Cumbria Climate Conversation

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Last month the Northern Housing Consortium was delighted to join colleagues across Cumbria to discuss the just transition to Net Zero and what this looks like for housing. Joining NHC members in the area as well as stakeholders with an interest in housing and climate change, the NHC used the meeting to promote the findings of the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury.

The roundtable was organised by Action with Communities in Cumbria (ACT), a rural and community development charity championing community level responses to the biggest issues of the day. The meeting was hosted as part of the work of the Community Led Housing Hub for Cumbria and Lancaster which provides support and access to technical expertise for groups developing new affordable housing in their areas.

The NHC was joined by other speakers to cover an agenda which looked at housing and decarbonisation issues across neighbourhoods. Attendees discussed support available for privately owned housing, including those in the PRS, to make green homes upgrades; how organisations in the social rented sector were addressing tenants concerns around the retrofit process; and the opportunity provided by community led housing to develop a housing offer for communities both affordable and meeting the highest energy standards.

Fran Richardson, ACT’s Lead Adviser on Housing commented:

“Supporting community led approaches to housing often leads to detailed discussions amongst non-professionals about the challenge of reducing carbon emissions associated with our homes. The Housing Hub has been determined to air and explore some of the tricky areas of development, alongside the motivations of the people involved. Raising the profile of climate change and helping groups and organisations consider what they can do to reduce impact has been an important part of our work.

The work of the Northern Housing consortium with the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury was hugely informative for our conversation, focussing on the work ahead for social housing providers. Putting tenants at the heart of the conversation, rather than considering them an obstacle to be worked around, is both necessary and refreshing.

I was particularly impressed by the ambition and scope of the recommendations made by the Jury. It was clear that they understood the urgency to take action on climate change and some of the options available which would have greatest impact – like higher standards of insulation. The practical approach to managing contractors in your own home and wanting to be sure that the work will be both timely and to a high standard, reflects very real issues, plaguing the retrofit sector. The recommendation that work force development should be a part of the way forward was also testament to their understanding.

It will be important that the recommendations are taken seriously and embedded into the forward planning of the engaged Housing Associations. This is a really progressive approach to engaging social housing tenants in this vital work. What comes through is that they want to see the work done as soon and as well as possible. If we are to meet our decarbonisation targets we need to be learning fast and sharing these Jury results.”

 

To read more the Action with Communities in Cumbria event Housing and Social Justice: Moving to Net Zero Carbon, click HERE.

 More information on the work of ACT can be found HERE.

 More information on the Community Led Housing Hub for Cumbria and Lancaster can be found HERE.

Decent Homes Standard Review: Phase Two update

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The 2020 Social Housing White Paper confirmed a review of the Decent Homes Standard, the first time the Standard has been updated since 2006.  The first phase of the review – focused on establishing a case for change to the current standard – concluded last Autumn, with the NHC having played an active role as a core participant in the Review.

In February 2022, the Levelling-Up White Paper announced a new ‘mission’ to halve the number of non-decent rented homes by 2030, with the biggest improvements in the lowest performing areas. This mission encompasses the social rented and private rented sectors – and marks the first time a decent homes standard has been applied to the whole private rented sector.

Since the White Paper was published, the NHC has engaged with officials at DLUHC working on both the private and social rented elements of this work. It’s clear that ministers want the same standard to apply to both sectors, and are keen to progress the review. We’ve also been encouraged that officials recognise that some of the lowest performing private rented sector stock is located in the North and Midlands – presenting a potential opportunity to progress the improvement or regeneration of these homes, which is a long-standing priority for many of the NHC’s local authority members.

Phase 2 of the review, focused on the development of a new Standard, has now begun, with the Sounding Board the NHC sits on having met three times in April. The intention is to develop a new standard at pace, and for there to be a formal consultation on this proposed standard – possibly as soon as this Summer.

The same standard is intended to apply to the social and private rented sectors. Perhaps reflecting this, potential new regulatory standards being considered for inclusion in the revised Standard are narrower than previously thought, and largely focused on safety and security. The Thermal Comfort Criterion, which Phase One identified as being significantly outdated, is being considered separately and it seems likely this will be consulted on in parallel with the new DHS. This is in the context of a precious consultation in raising Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards in the PRS to EPC C, and a pledge to consult on an EPC C regulatory standard in the social rented sector.

