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Healey: housing sector is ‘at its best’ when it speaks out loudly to government
The social housing sector is “at its best” when it is willing to speak out and challenge government over housing policy, departing shadow housing secretary John Healey has said in a farewell message to the sector.
Writing exclusively in Inside Housing, Mr Healey offered five insights for the sector based on his seven years leading Labour’s housing policy, first as housing minister under Gordon Brown and most recently as shadow housing secretary for Jeremy Corbyn.
In new leader Sir Keir Starmer’s reshuffle yesterday, Mr Healey was moved to take the shadow defence brief with Thangam Debbonaire taking over the shadow housing brief.
Reflecting on his time working with the sector, Mr Healey wrote: “The sector is at its best when it speaks out loudly on behalf of that mission; it’s at its worst when it meekly accepts what governments of either political party say, or simply talks to itself.
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“The big case for housing is there to be won with people who don’t know this sector’s proud history or understand the policy details, and who certainly can’t decipher our acronyms, but who can be persuaded of the argument for decent, genuinely affordable housing.”
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Mr Healey has previously accused the sector of “going quiet” in its criticism of government policy after striking the deal to extend the Right to Buy to housing associations in 2015.
In his column, he also wrote that the “darkest days” of his time involved in the housing sector occurred after the Grenfell Tower fire.
“It still casts the longest shadow nearly three years on. Grenfell has raised big questions about what we build, and how we listen to residents,” he wrote.
“The housing sector must lead the changes that are now necessary, just as it must lead in other areas where there can no longer be ‘business as usual’ from green standards to leaseholders’ rights,” he said.
He added that his interest in housing would not diminish as he moved on: “Those who know me best are aware that my passion for housing doesn’t come and go with the frontbench policy brief, so I’ll continue to keep a close interest in housing – and of course to read Inside Housing.”
