The King’s Speech 2023: What was said about housing?

While leasehold reform and the Renters (Reform) Bill got a notable look-in during the first King’s Speech in over 70 years, there was no mention of nutrient neutrality, or Braverman’s war on tents – to the relief of many.

Charles III has outlined the government's priorities for the new parliamentary session, in his first King's Speech as monarch. 

The King outlined a number of key housing proposals, including a ban on the creation of leasehold contracts for new houses and the abolition of no-fault evictions for private renters. 

Here is a summary of all the main announcements and what CIH had to say about them.

Leasehold reform 

“My ministers will bring forward a bill to reform the housing market by making it cheaper and easier for leaseholders to purchase their freehold and tackling the exploitation of millions of homeowners through punitive service charges.” 

As widely expected, the King’s Speech confirmed the government is to push ahead with leasehold reform by banning leasehold contracts on new houses in England and Wales. 

For people already on a leasehold contract, the bill aims to make it easier for them to extend their lease, buy their freehold, or take control of the management of the building. 

However, the bill will not seek to ban leasehold contracts on new flats, which currently make up the vast majority of the leasehold market. 

Responding to the announcement, Rachael Williamson, CIH's head of policy and external affairs, said: "CIH have been calling on government to reform the leasehold system, so we welcome the commitment to bring forward a Leasehold and Freehold Bill in the next parliamentary session. 

“We do, however, remain concerned about whether the reforms will go far enough in delivering meaningful change.

“We continue to call for delivery of the recommendations set out by the Law Commission.” 

Renters’ (Reform) Bill 

“Renters will benefit from stronger security of tenure and better value, while landlords will benefit to reforms to provide certainty that they can regain their properties when needed.” 

Since the publication of the Renters’ (Reform) Bill in May, its progress through Parliament has been slow. 

That said, with a second reading of the bill now completed and an explicit mention in the King’s Speech, it seems as though the pace is starting to quicken. (The Bill goes to committee on 14 November.)  

One of the bill’s key reforms is to ban Section 21 – so-called ‘no fault’ – evictions, something many in the sector, including CIH, have long called for. However, the government has made it clear it wants to speed up the court process and strengthen possession grounds for landlords before it brings in the ban, a move that has caused some consternation among tenants’ rights groups, as well as CIH. 

Rachael Williamson said: “We are pleased to see commitment to progress the Renters (Reform) Bill following slow progress to date.

“CIH has long called for the ending of Section 21 (‘no fault’) evictions; however, the caveat in the bill’s second reading, reinforced in the King’s Speech, to not commence abolition until stronger possession grounds and a new (digital) court process is in place is potentially concerning in terms of timings. 

“For the bill to achieve its stated aims, it is vital that the government introduces the further measures committed to in its white paper. 

“We will continue to work with members, partners and government to look to strengthen certain aspects.” 

Braverman’s tent ban 

The King's Speech 2023 did not include any mention of the home secretary’s proposal to ban charities from giving tents to homeless people. 

The government had initially argued the tent ban was necessary to tackle the problem of rough sleeping. However, critics, including CIH, said the ban would have done more harm than good, pointing out that there is a shortage of both affordable housing and support in the UK, and that many homeless people have no other option but to sleep rough. 

In particular, the policy would criminalise charities for helping homeless people, make it more difficult for them to find shelter, and exacerbate stigmatisation. 

While the omission of the proposal from the King’s Speech doesn’t necessarily mean Braverman and co. have fully scrapped the idea, it does at least indicate that the government is reconsidering its plans. 

Rachael Williamson said: "Prior to the King’s Speech, it was widely reported that the government was planning to introduce legislation which would criminalise the use of tents by people rough sleeping. 

“It is positive to see that following robust challenge from the homelessness sector, which CIH was proud to be part of, these proposals were not included. 

“Efforts must now be concentrated on evidence-based solutions that will positively impact on preventing homelessness, including unfreezing housing benefit in the upcoming Autumn Statement.”

Nutrient neutrality

The absence of nutrient neutrality legislation in the King's Speech 2023 was a notable omission, as it had been widely anticipated that the government would bring forward a bill on the issue. 

The government had previously said it wanted to scrap nutrient neutrality rules, arguing they were hindering the construction of new homes. However, this plan was defeated in the House of Lords in September 2023. 

The absence of any mention of nutrient neutrality in the King's Speech suggests that the government has now dropped its plans to legislate on the issue. 

Rachael Williamson said: "Also absent from the speech, despite being widely trialled, was a commitment to bring forward legislation to overhaul nutrient pollution laws. 

“This will be a welcome omission for many in the sector concerned about the negative impact of the government's relaxation plans."

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