Florence Eshalomi
MP for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green · Labour (Co-op) · United Kingdom
“Friend the Member for Harlow (Chris Vince) highlighted the PTSD faced by his constituent. That shows the real-life consequences that many of our firefighters—the first responders to that tragic fire and the many tragic fires we continue to see—have to live with. I hope that Ministers in the DWP will take into account how my hon.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“83A(7)), That the following provisions shall apply to the Building Safety (Remediation of Unsafe Cladding etc) Bill: Committal (1) The Bill shall be committed to a Public Bill Committee.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank him for tireless campaigning and continued work with the survivors of Grenfell. He highlighted some of the dangers that still exist and mentioned the increasing costs that many of his constituents are facing—examples of some residents who are having to pay eye-watering bills to fix the issues.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“(6) Standing Order No. 83B (Programming committees) shall not apply to proceedings on Consideration and Third Reading. Other proceedings (7) Any other proceedings on the Bill may be programmed.— (Rachel Hopkins .) Question agreed to. Building Safety (Remediation of Unsafe Cladding etc) Bill (Money) King’s recommendation signified.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Member for Bristol Central (Carla Denyer) detailed the tragic case of her 97-year-old constituent, who is having to rely on her children to buy her property to give her some certainty. They are now lumbered with a property that they cannot sell—simply for doing the right thing for their parent.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“To reassure Members, Homes England will also audit all assessments that recommend mitigation and remediation and will have the power to audit other assessments.”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
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“The Committee has called on the Government to include a clause for the ground rent cap in the final Bill to ensure that it comes into force two months after the legislation receives Royal Assent. We support the Government’s intention to change to peppercorn ground rent over time. We understand that that will need a transition period, as Ministers must be confident that they are striking a fair balance between the interests of competing parties, but it is not clear to us how the Government decided on their policy of a 40-year transition. Based on the evidence to our Committee so far, we think a shorter transition period may be justified and fair. That is why our report calls on the Government to publish more data in the coming months so we can be confident that we are getting the transition period right.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“However, even before the final Bill has been introduced, we hear threats of judicial review from a small number of organisations with very deep pockets. Rather than engaging with the process here in Parliament, they are preparing to challenge the democratic mandate of successive Governments, and the will of this House, to make these changes. Shame on them. They know that they have lost the political debate. The Government should be emboldened by the fact that they have successfully defended judicial reviews in the past. We think they should push ahead with these reforms, but there is a real risk that these measures could be delayed if freeholders do launch such a challenge.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I refer my hon. Friend to the evidence session at which we had representatives of freeholders—one of the most enlightening sessions for my Committee and my colleagues. We probed and pushed and tried to seek justification for ground rents, but none was forthcoming. That shows that they are a money-making scheme. We must be absolutely clear, as the Competition and Markets Authority has said, that there is no place for ground rents. Last month, there were media reports that the Government are preparing to accept our Committee’s recommendation to bring the £250 ground rent cap into force in late 2027—one year earlier than previously planned. If those reports are correct, that will be welcome news for many leaseholders, who are calling on us to act with greater urgency.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention, and I thank many other Members, including my hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Danny Beales). I will come on to the very important area of managing agents and a firm that is notorious with many of us in this Chamber—FirstPort.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Ultimately, the problem with many of these managing agents is that they are taking advantage of a captive market. They effectively have a monopoly on individual estates, meaning that they are able to treat homeowners with sheer contempt. In the words of one leaseholder we heard from, homeowners are left feeling “like cash cows”.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We do not want to run the risk of leaving some leaseholders behind. The biggest issue and source of frustration for so many homeowners and leaseholders in the leasehold system is the quality—or lack of it—and service provided by their managing agents. Many colleagues from across the House will share cases involving their constituents in this afternoon’s debate, but it will come as no surprise to anyone that one company came up time and again in the stories we heard from leaseholders. That company was FirstPort, the largest independent managing agent in England. Last year, the Minister said he had “significant concerns” about FirstPort’s unreasonable service charges, its slow response to complaints and its approach to debt collection.