What would Reform’s policies mean for housing people from abroad?

Written by John Perry, Chartered Institute of Housing

After May’s local elections, Reform controls a total of around 33 councils (some where it is in a minority or shares power). A Reform win at Westminster would lead to huge changes in policy towards migrants’ access to housing and benefits. For the moment, however, the question is: “what changes will Reform-led councils make locally?”

Nigel Farage: “I will evict foreign nationals from council housing”

This headline in the Daily Telegraph heralded an attack on all non-UK nationals living in social housing. A Reform government would give these tenants three months’ notice to move out or to be deported.

A few days earlier, the Daily Express headlined Reform’s plan to remove welfare rights from foreign nationals after a three-month notice period, with the party estimating savings of “up to £10 billion a year on universal credit alone.”

There was no acknowledgement of the enormous obstacles to carrying them out. Housing associations and many local authorities could   refuse to evict people. The costs of tenancy turnover would be enormous.

CIH made an immediate response, criticising the proposal.

Reform also wants to “Ensure that British citizens, veterans and those with strong local connections are prioritised for social housing.” A revised social housing law would “prioritise local people and those who have paid into the system”. Non-UK nationals “must go to the back of the queue, not the front”.

In making policy changes nationally, Reform would face obstacles in the Equalities Act (EA) and Human Rights Act (HRA). Reform would scrap the EA and its “pernicious, divisive notion of protected characteristics”. It would also end the HRA and leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

What might Reform councils do locally?

Reform councils may pursue aspects of these national policies, insofar as they can within current legislation. We look at four key issues and how to respond to them.

1. Messaging: housing shortages result from immigration
   Reform repeatedly argues that high migration increases pressure on housing supply and rents.
   On May 25, the Express claimed that “almost half of new homes go to migrants.” This was based on an assessment of recent new housebuilding numbers compared with arrivals of new migrants. On the BBC, the programme More or Less debunked the claim. The numbers had been crunched by the Conservative Party, who failed to point out that by the same logic the numbers were far worse under the previous government.Here are some resources to respond to the arguments:
• Inside Housing has an article on the facts about migration that looks at how it relates to housing needs.
• CIH has a fact-filled article on Dispelling myths about migrants and housing. It looks at the real reasons for the housing shortage.
• A guide for councillors from the Migrant Champions Network also looks at the facts, including that 14% of construction workers are migrants.
2. Putting “locals first” in social housing
   Reform has proposed changing allocation rules so people with longer contribution/residency histories are prioritised. English councils have been able to impose local connection/ residency requirements since 2012, but they also have to test them before and during operation to ensure their implementation does not violate EA/HRA requirements.The EA covers the nine protected characteristics. Of these, “race” includes colour, nationality (including citizenship), ethnic or national origins, preventing allocation policies from discriminating against these characteristics. The HRA adds an “other status” category which in litigation has been used to ensure protection for refugees.Resources on allocations:
• The Dispelling myths article points out that only one in 10 new social tenancies are allocated to non-UK nationals, who in any case will probably have waited years before being offered a tenancy.
• Welsh housing association Trivallis faced allegations that new housing was going to migrants. This article explains how they tackled them.
• South Liverpool Homes launched a campaignto tackle misinformation and confusion about how its homes are allocated, aiming to address myths and build stronger, fairer communities across south Liverpool.
3. Opposition to asylum accommodation
   Reform-led councils plan to withdraw from refugee resettlement schemes and resisting asylum hotels. Zia Yusuf, the party chair, said that Reform would use “judicial reviews, injunctions, planning laws” in an effort to prevent them being accommodated. The home secretary has reserve powers under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to require local authorities to cooperate, but they have never been used.Epping Council attempted to use planning law to prevent a hotel in its area from being used for asylum accommodation, but lost a court case. Reform deputy leader Lee Anderson publicly backed the protests.Here are some resources for addressing the asylum accommodation question:
• Kama Petruczenko from the Refugee Council outlines what happened around the Bell Hotel, which the Home Office has now ceased to use.
• In the housing rights newsletter, Janani Paramsothy considers how the sector responds to issues raised by accommodating asylum seekers in hotels.
• Local Government Lawyer explains how councils have generally lost court actions to prevent asylum seekers being accommodated in their areas.
4. Ending commitments to equality and diversityReform-led councils have made roughly £365 million of efficiency savings since May 2025, while imposing £250 million in extra taxes, according to analysis by the FT. However, despite targeting wasteful “DEI” initiatives, in practice most savings have come from elsewhere.Reform councils in places such as Durham having ended diversity and equality training for councillors.Here is some guidance on these issues:
• Any proposals to remove employees working on specific initiatives, such as diversity and inclusion, would need to comply with UK employment law. This includes considerations around unfair dismissal and discrimination.
• Channel 4 News examined the effects of ending diversity initiatives in Doncaster.
• The Housing Diversity Network reviews the effects of Reform policies on equality and diversity initiatives.

 

Finally, do keep up with the latest developments in housing and migration policy by making use of the CIH’s housing rights website and signing up to its newsletters. These include regular coverage of the issues discussed here.