MPs call for decent homes commitment

A report on the future of decent homes from the committee of MPs that scrutinises the work of the Communities and Local Government department says the scheme has led to improved standards and better planning across social housing.

The CLG select committee found that councils which did not transfer their homes to a housing association or create an arm’s-length management organisation to access decent homes funding have struggled to reach the same standards.

‘The government must set clear long-term targets to bring all homes in the private sector up to the decent homes standard and use regulation more effectively to deliver those targets.’

Committee chair Phyllis Starkey

It says these councils should now be offered incentives — additional resources upon reaching higher standards — along the lines of the ALMO model.

The report says the £40 billion programme had a dramatic positive effect on the living conditions of most social housing tenants, but the government has failed to invest enough resources in a parallel programme to improve homes occupied by vulnerable people in the private sector.

The committee says the government must clarify future funding now as it is still unclear how the elimination of the remaining backlog of around 3 per cent of social homes will be funded.

The report suggests the government must improve the data it collects to measure decency in UK housing stock to prevent another backlog of disrepair from building up after the current programme ends this year.

Dr Phyllis Starkey, chair of the select committee, said the government was to be applauded for providing both the political will and public money to pursue its goal of ensuring all social housing is decent by the end of 2010.

But she added: ‘Ministers have not shown an equal commitment to the same programme in the private sector, where many of the elderly and the vulnerable in particular are still living in poor-quality housing.

‘The government must set clear long-term targets to bring all homes in the private sector up to the decent homes standard and use regulation more effectively to deliver those targets.’

Housing minister John Healey said: ‘I welcome the select committee’s strong backing for the decent homes programme.

‘We are totally committed to completing this programme and by the end of this year 92 per cent of social homes will have been done, with plans in place to complete the remainder.

‘We have already invested over £1 billion in the last three years to help make private homes decent where people are most vulnerable, our new comprehensive green homes package will help homeowners and landlords make their homes more comfortable, warmer and cheaper to run, and we are always looking at what more we can do.’

Many of the findings of the CLG select committee’s report echo those of the Public Accounts Committee, which published a report on decent homes last week.

This called for a clearer focus on value for money, better measurement of progress, and clarity on how the scheme will be completed after its initial time frame ends.

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