The Department are also considering the use of guidance and best practice on issues identified in Part 1 of the review, such as green spaces, climate adaptation, digital connectivity, adaptations, and resident/tenant engagement on planned maintenance.

The NHC’s Private Rented Sector Network will be discussing the application of a Decent Homes Standard to the PRS at their meeting on May 17th, where we’ll be joined by officials from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. NHC members can attend the network at no charge – book your place using MyNHC.

Those interested in the Decent Homes Review can join the NHC’s mailing list for updates – email Kristina.Dawson@northern-consortium.org.uk to join the list.

The NHC has submitted written comments to the Department on the areas being considered for inclusion in the new Standard. We will also be responding to the formal consultation in due course. For any questions about the development of the new Standard, or if you would like the NHC to speak to your team or tenants about the progress of the review, please contact Brian.Robson@northern-consortium.org.uk

Welcome back to in-person conferences – striking a balance

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Kate Maughan, Director of Member Engagement

You said, we did

We know that NHC members value the opportunity to come together. The challenges of the last two years have meant we needed to adapt and modernise the way we deliver our programme of events and engagement opportunities. As we emerge from the worst of the pandemic, we remain committed to enabling our members to build strong and deep relationships with each other, and with decision makers and policy shapers. We aim to deliver an unrivalled member experience – this blog sets out how we intend to do that.

In 2020, our focus was on in-person opportunities; offering a digital option for events was on the radar for the future, but we had concerns – do members want this? Does everyone have the technology they need to access digital events? Will anyone attend?

Fast forward to today, and we have the answers to those questions and more. We asked you what you’d like to see from us, and the response was overwhelmingly in favour of keeping most of our engagement events online. Here at the NHC, we’ve found that offering digital events allows us to engage even more frequently, and across a wider range of topics, than we were able to do in-person. Key points from the feedback were:

Network meetings, roundtables and seminars are better delivered online

Because these engagement events tend to be shorter, you told us the travelling required at either side wasn’t a good use of your time. Members feel that the information shared at these events, and the resulting discussion, works equally well – and in many cases, better – online.

Larger conferences are better delivered in-person

We know that networking with colleagues is really important, but difficult – if not impossible! -to replicate online. You told us that for larger, full day conferences you would prefer to attend in person, so that’s what we’ll do in 2022.

A note on sustainability

If you’ve seen our new corporate plan, you’ll know that we’re putting sustainability at the heart of all of our activities. We want to minimise our environmental impact and embed sustainability as a core principle of how we work, and as part of this, you’ll notice some changes at our in-person events. Conferences traditionally create a lot of waste and leave a large carbon footprint: booklets, flyers, and programmes that sit on desks for a few weeks then make their way to the recycling bin. We want to change that.

  • All event documents will be online, with QR codes on tables so you can access the very latest programme on the day. Documents will be optimised for viewing on laptops, mobile phones and tablets;
  • We’ll email materials to you in advance, so if you do need a paper copy for any reason, you’ll have time to print one;
  • We’ll ask you to bring your organisational name badge to the event so other delegates can identify you, and vice versa – this means we won’t need to print badges to use on the day.

Upcoming in-person conferences

21st June 2022, Leeds: National Resident Involvement Conference: Levelling Up Resident and Community Engagement

14th July 2022, Leeds: Levelling Up: Housing at the Heart of a Rebalanced Country

9th November 2022, Manchester: Northern Housing Summit (bookings will open soon)

If you have any feedback on our plans for conferences, or would like to discuss, please don’t hesitate to get in touch: kate.maughan@northern-consortium.org.uk

We’re looking forward to welcoming you back very soon.

Supply over demand: The Government’s Energy Security Strategy misses the mark on energy efficiency

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Ahead of the Government’s Energy Security Strategy published this month, there were hopes within the housing sector and beyond that BEIS and Treasury would use this opportunity to strengthen their approach to reduce the amount of energy we use by improving the energy efficiency of homes. Unfortunately, these expectations were not met and no new support has been announced.

