Tories vow to end rough sleeping and no-fault evictions after previous failures

No-fault evictions would be fully abolished under the Conservatives, according to its manifesto which also pledges to continue with plans to end rough sleeping.

The party faced criticism for failing to fulfil previous manifesto commitments to end both during the last Parliament.

The manifesto pledges to:

– deliver 1.6 million homes in England in the next Parliament.

– pass a Renters Reform Bill that will deliver fairness in the rental market for landlords and renters alike. This includes bringing in the necessary court reforms “to fully abolish section 21 and strengthen other grounds for landlords to evict private tenants guilty of anti-social behaviour”.

– continue with plans to end rough sleeping “and prevent people from ending up on the streets in the first place, after making significant progress over the last few years”.

But Shelter said the manifesto “fails to provide a secure future for the millions of people whose lives are being devastated by the housing emergency”.

The word “homeless” does not appear in the document, and Shelter chief executive Polly Neate said it “beggars belief that there is no clear plan to tackle spiralling homelessness and the only mention of social housing is to scapegoat people for the failure to build enough”.

The manifesto states a previously announced policy on using so-called Local Connection and UK Connection tests for social housing in England “to ensure this valuable but limited resource is allocated fairly”.

Crisis chief executive Matt Downie welcomed a “continued focus on ending rough sleeping and a commitment to reintroduce rental reforms that would see no-fault evictions scrapped for good”.

He added: “But with record numbers of households trapped in poor quality temporary accommodation, we need a wider plan to end all forms of homelessness and bolder aspirations to deliver a new generation of social homes.

“With the right homes and support we can, and will, build a future free from homelessness.”

There was disappointment last month when the Renters Reform Bill was not among legislation rushed through by MPs ahead of Parliament being prorogued for the election.