Labour is urging the Government to halt its attacks on housing
for the most vulnerable.
Labour will today hold an opposition day debate in the House of
Commons and will seek to pass a motion calling on the Government
to halt its planned cuts to supported housing and instead adopt a
new ‘supported housing allowance’ to safeguard this vital
accommodation.
Labour’s proposal has been backed by a cross-party select
committee. When Labour led a similar opposition day debate last
year, the motion was backed by a number of DUP MPs. Labour is
calling on Conservative and DUP MPs to support its motion
today.
Under the Conservatives’ plans, cuts to housing benefit coming
into force in April 2019 will cap support for housing costs at a
new lower level, which charities and housing organisations say
could lead to the closure of many supported housing
schemes.
MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for
Housing, who is leading the debate for Labour,
said:
“Crude Conservative cuts to support with housing costs for
vulnerable people risks closing homelessness hostels, women’s
refuges and sheltered housing for the elderly across the country.
Even the prospect of these plans has resulted in an 85 per
cent reduction in the new development of supported homes.
“Today Labour is giving MPs of all parties the chance to
challenge Ministers to change course. Ministers should halt their
current plans and back a new approach to safeguard the long-term
future and funding of supported housing.”
Ends
Notes to editors
- Labour’s opposition day debate on the future of supported
housing will be held today (Wednesday) from around 4pm, until
7pm. Labour’s motion reads: “This House calls on the government
to halt its current plans to cap help with housing costs for
tenants of supported housing at the local housing allowance rate,
and to adopt instead a system which safeguards the long-term
future and funding of supported housing, building on the
recommendations of the joint Communities and Local Government and
Work and Pensions Select Committees inquiry into the future of
supported housing.”
- Supported housing is an umbrella term applied to a wide range
of accommodation, including homeless hostels, domestic violence
refuges and sheltered or extra care housing for older people.
- Labour has led the challenge to expose and oppose the
Conservative’s changes to funding for supported housing which put
thousands of schemes at risk by capping housing benefit payments
at the lower private rented sector ‘local housing allowance’
rate. first exposed the devastating
effect these changes could have on supported housing in
December 2015: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35173650.
- Conservative proposals to cap housing benefit for supported
housing residents come into effect in April 2019, but their
consequences are already being felt. The National Housing
Federation have revealed that planned development of supported
homes has already fallen by 85%:
http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/pub.housing.org.uk/Supported_and_sheltered_housing_survey_research_briefing.pdf
- Labour is urging the government to think again and back a
solution building on the cross-party joint select committee
report from the Communities and Local Government and Work and
Pensions Select Committees. This includes urging a new ‘supported
housing allowance’ set a higher level than the government’s
proposed local housing allowance cap. The full select committee
report is available here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmcomloc/867/867.pdf