The NHC’s Chief Executive Tracy Harrison commented:

“The Government have missed the opportunity to use the Energy Security Strategy to double down on efforts to make homes more energy efficient and reduce household bills. The Strategy’s focus on long-term energy supply has overlooked the required additional support to reduce energy demand now by improving the energy performance of homes. We hope to see further plans to accelerate home upgrades and transition to affordable, clean heat as part of the package to address rising energy bills and reduce the UK’s reliance on gas.”

The Government has had a tricky task for some time to respond to continuing rising prices in global gas markets which have been pushing household bills through the roof. This of course has been made even more complex by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the pressure to rebalance global energy markets away from reliance on gas from Russia. While the UK only relies on Russian gas for a small percentage of its energy (4% of total gas supply and 8% of oil demand), prices are still set in these markets so UK households are exposed to the volatility of overall gas prices.

Boris Johnson and his government have been reportedly conflicted on the most appropriate way to address these issues, with the Energy Security Strategy subsequently delayed many times in recent months. There have been varied demands from within the Conservative Party including calls to exploit fossil fuels further such as through fracking and increased drilling in the North Sea, and even to abandon net zero targets altogether. But there were also voices from within the governing party advocating for increased energy efficiency measures to be a key part of the energy strategy. Reports also emerged prior to the Strategy’s publication of Chancellor Rishi Sunak and his Treasury team outlining their reluctance to provide further support to upgrade the energy efficiency of homes.

The outcome of this debate was revealed this month when the Energy Security Strategy was finally published.

What was announced?

The Strategy focussed mainly on energy supply to help the UK reach its target of net zero by 2050 and includes ambitious new targets on offshore wind and nuclear energy. It was reported that plans to expand new onshore wind turbines were dropped from the Strategy due to existing conflict about wind farms within Johnson’s Cabinet. Reaction to this from the energy sector has been widely criticised as onshore wind is an effective short-term supply option and generally cheaper and more quickly deployed than other options, especially compared to nuclear power which is costly and slow to implement.

The overall ambition to align the energy system with net zero in the long-term is welcome. The North is already leading the way on renewable energy, with half of England’s renewable energy being generated in the region.

On low carbon heating, the Strategy announced a Heat Pump Investment Accelerator Competition in 2022 worth up to £30m. This is in addition to the Government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme, opened this month, which will provide grants of up to £5,000 to help with the upfront cost of installing low carbon technologies, such as heat pumps. Further commitment to heat pump technology is welcome but the Accelerator is a modest sum in relation to the Government’s target for 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028.

The Strategy also references expanding investment to support the creation of green finance products to “introduce a scheme under which lenders will work to improve the energy performance of the properties against which they lend”.

The Heat and Buildings Strategy committed Government to incentivising electrification through the rebalancing of levies on household bills that currently favour the use of gas. The Energy Security Strategy commits to publishing proposals on how to make this happen by the end of 2022. This is a hugely important step in the decarbonisation process to ensure that technologies such as heat pumps, which are powered by electricity, are cheaper to run in the long-term.

The Fairness and Affordability Review promised in the Heat and Buildings Strategy aims to address this affordability point. We urge Government to bring this review forward as soon as possible to ensure the transition to clean heat does not raise costs for low-income households.

What was missing?

In the introductory section, the Strategy outlines that the “first step [to reducing household bills] is to improve energy efficiency, reducing the amount of energy that households and businesses need”. The document later states that the “majority of our homes are energy inefficient” and “improving the efficiency of our homes could reduce our heating bills by around 20% and reduce our dependency on foreign gas.” The NHC strongly agrees with this assessment that we need to reduce the amount of energy we use in the first place, but the Strategy fails to back up these premises with further support to deliver on them.

The Strategy goes on to outline previous announcements by Government on energy efficiency, including the support announced in the Heat and Buildings Strategy, the work carried out so far through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, the expansion of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) to £1bn per year, and other existing measures.

