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This government must embrace social housing as a vital resource
How will the new government tackle the housing crisis and how much will social housing be part of the solution? Geeta Nanda urges ministers to regard the sector as a vital community asset
Another election has come and gone, and a particularly divisive one, too, but we are now looking to the future with a new government. While the NHS and the discourse around the emotive issues of Brexit and immigration occupied centre stage, has either party really addressed the UK’s shortage of truly affordable homes for rent and the incumbent problems that conjoin with this vital area?
There’s a window of opportunity to move forward and carry out the work needed to bring communities together again.
But with all the spending pledges made by the main parties, just how high up on the political agenda has housing been?
The statistics are there for all to see. The National Housing Federation regularly tells us that England needs 145,000 new social homes every year, including 90,000 at below market rent.
But in 2018, as a result of significant government cuts to funding, only 6,000 social rented homes were built.
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So, investment remains central to the issue, and if we are to have any hope of approaching the necessary annual figure of 145,000 new homes, funding will need to increase fivefold from the £1.27bn spent in 2018 to £12.8bn a year for 10 years.
Two points occur. First, housing must move far higher up the political agenda. Presently, housing is seen of secondary importance in government compared to, say, Brexit, public finances or foreign policy, and therefore an ideal place for cabinet ministers to hone their political and policy management skills before moving on to higher office.
“Ministers soon realise that housing is a difficult nut to crack. It covers a huge range of topics, many of which are governed by separate legislation”
Consequently, over the past 20 years the government department responsible fo housing has welcomed and then waved goodbye to 18 ministers, which is a turnover of almost one per year.
The biggest challenge for those housing ministers during their short tenure is that most housing policy is implemented locally or regionally, and housing until recently has not been given top billing.
Instead it has had to fight for influence and funding alongside other priorities. Ministers soon realise that housing is a difficult nut to crack. It covers a huge range of topics, many of which are governed by separate legislation, so it’s hardly surprising that ministers, facing such bewildering challenges, fail to grasp the issues.
Second, could it be perhaps that the housing crisis has been around for so long that politicians think the equivalent of charity fatigue has set in, believing that concentrating on other, more ‘on-trend’ issues will garner more votes? If so, they are wrong.
According to a Chartered Institute of Housing survey in August, more British people feel directly threatened by the UK housing crisis (57%) than our exit from the EU.
But for those of us who work in the housing sector day in, day out, this is not news.
Focus groups and opinion polls may be the bellwether of popular opinion in the run-up to elections, but it’s the everyday feedback we get from our residents that inform us about the real issues and that remain with us when all the hurly burly of the election bandwagon has evaporated.
Housing associations are a vital community anchor and it’s time that our role is established in working with government and public services to help tackle not only the housing issue, but other key areas such as homelessness and mental health.
Our insight, gleaned directly from our residents, should be an essential resource treated as a first port of call for all policymakers.
“Housing associations are a vital community anchor and it’s time that our role is established in working with government and public services to help tackle not only the housing issue, but other key areas such as homelessness and mental health”
At Metropolitan Thames Valley, we’re proud to say our community investment supported more than 1,800 people into employment and training last year, including nearly 500 accredited qualifications.
We’re not just putting a roof over people’s heads. I believe we have the capacity to make an even greater impact by working in partnership with government and by mobilising the strength of the wider property industry, ultimately reaching more people in need of housing and extra support to reach their potential, and changing more lives for the better.
Post-Grenfell, there’s potential to shift perceptions of social housing.
That tragedy shone a light on the fundamental position it holds in society. If managed well, social housing is, in fact, a huge asset.
It is valued by the four million households it provides, offers fine rental services and contributes significantly to the benefit of society.
The majority of current and long-standing tenants remain proud to live in what is now a modern, well run and maintained sector that performs a key role in meeting the demand for housing.
The government needs to recognise this valuable resource and embrace it for the future.
Geeta Nanda, chief executive, Metropolitan Thames Valley
