On Friday, I asked the Government for an urgent debate on what they plan to do to help many of my constituents who are trapped in unfair leasehold agreements costing them thousands of pounds a year.

The Government recently outlined its plans to end unfair leasehold practices, but unless it helps those homeowners already trapped in these agreements, it won’t go nearly far enough. More needs to be done to help those who have already bought leasehold properties only to find that they have to pay extortionate service charges and ever increasing ground rents.

A staggering 69% of all houses sold in the North West last year were sold as leaseholds, a higher number than anywhere else in the UK. But many homeowners are being hit by rising costsput on them by the unscrupulous housing companies who own their freeholds. This shameless practice has to stop and leaseholder rights must be strengthened.