Tabled by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of
the role of alms houses in the provision of housing for the
elderly.
(Lab) [V]
On behalf of my noble friend , and with his permission, I beg leave to
ask the Question standing in his name on the Order Paper.
The Minister of State, Home Office and Ministry of Housing,
Communities and Local Government () (Con)
The Government welcome the important role that almshouses play in
helping to meet the housing need of older people, providing them
with homes in a safe and secure environment. They enable
residents to retain their independence in the locality of their
choice and within easy reach of their relatives and friends.
(Lab) [V]
Does the Minister agree that the modern and progressive almshouse
movement for the 21st century has much to offer older people in
communities by providing much-needed housing, but that it needs
support to address the challenges of updating their constitutions
and developing modern governance models? My noble friend Lord
Kennedy is a trustee of United St Saviour’s, a charity that is
building a new almshouse in Southwark Park Road. When conditions
allow, my noble friend would be delighted if the Minister would
visit that site with him.
(Con)
My Lords, I am very happy to accept the kind invitation of the
noble Lord, Lord Kennedy, to visit the almshouse. I recognise the
important contribution made by almshouses in providing that kind
of housing. I believe that they provide 36,000 homes for elderly
people who otherwise would not have accommodation of that sort.
My Lords, I declare my interests as stated in the register. The
Church of England continues to provide excellent almshouses
provision as a support to older people through its charities.
There are over 30,000 almshouses in the UK and more than 1,000
new ones have been built in the last decade. Another 750 are in
the pipeline, providing places of flourishing and support for the
elderly. However, the complexities of the buildings themselves
prohibit modern building standards being achieved. Will the
Minister comment on whether Her Majesty’s Government will provide
grants for local almshouse charities to upgrade their facilities
within the complex planning frameworks associated with these
buildings?
(Con)
My Lords, I thank the Church of England for the contribution it
has made to the almshouse movement, particularly in London. I
remember the Lygon Almshouses in my local authority. This is a
problem for all forms of sheltered and secure accommodation; much
of it needs to be upgraded. I will take away the right reverend
Prelate’s point and write to her, if I may.
(Con) [V]
My Lords, I am a vice-patron of the almshouses. Is there a place
for this excellent organisation in the Government’s awaited
policy for social care?
(Con)
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for raising the issue of the
support that goes with the bricks and mortar in terms of social
care for the elderly and frail. These are very complex questions
to address, but I would point out that the Government have
committed £1 billion of extra funding every year for more social
care staff and better infrastructure, technology and facilities.
The Deputy Speaker ()
(Con)
The noble Baroness, Lady Greengross, has withdrawn, so I call the
noble Baroness, Lady Warwick of Undercliffe.
(Lab)
My Lords, I declare my interest as in the register. Many
almshouses are provided by housing associations with low-cost
housing, often in rural areas, helping to tackle the problem of
isolation experienced by so many older people. One of the
biggest, which I know well, is Durham Aged Mineworkers, and only
this morning I was talking to the marvellous care provider
Brunelcare in Bristol. Care homes right across the country
desperately need support, particularly in these difficult times,
and the long-awaited reform of social care funding is an
opportunity to look at housing need right across the country. Can
the Minister confirm when the Government will bring this forward?
(Con)
My Lords, I point out that the Government have seen 140,000
affordable homes delivered by local authorities in rural England
since April 2010, and I will write to the noble Baroness on that
matter.
(LD)
[V]
Does the Minister agree that almshouses are welcome but do not
fill the gap identified by the Housing Learning and Improvement
Network, which projected a shortfall of 400,000 units of
specialist housing for older people in the next 15 years? Can he
therefore tell us how many new social—not affordable—housing
units are to be created specifically for older people to avoid
the unsuitable alternative, which is inevitably the private
rented sector?
(Con)
My Lords, I have pointed out that there are 36,000 almshouses.
However, there are 700,000 specialist supported and secure
accommodation homes for people in this country. In addition, the
affordable homes programme includes 10% towards specialist
housing—but I will write further if I can provide any assistance
on that point.
(Con)
My Lords, will the current review of the planning system consider
exempting almshouses from the infrastructure levy, which is
raised at differential levels throughout the country, thereby
freeing up the finances of these charitable institutions to
continue to deliver homes to those in need?
(Con)
My Lords, my noble friend makes an incredibly important point: we
want them to continue their endeavours without being burdened by
the community infrastructure levy. We are currently consulting on
the proposals for reform set out in the planning White Paper. We
will listen carefully to all representations made, including
those from almshouses.
(Lab Co-op) [V]
My Lords, if the Government gave some money to these almshouses,
it would not only provide safe and secure accommodation for more
older people but would free up larger accommodation for families
with young children. I do not think the Minister answered the
question from the right reverend Prelate the : will they
seriously consider giving financial assistance to the almshouses
to enable them to look after more older people?
(Con)
My Lords, respectfully, I feel that the almshouse movement is an
extension of philanthropy which sits outside the state social
housing system. There are some that elect to be registered
providers. It is important to recognise that the Government are
providing a great deal of support towards the new build of
affordable housing, both intermediate and social. Of course we
want to see almshouses continue to thrive, and I point out that
in recent years we have seen the greatest growth in modern
times—since the Victorian era—so something is going right with
regard to new build.
(CB) [V]
My Lords, almshouses are important providers of homes for older
people, but the annual programme of housebuilding for this age
group by all private and social providers has fallen dramatically
from over 28,000 homes 30 years ago to only around 7,000 today.
Does the Minister agree that government, Homes England, the GLA
and local planning authorities should once again give greater
priority to homes specifically for our ageing population?
(Con)
My Lords, the noble Lord, , is an expert on
this, and I remember his Housing our Ageing Population panel and
discussing with him the benefits of extra care and supported
housing for the elderly when I was leader of Hammersmith and
Fulham Council. The noble Lord is quite right that we need to
provide housing of all types, for all needs, and specifically for
our elderly, but that has to be private as well as social care.
This is very much part of the Government’s thinking in the
planning White Paper in relation to housing of all types and
tenures.
(Con)
My Lords, does my noble friend not agree that it is time to
rethink urban planning and how multigenerational households can
live together, and to slow down the constant building of flats in
cities, which outprices and overlooks the benefits of community
living for both younger and older people? Would my noble friend
be willing to meet with a brilliant Leicestershire businessman
who is looking at doing this there?
(Con)
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that invitation. I am
always looking to get out and about, particularly in these
difficult times, so I would very much welcome doing that as soon
as it can be organised. I point out that we need housing of all
types and tenures. It is not just about volume; we need enough
family-sized accommodation and the right accommodation for our
elderly, and it is about getting that balance. It is not just a
drive for numbers; housing of all types and tenures has to be the
name of the game.
(LD) [V]
My Lords, the regulations for VAT that govern charities which own
buildings—and therefore have to maintain, repair and enhance
them—are extremely complex to administer. Will the Minister
consider talking to his Treasury colleagues to see how these may
be simplified? It seems perverse to direct charitable giving to
the Treasury.
(Con)
My Lords, as a humble entrepreneur and businessman, I say that we
all want to see things thrive, and being weighed down by
bureaucracy is not a good thing, so I am happy to make those
representations on the noble Baroness’s behalf to colleagues in
HMT.
