Posted 07.02.14
The incoming President of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has challenged politicians to work more closely with housing professionals to develop effective, long-term solutions to the housing crisis.
Speaking at CIH's annual Presidential Dinner at the Natural History Museum in London, Steve Stride also challenged housing organisations to put a "relentless focus" on building a new generation of homes.
Mr Stride, who is Chief Executive of east London housing association Poplar HARCA, is currently Vice President of CIH and will become President in May.
Ahead of next year's general election, he said he was particularly concerned about a poll of CIH members in December, which found that 30% believe no political party listens sufficiently to the views and experiences of housing professionals, and that 17% don't trust any of the parties to deliver the housing results the UK needs.
Addressing an audience of more than 600 housing professionals, Mr Stride said:
"A confidence gap is opening up between housing professionals and our decision-makers at the worst possible time - at the precise moment when partnerships between all tenures, across industries, and inside and out of government, are central to building a housing system that works.
"CIH is not interested in playing politics with housing - we are interested in the ideas and solutions that will provide the right housing, in the right places. But we must go beyond highlighting the deficiencies in our system. It is our job to help to solve the crisis.
"It was housing professionals who first developed ideas for the Decent Homes Programme and it was housing professionals who first advocated reforming the Housing Revenue Account system. We have the ideas and we can make things happen.
"We need an industry wide emphasis on supply - not in our interest, in the public interest. We need to respond with the energy and verve that inspired George Lansbury's social housing revolution - an unequivocal and relentless focus on building a new generation of homes and communities.
"We know housing professionals can transform places, and people's lives. So I will dedicate my presidential year to ensuring that all parties hear - and heed - the voices of housing professionals as they shape their manifesto commitments."
