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Housing will be ‘central’ to post-coronavirus recovery, says Pincher
Housing will be “central” to Britain’s economic recovery following the coronavirus pandemic, housing minister Chris Pincher has said.
In a pre-recorded address to Digital Housing Week on Friday, Mr Pincher said: “This is an important moment for us to put our shoulder to the wheel and get behind the housing sector in all its aspects.”
“When we boost the housing sector, we boost the whole economy,” he added.
“The mission of us all must be to build a new Britain out of this pandemic.”
The minister’s comments follow the launch this week of the new Homes at the Heart campaign by major social housing bodies, calling for “once-in-a-generation” government investment in building social homes to aid the country’s economic and social recovery.
Mr Pincher did not specify whether the government will provide greater funding for housebuilding in the wake of the pandemic, social housing or otherwise.
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But he thanked the sector for its “efforts to get Britain building again” amid the COVID-19 crisis.
He also praised social landlords for their “flexibility and resourcefulness” since the outbreak.
In particular, he drew attention to the use of technology to deal with challenges posed by the virus, referring to an Inside Housing feature about housing association repairs teams that have been using augmented reality to fix issues without requiring in-person contact.
However, he said: “Let’s be clear – people will only embrace new ways of working if they’re better than what has gone before.”
He stressed that the tenant experience is “essential” and that residents must feel “empowered” and “safe in their homes”.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is trying to work with a “digital mentality”, he added, including a focus on modern methods of construction.
