The government is praising itself for getting Leasehold reforms over the line. It has in fact missed out on provisions it promised to enact in the Labour Manifesto and in the King’s Speech…
These recommendations on “enfranchisement” would make it cheaper for leaseholders to buy out freeholders and ones on “Right to Manage” would empower flat-owners to control service charges without having to buy the freehold. These are missing from the draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill…
Suddenly when asked about it yesterday housing minister Matthew Pennycook – who has led on the bill – said:
“As for the other recommendations made in the three reports from the Law Commission, the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 implemented a significant number of the Law Commission’s enfranchisement recommendations, a small number of its right-to-manage recommendations, and none of its recommendations on commonhold. We cannot do everything in this Bill… but we are committed to enacting those remaining recommendations relating to leasehold enfranchisement and other things over the course of the Parliament.”
Those remaining elements have been long-grassed. Pennycook has at the same time attacked the Tories for only adopting some of the Law Commission’s recommendations in the previous government. Glass houses…
Sarah Pochin at Reform Scotland’s manifesto launch event: “I really wanted to come on in a Reform tartan burka, but apparently I wasn’t allowed… One day let’s do one of these events not live-streamed. We’ll do all the naughty stuff…”