About the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Housing in the North

The APPG for Housing in the North provides a forum for Parliamentarians to discuss and advance housing and related policy across the three northern regions and seeks to ensure the needs and ambitions of northern communities are addressed in national housing policy development.

As Secretariat, the Northern Housing Consortium supports the APPG in facilitating a work programme that has in recent years concentrated on the regeneration of mixed tenure communities, housing an ageing population, and the impact of poor-quality housing on health and wellbeing.

Parliamentarians will be informed of how to attend directly. Relevant stakeholders wishing to join us should contact Liam Gregson, Member Engagement Manager, Northern Housing Consoritium – liam.gregson@nhc.org.uk

Contact

For more information about the APPG for Housing in the North please contact Liam Gregson.

Green Jobs, Housing, and Skills

Held on the 26th October 2021, Green Jobs, Housing, and Skills was an event organised by the All Party Parliamentary Groups for Housing in the North, and Housing and Social Mobility reflecting each groups shared-interest in the development of green jobs and the social housing sector.

The session brought together Government Ministers, Parliamentarians, and key industry stakeholders to discuss scaling up and coordinating the skills supply chain for retrofit works, and how to link job creation in ‘good, green jobs’ to local areas with social housing tenants benefitting from the sectors central role in driving domestic decarbonisation projects.

A post-event briefing, including notes of the session, can be accessed HERE.

Inquiry 2019/20 – Property standards in the North’s Private Rented Sector (PRS)

It is essential at a time of housing crisis to make sure that homes across all tenures are fit to live in. Most landlords provide stable and safe accommodation for their tenants, but this is not always the case. In parts of the North there are too many places where properties are undesirable, and where poor condition heightens issues of exclusion. Despite attempts at intervention, the quality and decency of PRS in the North still lags-behind other tenures.

The Inquiry concluded in November 2020 with Parliamentary approval of the final report No Home Left Behind: An Inquiry into Standards in the North’s Private Rented Sector.

No Home Left Behind concludes:

  • The Private Rented Sector regulatory framework is a comprehensive but complicated mixture of statute and case law that hinders enforcement and allows poor conditions to flourish.
  • The ability to identify landlords and poorly conditioned properties are essential to professionalising the sector and should be made central to efforts to reach minimum energy efficiency standards.
  • Local Authorities are held back in their ability to effectively use enforcement tools by severe budget constraints. Local enforcement teams should be maintained by properly resourced services with the right level of professionally qualified staff.
  • A long-term commitment to regeneration through a Housing Quality Investment Fund would support local collaborative partnership working to drive wider improvements in housing quality across tenures and bring a new focus to raising the standards of the North’s existing stock.

A range of recommendations are made to Government, covering:

  • The Regulatory Framework, including a review of current legislation, a national landlord database, and exploring the opportunities to link rental subsidy to property condition.
  • Tenant Empowerment, including the immediate introduction of the Renters Reform Bill and abolition of Section 21, and support for the growth of Social/Ethical Lettings Agencies.
  • Enforcing Standards, including increased and sustained funding for Local Authorities and greater local control over Selective Licensing.
  • Opportunities for the Future Role of the Private Rented Sector, including the transformation of ECO funding to create a local authority led area-based scheme to tackle fuel poverty and the formation of a Housing Quality Investment Fund to level-up housing quality in the North and work towards a green recovery.

Inquiry Archive

No Home Left Behind: An Inquiry into Standards in the North’s Private Rented Sector represents 18 months of working in close collaboration with Local Authorities, Housing Associations, Combined Authorities, those representing both tenants and landlords, and third sector organisations.

With the report and its recommendations to Government, the APPG for Housing in the North hopes it has offered a set of practical proposals to ensure the PRS is a positive choice and experience for all households.

Read the Notes and Recap articles from previous meetings of the APPG: