Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Name	Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Chamber	House of Commons
Jurisdiction	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Formed	2001
Parent committee	Select Committees of the House of Commons
Website	(Commons committee pages)

Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons charged with examining the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, interacting with ministers, civil servants and local authorities such as Manchester City Council and Birmingham City Council. It conducts inquiries, publishes reports that influence legislation in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and summons witnesses including officials from the National Audit Office, the Local Government Association, the Public Accounts Committee and organisations like Shelter (charity), CCHA and Civic Voice.

History and remit

The committee originated from changes to select committee structures introduced after the House of Commons Administration Committee and the reforms following the 2001 general election, inheriting oversight roles previously exercised through bodies linked to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Department for Communities and Local Government. Its remit covers housing policy, planning, local government finance, community cohesion and regulation, intersecting with legislation such as the Housing Act 1988, the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, and the Localism Act 2011. The committee has held inquiries into subjects tied to crises and reforms overseen by ministers including Michael Gove, Robert Jenrick, James Brokenshire and Eric Pickles, and has drawn on evidence from public bodies like the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and agency counterparts including Homes England and the Chief Planner.

Membership and leadership

Membership follows conventions of the House of Commons select committee system, with chairs elected by MPs in ballots similar to those that selected chairs for the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and the Public Accounts Committee. Chairs and members have included representatives from parties such as the Conservative Party (UK), the Labour Party (UK), the Liberal Democrats (UK), the Scottish National Party and the Democratic Unionist Party. Notable chairs and figures called to give evidence have included MPs, peers and civic leaders linked to constituencies like Liverpool Riverside, Bristol West, Doncaster North and Islington North, and senior civil servants formerly attached to the Treasury and the Cabinet Office.

Inquiries and reports

The committee has run high-profile inquiries producing reports on topics such as the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire, the impact of welfare reform overseen by the Department for Work and Pensions, the roll-out of Universal Credit, the regulation of cladding following the Hackitt review, and affordable housing provision involving actors like Peabody Trust and Clarion Housing Group. Reports often cite evidence from think tanks and research institutions including the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Resolution Foundation and universities such as University College London and the London School of Economics. Its findings have provoked government responses from ministers, triggered debates in the House of Commons, and informed interventions by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Court of Appeal where statutory interpretation or human rights issues connected to housing and local services have arisen.

Legislative scrutiny and impact

Through pre-legislative scrutiny and post-legislative review the committee has influenced bills including the Housing and Planning Act 2016, the Building Safety Act 2022 and amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. Its recommendations have been taken up by parliamentary bodies such as the House of Lords Constitution Committee and have informed secondary legislation scrutinised by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments. The committee’s scrutiny has intersected with regulatory authorities like the Chartered Institute of Housing and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and with procurement and funding decisions involving Homes England and the Greater London Authority.

Engagement with stakeholders and public consultations

The committee routinely advertises calls for evidence and public consultations drawing submissions from local councils such as Camden Council and Leeds City Council, charities like Crisis (charity), housing associations including L&Q and Peabody, trade unions such as the GMB (trade union), developers like Persimmon plc and Bellway plc, and professional bodies including the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Town and Country Planning Association. It holds oral evidence sessions attended by ministers, chief executives from agencies, residents’ groups tied to developments in places like Grenfell Tower, Rotherham, Slough and Croydon, and interacts with devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on matters reserved to Westminster.

Notable controversies and criticisms

The committee has faced criticism regarding perceived politicisation during inquiries linked to ministers such as Boris Johnson and Theresa May, disagreements over access to sensitive documents involving the Cabinet Office, and tensions with bodies like the Ministry of Defence when housing stock intersects with defence estates. NGOs and journalists from outlets including the BBC, The Guardian, The Times, Financial Times and The Telegraph have challenged the committee on transparency, while some local authorities and campaigners have argued its recommendations insufficiently secured funding or enforcement, prompting follow-up scrutiny by the Public Accounts Committee and legal challenges brought before courts such as the High Court of Justice.

Category:Select Committees of the House of Commons