affordable housing – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of Lincoln asks about need for affordable housing to combat child poverty

The Bishop of Lincoln received the following written answer on 1st September 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Lincoln asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the report by the Children’s Commissioner, Growing up in a low-income family: Children’s experiences, published on 8 July; and (2) the recommendation that children in low-income households be prioritised for access to new homes under the Affordable Homes Programme.

Planning and Infrastructure Bill: Bishop of Manchester supports legislation and raises need for equality in housing access

The Bishop of Manchester spoke at the second reading of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on 25th June 2025, welcoming the legislation and the expansion of social housing in the UK, and raising the needs of rural and minority communities in relation to housing and land development:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, it is always a great privilege to follow the noble Lord, Lord Best, whose wisdom on housing is quite unparalleled. I draw attention to my own interests in social housing, as set out in the register, and to the fact that a number of provisions in the Bill might impact on the interests of the Church Commissioners for England, who pay my stipend and own the house I live in.

I welcome the Bill. We desperately need a rapid expansion in the building of social homes, ideally at social rents. Enactment of the measures here included can be part of the architecture—please excuse the pun—we need if we are going to underpin the ambition for a mixed economy for housing, one which will live up to the Archbishops’ Commission on Housing’s values of homes that are safe and sustainable.

Bishop of St Albans asks about redefining affordable housing to match local incomes

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 21st May 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government whether they plan to redefine affordable housing according to local incomes instead of market rates.

Bishop of St Albans speaks in debate on housing, highlighting the needs of rural communities

On 5th December 2024, the Bishop of St Albans also spoke in a debate on housing, emphasising the effects of the housing crisis on rural areas:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I too thank the noble Baroness, Lady Warwick of Undercliffe, for securing this important debate. I declare my interests as president of the Rural Coalition and vice-president of the LGA. I offer my thanks to the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury for his valedictory speech. During his tenure, he has been a champion of housing, and we have already referred to the Coming Home report, which is pertinent both to today’s debate and to His Majesty’s Government, with their very good and ambitious targets to build more housing. I hope we can assist the Government in achieving that.

Homelessness and rough sleeping are on the rise. Government statutory homelessness figures, released last week, reveal that 159,380 children are now homeless and living in temporary accommodation, a 15% increase in a year and the highest figure since records began in 2004. More particularly, the November 2023 CPRE report on the state of rural housing showed that rural homelessness has increased by 20% since 2021 and 40% since 2018-19.

Archbishop of Canterbury makes valedictory speech on the need for safe, stable, and affordable housing

On 5th December 2024, the Archbishop of Canterbury made his valedictory speech in the House of Lords during a debate on housing:

The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: My Lords, it is often said and it is a cliché to say it—but hey, I am the Archbishop still—that if you want to make God laugh, make plans. On that basis, next year, I will be causing God more hilarity than anyone else for many years, because the plans for next year were very detailed and extensive. If you pity anyone, pity my poor diary secretary, who has seen weeks and months of work disappear in a puff of a resignation announcement.

The reality, which I wish to start with—then pay some thanks, and then talk about housing—is that there comes a time, if you are technically leading a particular institution or area of responsibility when the shame of what has gone wrong, whether one is personally responsible or not, must require a head to roll. There is only, in this case, one head that rolls well enough. I hope not literally: one of my predecessors in 1381, Simon of Sudbury, had his head cut off and the revolting peasants at the time then played football with it at the Tower of London. I do not know who won, but it certainly was not Simon of Sudbury.

The reality is that the safeguarding and care of children and vulnerable adults in the Church of England today is, thanks to tens of thousands of people across the Church, particularly in parishes, by parish safeguarding officers, a completely different picture from the past. However, when I look back at the last 50 or 60 years, not only through the eyes of the Makin report, however one takes one’s view of personal responsibility, it is clear that I had to stand down, and it is for that reason that I do so.

Next, I want to say thank you to so many people in the House. In these 12 years, I cannot think of a single moment when I have come in here and the hair on the back of my neck has not stood up at the privilege of being allowed to sit on these Benches. It has been an extraordinary period, and I have listened to so many debates of great wisdom, so many amendments to Bills that have improved them, so much hard work.

King’s Speech Debate: Bishop of Chelmsford urges action on housing crisis

During a debate on 18th July 2024 in response to the King’s Speech, the Bishop of Chelmsford spoke on the topic of housing, urging the government to take strong and long term action to address the need for new and high quality housing in the UK:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: My Lords, I declare my interest as the Church of England’s lead Bishop for housing. Along with other noble Lords, I very much look forward to the maiden speech of the noble Lord, Lord Fuller.

It is undeniable that the UK is in the midst of a housing crisis—one with deep roots. Too often, housing has been viewed as a financial asset rather than a fundamental human need. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Hunt, for the comments and commitments in his opening speech, but the housing crisis has been escalating for decades, so we should not underestimate just how long it will take to fix. Therefore, I cannot overstate the need for long-term thinking in tackling the housing crisis, a point well made by the noble Baroness, Lady Warwick.

A clear, long-term vision and a carefully thought-through strategy to provide decent, affordable homes for all can deliver three major goals of economic growth, social justice and environmental stewardship. That is why, along with my right reverend friend the Bishop of St Albans, I am pleased to support Homes for All—a vision for a long-term housing strategy supported by churches, charities, think tanks and others, which I commend to all noble Lords.

Church Commissioners Questions: Affordable & Sustainable Housing, Diocesan Support: Interregnums, Educational Attainment: Church Schools, Parish Churches: Funding, Academy Schools, and Support for People in Gaza

On 23rd May 2024, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following answers to questions from MPs in the House of Commons:

Affordable and Sustainable Housing

Selaine Saxby MP (Con, North Devon) asked: Whether the Church of England is taking steps to provide affordable and sustainable housing on its land. (902965)

Andrew Selous MP (Con, South West Bedfordshire): I can tell my hon. Friend that the Church Commissioners are bringing forward substantial new amounts of housing across England, including affordable homes, in accordance with local planning policy in the areas concerned. Where the commissioners are able to, we also seek to go further— for example, through the use of rural exception sites to provide a higher proportion of affordable housing than the local plan requires.

Bishop of Durham asks about shortfall in affordable housing

The Bishop of Durham asked a question on potential shortfall of affordable homes on 17th January 2024, during a discussion on the government’s New Homes Target:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, Section 106 nil grant agreements are one of the primary ways in which affordable housing is currently delivered, and they account for almost half of all the affordable homes delivered every year. These agreements are dependent on planning permission and planning approvals, and they are at a record low. Does the Minister have an estimated figure of the potential shortfall in affordable homes as a result of this situation, and what steps will be taken to tackle it?

Bishop of Derby asks about allowing local authorities to set right-to-buy rates

The Bishop of Derby received the following written answer on 10th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Derby asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for allowing local authorities to set their own right-to-buy discounts to reflect local circumstances.

Baroness Penn (Con, Department for Levelling-up, Housing & Communities): The Government remains committed to the Right to Buy, which has helped over 2 million social housing tenants to become homeowners.

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