary accommodation and notice for property inspections

On 14th May 2025, the Bishop of Manchester tabled two amendments to the Renters Rights Bill in committee:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: 249: Clause 101, page 129, line 2, leave out from “(homelessness)” to end of line 4

Member’s explanatory statement:

This amendment would make the Decent homes standard apply to all homeless temporary accommodation provided under the Housing Act 1996.

I thought that my amendment was never going to come. Amendment 249 stands in my name, and I am glad to support Amendment 252, to which I have added my name, and Amendments 250 and 251 in this group. I declare my interest as co-owner, with my wife, of one rather modest apartment in the West Midlands, which we let out.

As someone who has chaired a wide range of housing associations, including a large local authority transfer and an arm’s-length management company, I have seen the huge positive impact that the decent homes standard has had since one was first applied to social housing. Not least, it has forced landlords to pay proper attention to their existing stock, rather than focusing all their energies and resources on new developments. Hence, I am delighted that this Bill will, for the first time, extend the standard to much of the private rented stock; it is a sector desperately plagued by underinvestment in repairs, maintenance and stock improvement. One in five privately rented homes does not currently meet the decent homes standard compared to 10% for social housing. More than one in 10 has a category 1 hazard, which is two and a half times the figure for social housing.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about debt advisory services

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 14th May 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government,

  • following the publication of polling data on 11 April by Christians Against Poverty, Employment and financial difficulty, what assessment they have made of the levels of problem debt among full-time workers, and what measures they are taking to support full-time workers who are in financial difficulty
  • following the publication of polling data on 11 April by Christians Against Poverty, In-person debt advice, what plans they have to address the scale of problem debt.
  • following the publication of polling data on 11 April by Christians Against Poverty, In-person debt advice, what steps they are taking to expand access to and fund free debt advice services authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.
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Bishop of St Albans asks about tackling rural homelessness

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 14th May 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to tackle rural homelessness.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about women’s health data and microplastics research

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 14th May 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to address (1) the under-representation of women in health data, and (2) the lack of female-only UK clinical trials.

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Employment Rights Bill: Bishop of Newcastle supports amendments on kinship care

The Bishop of Newcastle spoke in support of amendments to Employment Rights Bill tabled by Lord Palmer of Childs Hill on 13th May 2025, focusing on employment leave for foster and kinship carers:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Palmer of Childs Hill, for tabling Amendments 78 and 79, to which I have added my name in support. My comments will be brief. I add my voice to those of other noble Lords in the Chamber in appreciation of the debates that we have heard today on the detail of the Bill, which in many ways indicate the interrelatedness of the issues before us, and about what it is to live well together to enable the flourishing of every person throughout their whole lives.

I am very grateful to the Minister for her engagement with me over several months on the matter of kinship care, and I acknowledge the Government’s evolving view on how best to ensure consistent and sustainable support for kinship carers. I appreciate that the Minister is open to further conversations, and I look forward to them.

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Bishop of Manchester asks about ethical trade considerations in UK-India partnership

On 13th May 2025, the Bishop of Manchester asked a question on ethical trade considerations following a government statement on trade negotiations between the UK and India:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I too welcome both trade agreements in recent weeks and congratulate His Majesty’s Government on achieving them. I know that in my diocese in Manchester, the large Indian diaspora community will be working hard to help British exports where they have improved opportunities.

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Bishop of St Albans advocates for needs of rural communities in development planning for high streets and town centres

The Bishop of St Albans spoke in a debate on a report from the Built Environment Committee: High Streets: Life Beyond Retail? in grand committee on 13th May 2025, highlighting the needs of rural communities, the importance of an imaginative approach to developing town centres, and the benefits of finding everyday use for buildings:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Gascoigne, for securing this debate, for taking over as chair of the Built Environment Committee and for his excellent opening speech. I declare my interest as a vice-president of the LGA.

I saw the impact of a can-do council appointing a town centre development officer when I became archdeacon of Stoke some 30 years ago. He would not take no for an answer. When you saw him coming, you got out your tin hat and tried to hide, because he was absolutely determined to develop what became the cultural centre of Hanley. It was an extraordinary transformation. I left some 25 years ago, and I am sure that they need to continue to develop for whatever is required now, but I saw just what the impact of that kind of appointment could be. It was an impressive piece of work.

This report is timely and educational. It is so easy when talking about the decline of the high street to hark back to some golden past, because that is probably what we all remember from years ago. But we must not expect a prosperous high street in 20 years’ time to look the same as it did 20 years ago, and we must not try to revive some version of the high street as we used to know it. The day of the retail-dominated high street, as this report demonstrates, is at least partially over, with reportedly more than 13,000 high street stores having closed in 2024. We need to be creative, innovative and imaginative in our approach to the high streets of the future, as we pivot towards a greater mix of leisure activities, restaurants and public services in our high street offer.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about training and development for prison staff

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question improving training and development for prison staff on 13th May 2025, following a government statement on an assault against a prison guard at HMP Belmarsh:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: Prison staff work with a wide range of prisoners, from those who are the most violent to the many who are in prison for repeated low-level offending—many of whom have mental health issues and drug addictions—yet the training for prison staff is woefully short: a matter of weeks. I think that people would be shocked to hear how short that is. What is being done to expand that training and development so that staff not only feel valued but are equipped to deal with such a wide range of situations?

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about support for community justice initiatives

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on support for community justice initiatives on 13th May 2025, during a discussion on improving the morale, recruitment and retention of police, prison, and probation officers:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, last week I observed the intensive supervision court in Birmingham, where women serving community orders for low-level offences are closely monitored by judges. Probation staff play a pivotal role. It is clear that the work is high and intense. What steps are the Government taking to urgently ensure that problem-solving courts have the best chance of succeeding—and, indeed, other creative community proposals that we hope will come out of the Independent Sentencing Review?

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Council of Nicaea

On 13th May 2025, Marsha De Cordova MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Christianity: Anniversaries

Mark Pritchard MP (Con, The Wrekin): To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England plans to take to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

Marsha De Cordova MP (Lab, Battersea): In a paper for the February 2025 sitting of the General Synod of the Church of England, the Liturgical Commission wrote:

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