Recommendations & Conclusions
4 items
9
Conclusion
3rd Report: Building more social housing
Accepted
The cross-subsidy model has reached its limit. Without grant funding from central Government, providers will be vulnerable to the economic impact of COVID-19. Housing associations have commendably made up for reduced Government grant investment in the last decade by developing homes for sale and investing these proceeds, but the subsidy …
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The cross-subsidy model has reached its limit. Without grant funding from central Government, providers will be vulnerable to the economic impact of COVID-19. Housing associations have commendably made up for reduced Government grant investment in the last decade by developing homes for sale and investing these proceeds, but the subsidy gap remains high for social rent. The Government believes housing associations can continue to financially innovate to build more homes, despite registered providers telling Ministers they have reached the limit of their flexibility. If the Government does not increase grant funding, social rent housebuilding will not increase and may drop even further.
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Government response AI summary
The government addressed the concern about grant funding by outlining significant investment in affordable housing, including extending the existing Affordable Homes Programme and launching a new £11.5 billion programme to deliver up to 180,000 affordable homes.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
10
Recommendation
3rd Report: Building more social housing
Accepted
A social housebuilding programme should be top of the Government’s agenda to rebuild the country from the impact of COVID-19. The crisis has exposed our broken housing system. Families in overcrowded homes have faced worse health outcomes. Private renters have struggled to meet housing costs. A large social housebuilding programme …
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A social housebuilding programme should be top of the Government’s agenda to rebuild the country from the impact of COVID-19. The crisis has exposed our broken housing system. Families in overcrowded homes have faced worse health outcomes. Private renters have struggled to meet housing costs. A large social housebuilding programme will provide jobs, boost the economy, and help the Government meet its 300,000 homes a year target.
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Government response AI summary
The government accepted the call for prioritising social housebuilding, detailing measures taken to protect renters during COVID-19 and highlighting the launch of the new Affordable Homes Programme to enable continued building.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
11
Recommendation
3rd Report: Building more social housing
Accepted
It will take time to meet social housing need. In the short-term, we support the Government’s intention to improve the experience of tenants in the private rented sector, including on security of tenure, quality of housing, and affordability. We encourage the Government to bring forward legislative proposals as soon as …
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It will take time to meet social housing need. In the short-term, we support the Government’s intention to improve the experience of tenants in the private rented sector, including on security of tenure, quality of housing, and affordability. We encourage the Government to bring forward legislative proposals as soon as possible. While councils need to be better at enforcing standards, the Government needs to provide more resources for councils to ensure they have the capacity to enforce the law. In the longer-term, the Government should ensure there is sufficient social housing for those that require it. (Paragraph 75) 54 Building more social housing
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Government response AI summary
The government commits to introducing reforms to enhance renters’ security, including repealing Section 21, and will bring forward legislative proposals once the pandemic urgencies pass. It also highlights existing enforcement powers for local authorities, awarded £6.7 million in grant funding, and is reviewing the Housing …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
24
Recommendation
3rd Report: Building more social housing
Accepted
If the Government’s intention is that the Right to Buy should both give people an opportunity to own their homes, but also to provide resources which will then be reinvested into social housing to ensure one-to-one replacements, then consideration must be given to local authorities who are unable to deliver …
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If the Government’s intention is that the Right to Buy should both give people an opportunity to own their homes, but also to provide resources which will then be reinvested into social housing to ensure one-to-one replacements, then consideration must be given to local authorities who are unable to deliver sufficient replacements 56 Building more social housing because of constraints on land availability. We recommend that the Government has discussions with the Local Government Association about ways in which they could ensure Right to Buy does not lead to a reduction in social housing.
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Government response AI summary
The government affirms its commitment to increasing social housing and welcomes the opportunity to continue working with and exploring solutions with the Local Government Association to ensure affordable housing needs are met.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government