PEOPLE living in park homes are losing thousands of pounds because of sales commission charges, says David Chadwick.

The Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe MP asked Housing Minister, Matthew Pennycook, in the Commons what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the charges on park home residents.

He said park home residents in Brecon and Radnor, and across the country, describe the 10 per cent sales commission as a deeply unfair hit on their life savings, often amounting to tens of thousands of pounds.

With a Government call for evidence now under way, Mr Chadwick asked Mr Pennycook what assessment he has made of whether this charge is fair and whether residents are receiving value for money.

Mr Pennycook said the Government appreciates fully the long-standing concern among park home residents about the requirement to pay site owners a commission upon the sale of a park home.

He told Mr Chadwick: “On March 5, we published a call for evidence in relation to the said commission payments so that we will have the information necessary to act and provide the clarity and certainty that park home residents and site owners have rightly been demanding.

“I fully understand the hon. Gentleman’s desire to secure change in relation to this matter, and I can assure him that I share his eagerness to proceed quickly.

“Unfortunately, the research undertaken by the previous Government was not conclusive as to either the purpose of the commission or the impact of its removal or reduction.

“The final report recommended further work to clarify the rationale of the commission so that the Government can make informed policy choices.

“Hence the call for evidence, which I hope he and park home owners in his constituency are engaging with.”