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We must ensure that the vote can be split between shared owners and their housing providers if necessary, so that shared ownership leaseholders get a meaningful say. Secondly, we need to ensure that as many existing leaseholders as possible are able to convert to commonhold. The Government want all new build homes to be commonhold and to support existing leaseholders to convert. However, the draft Bill does not enact important recommendations from the Law Commission that would make it easier for leaseholders to buy out their freeholder and make the important switch. Our report includes proposals on how some of those recommendations could be included. If it is not possible to include them in this Bill, the Government must bring forward further legislation later in this Parliament.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend, a fellow London MP, for that intervention. This issue is not just isolated to London; it happens in many areas right across the country, and it was raised continuously throughout our inquiry. As I mentioned, I will come on to the issue of managing agents more broadly. Our Committee is broadly supportive of the move to commonhold. That said, we have two key questions about its implementation. First, the Government must clarify what voting rights shared owners will have in commonholds. The Government have indicated that housing associations may have control over the votes of shared owners during the 10-year initial repair period of their properties. That could leave shared owners without any say in decisions that directly affect their homes. We call on the Government to clarify the position on this matter.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend for sharing that example; colleagues across the Chamber will probably cite similar, if not worse, ones. That is a shocking indictment of the company we are discussing. The law already requires service charge increases to be “reasonable”, but when charges are skyrocketing for basic maintenance services such as cutting grass, many residents do not feel that they are being treated reasonably.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“1 action that homeowners wanted the Government to prioritise as part of their leasehold and commonhold agenda. In 2018, the Lord Best report proposed a new regulator to cover letting and managing agents, with a mandatory and enforceable code of practice. Lord Best recommended that this new body should be established as a statutory regulator for property agents, as there was no existing body that could take on that role. Even the managing agents themselves have told us that they would welcome Lord Best’s proposals for regulation and the professionalisation this would bring to the sector. We already have industry-funded professional bodies with their own codes, but self-regulation does not work.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend for raising that point—as I mentioned, many colleagues will have dealt with similar cases. This is an issue that we want the Government to look seriously at, and one that has frequently been brought up in the Chamber. It is right that Members are advocating for their constituents, but local MPs or Housing Ministers should not have to name and shame these companies; we are talking about some of the largest managing agents in England. We are seeing patterns, with the same companies coming up time and again across the country. As MPs, our support for individual blocks and housing estates might result in small wins locally, but it is not addressing the root cause of the problem. Our Committee surveyed over 7,000 homeowners, and found that the regulation of managing agents was the No.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“An independent code of practice would provide that assurance, so overall we think it would be a valuable addition to the final Bill—one that would benefit homeowners. Homeowners want a crackdown on poorly performing agents like FirstPort, with a regulator that has teeth and can deliver.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I should acknowledge that our inquiry heard from some campaigners who were concerned that regulation could add to the costs passed on to leaseholders via service charges. On balance, though, we think that regulation is now necessary to protect all leaseholders from rogue managing agents. The reality is that some leaseholders will not be able to convert to commonhold—some blocks will not be able to meet the 50% threshold to convert, and some blocks will have special features that mean they are not eligible. We cannot leave those homeowners behind. Ultimately, commonhold is a vast improvement, but it will not always be as simple as hiring and firing agents. Commonholds are likely to appoint managing agents on contracts that last for several years, and they need to have confidence that they are appointing high-quality service providers.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention, and wish him a happy birthday—I am sure a good birthday present for him would be the regulation of managing agents for the sake of his constituents. Self-regulation does not work when there is no real enforcement, and leaseholders were clear with us that they do not just want mandatory qualifications. As Lord Best put it in his evidence to the Committee, “being qualified doesn’t necessarily make people behave properly; you still need a code of practice and enforcement”. What we need is a regulator with teeth—one that will issue meaningful sanctions against agents that treat homeowners like a revenue stream. For the worst offenders, that should include the removal of their licence to operate.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Our Committee’s report sets out the blueprint for the changes needed to make the Bill a bolder, more ambitious piece of legislation. With an independent regulator, we can ensure that all homeowners see a real change in the short term. I therefore urge Members across the House to support today’s motion; leaseholders’ expectations have been set very high, so it is vital that we get the reforms right. If we do so, this will be the Parliament that finally allows leaseholders to realise their dream of home ownership, making them true homeowners with the control they have been promised.