We know that levels of fuel poverty have been rising and are expected to continue to rise this year with a further price cap increase to come in October. Communities in the North are particularly vulnerable to these continually rising costs as the North started with higher-than-average levels of fuel poverty. The Energy Security Strategy was the next opportunity after the Chancellor’s Spring Statement for Government to minimise the impact of rising bills and prevent households having to make difficult financial choices between heating their homes and other essentials.

The Northern Housing Monitor showed that 270,000 homes per year in the North will need to be retrofitted until 2035 just to reach the Government’s own EPC C target (the energy efficiency benchmark). There is still a lot of work to do across tenures to achieve this.

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) is Government’s independent advisor on tackling climate change. The CCC’s response to the Energy Security Strategy is also one of disappointment in relation to the lack of ambition to reduce energy demand. The CCC have praised the ambition to accelerate plans to secure clean, green, homegrown energy, especially on offshore wind. But they commented the Government will need to do more in the coming months on energy efficiency to cut energy bills for households.

In a response to an urgent question from Baroness Hayman on the Strategy not going far enough on insulation schemes, BEIS Minister Lord Callanan told the House of Lords: “It would have been good to have gone further, but the Treasury would not support it.” It is disappointing that the efforts of BEIS on this agenda have been largely disregarded by Treasury at this stage.

The North is already leading the way on renewable energy, the region now has the potential to lead the way on energy efficiency improvements and heat pump installations. An inclusive approach to housing decarbonisation would reduce household bills, cut carbon emissions, create new green jobs in the region, and lead to better health outcomes.

We will continue to work on behalf of our members to accelerate the harnessing of these benefits in the North, especially ahead of this winter, to support the creation of sustainable homes and communities across the region.

Read the full Energy Security Strategy here.

Please do not hesitate to follow up on this with the NHC by contacting Anna Seddon (Policy and Public Affairs Manager) at anna.seddon@northern-consortium.org.uk.

NHC joins the call to ask Government to bring forward new laws to regulate social housing

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Earlier this month we supported the call, led by Shelter, to urge Government to bring the Social Housing Regulation Bill to parliament as soon as possible. The open letter urged Secretary of State Michael Gove to prioritise making law the proposals outlined in the Social Housing White Paper, published in November 2020.

The white paper set out a new charter for social housing tenants with plans to reform the regulation of social housing with a focus on consumer standards. This followed from the publication of the Social Housing Green Paper in 2018 after the Grenfell Tower fire. While NHC members have undertaken extensive work to engage more effectively with tenants throughout that period, legislation to enact the new consumer regulation regime is long overdue.

There have been some developments since the publication of the white paper.  For example, the review of the Decent Homes Standard announced in the white paper is being turbocharged by the Levelling Up White Paper’s commitment to halve the number of non-decent homes in the rented sectors by 2030. The Standard will be extended to the private rented sector for the first time. The Regulator has also undergone a consultation to establish new Tenant Satisfaction Measures, as outlined in the Social Housing White Paper, as part of the new proposed consumer regulatory regime.

This month, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) published a series of sample draft clauses to be brought forward in the Social Housing Regulation Bill “when parliamentary time allows”. DLUHC make clear with this draft publication that they are continuing to encourage landlords to consider what action they can take now to prepare for these regulatory changes.

Along with the draft clauses, DLUHC also published plans to create a Social Housing Quality Resident Panel (accepting applications from tenants to join until 29th April); plans to ‘name and shame’ poor practice by social landlords on social media; and a factsheet explaining the role of the Regulator and Housing Ombudsman.

The NHC has joined with Grenfell United, Kwajo Tweneboa, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Placeshapers, TPAS, CIH, NHF and others to ask Government to make this legislation a priority in the next parliamentary session (the Queen’s Speech to set the Government’s agenda is scheduled to take place on Tuesday 10th May 2022).

Read coverage of the joint letter by Housing Correspondent, Vicky Spratt, in i news here and the full text can be seen below:

“Nearly five years after the Grenfell Tower fire, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has now published their draft Bill to regulate social housing.

This law is beyond overdue. Recent exposure of the living conditions and frustrations of some residents has revealed the continued devastating impact of poor housing conditions on our communities.

While we will continue to work with the Government to ensure this Bill does all it can do– we now need to prioritise getting these changes onto the statute book.

