ROOF Blog

Grant Shapps, the shadow housing minister, says a Conservative government would promote home ownership – without returning to Thatcher-era council house sell-offs. Labour, he claims, is sidelining home ownership and re-emphasising the importance of social housing. ‘Labour has given up on aspiration in their rush to shore up their core voting areas,’ he says. ‘I couldn’t disagree more with them.’

Housing associations are preparing for a funding crisis that will result in a shortfall of newly built social homes from next year. The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has warned of the risk that the needs of the poorest will not be met from 2011 as public money dries up, leaving housing associations less able to finance the social rented sector. The Tenant Services Authority (TSA) said that it expected the number of homes built by housing associations to fall from 50,000 a year last year to 40,000 a year after 2011. Even at current funding levels, housing associations — the main providers of UK social housing — said that, to stay afloat, they had been forced to switch away from provision of social rented homes and towards more lucrative home ownership schemes geared towards renters on higher incomes.

The Tenant Services Authority (TSA) has set out how it plans to promote equality and good relations for social housing landlords and tenants in England with the launch of its first ever ‘Single equalities scheme’ and supporting action plan. The consultation document includes how the TSA will work with tenants, providers and other stakeholders to ensure that the needs of different tenants across the six diversity groups of ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, age, gender, and religion/belief are identified and taken into account. Everyone with an interest in social housing is invited to comment on the consultation document.

The importance of social housing’s ‘heartlanders’ and their activism has been revealed in a report that says the most prominent group of social housing tenants are highly active in their neighbourhoods and play a crucial role in bonding communities. David Eastgate, Hyde Group chief executive, said: ‘Heartlanders are the glue of local communities and in many instances play a more active role than homeowners. They take on the responsibility to deliver regeneration and ensure sustainability.’ The report makes a number of policy recommendations to unlock the potential of those living in social housing.

Plans for a national register of social housing tower blocks in England are being outlined by the Tenant Services Authority (TSA). The social housing regulator’s national register will hold details on ownership, the number of properties and the age of the tower block. It will also list the date of the last fire risk assessment and the date of the next assessment. The TSA will begin collecting data from housing associations in February 2010. Phil Morgan, Executive Director, Tenant Services said, ‘The register will be a valuable tool, allowing us to build up a comprehensive picture of tower blocks in England. It will allow us to work with landlords to ensure that they are fully complying with their responsibilities to carry out risk assessments and taking appropriate action so that tenants are properly protected from the risk of fire.’