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend for raising the important issue of marriage value and the extension of leases, with many people having to take out additional loans just to remortgage and extend their lease. All these areas are covered in the draft Bill, and I know the Minister is keen to address them. The Bill will be an opportunity to impact the lives of millions of constituents across England and Wales who bought their homes in good faith. We must all take responsibility for keeping this topic on the agenda and ensuring that the final Bill comes back to this Chamber in the autumn to make progress through Parliament—we cannot allow this issue to be swept away by events that are happening outside this place or that are beyond our control.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Resolved, That this House welcomes the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee’s First Report of Session 2026-27, Pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill (HC40); notes the Government’s commitments to cap ground rents and to bring forward legislation in this Session to support the uptake of commonhold in place of leasehold; further notes the concerning practices of some property managing agents who fail to act in the best interests of homeowners; and calls on the Government to accept the Committee’s recommendation to legislate to create a body with enforcement powers to regulate property managing agents.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am mindful of the time, but let me thank the 24 Back-Bench Members who have contributed to the debate; I hope that the Minister will see that there is cross-party support. We will continue to keep this issue on the agenda, because it is only right that this Parliament does what the Labour manifesto committed to do: bring an end to the feudal leasehold system. Question put and agreed to.”
House of Commons2 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We also have to highlight the concerns of black and minority ethnic staff, who are told by some patients that they do not want to be served and helped by them. When will the real action plan be published? How will it create accountability to ensure that doctors and clinicians actually listen to these women?”
House of Commons30 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the Secretary of State for making this statement. I pay tribute to the noble Baroness Amos for her work and the care and dedication with which she has produced this report, and to the many women who came forward with their testimonies. I think back to the concerns that I raised just over nine years ago, when I was giving birth to my second son. Nine years on, women are still being dismissed, still not being listened to and still being silenced when they raise those valid concerns. I pay tribute to the hard-working midwifery team at St Thomas’ hospital across the river, who continue to care for many women. I also want to highlight the Southwark Maternity Commission, led by Councillor Evelyn Akoto, and the work of organisations like Five X More, which continue to expose the issues faced by black and minority ethnic women.”
House of Commons30 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I would be grateful to know what conversations the Minister is having with colleagues in MHCLG to ensure that when our councils procure temporary accommodation, they are not competing with the Home Office.”
House of Commons29 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the Minister for his statement. It is important that we have the means to help people fleeing really difficult situations, and that we clamp down on illegal immigration. The Minister is aware that the widespread use of asylum hotels has put a considerable amount of pressure on local authorities. We have a situation in which over 140,000 households are in temporary accommodation in the UK, with over 175,000 children sleeping in B&Bs, as the Minister knows. Frankly, asking asylum seekers to find secure accommodation, a job and universal credit within 28 days of receiving their statements is unachievable. That pressure goes on to local authorities, which are already dealing with a massive backlog. The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee did a recent report on the conditions in temporary accommodation.”
House of Commons29 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the Minister for allowing my Committee to have a really good look at the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill before it was laid before the House. I also thank my Committee colleagues and our specialist Clerk, Jack Edwards. I was pleased to read in The Times that the Government may be willing to accept our recommendation of the implementation of a £250 cap on ground rents by late 2027. Can the Minister confirm that? Will he also update the House on when the Bill will finally be introduced? As he has heard from Members on both sides of the House, this continues to be a pressing issue for many leaseholders. People continue to be ripped off. The earlier the Bill is put before us, the sooner we can bring this leasehold nightmare to an end.”
House of Commons15 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the Minister for coming to the House to reply to the UQ. It is truly shocking that our armed services have been forced to live in disgraceful, appalling conditions for many years. The Minister is aware that the defence housing strategy was launched last year, and I thank him for giving me a briefing on that. Part of it uses funding from the strategic defence review. Can the Minister confirm that the funding is still secured? We are seeing concerns about the overall defence investment plan.”
