Contributions
284 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDBusiness and Planning BillMy Lords, my comments relate to planning. I declare my interests as a vice-president of the Town and Country Planning Association and of the Local Government Association. I fully…06 Jul 2020HANSARDSocial HousingMy Lords, a core characteristic of social housing is that its rents are genuinely affordable to those on modest incomes, but defining “affordable” is not easy. Will the White…16 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Planning SystemMy Lords, can the Minister confirm that the Government remain committed to Sir Oliver Letwin’s recommendations for enhancing, not diminishing, the role of local authorities in…08 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: HousingMy Lords, the Minister will have noted the predictions of property economists that prices of land and property could fall by 10% to 30% in the year ahead. Does he agree that,…18 May 2020HANSARDHousing and Construction SectorMy Lords, the Government were right to introduce a ban on evictions at this time of sudden job losses and income reductions when rent arrears are inevitable, but the ban is due to…14 May 2020HANSARDCovid-19: People Living in PovertyThree other housing issues arise from the Covid-19 crisis. The first is design. We can see now the horrendous problems of living in overcrowded conditions without a garden or even…30 Apr 2020HANSARDHousing: New HomesMy Lords, to rescue the country from the small number of volume housebuilders who do 70% of all our housebuilding, have the Government made any progress with Sir Oliver Letwin’s…27 Feb 2020HANSARDShort-term Holiday LetsMy Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Gardner, for persisting with this issue, which is now topical; we are all beginning to realise its great significance. The…24 Feb 2020HANSARDDomestic Premises (Energy Performance) Bill [HL]My Lords, I declare my interests as president of the Sustainable Energy Association and in private rented and social housing, as on the register. I will say a word about the…07 Feb 2020HANSARDHousing: Rental MarketMy Lords, the Government decided, very wisely, to establish a regulator for property agents—for estate agents, letting agents and managing agents of leasehold property—but have…28 Oct 2019HANSARDQueen’s SpeechMy Lords, my contribution to this debate on the humble Address considers the forward direction for housing policy in the UK and is Brexit-free. I draw attention to my housing…21 Oct 2019HANSARDHousing: AccessibilityMy Lords, I take this opportunity to thank the outgoing Prime Minister for a number of important reversals of unwise policies and the introduction of some much better policies,…22 Jul 2019HANSARDHomes for Social RentMy Lords, this is Rural Housing Week, as I am sure all noble Lords are well aware. Rural housing is extraordinarily important because house prices are higher in rural areas,…02 Jul 2019HANSARDFuture of Seaside TownsMy Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Bassam of Brighton, and the whole of the Select Committee on their excellent report. It is a brilliant and comprehensive analysis of…01 Jul 2019HANSARDHousing: Social RentMy Lords, the Affordable Housing Commission, which I have the honour of chairing, has been looking at issues around affordability. Our evidence clearly demonstrates that rents,…04 Jun 2019HANSARDHousing: No-fault EvictionsMy Lords, I declare my various housing interests in the register. I congratulate the Government on this important measure, giving much greater security of tenure to tenants and…15 May 2019HANSARDResidential Construction and Housing SupplyMy Lords, I thank the Minister for his helpful introduction to this debate. I will forfeit my opportunity to offer him 10 ways for government to ensure 300,000 affordable,…24 Apr 2019HANSARDBrexit: The Erasmus and Horizon Programmes (European Union Committee Report)My Lords, I speak as a member of the EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee, but I do not intend to add further commentary on the contents of this, our latest report. That task has been…01 Apr 2019HANSARDProperty GuardiansMy Lords, standing between the occupiers, the property guardians in these empty properties, and the owners—local authorities or people who own an office block—are the property…26 Mar 2019HANSARDHousing: Future Homes StandardMy Lords, I declare an interest as president of the Sustainable Energy Association. We greatly welcome the Chancellor’s move to require housebuilders to up their standards of…21 Mar 2019