Tag: housing

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about support for rural affordable housing

St AlbansOn 15th December 2016 Lord Kennedy of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government “what assessment they have made of the impact of the availability of affordable housing on the ability of both private and public sector organisations to recruit and retain staff.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow-up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, the lack of affordable housing in recruiting local workers is also felt acutely in many rural areas. Rural exemption sites have proved a good way of providing affordable housing, but with the uncertainty over the recent extension of right to buy, some landowners are reluctant to bring forward land. In light of this, will Her Majesty’s Government publish clear guidelines on the potential for restrictive covenants on rural exemption sites to provide affordable housing in perpetuity for local workers? Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about support for rural affordable housing”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about funding for rural and coastal homes

St Albans 2On 8th December 2016 Baroness Gardner of Parkes asked Her Majesty’s Government “whether they intend to give powers to local authorities to prevent the further loss of long-term residential accommodation resulting from increases in short-term holiday lets.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, back in July the Minister kindly wrote to me to reassure me that the promised £60 million fund to enable rural and coastal communities to provide accommodation for local people was still on course, despite it having been delayed following the events in June. It is nearly 2017 and I do not think we have heard any more about that fund. Can the Minister assure your Lordships’ House that the scheme is still on course? When will the money be made available for those communities suffering most from second-home ownership? Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about funding for rural and coastal homes”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about supported housing

StAlbans171115On the 1 December 2016 the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, received a written answer from the Department for Work and Pensions regarding supported housing. 

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (HCWS154), when they intend to publish their evidence review of the scale, scope and cost of the supported housing sector. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about supported housing”

Bishop of Birmingham speaks in Lords debate on Chancellor’s Autumn Statement

On 29th November 2016, Lord Young of Cookham moved that the House take note of the economy in the light of the Autumn Statement. The Bishop of Birmingham, the Rt Revd David Urquhart, spoke in the debate:

Bishop of St Albans asks Government to invest in social rented housing

St Albans 2On 29th November 2016, Lord Beecham asked Her Majesty’s Government, “further to the announcement in the Autumn Statement that they will invest £1.4 billion to deliver 40,000 affordable homes, how many affordable houses to rent they expect local authorities to build by 2020.” The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow up question.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans My Lords, in the financial year 2015-16, the Government’s own statistics show that just 6,550 homes for social rent were completed. That is the lowest number since records began and far below the just under 40,000 completed in the years 2010-11. Would the Minister agree with me that whatever the value of other forms of affordable tenure, only social rented housing is going to deal with the problem faced by the most disadvantaged communities? Will he further tell the House what the Government are doing to address this rapid decline in the provision of this form of housing?

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government to invest in social rented housing”

Bishop of St Albans on the action needed to address child poverty

On 17th November 2016 the House of Lords debated a motion from Crossbench Peer Lord Bird, “to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to address the root causes of child poverty across the United Kingdom”.The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, spoke in the debate:

 

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, my thanks go to the noble Lord, Lord Bird, for tabling this important debate and for the challenging and spirited way in which he always makes his speeches, which not only entertain but very often get to the heart of many of the crucial issues. This debate is particularly timely because of the figures recently released by the End Child Poverty Coalition, which show that child poverty levels continue to rise steeply, reaching 47% in some areas. In his maiden speech the noble Lord, Lord Bird, spoke of the need to give those in poverty a hand up and not a handout. He focused on the importance of creating opportunities, rather than dependency. This of course has been one of the great themes of his life’s work. I believe that that is a crucial message. Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans on the action needed to address child poverty”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about impact of rent reductions on supported housing schemes

St Albans 2On the 13th October 2016 Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe asked Her Majesty’s Government “how they plan to ensure that there is an increase in the level of supported housing across England so that the needs of vulnerable people are met.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, last year Her Majesty’s Government decided to delay the 1% reduction in social rents for supported housing in order to assess the impact it would have on the sector. The move was widely welcomed around this House. Now that Her Majesty’s Government have decided to press ahead with largely the same proposal—there are one or two exceptions, I grant—will the Minister consider publishing the detailed analysis of that assessment to allay fears that the reduction threatens the viability of present and future supported housing schemes?

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about impact of rent reductions on supported housing schemes”

Bishop of Rochester calls for more affordable housing

RochesterOn 11th October 2016, Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville asked the government “how they plan to improve the quality and affordability of housing in the United Kingdom”. The Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Revd James Langstaff, contributed to the debate.

Continue reading “Bishop of Rochester calls for more affordable housing”

Bishop of St Albans calls for more home building, less land banking

St Albans 2On 15th September 2016 Lord Kennedy of Southwark asked Her Majesty’s Government “what action they are taking to reverse the decline in home ownership.” The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Revd Alan Smith, asked a follow-up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, while the price of land continues to increase so rapidly, landowners have much less incentive for immediate development, particularly if they are negotiating with local authorities over their desire for more affordable housing requirements. Will Her Majesty’s Government take further steps to tackle land-banking, so that we can get more houses up more quickly? Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans calls for more home building, less land banking”

Bishop of St Albans asks Government about building on brownfield sites

St Albans 2On the 21st July 2016 Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty’s Government “what progress they are making in encouraging the development of brownfield sites.” Rt Revd Alan Smith, Bishop of St Albans, asked a follow up question:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: This is not just about housing, important though that is—not least the fact that we are not building enough homes, especially affordable and starter homes; it is also about how we will solve some very difficult, long-term environmental problems relating to brownfield sites. Does the Minister agree that this really is an area where, for example, the housing association sector, with some quite focused work and grants, can make a huge difference both in solving environmental problems and in making a significant contribution to our housing shortage?

Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks Government about building on brownfield sites”