John Bibby, ARCH CEO and ARCH Policy Adviser, Matthew
Warburton, met with officials from the LGA, NFA and CWAG on 9
February to discuss a lobbying strategy for Part 4 of the Housing
and Planning Bill now that the Bill has reached the Lords Committee
Stage.
Following passage of the Housing & Planning Bill from the
House of Commons to the House of Lords, ARCH and the NFA have
prepared and circulated a joint
ARCH/NFA Briefing Paper for Peers summarising our concerns
regarding certain provisions of Part 4 of the Housing &
Planning Bill as it affects stock retained councils and their
tenants and lobbying for key changes to the Bill including:
- Amendments to ensure at least one for one replacement of any
high value housing stock that is required to be sold.
- Amendments to make the proposed Pay to Stay Scheme
discretionary rather than mandatory.
- Amendments to withdraw proposals to phase out of existing
secure lifetime tenancies pending proper public consultation or at
least ensure existing tenants rights to a secure tenancy is
protected if they seek a transfer.
ARCH and the NFA met with the LGA and CWAG to discuss the
implications of Part 4 of the Bill as it stands and the amendments
being sought by ARCH and the NFA. The LGA are lobbying the
government on a number of changes to the Bill and the meeting
discussed a joint strategy for lobbying members of the Lords in
advance of the discussion of the Bill in the Lords Committee Stage
in March.
The LGA's plan was always to try to influence the Housing and
Planning Bill by working with officials and ministers but they say
that it was also agreed that if some of their key concerns remained
by the time the Bill reached the House of Lords they LGA would
strengthen its public approach in opposing certain aspects. ARCH
and the NFA have produced a
more detailed briefing on Part 4 of the Bill which we shared
with the LGA urging them to support our proposed amendments to the
Bill.
The scope of the Bill is extremely large and the LGA recognise
there is a need to understand what the combined effect of the
proposals will be on housing market areas. The LGA would like to
work with councils and Government to better understand the impact
and are seeking councils who would be interested in working with
the LGA to understand the full impact on a housing market area.
ARCH would support this idea and if your council, along with
your neighbouring councils in your housing market area would be
interested in working with the LGA to understand the full impact on
a housing market area then you should contact Eamon Lally at the
LGA: eamon.lally@local.gov.uk.