Industry News


Onein10 householdsstuck onhousingwaiting listsformorethan fiveyears


One in 10 households currently on councils’ housing waiting lists in England have been stuck on them formore than five years while they try to secure suitable accommodation. This statistic is included in a report fromthe


Local Government Association, the Association of Retained CouncilHousing and National Federation of ALMOs. The LGA have backed this up with a


prediction that housing waiting lists could nearly double, fromthe current number of 1.2 million households to almost 2.1 million next year, as various Covid related support schemes come to an end. The Building Post-Pandemic Prosperity


report, which sets out the case for building 100,000 new social rent homes a year, revealed that waiting lists in high-priority areas for the Government’s levelling-up agenda are 56 per cent longer than those in low-priority areas. The Government has pledged to tackle


inequality and ‘level-up’ themost deprived areas across the UK. But the report claims that construction output has been very badly hit over the past 20months and will take a long time to recover. It predicts that by 2023 this will have reduced new house building by 100,000. The report called on the Chancellor to use the


Spending Review to give councils the “powers and funding” to build 100,000 social rent homes each year. It also claims:


• Poor-quality homes cost the NHS £2bn a year; • GPs see 430,000 patients withmental health issues relating to their housing conditions a year, costing the NHS at least £12.9m;


• Building 100,000 new homes could deliver carbon emission reductions worth £600m; and


• Households living in greener homes could each save £500 per year.


Councillor David Renard, the LGA’s housing spokesman, said: “There is a desperate need to buildmore social housing in this country, which should be a central part of the Government’s ambition to level up and build back better following the pandemic. Now is the time to reverse the decline in council housing over the past few decades. “The benefits are clear – a programme of 100,000 social homes a year would shorten council housing waiting lists, reduce homelessness and cut carbon emissions, while delivering amultibillion long-termboost to the economy.”


regulation of social housing in England. The Select Committee will examine


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concerns about the quality of social housing, with a focus on the ability of the Regulator of Social Housing and theHousingOmbudsman to identify and address problems. The inquiry will also focus on the proposals in the Government’s social housingWhite Paper aimed at improving the regulatory regime. The Committee’s call for evidence was issued in


mid November, with a closing date of 21 December for submissions ahead of a series of public evidence hearings which are likely to begin in early 2022. Clive Betts, Chair of theHousing, Communities


and Local Government Committee, said: “Social housing plays a vital role in giving people a secure and affordable home, offering those in social housing protection fromthe rising costs and insecurity of private renting. “Beyond the need for action to tackle the lack of


social housing in England, questions also need to be asked about the quality of existing social housing and how the complaints of residents can be better handled and resolved. “Stories of dilapidated social housing and tales of


housing associations failing to respond to residents’ complaints call into question the effectiveness of the existing regulatory regime and how far the Government’sWhite Paper proposals go to help ensure tenants are treated properly and fairly. In our inquiry, we want to explore concerns around the quality of social housing and whether the current regime for the regulation of social housing is fit for purpose.” The Committee’s inquiry will also explore the financial pressures on social housing providers,


10 | HMMDecember/January 2022 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


heHousing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee has launched an inquiry into the quality and


amid concerns fromsome that the costs of building-safety work and retrofitting properties to make themmore energy efficient are affecting their ability to improve the quality of their social housing stock. In particular, the inquiry is seeking answers to the following questions:


• How widespread and serious are the concerns about the quality of social housing?


• What is the impact on social housing providers’ resources, and therefore their ability tomaintain and improve their housing stock, of the need to remediate building safety risks and retrofit their homes tomake themmore energy efficient?


• Is the current regime for regulating social housing fit for purpose?


• How clearly defined are the roles of the Regulator of SocialHousing and the HousingOmbudsman?


• Does the current regime allow tenants to effectively resolve issues?


• Do the regulator and ombudsman have sufficient powers to take action against providers?


• Will the reforms proposed in the social housing White Paper improve the regime and what progress has beenmade on implementing those reforms?


• What changes, if any, should the Government make to the DecentHomes Standard?


• Should the DecentHomes Standard be amended to include energy efficiency and othermeans of mitigating climate change, and if so how?


• Should all providers of social housing, not just councils, be required to register with the regulator?


• What challenges does the diversification of social housing providers pose for the regulatory system?


Select Committee launches inquiry into the regulation of social housing in England


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