A new deal for social housing? Government green paper proposes reforms

Housing Minister James Brokenshire has launched a new green paper which proposes major reforms for social housing residents and better enables councils to build more affordable homes.

Underpinning the government’s social housing green paper are attempts to redress the balance between tenant and landlord by giving residents greater say in the quality and safety of their homes. The Housing Minister also seeks to remove the stigma associated with social housing, highlighting it’s role as both safety net and springboard to home ownership.

The hope now is that the proposed reforms will spark a nationwide debate on social housing and its improvement through five core principals:

1. A safe and decent home which is fundamental to a sense of security and our ability to get on in life.
2. Swift and effective resolution so that when residents have concerns about the safety or standard of their home they see results.
3. Empowering residents and ensuring their voices are heard so that landlords are held to account.
4. Tackling stigma and celebrating thriving communities, challenging the stereotypes that exists about residents and their communities.
5. Building the social homes that we need and ensure that those homes can act as a springboard to home ownership.

The experiences of those living in social housing were brought to the fore in the aftermath of the catastrophic Grenfell Tower fire. In the months following, over 8,000 residents from across the country have shared their views on social housing as part of a government listening exercise.

“Providing high quality and well managed social housing is a core priority for this government,” said Brokenshire. “Our green paper offers a landmark opportunity for major reform to improve fairness, quality and safety for residents living in social housing across the country. Regardless of whether you own your home or rent, residents deserve security, dignity and the opportunities to build a better life.”

Mark Farmer, CEO at Cast and author of Modernise or Die – a government commissioned report for the construction industry – welcomed the announcement, while recognising the need for a more joined up approach: “Tackling the housing crisis head-on needs much more focus on delivering affordable homes in appropriate locations with appropriate social and physical infrastructure that can generate sustainable communities.

“This can only be achieved by bringing forward more public land for development and diversifying our housing market both in terms of tenure offering and methods of production. There is a unique opportunity to use innovative homebuilding techniques as a stimulus for new forms of multi-skilled training, factory and site based employment and wider social value creation.”

The green paper is the latest in a series of developments designed to future-proof the UK housing market. In June, £1.67 billion of new investment was made available to build 23,000 affordable and social homes in areas most in need.

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