HANSARDCommons14 May 20263 contributions

Housing, Communities and Local Government

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Social Housing Bill

The Minister for Housing and Planning (Matthew Pennycook)
LabourGreenwich and Woolwich
Everyone deserves to live in a decent, safe, secure and affordable home. Yet far too many families in need of a social rented home are languishing on local authority waiting lists, forced to struggle in the private rented sector or in expensive temporary accommodation, driving up rents and housing benefit costs in the process. At the same time, the ability and willingness of social housing providers to invest in the building of new social rented homes is undermined by the steady and significant loss of existing stock through right to buy.
Today, the Government have introduced the social housing Bill. The Bill has three core objectives: first, to protect much-needed social housing stock and thereby incentivise the building of more social rented homes; secondly, to create a fairer system with greater protections for social housing tenants in instances of domestic abuse; and thirdly, to clarify the statute book and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy so that providers can invest in new social and affordable homes with confidence.
The Bill delivers on our manifesto commitments to prioritise the building of new social rented homes and better protect our existing stock. It builds on the funding and regulatory certainty that the Government have provided to the sector and supports the delivery of the five-step plan we published in July 2025 to deliver a decade of renewal for social and affordable housing (HCWS771).
Protecting existing social housing stock and incentivising the building of more social homes
At the heart of the Bill are comprehensive reforms to the right to buy scheme. The scheme provides an important route for social housing tenants to own their own homes. However, many of the homes sold under the right to buy have not been replaced. Not only has this depleted much-needed stock, but it has also reduced the motivation and confidence of councils to build, and restricted broader investment in council housing.
Following the reduction in maximum right to buy cash discounts that was announced at autumn Budget 2024, we consulted on further reforms to the right to buy between 20 November 2024 and 15 January 2025. In July last year, we published our response to that consultation and committed to bringing forward legislation to implement proposals when parliamentary time allowed.
Accordingly, the Bill includes a range of further reforms to the right to buy scheme, including increasing the eligibility requirement to 10 years, amending percentage discounts to better align with the new maximum cash discounts, and exempting newly built social housing for 35 years.
The Bill will also strengthen the rules that apply after a social home has been sold. It will extend in perpetuity the right of first refusal for homes sold under the right to buy and right to acquire, so that landlords retain the opportunity to reacquire homes when they are later resold. In addition, the Bill will reform the right to acquire scheme to align with the reformed right to buy scheme, improving consistency.

Tackling Antisemitism

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Steve Reed)
Labour (Co-op)Streatham and Croydon North
The first duty of any Government are to keep its people safe. The truest test of whether that is being met is how we respond when a community comes under attack. This crisis of antisemitism —the disgusting attacks being made against British Jews—is a crisis for all of us.
Today I want to update the House on steps we are taking as a Government to combat this sickening hatred, and better protect, celebrate, and support Jewish communities.
Antisemitism is an old hatred, and though its nature changes over time, Jewish people are often the target when extremists are emboldened. Since the 7 October terrorist attacks, there has been a marked increase in antisemitism both here, and abroad. We have seen its devastating impacts in Manchester, Bondi, Washington, and, most recently, in Golders Green. There has also been a magnified threat from hostile states.
In March, we published “Protecting What Matters”, our strategy to tackle prejudice, bring people together, and take on extremists. It includes: action we will take online to give people greater control over what content they see; £7 million to tackle antisemitism in schools, colleges and universities; Lord Macdonald’s review into existing public order and hate crime legislation; Sir David Bell’s review into antisemitism in schools and colleges, and Lord Mann’s review into tackling antisemitism and racism in the health service; the roll-out of training across the civil service; and steps to help faith groups improve their safety and security.
These policies were developed in consultation with Jewish stakeholders, and sit alongside other measures to combat extremism. This includes: embedding the extremism definition; strengthening oversight of charities and universities; expanding disruption powers and operational capacity to counter extremist groups; and using the full strength of powers in the Online Safety Act 2023 to tackle harmful online content.