Residents deserve respect, and for their voices to be heard. Well-managed and well-funded social housing is vital if the government is to restore a sense of local pride and belonging to every neighbourhood.

This legislation would allow the social housing regulator to get to work building a system that delivers real accountability and gives tenants a voice. There is no reason for delay. The promises made to the bereaved, residents and survivors of the Grenfell fire should become the law this spring.

English Housing Survey figures reveal four per cent of social rented properties have some type of damp problem, compared to two per cent of owner-occupied homes.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: ““No one should have to live in a substandard home. Our priority is to create a fairer social rented sector for everyone.

We will introduce new legislation to improve the quality and regulation of social housing, give residents extra information to help hold their landlord to account and ensure that when residents make a complaint, landlords take quick and effective action to put things right.”

The letter was signed by:

Natasha Elcock (Chair) Grenfell United

Rob Gershon, Social Housing Campaigner

Darren Baxter (Housing and Policy and Partnerships Manager) Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Chloe Fletcher (Policy Director) National Federation of ALMOs

Tracy Harrison (CEO) Northern Housing Consortium

Darren Hartley (CEO)TAROE Trust

Kate Henderson (CEO) National Housing Federation

Alison Inman, SHOUT

Alistair McIntosh (CEO) Housing Quality Network

Geeta Nanda OBE (CEO) Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing and Chair, G15

Polly Neate (CEO) Shelter

Jenny Osbourne (CEO) TPAS

Nick Reynolds (Chair) National Federation of Tenant Management Organisations

Gavin Smart (CEO) Chartered Institute of Housing

Kwajo Tweneboa, Social Housing Campaigner

Matthew Walker (CEO) Leeds Federated Housing Association and Chair, PlaceShapers

Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury Webinar Series – Watch Now!

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As part of its commitment to promote the work of the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury, and begin a dialogue as to how the social housing sector can implement the Jury’s recommendations, the Northern Housing Consortium recently arranged the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury Webinar Series. Recordings of the series are available for all NHC members to watch now via the below link.

Across the different sessions expert speakers, including commentators who originally gave ‘evidence’ to the Jury, discussed examples of what the Jury felt represented good practice in decarbonising homes as well as the wider implications of retrofit and climate change highlighted as core concerns.

The webinars looked at:

  • The resident centred retrofit journey – highlighting good practice from all tenures, the small details needed to ensure all possible disruption is mitigated against and tenants assured, and the new roles housing providers are investing in.
  • Expanding climate and decarbonisation education in social housing – including a focus on the rise of carbon literacy training in the sector, the innovative approaches to engaging and informing our communities, and the role of industry in ensuring the user journey in renewable heating technology is as smooth as possible.
  • Tackling climate change and building communities – considering ways in which housing retrofit can be made one part of making neighbourhoods more environmentally friendly but also happier, healthier places. Speakers discussed improving collaboration between all community stakeholders, projects complementing retrofit work with wider neighbourhood transformation, and how housing providers can lead the way in opening up and maximising community green spaces.
  • Creating good green jobs at the local level and ensuring opportunity for all – building on the Jury’s desire to see housing providers working with business, education, and Government to drive job creation in green industries and the roles that will decarbonise the built environment. Speakers discussed the central role housing providers can play as anchor institutions, large employers in their areas, and organisations with a vested interest in investing in people as well as place.

The Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury Webinar Series can be viewed HERE.

The Housing Ombudsman launches call for evidence on noise complaints

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Social housing landlords and residents are being asked to provide evidence to a new investigation, which will explore how social landlords manage reports of noise nuisance and what drives complaints about how those are handled.

The Ombudsman has received a “significant” number of complaints relating to noise over the past three years, with over 40% of complaints resulting in maladministration.

The investigation aims to understand how approaches to noise nuisance work in practice and how landlords work with other agencies.

It will also ask what is successful in mitigating inherent, or unavoidable, modern noise and what is successful intervention.

In addition to the survey responses, the Ombudsman will also draw from its casebook and from members of its resident panel.

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “Noise complaints can have a particularly significant impact on residents causing deep frustration and stress, and it’s an area that also presents difficult challenges for landlords.

