Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

The Committee scrutinised MHCLG’s approach to local government reorganisation, devolution-linked fiscal reforms, audit recovery, homelessness and rough sleeping, supported housing, domestic abuse accommodation, and resettlement. Ministers defended the timetable for new unitary authorities by 2028, argued that reform should be judged area-by-area and linked to growth and sustainability, and said support structures and transition funding were in place. On finance, the Minister backed fair funding, accepted council tax is unfair, signalled further work on fiscal devolution, and said the overnight visitor levy and high-value council tax surcharge are part of a broader shift. On homelessness, MHCLG cited reductions in family B&B use, a target to halve long-term rough sleeping, support for Housing First-style approaches, and action with other departments on temporary accommodation, LHA, supported housing and domestic abuse refuges.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee’s session scrutinised the scale, sources and impact of online misinformation and disinformation in UK elections, with a focus on AI-generated content, platform algorithms, and cross-border influence. Witnesses underlined measurement challenges, highlighted high‑impact but low‑volume deep fakes and abusive online conduct toward candidates, and pressed for stronger governance. Proposals spanned a centralised public body to coordinate the response, a central political-ad library, better media literacy, and enforcement improvements, including senior‑manager accountability. While ministers signalled ongoing regulatory work (e.g., Online Safety Act processes and the Representation of the People Bill), no firm government commitments were made during this session. The committee emphasised clarifying responsibilities across government, regulators, and platforms to deliver concrete reforms ahead of future elections.

The committee’s session scrutinised a broad package of electoral modernisation, including automatic/assisted voter registration, votes at 16, data-sharing, boundary reform, and digital IDs, against concerns about participation, registration completeness, political finance, and information integrity. Academics warned of UK democratic weaknesses (registration gaps, money in politics, misinformation) and urged cross-party processes and swift piloting of reforms. The Electoral Commission outlined practical implementation challenges, data-sharing needs, and technology-enabled options (digital IDs, on-the-day voter certificates), while emphasising the importance of independent oversight and a clear timetable for pilots and reforms. The evidence signals cross-party reform as a priority, accelerated, uniform UK-wide implementation of automated registration, cautious expansion of voter-ID with digital IDs, consolidation of electoral law, robust scrutiny of the information environment (including deepfakes), and a focus on citizen education to sustain participation.

This session scrutinised the quality and delivery of new homes in England, focusing on the role of ombudsman redress, warranty/quality regimes (NHBC), and industry-wide regulatory reform alongside Government targets. Key government commitments discussed include the intention to introduce a statutory New Homes Ombudsman scheme and a single consumer code (to which builders would have to sign up), plus debates on the universality of accessibility standards (M4 family) and the Future Homes Standard. Witnesses from the New Homes Ombudsman Service, NHBC, and-house-building industry (HBF, Vistry, Taylor Wimpey) stressed that quality must be safeguarded as volumes rise toward the 1.5 million target, highlighted the cost pressures of new regulations, and called for clearer, more structured regulatory change and cost relief (including a moratorium on new levies) to maintain viability. Stakeholders also underscored planning-system constraints, land supply, and the need for consistent, prospective industry standards to avoid “patchwork” regulation. Government commitments to universal coverage of consumer protections, plus calls for stronger cross-tenure standards and a more coherent regulator landscape, emerged as central points of accountability and reform.

This pre-legislative scrutiny session examined the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, focusing on how the Government plans to implement ground rent reform, the Law Commission recommendations, and the transition to commonhold as the default tenure. Key lines show the Government reaffirming manifesto commitments to end feudal leasehold, to enact Law Commission reforms, to ban new leasehold flats, and to promote commonhold as the default tenure; the Ministers defend a 40-year peppercorn transition and a £250 cash cap as the most deliverable approach, while acknowledging the need for secondary legislation for complex issues such as quid pro quo leases. The session also covers whether further consultation is required, the potential timeline for implementing these measures (including the possibility of standalone legislation versus primary legislation), and the scope of reform in related areas such as right to manage, managing agents regulation, shared ownership within commonhold, and building-safety disclosures. Additional topics include guidance and implementation support via LEASE, the role of HM Land Registry, and the sequencing of policies around new towns and housing supply (SEA/site decisions) to support the broader housing reform agenda. The Government repeatedly frames these measures as a staged but deliverable path towards ending the current leasehold system and making commonhold the default, while balancing disruption, market risk, and vested interests.

This evidence session examined the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill through testimony from housing providers, insurers and lenders, developers, property sectors bodies, and leaseholder charities. Witnesses broadly supported moving to commonhold in principle but warned that a successful transition requires careful sequencing, ecosystem readiness, and governance protections. They pressed for phased implementation (new-build first, then conversions), protections for leaseholders and shared ownership, and stronger regulatory frameworks for managing agents. A key policy tension emerged around a blanket ground-rent cap (£250) and its potential to create value transfers to private landlords, with industry arguing the measure risks undermining investor confidence and mortgage availability unless tailored to property type and value. Several witnesses called for more data and analysis, including a better understanding of leasehold market structure, potential cost burdens, and the impact on housing supply. Shared ownership within a commonhold framework was seen as complex and uncertain, with calls for additional work or a taskforce to align governance and voting rights. Overall, witnesses urged government to provide clear transition timelines, targeted protections, and robust industry engagement as the Bill progresses.