Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee chair Abena Oppong-Asare has warned that the continued freeze in Local Housing Allowance leaves a major driver of homelessness unaddressed.
Oppong-Asare welcomed additional rough-sleeping funding but said moving people from the street into lasting accommodation required wider support led by national policy.
She argued that keeping Local Housing Allowance at its present level would put more households at risk and make it harder for people who are already homeless to secure permanent homes.
The committee chair also welcomed the proposed fiscal-devolution roadmap, while calling for strategic authorities to receive the capacity needed to use new powers and for clear accountability arrangements.
On home ownership, she said the Your First Home scheme could assist buyers without family wealth but noted that it is limited to new-build properties. The committee will seek evidence about its effect on total housebuilding and access to ownership.
Oppong-Asare's response is parliamentary scrutiny rather than a change to the Budget. It identifies the freeze in housing support as a counterweight to new spending on rough sleeping and housing supply.
