- Scott Benton MP has welcomed the Conservative Government’s wide-ranging housing reforms announced in the King’s Speech 2023, delivering the long-term decisions needed for a brighter future.
- The Conservative Government announced reforms to transform rights for leaseholders, giving homeowners greater security and lower costs while pressing ahead with the Renters’ (Reform) Bill, delivering a fairer rental market for both landlords and tenants.
- By taking the right long-term decisions the Conservative Government is delivering transformational reforms for leaseholders, tenants and landlords creating a fairer housing market for the future.
Scott Benton MP has welcomed the Conservative Government’s announcement in the King’s Speech 2023 that it will deliver transformational housing reforms, taking the long-term decisions needed to deliver a fairer housing market and demonstrating that the Conservative Party is the party of home-ownership.
For too long governments of all colours have taken short-term decisions, instead of focusing on the right long-term decisions that will safeguard the future prosperity of our country.
That’s why the Conservative government has announced plans reform the UK housing market, delivering a brighter future for our country.
Under the plans, a new Leasehold and Freehold Bill will deliver on a manifesto commitment to improve leaseholders’ rights, making it easier and cheaper for leaseholders to extend their lease or buy their freehold as well as increasing the standard lease extension term from 90 to 990 years.
The Conservative Government will also consult on capping all ground rents, ensuring all leaseholders are protected from making payments that require no service or benefit in return, have no requirement to be reasonable, and can cause issues when people want to sell their properties. Subject to that consultation, the Government will look to introduce a cap through this Bill.
These leasehold reforms build on the Conservative Government’s record delivering fairer rules for leaseholders including the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 which protects people buying new properties from exorbitant ground rents.
The Conservative Government is also pressing ahead with the Renters’ (Reform) Bill that was introduced earlier this year – delivering on their manifesto commitment to abolish ‘no fault evictions’ as well as strengthening landlords’ grounds for possession and introducing stronger powers to evict anti-social tenants.
These measures will deliver a fairer housing market for leaseholders, tenants and landlords as the Conservative Government takes the long-term decisions needed for a brighter future.
Commenting, Scott Benton MP said:
“We can only deliver a fairer housing market for all by taking the long-term decisions needed, not focusing on short-term political games.
“That is why I welcome the Conservative Government’s decision to introduce the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill as well as pressing ahead with the Renters’ (Reform) Bill, as we continue to boost leaseholder, tenants’ and landlords’ rights across Blackpool South, creating a fairer market for everyone.
“This King’s Speech proved the Prime Minister is committed to long-term housing reform as we focus on delivering the long-term decisions needed for a brighter future.”
Commenting, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:
“Today marked the first King’s Speech in over seventy years, bringing forward our plan to build a better future for the next seventy.
“Just as I have done with energy security, net zero, illegal migration and HS2, the King’s Speech takes the long-term decisions to address the challenges this country faces, not the easy way out with short-term gimmicks.
“As we take the necessary steps to halve inflation and reduce debt, we will legislate to grow the economy, by supporting innovative businesses and protecting consumers.
“To make the real change this country needs, we will bring forward bills that strengthen our society, help people feel safer in their own communities and give a sense of pride in the place they call home.”
