Whilst we welcome the government’s plans to repeal powers which put homeowners on private estates at risk of losing their home for small debts, it is regrettable that clause 156 of the draft bill falls short of the government’s commitment to “bring the injustice of ‘fleecehold’ private housing estates to an end”. This commitment relates to a much bigger issue that goes far beyond the present intended focus of this legislation. The injustices which homeowners on private estates face are separate from, and should not be conflated with, the injustices of the leasehold system. We recognise that the government has consulted on what more can be done to enhance protections for homeowners on ‘fleecehold’ estates, and 105 how to reduce their prevalence in future. Ultimately, ‘fleecehold’ is in large part a product of stretched local authority finances, as authorities cannot afford to take on new maintenance responsibilities, and so the long- term solution to address it must be cross-government reform to put local government finances on a sustainable footing. The government must also require developers to deliver infrastructure to common standards, to ensure local authorities can adopt essential amenities on developments in future. (Conclusion, Paragraph 125)