Member

The contribution from the noble Lord, Lord Best, and his Amendment 266 rightly highlight the Government’s commissioned, independent review into licensing. It is vital that we improve the availability of much-needed student accommodation schemes without compromising the quality of that accommodation. I am particularly interested in how the exemption of purpose-built student accommodation from licensing could remove unnecessary costs for providers. As we have heard from the noble Lord, this can amount to hundreds of thousands of pounds, thereby improving scheme viability and enabling the delivery of more student beds if it were removed. At a time when demand for accommodation is soaring, we must ensure that supply can keep pace.