Expert Group to Improve Social Housing Sector

Experts from throughout the housing sector have come together to form a new expert panel to help advise the UK Government on the delivery of the Social Housing White Paper.

The paper, which was published last year, outlines a wide-ranging package of reforms to help improve housing standards for residents and enhance the regulation of the sector.

Eddie Hughes MP, Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, said: “Giving social housing residents a stronger voice and ensuring landlords raise standards is at the heart of our landmark reforms to transform the sector.

“The expert panel will help to ensure that we deliver on these reforms, bringing together people who will scrutinise our plans and guarantee we achieve the vision set out in the charter.”

These reforms aim to deliver long-lasting and meaningful change, including addressing safety issues, strengthening the complaints process, professionalising staff and rebalancing the relationship between resident and landlord.

The panel will meet four times over the next year to provide scrutiny and advice as the Government implements the Social Housing White Paper.

The Government has already made progress to improve the quality and safety of social housing, launching a review of the Decent Homes Standard, initiating a working group on electrical safety and holding a consultation on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, as well as running a national campaign to raise awareness of how to seek redress when things go wrong.

The Social Housing White Paper outlines that every social housing resident should expect to:

• be safe in their home
• know how their landlord is performing
• have their complaints dealt with promptly and fairly
• be treated with respect
• have their voice heard by their landlord
• have a good quality home and neighbourhood to live in
• be supported to take their first step to ownership

Membership of the Expert Challenge Panel is:

• Chartered Institute for Housing
• Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence
• Communities that Work
• Confederation of Co-operative Housing
• De Montfort University
• HACT
• Local Government Association
• National Federation of Tenant Management Organisations
• National Housing Federation
• Shelter
• Social Value Lab
• Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse
• TAROE Trust
• Tpas

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