Committee publication · Correspondence · 20 May 2026

Letter from the Minister of State for Housing and Planning to the Chair dated 14 May 2026 concerning the introduction of the Social Housing Bill

From: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

Summary

Matthew Pennycook, Minister of State for Housing and Planning, writes to inform the Housing Committee Chair of the introduction of the Social Housing Bill on 14 May 2026. The Bill reforms the Right to Buy scheme, prioritises new social rented homes, strengthens protections for domestic abuse victims, and reduces bureaucratic barriers for affordable housing providers.

Key findings

Right to Buy eligibility period increased from 3 to 10 years; discounts rebalanced; new social and affordable homes exempted from scheme for 35 years
Bill strengthens tenant protections for those experiencing domestic abuse, enabling them to remain in properties or move to alternative accommodation
Government will repeal legacy housing legislation provisions and streamline council consents process to reduce bureaucracy and clarify statute book
Bill builds on five-step plan published July 2025 and provides funding and regulatory certainty to affordable housing sector
Reforms support manifesto commitment to deliver decade of renewal for social housing and increase future supply while safeguarding existing stock

Tone

Procedural

Topics

social-housingright-to-buyhousing-policydomestic-abuseaffordable-housing

Key actors

Matthew Pennycook, Florence Eshalomi, Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

Notable line

“… supply. It modernises the Right to Buy scheme to preserve the route to home ownership for longstanding tenants, while ensuring more homes are built than lost.”

Key Quotes

“The government has today introduced the Social Housing Bill.”
— Matthew Pennycook · notifying the Committee Chair of the Bill's introduction

“The Bill delivers on the manifesto commitment to reform the scheme and to prioritise the building of new social rented homes.”
— Matthew Pennycook · outlining the Bill's core purpose

“This includes increasing eligibility periods from 3 to 10 years, rebalancing discounts, and exempting new social and affordable homes from the scheme for 35 years to maintain stock levels nationwide …”
— Matthew Pennycook · detailing Right to Buy reforms

“The Bill also strengthens protections for tenants experiencing domestic abuse to remain in their property away from their abuser or to move to suitable alternative accommodation …”
— Matthew Pennycook · outlining domestic abuse protections

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Source · parliament.uk record ↗