Question
I recently met constituents in Grayshott and Haslemere who face poor communication from managing agents, with little transparency on where the service charges and costs that they are forced to pay go. Meanwhile, Surrey and Hampshire are set to lose out under the Government’s funding review, leaving many of those same residents facing higher council tax bills. Will the Secretary of State finally tell us when the leasehold reform Bill will be published, and give a guarantee that any savings delivered through that reform will not simply be wiped out by the higher council tax bills caused by her Government’s funding decisions?
Answer
We promised that we would bring that legislation forward soon, possibly in time for it to be a Christmas present—you never know, Mr Speaker. Council tax went up every year under the Conservatives. They left local governments without the funds they needed; we have funded councils on the basis of need. We support the councils; the Opposition did not.50% point-scoring
Verdict: AMBER (27/100)
The minister gave only a vague answer to the first part of the question. They said the legislation would come forward "soon" and joked it might arrive by Christmas, but gave no publication date. The second part, whether savings from leasehold reform would be protected from council tax rises, was not answered. The reply gave no guarantee and no reason for withholding one, and instead offered party-political comments and a general statement that councils are funded on the basis of need. Overall the reply is mostly hedged, so the person who asked would likely need to ask again for a specific timetable and a clear position on council tax.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| When the leasehold reform Bill will be published. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The minister commits to bringing the legislation forward 'soon' and jokingly suggests it might arrive by Christmas, but gives no actual publication date, so the timing is only vaguely indicated. |
| Whether the Secretary of State will guarantee that any savings delivered through leasehold reform will not be wiped out by higher council tax bills resulting from the Government's funding decisions. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply never addresses whether savings from leasehold reform will be protected from council tax rises and gives no guarantee or reason for declining one. Its only nearby content is party-political point-scoring and the general assertion that councils are funded on the basis of need, which touches the funding decisions but not the savings. |