House of Commons15 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I welcome the announcement from the Secretary of State. It is right that we highlight the dangers that our children are exposed to. It is not about saying that social media is unsafe—I defy any parent or carer in the Chamber not to know the lyrics to “CoComelon” on YouTube. Social media has its place and works for some people. Equally, I raise the dangers of collecting children’s personal data and exposing them to the threat of leaks and hacks. My email, and my staffer’s email, were hacked recently. All of that personal information in the wrong hands could cause a lot of problems, so is that something that the Government will look at as they roll out the plan?”
House of Commons15 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“How is it possible that the killer was allowed to roam the streets with a 21 cm knife, freely stab someone and then lie? It is really important that we make sure that this Government get to grips with that. As soon as the IOPC concludes the findings of its investigation, will the Home Secretary come back to the House and make sure that the Government adequately respond, so that we are not back here again and do not have to console another family whose life has been taken by knife crime?”
House of Commons2 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the Home Secretary for coming to the Chamber this afternoon. As many hon. and right hon. Members have said, no one can fail to be moved by watching the footage and seeing a young life being wasted like that. The inhumane and degrading treatment that Henry had to go through in his last few moments is something that will stay with the family when the news coverage has moved on and those police officers have been prosecuted, because when someone is killed by a murderer who is intent on killing— regardless of race—it is the families and communities that have to deal with the long-term impact. Many of us in this Chamber have had to comfort constituents who have lost a family member through knife crime. This epidemic across the UK has to stop.”
House of Commons2 June 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“How will the CMA monitor supermarkets? It is a non-ministerial organisation, but will it be providing regular updates to the Treasury, so that we can ensure that price cuts are being passed on to hard-working families?”
House of Commons21 May 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the Chancellor for this wonderful set of measures. I will go one further than my hon. Friend the Member for Erewash (Adam Thompson), who is no longer in his place, and invite her across the bridge to some of the greatest attractions in the UK, ranging from the London Eye to the Southbank Centre, the London Aquarium and even the Paddington Bear Experience, which will all benefit from this wonderful VAT cut. We have been raising this issue for many months, so it is good to see action. This morning, I visited John Ruskin primary school in Camberwell in my constituency. We might think that the impact of what is happening is not affecting young children, but it is. The children there were so articulate, raising questions on oil and gas prices and prices in the supermarket, so I thank the Chancellor for addressing the issues.”
House of Commons21 May 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Members from across the House, including the right hon. Members for North West Hampshire (Kit Malthouse), and for The Wrekin (Mark Pritchard), and my hon. Friends the Members for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East (Andy McDonald), and for Walthamstow (Ms Creasy). We want to help the Minister, but we are concerned that although we come back here time and again, we do not see meaningful action that says to the people perpetrating these acts, “Enough is enough.” Every life is valuable, and every life matters; we cannot sit back and watch what is happening with impunity. What more can the Minister do, through his good offices, to say: enough is enough?”
House of Commons21 May 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the Minister for engaging with me and a group of my constituents, young people and cross-party faith leaders on this issue, which continues to come up with my constituents. This week, one of my constituents wrote to me about the flotilla, outlining that peaceful volunteers were seized in international waters, which is an act explicitly prohibited under international law. I therefore welcome the Minister’s condemnation of the Israeli Government’s horrific and disgraceful actions, which we have all seen. We know that staff are working really hard to get the British nationals concerned home. He is correct in saying that we would not have needed the flotilla if Israel was allowing vital humanitarian aid to get through to the Palestinians who are in so much need. The Minister can see the frustration of hon.”
House of Commons21 May 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“However, on awaking this morning I am both angry and ashamed by the announcement, snuck out last night, that your government is (partially) lifting sanctions on the purchase of Russian oil.” Can the Minister reassure me and my constituents that this will be a temporary measure, similar to the sanctions restrictions put in place by the Americans? My understanding is that they will be there for 30 days.”
House of Commons20 May 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank the Minister for coming to the Chamber to answer this really important urgent question. He will know that we must keep at the forefront of our minds our allies in Ukraine who have been fighting this terrible illegal war for many years. I am proud that many of my constituents took in many people from Ukraine at the start of the invasion. Echoing the comments made by my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds Central and Headingley (Alex Sobel), I am concerned about the communication around this issue. A constituent contacted me and said: “I am one of your constituents and have never had reason to contact you.”
