Latest news with #CommunitiesandLocalGovernmentCommittee
Daily Mirror
22-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Council tax branded 'unfair and regressive' as calls for a tourist tax mount
Cash-strapped town halls are being forced to deliver more with less funding, leading to rising unhappiness from voters, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee said Ministers should overhaul 'unfair and regressive' council tax as residents are paying more while their services are slashed, MPs warn today. Cash-strapped town halls are being forced to deliver more with less funding, leading to rising unhappiness from voters, the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee warned. The report said council tax is 'the most unfair and regressive tax in use in England today', and said councils should be allowed to set their own forms of local taxes, such as tourist levies, to help make the local government system fair and effective. MPs on the committee said local councils' financial issues are 'exacerbated by the over-centralisation of government'. Tourist taxes are common in other countries or cities including Barcelona and Paris. A similar levy already exists in Scotland, and the Welsh Government is also in the process of introducing a tourism tax. They are set by local government and are often based on a percentage or fixed rate per night of stay in a hotel or other accommodation. No10 yesterday said there are 'no plans' to introduce a tourism tax in England. It comes amid reports that Angela Rayner is pushing for local authorities to be able to impose tourist taxes but was rebuffed by the Treasury. Rachel Reeves is said to have blocked the move for fear it would reduce revenues for businesses struggling with higher national insurance contributions and a rise in the minimum wage already brought in by the Government. Ms Rayner earlier this month told MPs she wants to see 'more push' in the direction of local authorities having increased tax and spending powers. A group of mayors, including Greater Manchester 's Andy Burnham and London's Sadiq Khan, last month called for a visitor levy to be introduced to make money from tourism. In a letter to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, they suggested local authorities be given the power to introduce a tourist levy in the Government's devolution bill. Council tax bill rises hit 5% in April for the third year in a row, as almost all councils increased bills up to, or close to, the maximum permitted. As a first step to reforming council tax, the committee's report calls on the Government to give local authorities more control over the council tax in their areas, including the power to revalue properties in their area, define property bands and set the rates for those bands. Florence Eshalomi, chairwoman of the committee, said: 'When residents are paying more and more in taxes but seeing less and less in regular, everyday services, such as libraries and fixing potholes, then trust in local democracy is at risk of being undermined. 'Councils are trapped in a straitjacket by central government, with local authorities lacking the flexibility or control to devise creative, long-term, preventative solutions which could offer better value-for-money. Reform of council tax should be a greater priority for the Government. 'In the long-term, HM Treasury should devolve tax-setting powers to local authorities, allowing them to set their own local taxes, such as tourist levies.' A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesman said: 'The government is taking decisive action to fix the broken council funding system, so local leaders can deliver the vital public services their communities rely on. 'We have announced over £5billion of new grant funding for local services on top of the £69billion already made available this year to boost council finances, and we will go further to reform the funding system to make it fit for the future.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Government 'cannot mark own homework on Grenfell'
The government cannot be left "marking its own homework" when it comes to following through on recommendations from the Grenfell Report, MPs have said. In a letter to Housing Secretary Angela Rayner the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee urged independent oversight of progress on building safety. Members branded it "completely unacceptable" that survivors and next of kin of the 72 people who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower disaster "are still awaiting justice for that terrible day". Building safety minister Alex Norris told the committee last month that the government had promised "quarterly reporting" on its website and annual scrutiny in the House of Commons. Campaigners on a range of scandals, including the Grenfell fire and infected blood victims, have previously called for a national oversight mechanism - an independent public body - to be put in place, responsible for collating, analysing and following up on recommendations from public inquiries. They have argued that, without such a body in place, governments can delay the implementation of, or even ignore entirely, recommendations from public inquiries. Backing this call, the committee told ministers: "The clearest, most consistent message we heard in our inquiry was that the government must now be held to account for implementing these recommendations. "We therefore endorse witness calls for the design and implementation of an independent mechanism to ensure that the government is held to account going forward and is not left marking its own homework." Grenfell's 'path to disaster' that led to 72 deaths 'She was so proud to live in Grenfell Tower': The 72 people killed by the fire Grenfell Report: Key findings from the inquiry Florence Eshalomi, the MP for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green who sits on the housing committee, said survivors and next of kin wanted to see government action "at a pace". "The sense from them was that so much time had been lost and yet nothing had moved on considerably," she told BBC London. "What we are asking is there should be a national oversight mechanism, similar to what's been proposed with Hillsborough, to effectively monitor the different stages of implementation and looking at those recommendations so that we can all track the progress." Appearing before the committee last month, Mr Norris said that, while he recognised the call for an oversight mechanism from campaigners who have been the victims of "scandal and failure of the British state", he "can't make that commitment". He said: "That's a Cabinet Office-run process. I've made the commitment I've made in line with what we published in the inquiry on the publicly available information. The work is ongoing across government on the national oversight mechanism more generally." The committee said an independent oversight mechanism would "reduce the risk of future governments repeating the catastrophic mistakes which have historically led to state-related deaths, from Hillsborough, to the infected blood scandal, to the Grenfell Tower fire itself". Elsewhere in their letter, the MPs also demanded an urgent review of the decision to mandate sprinkler installation in new care homes but not existing ones, and that sufficient funding was provided to ensure all disabled residents in high-rise buildings could have Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans. A government spokesperson said: "The Grenfell Tower tragedy claimed 72 innocent lives in a disaster that should never have happened. "We are acting on all of the Inquiry's findings, working closely with industry, local authorities and the bereaved, survivors and residents, and have committed to updating on progress regularly. "We have also committed to introducing a more robust system to improve the transparency, accessibility and scrutiny of inquiry recommendations received by government." Additional reporting from PA Media. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
