Speeches by Ali.

“You are alluding to the challenge some authorities are facing. London Councils has contacted me and I will be meeting with the chair and deputy chair of London Councils, Councillor Holland and Councillor Williams. It is really crucial that we do both. We have to focus on prevention. It picks up on the wider points we m…”

“We published the evaluation of the Changing Futures pilot before Christmas and the results were really encouraging. One of the examples, which I often share, is of someone who has received support from different agencies over a period of, I think, 13 to 15 years, thousands of interventions, costing something in the ord…”

“The funding that we have allocated is £283.2 million for three of our rough sleeping grants for 2025-26. Before Christmas, we announced £10 million for winter pressures and yesterday I announced a further £20 million to support local authorities for rough sleeping winter pressures. We recognise that this is a really ch…”

“The challenges have been exacerbated by long-term issues, going back a decade or more. We are not going to be able to resolve these issues immediately, not least because there is a massive challenge around the financial environment that we have inherited. That said, what is really encouraging is that additional funding…”

“On your point about LHA and other policies, this is an internal government inter-departmental group that will publish a strategy. That is the format. In terms of discussions we will have with Ministers across Government, that is why it is really important that DWP, Treasury and other Ministers are involved. Just to rea…”

“I do not think there is more to add beyond that we have a difficult inheritance. There is a £22 billion black hole that the Chancellor and this Government have had to address. Public services are under massive pressure. We have invested some £25 billion in the healthcare system that was underfunded. Of course, interven…”

“We inherited a really challenging set of circumstances post election and the Chancellor announced a substantial increase in the funding that my Department received on the homelessness agenda, with an additional £233 million bringing the total to £1 billion. As you know, other funding has also been made available across…”

“Yes, absolutely. Local authorities should not be hanging around for changes. There is existing provision and they need to follow it. If there are gaps, I am sure that this Committee will make sure that the inter-ministerial group takes those points on board. I am very happy to feed that in to the Deputy Prime Minister …”

“We have seen some examples. I think that Rochdale Borough Council is doing that. I know that there is a campaign here in Parliament with colleagues looking at that. Anything that can be done to ensure that there is proper communication and information sharing between councils needs to happen. I will look closely at tha…”

“This is where the Department’s approach of us working with mayors and council leaders and officials working with their counterparts is really important. Having the strategic discussions through the inter-ministerial group and these expert groups is really helpful, because I often raise issues as we go along. I am not j…”

“These are really important points. As you were speaking, I was thinking about the work we are doing on supported housing, for instance, where we have seen well-documented cases of the women fleeing domestic violence ending up being placed in particular kinds of housing with children and then along with others, and it i…”

“We know that safeguarding is absolutely paramount. We have seen evidence of the consequences where the quality of housing and condition of housing, if it is in poor condition, can be fatal. That is why the changes that are being made in the Renters’ Rights Bill, in terms of the quality of housing, tackling damp and poo…”

“There is not enough housing because there was not enough housebuilding. That is the legacy we have inherited. We are not going to be able to fix this overnight, but we are determined to address it. London has huge housing pressures. If you look at the temporary accommodation numbers, you will see that they are signific…”

“My colleague attended the committee hearings.”

“We want to see local authorities prioritising keeping people in their localities. That is the message that has been made very clear by the Deputy Prime Minister. I am making that clear today. However, we also recognise that, in certain circumstances, because of a shortage, local authorities do not have the option of ho…”

“We will continue to monitor the situation. I know that there is strong interest here in Parliament. As a London MP, I do not want to speak for other colleagues, but I do not want my constituents to be placed far away. Indeed, in my own constituency there was a big campaign locally to stop the local council from placing…”

“As I say, the Deputy Prime Minister has already contacted local authorities, making clear what their responsibilities are.”

“The legislation is very clear that councils should place families, those they are responsible for, within their local area in the first instance. You will appreciate that, going back to the housing pressures, that is not always possible. I recognise that it is a growing problem. The Deputy Prime Minister recognises tha…”

“There are a number of existing requirements and provisions that local authorities need to follow, be that in relation to standards, safeguarding and so on, making sure that, where they are placing, including bed-and-breakfast accommodation, those they have a duty and responsibility over, they follow those obligations.”

“Local authorities have safeguarding duties. They have a wide range of statutory duties, including for vulnerable children and families. This links to out-of-area placements as well for those who are vulnerable.”