Beckett tells MPs: 'Tenants can keep homes for life' » Housing » 24dash.com

Housing Minister Margaret Beckett was praised today for "knocking very firmly on the head" reports that council tenants could lose their right to a home for life.

Last week it was reported that the Government was looking at proposals to provide council homes with fixed-term contracts and regular reviews every few years.

Any tenant whose financial circumstances improved could be asked to move to the private sector, according to proposals put forward by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) which had apparently gained favour with ministers.

But Mrs Beckett today said the CIH proposals were "not Government policy". She told MPs she was evaluating evidence for the green paper on social housing, which is set to be published early next year.

Mrs Beckett, who replaced Caroline Flint as Housing Minister in last month's reshuffle, said she could not think of a "worse time" to make such proposals.

During Commons question time, Labour's Chris Mullin thanked Mrs Beckett for "knocking very firmly on the head" the report in The Times that suggested the CIH proposals were being considered by ministers.

He said: "Can you confirm that whatever else it contains, the green paper will not contain proposals issuing fixed-term tenancies to council tenants?"

Mrs Beckett said: "I have made no decisions about what will be in the green paper, but I can certainly tell you that I am not at all sympathetic to the notion that somehow those who are resident in council housing should lose their security of tenure.

"Indeed I can't think of a worse time to make such proposals."

Referring to press reports, she told Mr Mullin: "However I fear you ...may be mistaken in thinking that it will be easy to knock this on the head since I have observed that once something gets in the press cuttings it's liable to be repeated."

Senior Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes (N Southwark and Bermondsey) told Mrs Beckett that her remarks would be greeted with "support and encouragement" by council tenants across the country.

But he asked her to confirm that: "Nobody who is currently a council tenant in England will have a change in their status to remove their security of occupation, and that council tenants who wish to remain council tenants will not be forced against their will by the Government to have some different form of relationship with the council?"

Mrs Beckett said: "I can certainly say to you we have not the smallest intention of removing security of tenure from existing tenants."

She said she understood that some tenants wanted to remain tenants.

It was counter-productive for people to say that higher earning council tenants should move out of their homes when mixed communities were being encouraged, she added.

Under current law, council tenants enjoy their subsidised accommodation for life and many are able to pass flats or houses on to their children.

In some cases, people initially granted social housing because of their straitened circumstances are able to retain the subsidised homes after becoming wealthy.

There are nearly four million people on waiting lists for social housing and only 170,000 homes become available each year.

Helen Williams, assistant director of the National Housing Federation, said: "We welcome Mrs Beckett's wise decision not to end secure and permanent tenancies for social tenants.

"Forcing people to show they were poor, through regular reviews, would have been counterproductive - and actually could have been a disincentive to looking for work.

"People who live in social housing are disproportionately from low income backgrounds and as such very few of them would be in a position to move or buy."