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Housing sector calls on Johnson to step up development investment and fix Universal Credit
Housing bodies and sector figures have reacted to the imminent appointment of Boris Johnson as the new prime minister, calling on him to step up investment in development and take steps to fix the issues surrounding Universal Credit.
Mr Johnson is expected to officially take over as prime minister from Theresa May later today, after being elected as the Conservative Party leader and beating rival Jeremy Hunt by nearly 46,000 votes.
Paul Hackett, chief executive of Optivo, said Mr Johnson’s appointment comes at a “historic time” for the country ahead of Brexit, and urged the new prime minister to make investing in homes a “national priority”.
He said: “All the economic indicators are that Britain could already be in economic recession, so now is the time to invest counter-cyclically in affordable housing.
“The multiplier effect on the economy is proven and so investing now is the right thing to do.”
Tracy Harrison, chief executive of the Northern Housing Consortium, said there were a number of improvements made during the leadership of Ms May with regards to additional support to the affordable housing sector. She called on Mr Johnson to continue that trend.
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“The North offers a lot of opportunities for him. His reputation is very southern centric so I urge him to recognise the opportunities that do lie elsewhere.
“What we would be looking for would be support to drive up quality of our existing stock, the protection of the affordable homes programme so we can deliver more new homes in the North, and support for local authorities with the capacity that they need to be able to deliver on their housing ambitions.”
Congratulations @BorisJohnson! The g15 largest housing associations in London are looking forward to working with you to tackle the housing crisis. #ukhousing pic.twitter.com/HiiGldn9Mx
— Jamie Ratcliff (@Jamrat_)Congratulations @BorisJohnson! The g15 largest housing associations in London are looking forward to working with you to tackle the housing crisis. #ukhousing pic.twitter.com/HiiGldn9Mx
— Jamie Ratcliff (@Jamrat_) July 23, 2019
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, agreed that there had been some progress under Ms May, including the move to scrap ‘no-fault’ evictions. However, she said boosting supply was crucial at a time when the country faces a “housing emergency”.
She said: “We want to see a commitment to 3.1 million social homes in the next 20 years. The new prime minister has promised major new infrastructure, so we want this to be the area where he delivers it.
“It will need ambition as well as good policy on planning and land reform, but he will have no hope of fixing the housing crisis without it.”
There has been much speculation about the make-up of Mr Johnson’s cabinet once he takes over as prime minister, with current environment secretary Michael Gove and Jacob Rees-Mogg both being tipped to take over the housing brief.
Ian Thomas, chief executive of Trivallis, raised concerns about a “cavalier attitude” that could be adopted by Mr Johnson and warned against that approach when dealing with housing.
“If Boris is cavalier as prime minister it will bring difficulties around things like supply chain and modern methods of construction. Also if he is cavalier in his attitude to Welsh government policy then there could potentially be difficulties in the future there as well.”
There were also a number of figures who called on the new prime minister to address issues coming from the government’s roll-out of Universal Credit.
Sally Thomas, chief executive of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, said there was an urgent need to make changes to Universal Credit, which she said was having a major impact on the everyday lives of social housing tenants.
She said: “The priority must be an end to the five-week wait for the first payment. It is unrealistic to expect a claimant with no savings (which is the majority) to survive on nothing for five weeks.
“New claimants will not benefit from the two-week run-ons so it is essential they can get the support, otherwise they may well be destitute.”
Stuart Ropke, chief executive of Community Housing Cymru, said that the ongoing issues surrounding Universal Credit could not be ignored by Mr Johnson and that the body would campaign with partner federations across the UK to ensure the system is fit for purpose.
Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, also said there was still a lot of work to do in ensuring existing stock was safe.
She said: “Housing must be the top domestic priority for the new prime minister, as he sets out his vision for the country in the coming weeks.
“This is not only because we have a severe shortage of homes in England, but also because two years on from the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower there is still much urgent work to do to ensure the country’s homes are safe.”
Nicholas Harris, chief executive of Stonewater, said: “It was interesting that Johnson chose to reference the themes of housing and social mobility in his winner’s speech.
“We will wait and see what transpires as he takes up residence in Number 10 and appoints his new cabinet. I sincerely hope he retains political focus on working with the sector to tackle the housing crisis, making it a high priority on our domestic agenda.”
