Both Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner
and Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook have recently summarised the
action they have taken on housing since the election of a Labour
government on 4 July. Most of these have been previously
reported in the Bulletin, but it is helpful to see them brought
together in one place. In a letter to constituents, Matthew
Pennycook listed the most significant steps taken
including:
- Setting up an independent New
Towns Taskforce to
advise the Deputy Prime Minister and Arch on suitable locations for
large-scale new communities of at least 10,000 new homes
each
- Setting out changes to support the delivery of more social
and affordable homes and give councils and housing associations new
flexibilities to make a greater contribution to affordable housing
supply
- Taking the first steps to
reform outdated compulsory purchase compensation rules that inflate
the cost of land to the benefit of speculators
- Introducing the new Renters' Rights
Bill to
finally abolish Section 21 'no
fault' evictions and decisively level the playing field between
landlord and tenant.
Angela Rayner's speech
opening the Labour Party Conference on 22 September also mentioned
most of these,
but also re-emphasised Labour's
previously-stated ambition "to build more social homes than we
lose" within the first financial year of a Labour
government. She also re-affirmed the Government's intention to
implement Awaab's Law 'this Autumn' and to extend it, and the
Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector, and to ensure
social housing staff 'have the right skills and experience', in a
clear reference to the professionalisation agenda. She
also said she would 'ensure 2.5 million housing association tenants
in this country can hold their landlord to account for their high
quality services and homes' so that repairs and complaints are
handled faster, but, more importantly, so social housing tenants
are treated fairly.
A decade of national policy
choices have heavily impacted council housing budgets. We call for
an emergency capital funding injection of £644m, equal to the
income lost from the 2023-25 rent cap. This will stabilise our HRAs
in the short term and prevent further waste caused by delaying or
cancelling investment plans.
Then, at the next Spending
Review, we call on the government to:
1. Establish a
new fair and sustainable HRA model: including a long-term and certain
rent settlement, an adjustment of HRA debts and more favourable
conditions for council investment.
2. Reform unsustainable Right to Buy
policies: by reducing
discount levels and eligibility, as well as protecting newly built
council homes from sale.
3. Remove red
tape on the Affordable Homes Programme and other
funds: including
extending the strategic partnership model to councils. Funding
should be streamlined, allocated simply, allowed to be used flexibly to meet local housing
need and reflect recent cost
inflation.
4. Announce a
Green & Decent Homes Programme: a long-term, capital-funded
programme to bring all council housing up to the new standard of
safety, decency and energy efficiency by 2030 - and a road map for
achieving net zero by 2050.
5. Fund the completion of new council
homes: limit the
short-term loss of housing supply and construction sector capacity
caused by the unfolding market downturn, by funding councils to
rescue and complete stalled development projects.
Our detailed and practical
recommendations will get the system back on stable foundations,
enable us to bring all homes up to the standards our residents
deserve and unlock our potential to deliver the next generation of
council homes. We look forward to working with the new government
to secure the future of England's council housing.