Implementing social housing reform: directions to the Social housing Regulator

Make the system of social housing in England do what it is meant to do

 According to Minister for Housing and Local Government, Grant Shapps, the current English government has made it a top priority to make the system of social housing in England do what it is meant to do. A radical shake up of social housing has been introduced to create a fairer system that will allow the building of more affordable homes.

Good and affordable housing should be available for those who genuinely need it

Shapps stresses that good and affordable housing should be available for those who genuinely need it and that people who live in it should have the opportunity to achieve their aspirations. He believes that this is best done by trusting local authorities and social landlords to run their own businesses and by giving tenants more control over the decisions they make about their lives. The government is devolving power from the State to the people. Tenants will have more of a say in how their services are provided and greater freedoms and flexibilities will be given to landlords to provide these services. The Localism Bill, when enacted, will bring about many of the changes necessary to deliver the package of reforms but regulatory changes to make the reforms work in practice will also needed. A consultation document called ‘Implementing social housing reform: directions to the Social Housing Regulator’ outlines the areas on which the Secretary of State proposes to direct the social housing regulator to set standards. These are:

• Tenure reform: to allow social landlords to issue flexible tenancies, subject to conditions, to make better use of existing and future stock. In implementing these reforms, the government will respect the rights of existing secure and assured tenants.
• Mutual exchange: to require landlords to enable access to internet-based mutual exchange schemes allowing tenants who want to move the best possible opportunity of finding a match, making the scheme truly national for the first time.
• Tenant involvement: to strengthen landlord accountability to tenants and support the Tenant Cashback model, providing new opportunities for social housing tenants to get involved in commissioning repair and maintenance services for their homes.
• Rent: to make changes to reflect the introduction of the Affordable Rent model.
• Quality of accommodation: to clarify that providers are expected to maintain their stock at a decent level.

To help people make a better life for themselves and for their communities

 These new flexibilities will help local authorities, social landlords and tenants to work together to make the system of social housing in United Kingdom fairer and help people stand on their own two feet. Shapps describes it as a system that does not block aspiration but instead acts as a springboard to help people make a better life for themselves and for their communities.