In her speech to the Housing Corporation and Chartered Institute of Housing, Housing Minister Yvette Cooper said councils and landlords should ensure social housing services focus on people, not just the homes they live in.
Yvette Cooper announced a package of measures and extra investment aimed at making social housing fairer, more effective and more personal. The plans will re-focus social housing around the needs of tenants, such as:
The Government's plans include the launch of a major new crackdown on cramped housing aimed at helping those living in the worst overcrowded households. A new national Overcrowding Action Plan sets out proposals for increasing the number of larger homes nationally, with £15 million funds over the next three years to help councils do more in the areas most under pressure. The funding will be targeted at 38 of the most overcrowded areas in London, Birmingham, Bradford, Leicester, Liverpool and Manchester.
The proposals include changes giving greater priority to under-occupiers, such as the elderly and middle-aged 'empty nesters' who want to move into smaller homes or nearer their families. Families living in overcrowded social housing and those people on council house waiting lists will also benefit from the proposal, as more larger homes become available for them to rent.
The Government will also help people to move across local authority boundaries, with additional funding of £3.8 million to develop sub-regional choice-based lettings schemes across the country.
Yvette Cooper also set out proposals to develop new options and advice services in 5 pilot areas. These pilots will see people offered a more varied 'menu' of housing options, including shared ownership deals and short-term lets in the private sector. Jobless tenants will be offered joined-up housing services and employment advice.
Over £4 billion will be pumped into existing housing stock over the next three years to help turn around the prospects of people living in poor quality housing, whether in LA owned stock, in ALMO stock or in the private sector.
Yvette Cooper said:
"Social housing has been part of the fabric of the nation for over a hundred years. However, social and affordable housing must now meet the needs of the twenty-first century too.
"70% of households are now home owners, and 90% say they want to be. As a government we want to widen access to home ownership and help more people build up assets. But home ownership won't be sustainable for everyone. And for some it is a real struggle to find an affordable stable home in the private sector.
"Social housing needs to deliver the security and stability as well as the affordability that families need. But affordability and security are not enough. Social housing needs to support opportunity too.
"Social housing should help people get on in life, not hold them back. That means supporting people, not just investing in bricks and mortar. We must do more to help families out of overcrowded homes, but also give people more choice and opportunity in housing too."
The package announced includes the following measures: