Blue is the colour

The first point made in the brief three-page document published on Tuesday is a commitment to ‘radically reform the planning system’ and abolish centrally-determined housing targets.

Despite Nick Clegg’s mockery during the election campaign of the idea of a big society, this document is the Conservative manifesto in all but name.

Given the direction of travel, it seems fair to assume that some of the ideas on housing benefit outlined to Inside Housing by Iain Duncan Smith in an interview in March are also likely to be adopted.

A plan to create two benefit streams - work credit and life credit, with housing benefit forming part of the latter - should not in itself overly concern social landlords.

Indeed, Mr Duncan Smith’s aim of ensuring housing benefit lasts longer once someone has found a job will have many landlords nodding their approval.

Where the sector will be holding its breath is over Mr Duncan Smith’s approach to curbing the £17 billion annual housing benefit bill. To coin a phrase: there will be cuts.

Plans for alternative sources of funding outlined this week by the National Housing Federation might be adopted sooner than it thinks.

One nettle the government has yet to grasp is immigration. When it does, the headlines will focus on the previously stated differences between the coalition partners. However, there is one issue upon which the Liberal Democrats should take a stand. According to the Children’s Society across the UK hundreds of asylum-seeking children and their families are being left destitute, principally due to the ludicrous rules governing the payment of section 4 support to them while they appeal unsuccessful asylum claims.

Responsibility for this shameful situation lies with Labour, but the Lib-Con coalition can rectify it. Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg may both now embrace the idea of a big society, but room must be found in it for potential new citizens as well as old.