Social Housing Bill

The Minister for Housing and Planning (Matthew Pennycook)

LabourGreenwich and Woolwich

Everyone deserves to live in a decent, safe, secure and affordable home. Yet far too many families in need of a social rented home are languishing on local authority waiting lists, forced to struggle in the private rented sector or in expensive temporary accommodation, driving up rents and housing benefit costs in the process. At the same time, the ability and willingness of social housing providers to invest in the building of new social rented homes is undermined by the steady and significant loss of existing stock through right to buy.

Today, the Government have introduced the social housing Bill. The Bill has three core objectives: first, to protect much-needed social housing stock and thereby incentivise the building of more social rented homes; secondly, to create a fairer system with greater protections for social housing tenants in instances of domestic abuse; and thirdly, to clarify the statute book and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy so that providers can invest in new social and affordable homes with confidence.

The Bill delivers on our manifesto commitments to prioritise the building of new social rented homes and better protect our existing stock. It builds on the funding and regulatory certainty that the Government have provided to the sector and supports the delivery of the five-step plan we published in July 2025 to deliver a decade of renewal for social and affordable housing (HCWS771).

Protecting existing social housing stock and incentivising the building of more social homes

At the heart of the Bill are comprehensive reforms to the right to buy scheme. The scheme provides an important route for social housing tenants to own their own homes. However, many of the homes sold under the right to buy have not been replaced. Not only has this depleted much-needed stock, but it has also reduced the motivation and confidence of councils to build, and restricted broader investment in council housing.

Following the reduction in maximum right to buy cash discounts that was announced at autumn Budget 2024, we consulted on further reforms to the right to buy between 20 November 2024 and 15 January 2025. In July last year, we published our response to that consultation and committed to bringing forward legislation to implement proposals when parliamentary time allowed.

Accordingly, the Bill includes a range of further reforms to the right to buy scheme, including increasing the eligibility requirement to 10 years, amending percentage discounts to better align with the new maximum cash discounts, and exempting newly built social housing for 35 years.

The Bill will also strengthen the rules that apply after a social home has been sold. It will extend in perpetuity the right of first refusal for homes sold under the right to buy and right to acquire, so that landlords retain the opportunity to reacquire homes when they are later resold. In addition, the Bill will reform the right to acquire scheme to align with the reformed right to buy scheme, improving consistency.

Tackling Antisemitism

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Steve Reed)

Labour (Co-op)Streatham and Croydon North

The first duty of any Government are to keep its people safe. The truest test of whether that is being met is how we respond when a community comes under attack. This crisis of antisemitism —the disgusting attacks being made against British Jews—is a crisis for all of us.

Today I want to update the House on steps we are taking as a Government to combat this sickening hatred, and better protect, celebrate, and support Jewish communities.

Antisemitism is an old hatred, and though its nature changes over time, Jewish people are often the target when extremists are emboldened. Since the 7 October terrorist attacks, there has been a marked increase in antisemitism both here, and abroad. We have seen its devastating impacts in Manchester, Bondi, Washington, and, most recently, in Golders Green. There has also been a magnified threat from hostile states.

In March, we published “Protecting What Matters”, our strategy to tackle prejudice, bring people together, and take on extremists. It includes: action we will take online to give people greater control over what content they see; £7 million to tackle antisemitism in schools, colleges and universities; Lord Macdonald’s review into existing public order and hate crime legislation; Sir David Bell’s review into antisemitism in schools and colleges, and Lord Mann’s review into tackling antisemitism and racism in the health service; the roll-out of training across the civil service; and steps to help faith groups improve their safety and security.

These policies were developed in consultation with Jewish stakeholders, and sit alongside other measures to combat extremism. This includes: embedding the extremism definition; strengthening oversight of charities and universities; expanding disruption powers and operational capacity to counter extremist groups; and using the full strength of powers in the Online Safety Act 2023 to tackle harmful online content.