We are keen to examine all aspects of noise related complaints and particularly how complaints are managed under anti-social behaviour policies. The statutory thresholds can be high and result in a lengthy process for residents while they may continue to experience the disturbance.”

He also said the investigation will also examine the relationship between anti-social behaviour and noise with best practice and learning being shared across the social housing sector.

The online survey will close on Friday 13 May and can be accessed via the Housing Ombudsman website.

The Housing Ombudsman was granted powers to investigate systemic issues in 2020. It has since produced Spotlight reports on damp and mould, heating and hot water, and cladding complaints.

For further information about this matter please contact karen.brown@northern-consortium.org.uk

Helping you create better homes and places – our corporate plan is coming soon!

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We’re excited to be launching our ambitious new corporate plan in the coming weeks – it sets out what we’ll do over the next three years to help you create better homes and places. This new plan focusses on your unrivalled member experience, it outlines our influencing priorities for the next few years, and it highlights our plans to provide the best services to support you now and into the future.

Created by our whole staff team alongside our member-led Board, the corporate plan has been shaped by insight built through our many member engagement opportunities, by looking ahead to future challenges and from our member perceptions research last year, which showed significant progress since our last survey in 2018.

In our 2018 survey, you asked us to develop a stronger, clearer voice on behalf of housing in the North and we hope that you have seen evidence of this – whether it’s members of the team giving evidence to Parliamentary select committees, our work to influence the Spending Review, or the evidence base we’ve built around net zero and levelling-up. We have worked hard to build the evidence base, craft compelling messages and ensure those messages reach and connect with decision-makers and policy shapers. Our commercial solutions continue to deliver value for members and contribute to the strong financial footing that enables us to perform our influencing and engagement functions for our membership.

From the 2021 survey we know that 95% of members are satisfied or very satisfied with the NHC’s work, and more than 90% of you agree that NHC membership is good value for money. Importantly the survey also told us what your challenges and priorities were in the future, and it was this insight which helped enable us to shape our priorities for the next three years.

Within the next few days we’ll be sending out your annual Member Benefits Statement detailing the ways your organisation has engaged with us over the last 12 months and how you’ve been using our procurement solutions. Overall, we held 149 online conferences, seminars, roundtables and network meetings throughout the year. 90% of our full members attended at least one conference or seminar, and 87% attended at least one roundtable or network – this is a significant increase on previous years where our engagement programme was face-to-face.

The Member Benefits Statement will allow you to look back over your engagement with us, and our new Corporate Plan will look forward and highlight how we will help you to create better homes and places.

Watch out for the new Corporate Plan hitting your inbox very soon!

 

 

The NHC joins the Child Poverty Action Group and 50 other organisations to call for the Government to increase benefits to match inflation

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In the run-up to Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement, the NHC joined the Child Poverty Action Group’s (CPAG) campaign, along with more than 50 other organisations, to call for the Government to increase benefits by at least 8% to match inflation forecasts, instead of the planned 3.1% increase from April 2022.

The joint statement led by CPAG, and supported by others in the sector including the Chartered Institute for Housing, received coverage in the BBC, Guardian and the Mirror.

Disappointingly, the Chancellor’s announcements did not include plans to provide additional support through the welfare system. The Resolution Foundation has since estimated that a further 1.3m people, including 500,000 children, will fall into absolute poverty next year.

See the full CPAG statement and signatories below:

“Prices are rising at the fastest rate in 30 years, and energy bills alone are going to rise by 54% in April. We are all feeling the pinch but the soaring costs of essentials will hurt low-income families, whose budgets are already at breaking point, most.

There has long been a profound mismatch between what those with a low income have, and what they need to get by. Policies such as the benefit cap, the benefit freeze and deductions have left many struggling. And although benefits will increase by 3.1% in April, inflation is projected to be 7.25% by then. This means a real-terms income cut just six months after the £20 per week cut to universal credit.

Child Poverty Action Group’s analysis shows families’ universal credit will fall in value by £570 per year, on average. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has calculated that 400,000 people could be pulled into poverty by this real-terms cut to benefits.

