Michael Gove has promised that he will prohibit no-fault evictions in the current year. He also cautioned that democracy could be endangered if young individuals are unable to become homeowners in the future.
Campaigners have criticized ministers in the past few days for their proposed legislation to eliminate section 21 evictions in England. This law allows landlords to evict tenants without giving a reason. The ban was also promised in the Conservative party’s 2019 manifesto.
The UK housing minister stated in a Sunday interview that the practice would have ceased by the time of a general election, despite his previous worries about the courts’ ability to handle it.
During an interview on BBC 1’s Sunday Politics show, he stated that we will prohibit it and allocate the funds towards the courts to guarantee their ability to enforce the ban. Gove had previously postponed the ban in order to first reform the courts, which resulted in criticism from the opposing party for betraying voters.
When asked by BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Gove reassured 11 million renters that the ban would be implemented before the upcoming election, which Sunak has mentioned will happen in the latter half of this year. Gove stated that the renters reform bill would ensure this.
Last week’s data revealed a significant increase in no-fault evictions, as the number of households repossessed following a section 21 notice rose by 49% in the past year.
He stated that he was making every effort to convince the chancellor to allocate more funds for housing in the upcoming budget. He cautioned that failing to address the housing crisis could pose a threat to democracy and hurt his party’s prospects in the general election.
Gove stated that he makes a point to send a note or message to him daily, highlighting the significance of increasing efforts to expand the housing supply. This statement was made prior to the anticipated announcement this week, revealing plans to construct tens of thousands additional homes through the conversion of vacant office blocks, department stores, and other commercial structures.
The minister in charge of the cabinet spoke in an interview with the Sunday Times, cautioning that the conventional method for young individuals to enter the housing market is no longer available.
According to him, it presents a challenge for young individuals to believe that democracy and capitalism are benefiting them. It becomes more difficult for us to persuade those with conservative beliefs or no political affiliation that they are not being excluded.
He persisted, stating that if individuals believe that markets are manipulated and their voices are not being heard in a democratic system, it can result in a growing number of young people losing faith in both democracy and markets. This is concerning to me.
The renters bill pledge made by Gove was deemed as “deceptive language” by Labour’s shadow secretary for levelling up, Angela Rayner. She stated, “After causing damage to the justice system, the Tories are now exploiting their own incompetence to unfairly delay fulfilling their commitments to renters.”
The Liberal Democrats, on the other hand, expressed skepticism over Gove’s remarks. Daisy Cooper, the party’s deputy leader, stated that it is appalling that the Conservative government has continuously postponed their pledge to prohibit no fault evictions.
Source: theguardian.com
