This afternoon in Parliament, MPs debated the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill that has recently returned to the Commons following its scrutiny in the House of Lords. Once this piece of legislation passes onto the statute book, social housing providers will have to ensure that all their staff are equipped to deliver high-quality services. At its heart, this Bill strengthens the powers of the regulator, in turn protecting the rights of tenants; ensuring that social housing is maintained at a high level.
I know from my time in local government, and in my time as a vice-president of the Local Government Association, the importance of this legislation. As it stands, this piece of legislation has my support as it provides clarity for those responsible for enforcing standards, providing clarity and ensuring a greater degree of accountability in the sector.
While I support this Bill, I wanted to focus my speech on issues that remain to be addressed and areas in which I think the Government could provide greater clarity. In particular, I wished to focus on the powers of the regulator as this largely forms the basis of this legislation. I also chose to raise the issues facing constituents of mine, living in social housing, who are experiencing challenges with their landlords.
This Bill is a much welcome and important step forward for tenants living in social housing. I commend Ministers involved who have always been willing to listen to social housing tenants and the concerns of parliamentarians, and amend the legislation as necessary. I expect further amendments to come through as the Bill is scrutinised further, and I look forward to it completing this process in the coming months.