The government must respond to the scale of the challenge. Prices are rising across the board. Families with children in poverty will face £35 per month in extra energy costs through spring and summer, even after the government’s council tax rebate scheme is factored in. These families also face £26 per month in additional food costs. The pressure isn’t going to ease: energy costs will rise again in October.

A second cut to benefits in six months is unthinkable. The government should increase benefits by at least 7% in April to match inflation, and ensure support for housing costs increases in line with rents. All those struggling, including families affected by the benefit cap, must feel the impact.

Much more is needed for levels of support to reflect what people need to get by, but we urge the government to use the spring statement on 23 March to stop this large gap widening even further. The people we support and represent are struggling, and budgets can’t stretch anymore.”

 

Alison Garnham, Chief Executive, Child Poverty Action Group

Emma Revie, Chief Executive, The Trussell Trust

Graeme Cooke, Director of Evidence and Policy, Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Morgan Wild, Head of Policy, Citizens Advice

Dan Paskins, Director of UK Impact, Save the Children UK

Imran Hussain, Director of Policy and Campaigns, Action for Children

Thomas Lawson, Chief Executive, Turn2us

Sophie Corlett, Director of External Relations, Mind

Dr Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive, Oxfam GB

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director, Age UK

Eve Byrne, Director of Advocacy, Macmillan Cancer Support

Kamran Mallick, CEO, Disability Rights UK

Katherine Hill, Strategic Project Manager, 4in10 London’s Child Poverty Network

Mubin Haq, Chief Executive Officer, abrdn Financial Fairness Trust 

Bob Stronge, Chief Executive, Advice NI 

Dr Ruth Allen, Chief Executive, British Association of Social Workers

Joseph Howes, Chief Executive Officer, Buttle UK

Helen Walker, Chief Executive, Carers UK 

Balbir Chatrik, Director of Policy and Communications, Centrepoint

Gavin Smart, Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Housing 

Leigh Elliott, CEO, Children North East

Paula Stringer, CEO, Christians Against Poverty (CAP)

Niall Cooper, Director, Church Action on Poverty

Lynsey Sweeney, Managing Director, Communities that Work

Anna Feuchtwang, Chair, End Child Poverty Coalition

Claire Donovan, Head of Policy, Research and Campaigns, End Furniture Poverty

Victoria Benson, CEO, Gingerbread 

Neil Parkinson, co-head of casework, Glass Door Homeless Charity

Graham Whitham, Chief Executive, Greater Manchester Poverty Action

Yasmine Ahmed, UK Director, Human Rights Watch

Sabine Goodwin, Coordinator, Independent Food Aid Network 

Jess McQuail, Director, Just Fair 

Gemma Hope, Director of Policy, Leonard Cheshire

Paul Streets, Chief Executive, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales

Jackie O’Sullivan, Director of Communication, Advocacy and Activism, Mencap

Mark Rowland, Chief Executive, Mental Health Foundation

Chris James, Director of External Affairs, Motor Neurone Disease Association

Nick Moberly, CEO, MS Society

Anna Feuchtwang, Chief Executive, National Children’s Bureau

Charlotte Augst, Chief Executive, National Voices

Jane Streather, Chair, North East Child Poverty Commission

Tracy Harrison, Chief Executive, Northern Housing Consortium

Karen Sweeney, Director of the Women’s Support Network, on behalf of the Women’s Regional Consortium, Northern Ireland 

Satwat Rehman, CEO, One Parent Families Scotland

Mark Winstanley, Chief Executive, Rethink Mental Illness

James Taylor, Executive Director of Strategy, Impact and Social Change, Scope

Irene Audain MBE, Chief Executive Scottish, Out of School Care Network

Steve Douglas CBE, CEO, St Mungo’s 

Richard Lane, Director of External Affairs, StepChange Debt Charity

Robert Palmer, Executive Director, Tax Justice 

Claire Burns, Director, The Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection (CELCIS)

The Disability Benefits Consortium 

Dr. Nick Owen MBE, CEO, The Mighty Creatives

Peter Kelly, Director, The Poverty Alliance

Elaine Downie, Co-ordinator, The Poverty Truth Community

Tim Morfin, Founder and Chief Executive, Transforming Lives for Good (TLG)

UCL Institute of Health Equity 

Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, Director, Women’s Budget Group 

Natasha Finlayson OBE, Chief Executive, Working Chance

Claire Reindorp, CEO, Young Women’s Trust 

DLUHC confirm the white paper on renters’ reform will be published “very soon”

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Ian Byrne, MP for Liverpool West Derby, led a Westminster Hall debate on 15th March about poor quality standards in the private rented sector (PRS). The debate heard from a range of MPs citing evidence of poor housing conditions experienced by their constituents who live in private rented sector homes.