House of Commons20 May 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In particular, I thank the many families who we heard from at first hand, as they told us about their experience of living in temporary accommodation. In conclusion, we welcome the steps the Government have taken, but they need to go further to make sure those living in temporary accommodation have decent, safe and stable homes when they fall on hard times.”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We have also recommended that the Government should require councils to forecast future demand for temporary accommodation, and put in place plans for meeting this need. That includes ensuring there is adequate provision for people with more complex needs. The number of households living in temporary accommodation goes up and up every quarter, with 176,000 children living in TA as of September last year. Sadly, some of these children will spend a large part of their childhood without a permanent roof over their head, not knowing where they are going to call home after they finish school. I want to thank the many organisations, individuals, campaigners and local authorities that helped us with our inquiry by giving evidence, attending our sessions and making written submissions, and helped us with our visits.”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We agree with the Government that temporary accommodation should provide homeless households with somewhere decent, safe and stable to live while they wait for permanent accommodation. Councils are working hard to increase the supply of good-quality temporary accommodation in the face of rising demand, but systemic barriers make it difficult, including unhelpful competition between councils, the Home Office and other public bodies for accommodation to fulfil their statutory duties; landlords increasingly opting to let properties on a nightly basis, rather than on a long-term lease; and the freeze to the local housing allowance and the rates councils can claim through the housing benefit subsidy. The Government must urgently address these barriers.”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“However, we have called on the Government to put in place safeguards to prevent councils from resorting to placing families in another local authority or in other types of shared accommodation in order to hit the target. The Children’s Commissioner has found that almost 6,000 children are living in council-run accommodation with shared facilities, such as shared kitchens and bathrooms. Our view is that this type of accommodation is simply not suitable for families, regardless of who runs it. We have called on the Government to extend the statutory six-week limit to other types of shared accommodation. We also remain concerned that there is no explicit rule to prevent or restrict councils from housing families, including single mothers with children, in accommodation where they have to share facilities with single male adults.”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We also want the Government to introduce interim milestones to ensure providers of temporary accommodation are on track to meet the new decent homes standard by 2035. In the meantime, councils should be required to inspect properties to make sure they are free from hazards, are in a decent condition and meet the needs of everyone in the household. We welcome the Government’s target to eliminate the unlawful use of B&B accommodation by the end of this Parliament. They are making really good progress so far; the number of households with children living in B&Bs and hotels for longer than the six-week statutory limit is falling.”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Through the national plan to end homelessness, the Government are taking steps to improve the quality of temporary accommodation and people’s experiences. We welcome the plan, and it is good to see the Minister for Local Government and Homelessness in her place. A lot of good work is under way, but the Government need to go further in strengthening the protections available to households living in temporary accommodation. I know that the Minister cares passionately about this. We welcome the Government’s plans to apply Awaab’s law to the new decent homes standard for temporary accommodation. We recommend that they start rolling out Awaab’s law urgently, so that it is fully applied to temporary accommodation before the end of this Parliament.”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We heard of situations where women and children fleeing domestic abuse were housed with single male adults. Sometimes, the condition of the property compounds this problem. For example, we heard of people living in shared accommodation without even basic functioning locks on their rooms. The Children’s Commissioner recently reported that, of the over 12,000 people living in shared accommodation as of June last year, over 9,500 had been living there for over six weeks. Even if the properties are in a good state, people living in temporary accommodation may not have access to some of the very basic things we all take for granted: somewhere to cook, somewhere to wash clothes, wi-fi, having people over to visit, and just being able to go and come without having to sign in at the reception desk.”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“There is a growing problem with infestation of mice, rats and other pests; we heard of a child who was bitten on the toe by a rat during the night, and another child who could not sleep properly after waking up covered in ants. We also heard about broken facilities, leaking sewage and exposed electrical wires. The list of poor conditions goes on. There is little space, with families sometimes housed in just one room. We heard about a family of six who shared one room with a double bed, a set of bunk beds, a small kitchenette and a toilet between them. Households with children can be placed in bed and breakfasts, hostels and other accommodation where they need to share facilities with other residents. The behaviour of the other residents can leave people feeling unsafe.”