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Bigger thinking is needed from the government

While the Social Housing Green Paper was a step in the right direction, it falls short of the mark in many respects, says Terrie Alafat

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Breaking the link between social housing and homeownership is vital (picture: Getty)
Breaking the link between social housing and homeownership is vital (picture: Getty)
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“We strongly believe that, as well as supporting people when they are most in need, social housing should have a wider affordability role,” says @TerrieAlafatCIH in today’s IH50 #ukhousing

More social housing should replace the Right to Buy says @TerrieAlafat #ukhousing

"For now at least, social housing in England is tending towards a safety net role” #ukhousing

I was on holiday when the long-awaited Social Housing Green Paper was published last month (August) – and luckily my family have known me long enough to put up with my efforts to keep up with the debate from across the pond.

As Jules Birch has pointed out, the fact that we have a green paper focusing on social housing at all represents remarkable progress. My colleague Melanie Rees has already assessed the paper against the recommendations in our Rethinking Social Housing report, launched earlier this year, which concluded that the time has come to reclaim social housing as a central pillar of society alongside education and the NHS, and set out an ambitious new vision for affordable housing.

One of those recommendations was to make sure that existing homes and neighbourhoods are good quality and well-managed.

This is an area we think deserves a more detailed examination, so the next steps for our Rethinking project will be to explore the way that social housing is allocated and managed to identify what is happening now, and to develop models for the future.

We’re going to start by looking at allocations – which are of course tightly bound up with the crucial issue of affordability (or lack of). I’ve spoken before about the potential roles social housing can play – should it be an ‘ambulance service’, a ‘safety net’, or should it have a wider affordability role?


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The chronic shortage of genuinely affordable homes means that, for now at least, social housing in England is tending towards a safety net role. And some policy developments in recent years, such as the introduction of (optional) fixed-term tenancies, could be seen as an attempt to nudge social housing closer to the ‘ambulance’ model.

Certainly our Rethinking Social Housing report revealed a general consensus that in the current environment, some form of rationing will be unavoidable as a result of the shortage of genuinely affordable housing for rent.

But it also highlighted some serious issues with the sector’s ability to support the most vulnerable. Housing professionals who took part in our workshops and survey said the shortage of homes for social rent is affecting their ability to help people in housing need. And according to research from Crisis and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 70% of councils across England find it difficult to help people access social housing to prevent or relieve homelessness.

“The chronic shortage of genuinely affordable homes means that, for now at least, social housing in England is tending towards a safety net role.”

Those who took part in Rethinking Social Housing also raised concerns that practices such as affordability checks and tenancy sustainment initiatives could “screen out” or exclude people considered most in need. Where are these people supposed to go?

That’s why in our forthcoming project, we’ll be looking at the different criteria used in allocation policies by social landlords across England, the extent to which they’re being shaped by government policy, and the impact this is having on who is accessing and living in social rented housing. By understanding better what is happening now, and the reasons behind that, we hope to open up a debate about how things could be improved.

We strongly believe that, as well as supporting people when they are most in need, social housing should have a wider affordability role – catering for a range of income groups, encouraging higher standards and curbing excessive price rises.

This is backed up by public opinion – when Ipsos Mori carried out a survey for Rethinking Social Housing, 78% of those polled agreed that social housing should be available to people who cannot afford the cost of renting privately, as well as the most vulnerable.

The feedback we received throughout rethinking makes it very clear that social housing is about more than just providing a roof over people’s heads.

"We make no apologies for continuing to push the government to think bigger on boosting supply"

It also plays a big role in contributing to healthy, balanced communities and vibrant neighbourhoods.

And healthy places need a degree of stability, something which is difficult to achieve if social housing is seen as simply a stopping-off point on the way to something else.

The green paper talks about “ensuring social housing is a springboard to homeownership”, but why should this need to be the case for everyone? Social housing should offer affordable choice and opportunity, allowing tenants to get on in their lives without having to get out. Social housing can be the foundation for stronger communities and individual opportunity.

Of course, we need a significant increase in supply to make this a reality – and this is where the green paper falls short.

So we make no apologies for continuing to push the government to think bigger on boosting supply, from suspending the Right to Buy to shifting investment from private housing to social rent.

Terrie Alafat, chief executive, Chartered Institute of Housing

Social Housing Green Paper: full coverage

Social Housing Green Paper: full coverage

All our Social Housing Green Paper coverage in one place:

Green paper measures are not enough to create May’s ‘new generation’ of council homes Green paper proposals are welcome but much more is needed to support councils to build, writes John Bibby

Green paper shows ministers now see associations as trusted partners Focusing on the failure of the green paper to address supply misses the point, writes Boris Worrall

Government should focus on building on what is already strong Philippa Jones considers the Social Housing Green Paper through a slightly different lens

We need more than a week of delayed announcements bundled together Jules Birch reflects on the government’s ‘Housing Week’ announcements

The regulator should monitor how associations assist homeless people Government announcements this week are positive, but any enhanced role for the English regulator should include looking at homelessness prevention work, argues David Bogle

The regulator’s role should be limited to dealing with systemic failures Julian Ashby suggests the Housing Ombudsman Service should deal with all complaints

The green paper shows ministers are in listening mode Despite some glaring omissions, the government appears to be in listening mode and it is important the sector takes advantage, argues Emma Maier

A short history of social housing league tables Attempts to create league tables for housing associations are nothing new. Mervyn Jones looks at how they have worked in the past

League tables could prove blunt and counter-productive, sector warns Housing figures criticise government proposals to measure social landlords against performance indicators

Government ‘must decide how proactive regulator should be’ on consumer standards Ministers now face a dilemma over the regulator’s focus, sector figures say

The Green Paper: a golden opportunity missed? Melanie Rees assesses the Social Housing Green Paper against recommendations drawn up by the Chartered Institute of Housing and finds the government comes up short

Longer strategic partnerships and guranteed debt to boost social housebuilding The Social Housing Green Paper outlines key ways of boosting supply

The green paper is remarkable progress but it is still not enough The green paper suggests the government appears to be re-writing much of its policy since 2010, but more needs to be done, writes Jules Birch

Green paper marks a ‘milestone’ on resident involvement The government’s recognition residents need clear information is to be welcomed, now it up to the sector to embrace tenant involvement, writes Paul Hackett

Ministers consider stock transfer programme to community-led associations The stock transfer programme could be revived under proposals in the housing green paper

Access to housing grant could be tied to new league tables Grant could be awarded according to how well landlords meet performance indicators, the paper suggests

Ofsted-style regulation of tenant services proposed The government is considering expanding the Regulator for Social Housing’s remit to intervene over tenant services and give it a more “proactive approach to enforcement”

Government proposes dropping one-for-one Right to Buy replacement commitment A consultation paper published alongside the green paper proposes a broader measurement to replace the one-for-one pledge

A list of recent housing policy U-turns The green paper confirms yet more housing policy U-turns from the government, which has spent the past two years dropping policy ideas developed under the David Cameron government. Here is a rundown of the major changes in policy direction

Sector welcomes green paper but calls for more ‘ambitious investment’ Reaction to the proposals, from the National Housing Federation, Chartered Institute of Housing and more

Morning Briefing: reaction to green paper announcements how the media reported the proposals trailed by the government overnight

Government drops plans to force councils to sell higher-value stock The government drops plans to force councils to sell higher value homes

League tables and ‘sharper teeth’ for regulator in social housing green paper Ministers reveal some of the things in the paper ahead of its publication

Grenfell survivors: green paper does not go far enough survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have said the measures published in the Social Housing Green Paper do not do enough to rectify issues in the social housing sector

 

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