Analysis in the Northern Housing Monitor shows 1 in 7 homes in the private rented sector have a Category 1 hazard and more than two thirds of homes in the sector are below EPC C. During lockdown, the NHC supported research by the University of Huddersfield which highlighted the particular struggle for thermal comfort in the private rented sector and poor conditions impacting negatively on people’s physical and mental health.

During the debate, Matthew Pennycook MP, Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning, said there is an “acute problem” of the most vulnerable being concentrated at the lower end of the private rented market, which is often concentrated geographically. The Shadow Minister stated that substandard PRS homes are the source of “daily anxiety, torment and misery” for many and noted that it hinders children, in particular, from flourishing.

Eddie Hughes MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Rough Sleeping and Housing at DLUHC, responded to the debate to reaffirm the Government’s commitment to driving up standards of rented properties as outlined in the Levelling Up White Paper. One of the document’s core missions includes an ambition “for the number of non-decent rented homes to have fallen by 50%, with the biggest improvements in the lowest performing areas.” The NHC’s Executive Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Brian Robson, has written about this shift in government thinking from boosting supply to improving quality which you can read here.

PRS reform is long-overdue. The Renters’ Reform Bill (proposals of which were first revealed under Theresa May) was announced in the Queen’s Speech in December 2019 but it was not brought forward in the parliamentary session due to the impact of the pandemic. But renters’ reform is firmly back on the agenda, with the Levelling Up White Paper outlining:

“We will publish a landmark White Paper in the spring to consult on introducing a legally binding Decent Homes Standard in the Private Rented Sector for the first time ever, explore a National Landlord Register and bring forward other measures to reset the relationship between landlords and tenants, including through ending section 21 “no fault evictions””.

These proposals are welcome. The NHC acts as Secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Housing in the North. Last year, the APPG’s inquiry into housing standards in the North’s PRS published its final report. The APPG’s recommendations included:

  • a full review by the Law Commission of private rented legislation
  • a national landlord identification database of landlords’ details, their properties, and their energy performance
  • a DWP trial of linking payment of housing benefit to minimum quality standards
  • repealing Section 21 without delay
  • support to maintain well-resourced enforcement teams within local authorities
  • greater local freedom for Selective Licensing schemes
  • a Housing Quality Investment Fund to support local long-term collaboration across tenures to improve housing quality.

The NHC is a core participant in DLUHC’s review of the Decent Homes Standard. Following the Levelling-Up White Paper’s announcement that the Standard will be applied in the PRS for the first time, we expect the pace of the review to significantly accelerate in coming months, with a formal consultation on a new standard coming forward as soon as this Summer.

We are also awaiting the response from BEIS on the consultation to raise the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) to EPC C for new PRS lettings from 2025 and to EPC C for all PRS properties from 2028. While we welcome the commitment to improve the energy performance of homes in the PRS, this makes the APPG’s recommendation on ensuring enforcement teams in local authorities are properly resourced even more pertinent.

Enforcement is a particular challenge for local authorities in the North where a reduction in capacity has led to a 58% drop in housing services spend and a 73% drop in planning and building control spend between 2010/11-2020/21.

During the Westminster Hall debate, Eddie Hughes MP confirmed that the renters’ reform white paper (as opposed to a Bill previously promised) setting out how the Government plan to drive up standards in the PRS will be brought forward “very soon”. The NHC will be closely following developments on the proposed package of reforms for our members.

Please do not hesitate to follow up on any of this with the NHC by contacting Anna Seddon (Policy and Public Affairs Manager) at anna.seddon@northern-consortium.org.uk.