DCLG Secretary announces “wide-ranging” green paper on social housing
The Government will publish a “wide-ranging” green paper on social housing, the communities secretary announced this week.
Speaking at the National Housing Federation (NHF) annual conference on Tuesday, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid said it is clear there needs to be a “fundamental rethink of social housing in this country”.
The green paper will be a “wide-ranging, top-to-bottom review” of the issues facing the social housing sector and will be the “most substantial report of its kind for a generation”, he said. It is intended to “kick off a nationwide conversation on social housing – what works and what doesn’t work, what has gone right and what has gone wrong”.
The green paper will not only look at the safety of social housing following the Grenfell Tower fire, it will also cover the quality of social homes, “many of which are now beginning to show their age”, Mr Javid said.
It will include a look at the management of social homes, the rights of tenants and how complaints are handled.
Mr Javid said the green paper would not be “rushed” because it would take time to get this “substantial piece of work” right. He admitted that “successive governments” have not done enough to take social housing “seriously”.
The Government will seek the views of tenants alongside the views of housing associations and other stakeholders. The NHC is delighted to be facilitating a landlord and tenant engagement session on Thursday, 26th October in York with Alok Sharma MP, Minister of State for Housing and Planning. The Minister will speak directly with social tenants, to hear their views and to help build a picture of the common concerns that can help inform a national approach going forward.
For more information on the DCLG landlord and tenant engagement session on 26th October, please contact Member Engagement Manager Callum Smith or call 0191 566 1029.
