Housing Bill: Defeats Inflicted On Flagship Reform Now In Double Figures

Defeats inflicted upon the Government's flagship Housing Bill has now reached double figures after the House of Lords added three further amendments to the controversial new laws.

As the Bill set to end council houses for life and sell off expensive social housing to subsidise home-buyers is poised to return to MPs, here are the 11 defeats and eight concessions it has suffered.

Defeat: Raid on council coffers

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The Treasury has been blocked from keeping the proceeds of the forced sale of high-value council houses - to fund Right-to-But discounts - without parliamentary approval

Defeat: £100k discount on new homes

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A flagship scheme to hand well-off first-time buyers a taxpayer-funded 20% discount on a Starter Home has been moderated

Defeat: Forced house-building

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English councils can decide how many starter homes are built in their area

Defeat: Making "pay-to-stay" mandatory

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Peers voted in support of a Labour-led amendment to give local councils the discretion over whether to implement “pay to stay”, a market rate charge for better-off tenants

Defeat: Charging “pay to stay” at market rates

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Peers to back an amendment to lower the “pay to stay” taper rate from 20p to 10p in every pound, so lower-paid families would not be hit as hard

Defeat: “Pay to stay” threshold

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The Lords voted 266 to 175 to increase the “pay to stay” threshold by £10,000

Defeat: "Pay to stay" inflation-linked

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Peers voted for "pay to stay" thresholds to be increased in line with inflation every three years.

Defeat: Replacement of council homes

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Ensuring a one-for-one - and like-for-like - replacement of council homes where housing shortages can be demonstrated.

Defeat: Automatic planning consent

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Wide open “planning permission in principle” powers are to be limited to housing development

Defeat: Local power

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Parish councils and local forums right to appeal against developments they think go against a "local plan"

Defeat: 'Green' housing

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An amendment to require all new homes in England built to achieve new standards in cutting carbon dioxide emissions

Defeat: Rural 'affordable' housing

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Local planning authorities can ask developers of 10 houses or less in a rural area to make some of them 'affordable' compared to local salaries

Defeat: Improved drainage

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Brings in new standards for implementation of rainwater drainage

U-turn: Rural protection

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The Government is to look at backing down on the forced sale of council homes in national parks and areas of national beauty

U-turn: Landlord restrictions

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Ministers have accepted a proposal to make it harder for landlords to evict vulnerable people that have abandoned their homes

U-turn: Rural house-building control

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The Government has been forced to consider giving councils discretion to exclude building homes in rural areas

U-turn: Council house for life

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Ministers backed down on replacing lifelong secure tenancies with contracts lasting up to five years, and agreed to extend maximum to 10 years

U-turn: Protecting tenants' money

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Ministers will insist letting agents have to put money in to a Client Money Protection account to stop stop "rogues" running off with deposit

U-turn: Basement re-development

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Ministers agreed to review planning laws relating to basement developments amid fears councils cannot control the growth of “subterranean development”

U-turn: "Back-door" eviction

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The Government will look again at private landlords being able to reclaim properties when the become vacant after concern that it was open to being used as a “back-door” way to evict tenants

U-turn: Council tenancies