Healey: what green paper?

In an exclusive interview, housing minister John Healey admitted that he had never heard of the green paper and had no plans to proceed with it. ‘I’m not working on a housing reform green paper at the moment,’ he said.

The green paper was due to be published at the end of last year, to address the questions raised by Professor John Hills’ review of how social housing can promote social mobility.

It was announced by Gordon Brown as part of the draft legislative programme in 2008.

At the time, housing minister Caroline Flint said: ‘We plan to publish a housing reform green paper by the end of the year. We will set out proposals to provide housing services and options which help and encourage people towards greater economic independence and social mobility.’
Mr Healey, who has been in office for two months, said that he would be examining policy questions throughout the autumn.

‘Whatever the housing green paper was, I’m also looking at some of the longer term questions about demand for housing, supply of housing and the policy questions that raises,’ he said.

Richard Capie, director of policy and practice at the Chartered Institute of Housing, said that the recession has changed the government’s focus.

There has been a switch in emphasis to the recession and new supply. I would be very surprised if there was any movement [on the topics the green paper was to cover] for a long time,’ he said.

Have your say

You must sign in to make a comment