MPs call for urgent action to end child deaths linked to temporary accommodation
Councils must be required to regularly inspect temporary accommodation for homeless families to prevent dangerous conditions contributing to more than one child death a month, MPs have said. In response to official data showing the state of some placements played a role in the deaths of 74 children in the last five years, a cross-party committee of MPs said it is 'appalling' that many councils do not conduct checks before placing families in such settings. The committee also highlighted that schools, GPs and other public bodies are often not notified when children become homeless or move schools after being placed in temporary accommodation, leaving them vulnerable to a lack of support and monitoring. A crisis in temporary accommodation in England has left record numbers of children without a permanent home and many are living in 'appalling conditions, with significant impacts to their health and education', the Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee said. The report highlights the damaging consequences of poor quality accommodation on the development, wellbeing, education and health of children, including the safeguarding risks of children and families sharing communal facilities with strangers – some of whom have a history of domestic abuse. The report also said some settings are blighted by 'egregious hazards', including damp and mould, excessive cold, mice infestations and overcrowding, leading to some older children sharing beds with their parents or siblings, and younger ones having limited space to crawl and learn to walk. The National Child Mortality Database, which is funded by the NHS, showed living conditions in temporary accommodation have contributed to the deaths 74 children in England, including 58 babies under the age of one. When the data was published in January, Dame Siobhain McDonagh, chairwoman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Households in Temporary Accommodation, described the figures as 'shocking'. The figures represented 'more than one (death) every month… in the fifth largest economy in the world', she added. The committee also highlighted rising costs to local councils of providing temporary accommodation, with local authorities spending a combined £2.29 billion in 2023/24. Hannah Dalton, housing spokeswoman for the District Councils' Network, said: 'This harrowing report exposes how the broken temporary accommodation system fails children – not just in the inner cities, but in all corners of the country where the shortage of affordable housing is having a dire impact. 'The shocking revelation that temporary accommodation has contributed to 74 children's deaths in five years demands immediate action. 'This crisis is not just devastating for families, it's making council finances unsustainable, with district council spending on temporary accommodation more than tripling in just five years.' The latest figures showed the number of children in temporary accommodation hit a record high of 164,040 as of the end of September. The number has risen 15% in a year and is the highest since records for this measure began in 2004. The number of households in temporary accommodation was also at a record high of 126,040, having increased 16% in a year. There were 5,400 households with children living in bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) by the end of September last year – a rise of 15% in a year. Some 3,470 households with children had been in B&Bs for more than the six-week limit. By law, B&Bs are meant to be used only for families in an emergency, and for no longer than six weeks. Florence Eshalomi, Labour chairwoman of the committee, said the Government must take urgent action to prevent further suffering and loss of life. She said: 'It is utterly shameful that so many families are living in B&Bs, bedsits and hotels that are completely unsuitable to their needs; having to travel for hours simply to get to school or work, not having basics like cots and radiator covers, not even having the space to learn to walk or crawl. 'Beyond the appalling impact on children and families, this crisis doesn't deliver value for money for taxpayers. 'Councils in London alone are spending £4 million a day on this form of accommodation, while billions are spent nationwide every year. That's why our solution to the housing crisis must include enough social housing and genuinely affordable homes to ensure every child has a permanent place to call home.' The committee also said the Government should introduce a new requirement for councils to notify a host authority before they place a family in their area. These placements are described as having 'a devastating impact on families, leaving them far from their extended family, friends, and support network, and causing disruption to children's education'. The local government and social care ombudsman should have sufficient resources and powers to investigate complaints about temporary accommodation and take appropriate action, the committee said as it noted a 'striking rise' in the number of families placed in B&B temporary accommodation for more than six weeks unlawfully. It also called on the Government to publish its strategy on ending homelessness by July 2025 to help ensure 'meaningful progress' towards tackling the crisis in temporary accommodation during this Parliament. Responding to the report, Matt Downie, chief executive of the charity Crisis, said it reveals the 'reality of our broken housing and homelessness system' and the 'profound and long-lasting impact' on people. He said that he agreed with the committee's view that the Government's decision to re-freeze housing benefit is a 'false economy' that will make renting unaffordable for more families and push them out of the private rented sector and into homelessness. Mr Downie added: 'To ensure fewer children grow up homeless the Westminster Government must restore housing benefit so that it reflects the true cost of renting and invest in the 90,000 social homes we need each year.' Adam Hug, housing spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: 'It is no secret that the scale of the challenge facing local government on temporary accommodation and homelessness – and the financial pressures – are immense. 'Government needs to use the upcoming Spending Review to ensure that councils are sufficiently resourced, including by urgently increasing the temporary accommodation subsidy.' A Government spokesperson said: 'These findings are shocking and that is why we are taking urgent action to fix the broken system we inherited, investing nearly £1 billion in homelessness services this year to help families trapped in temporary accommodation. 'Alongside this, we are developing a long-term strategy to tackle homelessness, driving up housing standards and delivering the biggest boost in social and affordable homes in a generation.'
