Cllr Phelim Maccafferty Brighton & Hove City Council Town Hall
Norton Road Hove
East Sussex BN33BQ
Dear Phelim,
Felicity BuchanMP
Minister for Housing and Homelessness
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
2 MarshamStreet London
SW1P 4DF
Our Reference: 23426504
21 February 2023
Thank you for your email of 7 Decemberto the Secretary of
State about homelessness and the cost-of-living crisis. I am replying as the Minister responsible for this policy area.
I understand your concerns about the cost-of-living crisis and homelessness and thank you for writing to me on this important matter. The Government is clear that no-one should be without a roof over their head. That is why we are fully committed to end rough sleeping within this Parliament and to fully enforce the Homelessness Reduction Act.
In 2022-23 the Government is providing £366 million in funding through the Homeless Prevention Grant (HPG) to help local authorities plan and respond to their local homelessness pressures. I can confirm that a total of £6,284,286 will be provided to Brighton and Hove as part of the HPG allocation. Information on all the allocation amounts can be found at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/homelessness-prevention-grant-2022-to-2023
This in addition to the Local Government Finance Settlement for £54.1 billion in 2022/23, which makes available an additional £3.7 billion on last year to councils in England, the majority of which is un-ringfenced in recognition of local authorities being best placed to understand local priorities.
We recognise that rents are increasing but the challenging fiscal environment means that difficult decisions have to be made to ensure support is targeted effectively and the Chancellor announced at Autumn Statement a package of targeted support worth £26 billion to protect the most vulnerable households.
In April 2020 the Government boosted investment in LHA rates by nearly £1 billion providing 1.5 million claimants with around £600 more housing support in 2020/21 than they would otherwise have received. LHA rates have been maintained at their increased level since then ensuring that those who benefited from the increase continue to do so. Government is projected to spend approximately £28.5 billion pounds supporting renters with housing costs in 2022/23.
For those who need extra help with their housing costs, support is available through Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP). £100 million Discretionary Housing Payments funding is available in 2022/23 for Local Authorities to support vulnerable households with their housing costs. Since 2011 the Government has provided almost £1.5 billion in DHP funding to local authorities
This action taken by the Government means that over 8 million of the most vulnerable households across the UK will continue to be supported through next winter via additional Cost of Living Payments. For those who require extra support, the government is providing an additional £1 billion to enable an extension to the Household Support Fund and help with the cost of household essentials - bringing total funding for this support to £2.5 billion since October 2021 (including Barnett funding for the devolved administrations).
This is on top of the 10.1% increase in benefits from April 2023 and the benefit cap level increase in April 2023, resulting in around 30,000 households being taken out of the cap entirely. The government is also providing support to all households through the Energy PriceGuarantee which will save the average UK household £500 in 2023/24.
The White Paper ‘A fairer private rented sector’, which was published on 16 June 2022, outlinesour plans to create a fairer privaterented sector for both landlords and tenants. Our reforms will help over time to ease the cost-of-living pressures renters are facing – saving them hundreds of pounds of moving costs through ending Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions. The White Paper also sets out plans to end the use of arbitrary rent review clauses, restricttribunals from hiking up rent and enabletenants to be repaid rent for non-decent homes.
I trust this information is helpful and I thankyou for writing on this important matter. Yours ever,
Felicity BuchanMP
Minister for Housing and Homelessness
|
Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty Leader of the Council Brighton and Hove City Council Hove Town Hall Norton Road Hove BN3 3BQ
Email only. |
Our ref: MCB2023/00106 Your ref: BHCC- PM
23 January 2023 |
Dear Phélim,
Thank you for your letter dated 7 December2022 to the Rt Hon Grant ShappsMP, regarding the uprating of the National Minimum Wage. I am responding as this matter falls under my ministerial portfolio.
The Government is committed to building a high wage, high skilled economythat works for everyone. We have set out an ambitious plan for the National LivingWage and it is important that increases are sustainable, evidence-based and affordable for business.
On 1 April 2023, the Government will increase the National LivingWage (NLW) for workers aged 23 years and over by 9.7% to £10.42. This will keep the Government on track to achieve its target of the National Living Wage reaching two-thirds of median earnings by 2024, provided economic conditions allow. Younger people and apprentices will also see increases in the National MinimumWage (NMW) rates of between9.7% and 10.9%. Details of the full rates can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates.
We commendemployers who pay above the National MinimumWage/National Living Wage when they can afford to do so, including the hundreds of employers in Brighton & Hove which you reference.
We consider the expert and independent advice of the Low Pay Commission (LPC) when setting the NLW/NMW rates. The new rate increases are based on the LPC’s recommendations, following an extensive consultation of stakeholders and consideration of thecurrent economic data and circumstances. We are therefore able to ensurethat the right balance is struck betweenthe needs of workers, affordability for businesses and the impact on the economy.
Having a UK-wide minimum wage policy provides clarity for employers that operate across the UK. This reduces the burden on business and reduces the scope for non-compliance due to mistakes.
Thank you once againfor taking the time to write. I hope you find this response helpful.
Yours sincerely,
