Where next for housing?
01/10/09
Richard Capie, Director of Policy and Practice at the Chartered Institute of Housing, was one of the key speakers at this year's CIH South East conference in Brighton.
Before joining the Chartered Institute of Housing, Richard was Head of Policy at the Housing Corporation, Head of External Communications and Policy for YMCA England. He moved to England in 2001 following his work with the New Zealand Government Treasury and the Asia 2000 Foundation. In 2006 Richard spent five months on secondment with Communities and Local Government as part of the review team carrying out the review of Housing and Regeneration Delivery.
'We can be pleased that Gordon Brown has put housing firmly back on the agenda. But what has happened since? It's a debate that's still open, and this is an opportunity to take it forward - to test ideas and hear what people are thinking.'
Richard recapped on the current issues confronting existing homes. 'We're facing tough times - the real pressure is on homes, communities and residents. What if rents go down? What impact will that have on providers? There's the risk of unemployment - both the newly unemployed and those who are already long-term unemployed: making sure we don't lose sight of their needs. And the stress and pressure attached to affording mortgages and rents.
'There's a real risk around curtailed mobility - a limited ability to move between job markets, particularly for social housing tenants moving between local authority areas. And risks around the spectre of neighbourhood decay, the housing market decline and social housing waiting lists that are heading towards five million people.'
These issues are heightened by the number of mortgages currently available, with people wanting to buy or remortgage but unable to access finance. It leaves people who are wanting to sell their property unable to find buyers. 'Both the housing market and social house building have gone down as the cost of new and existing finance has gone up. But the demographics and the need hasn't gone away.'
What's the response? Do we need to be thinking differently? 'We still have the estimated numbers from Kate Barker's Review of Housing Supply to meet housing need and the Housing Green Paper proposals. A lot of the current responses have been about wider economic stability. We have to get financial stability first - lending to both organisations and individuals.'
Housing market intervention measures by the government have included mortgage rescue, rent-to-buy, low-cost home ownership to rent, bringing forward money from the National Affordable Housing Programme, flexible grants, investment in social housing, and investment in advice services.
The 2020 Group, chaired by Kate Barker, has sent a strong message to the government saying that housing matters and that more money is needed to keep supply going, supporting private building and creating 100,000 new social homes over the next two years. 'We don�¢ï¿½ï¿½t want to lose the fantastic things that many housing associations are doing.
'But what about people who can't access affordable housing? Our commitment needs to be not just to existing tenants but also those interested in affordable housing who are currently excluded. How can we better meet the needs of all people, across all types of housing so we end up with stronger communities?
'Are we starting to see some new ideas about housing? The housing landscape is changing around us but what is it delivering in a holistic sort of way? Are we providing the right kind of affordable homes for people?'
It's 60 years since Bevan's Housing Act - is it time to rethink housing? Three million homes are needed by 2020 to address the shortage of new homes in the right places. There are many empty homes and affordability is still a significant issue.
Social housing has become polarised and residualised - more tenants with greater needs and lower incomes live in social housing, and existing tenants with higher incomes have left. The number of social tenants who don't work has significantly increased and mobility is very low - tenants find it difficult to move house, especially for work or training. 'Social housing is an incredible part of economy but it should be a much more positive option for people. We need to be focusing this debate around tenants and residents, not providers.'
Citing the CIH's Rethinking Housing: October 2008, 'Reforms must look at all tenures and should consider how change in one tenure can support or enable change in another. Government must also take a long-term view of a range of issues and needs, not just the current priorities of worklessness and the credit crunch.
'This is not just about the social housing sector - we need to be looking at housing across all tenures. Our responsibility is to shape, encourage and widen the debate. I think the key role for the government, the Tenant Services Authority and the Homes and Communities Agency in thought leadership. They need to encourage existing and potential residents across tenures to have their voices heard. The challenge is for the sector to enter into constructive debate - or risk missing the opportunity.
'I don't think this is hot on the political agenda right now but I think it's something people will come back to over the next few years. We have an important role to help shape the changes. It's a really interesting time.'