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Yesterday, the all-party parliamentary group for households in temporary accommodation reported that temporary accommodation has been listed as a contributing factor in the deaths of 104 children in England between 2019 and 2025. That figure includes 76 children under the age of one. Let that sink in: 76 children under one have died because of the conditions linked to their homes. The information we have on the prevalence of hazards and disrepair in temporary accommodation is limited. We are spending more than ever on temporary accommodation, yet we have limited information on the quality of accommodation provided to households. During our inquiry, we heard about the most shockingly poor conditions. We heard of mould so extensive that it had spread not only to the walls, but to people’s clothes, bedding and other belongings.”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The quality of this accommodation matters. Temporary accommodation is anything but temporary; people can spend years in it before they move to a more settled home. During that time, they can be forced to move—sometimes with little or no notice—away from their family and friends, away from their children’s schools, away from their community and away from the local services on which they depend. That creates a situation in which they feel forced to accept whatever housing they are given, regardless of how unsatisfactory it may be. If they complain, they sometimes fear that they may be moved again, or even worse, be deemed intentionally homeless. The quality of temporary accommodation matters because of the serious consequences that poor conditions can have on people’s health and wellbeing.”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am grateful to the Backbench Business Committee for allocating time for this important statement. This week, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee published our fifth report as part of our inquiry into housing conditions across England. The subject of the report is housing conditions of temporary accommodation provided to households facing homelessness. We also published a report on social housing in February, and we hope to report on conditions in the private rented sector in the coming months. Members may remember our report on children in temporary accommodation last year. We found that accommodation provided to households was often in a poor state, with families left living with serious hazards. A year on, we wanted to look at the quality of accommodation provided to homeless households.”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The hon. Member is absolutely right. It is really important for us to look at housing issues right across these isles, and any best practice we can learn from in England should be shared with Northern Ireland Ministers. I am sure that my hon. Friend the Minister will do so when she talks with her counterpart across the Irish sea.”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“If our children are not turning up to school because they are travelling for, in some cases, two hours just to get there, they are not going to benefit from those changes.”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend, who is a member of the Select Committee, for his engagement and his work. I also thank all the other Committee members and the Clerk for their work on this important report. The point raised by my hon. Friend is so important. I visited Crawford primary school in my constituency this morning before I came here, and the key issue raised by the headteacher was temporary accommodation and how the number of children living in TA is affecting their educational attainment. We really need to ensure that the Government are addressing this, because we want every child to benefit from the massive increases the Government are making in breakfast clubs and in more teachers.”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend for the experience she brings to this issue and for her role in ensuring that children with additional complex needs have a voice. It is vital that we remember the children who are being failed by the system—let us be honest—and look at their needs. When placing families, especially those with children with additional needs and disabilities, we need to ensure that accommodation is suitable, including such basic things as access for a child in a wheelchair, who needs to be able to go through the door of a property. That would happen if councils placing families in temporary accommodation carried out checks, but they are not currently in place. Councils should do those checks before placing vulnerable families in temporary accommodation.”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend, and I thank the all-party parliamentary group for its important work in meeting campaigners and, most importantly, the people caught up in temporary accommodation. It is vital that we recognise that a lot of this accommodation is paid for by taxpayers—that is the shameful thing. The fact that the accommodation is not suitable for human habitation should worry us all. That is why I agree with the Minister. We need to ensure that the homelessness strategy considers how we can work with councils to bring forward their own temporary accommodation locally, rather than relying on out-of-borough placements. Frankly, those landlords and providers should not be getting a penny of taxpayers’ money for that accommodation.”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am sure that the Minister agrees with me on that. We need to continue to help her to make that case to the Treasury, to make sure we continue to fund our councils adequately. Bill Presented Hunting Act 2004 (Amendment) Bill Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57) Neil Duncan-Jordan, supported by Sarah Champion, Dr Simon Opher, Alex Sobel, Richard Burgon, Abtisam Mohamed, Nadia Whittome, Mary Kelly Foy, Adrian Ramsay, Kate Osborne, Imran Hussain and Cat Eccles, presented a Bill to amend the Hunting Act 2004; and for connected purposes. Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 8 May , and to be printed (Bill 431 ).”
House of Commons23 April 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