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…
Lord Khan in the Telegraph: “I hope, and I say this in a non-pompous way, that the public service I do will bring rewards in this world and the hereafter,” he says. “I’m hoping the work I do is earning me Brownie points.”