Recommendations & Conclusions
7 items
14
Recommendation
First Report - The Regulation of Social…
Deferred
We call on social housing providers to take stigma and discrimination seriously, not to assume its staff are immune from such prejudices, and to ensure their boards better reflect their communities. We also encourage them to make every effort to encourage diversity among their senior management teams. As part of …
Read more
We call on social housing providers to take stigma and discrimination seriously, not to assume its staff are immune from such prejudices, and to ensure their boards better reflect their communities. We also encourage them to make every effort to encourage diversity among their senior management teams. As part of its review of the consumer standards, we also recommend that the Regulator of Social Housing introduce a requirement on providers to demonstrate that their boards and senior management teams reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government states it is considering how requirements on diversity among boards and senior management will be set in a future suite of consumer standards and how they might proactively regulate them, with a consultation planned for 2023.
Read full response →
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
16
Recommendation
First Report - The Regulation of Social…
Deferred
We recommend that, as part of its review of the consumer standards, the Regulator of Social Housing amend the tenant involvement and empowerment standard to require providers to support the establishment of genuinely independent tenants and residents associations, including by providing the necessary funding.
Read more
We recommend that, as part of its review of the consumer standards, the Regulator of Social Housing amend the tenant involvement and empowerment standard to require providers to support the establishment of genuinely independent tenants and residents associations, including by providing the necessary funding.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government is considering how requirements will be set in a future suite of consumer standards, and how they might proactively regulate them; a consultation is planned for 2023, subject to enactment of the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill.
Read full response →
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
28
Recommendation
First Report - The Regulation of Social…
Deferred
If they have not already done so, all providers must immediately review and where necessary improve their complaint handling processes. As part of this, all providers that have not already self-assessed against the ombudsman’s complaint handling code should immediately do so. We also recommend that the ombudsman more proactively monitor …
Read more
If they have not already done so, all providers must immediately review and where necessary improve their complaint handling processes. As part of this, all providers that have not already self-assessed against the ombudsman’s complaint handling code should immediately do so. We also recommend that the ombudsman more proactively monitor providers’ compliance with the code.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The Ombudsman welcomes the inclusion of proposals in the Social Housing Regulation Bill to place the Complaint Handling Code on a statutory footing and allow proactive monitoring of compliance, but under current powers and funding arrangements, it cannot commit resources to proactive monitoring until the …
Read full response →
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
41
Conclusion
First Report - The Regulation of Social…
Deferred
We did not find the explanation by the Regulator of why Clarion could be compliant in the case of Eastfields to be convincing, especially given the comparison with Croydon Council and Regina Road. Croydon had been found guilty of systemic The Regulation of Social Housing 75 failure because it “simply …
Read more
We did not find the explanation by the Regulator of why Clarion could be compliant in the case of Eastfields to be convincing, especially given the comparison with Croydon Council and Regina Road. Croydon had been found guilty of systemic The Regulation of Social Housing 75 failure because it “simply did not have the systems to identify that things were going wrong”, whereas Clarion “had those systems and processes in place” yet still allowed things to go wrong. The former suggests incompetence; the latter suggests indifference; but our view is that both constitute systemic failure.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the Committee's views on the Regulator's interpretation of its statutory duties and will raise these points with the Regulator, which is independent of the Government and responsible for interpreting its statutory duties.
Read full response →
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
52
Recommendation
First Report - The Regulation of Social…
Deferred
We recommend that the Government make it clearer to the regulator that its statutory duty to minimise interference does not preclude it from using its enforcement powers. We call on the regulator to make more use of its enforcement powers, especially in the most serious cases.
Read more
We recommend that the Government make it clearer to the regulator that its statutory duty to minimise interference does not preclude it from using its enforcement powers. We call on the regulator to make more use of its enforcement powers, especially in the most serious cases.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government will consider how and when they might use their powers as part of developing the proactive consumer regulation regime, and are required to issue statutory guidance on the use of their powers, to be updated and subject to consultation after the Bill has …
Read full response →
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
53
Conclusion
First Report - The Regulation of Social…
Deferred
We are not convinced that requiring all social housing providers to register with the Regulator of Social Housing would necessarily prompt the Office for National Statistics to reclassify the sector as part of the public sector. It might well be the case, but without a definitive statement from the ONS, …
Read more
We are not convinced that requiring all social housing providers to register with the Regulator of Social Housing would necessarily prompt the Office for National Statistics to reclassify the sector as part of the public sector. It might well be the case, but without a definitive statement from the ONS, it is not possible to come to a firm conclusion. This question aside, and notwithstanding the question of how to The Regulation of Social Housing 77 define “social housing”, there seems no justification for abandoning even one tenant to an unregulated social housing provider. We agree, however, that mandating registration might require an amendment to the definition of social housing in the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government is engaging with the Office for National Statistics on the classification implications of the Bill's measures, and will keep the Committee updated on progress.
Read full response →
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
54
Recommendation
First Report - The Regulation of Social…
Deferred
We recommend that the Government invite the Office for National Statistics to make a public announcement on whether requiring all social housing providers to register with the Regulator of Social Housing would prompt a reclassification. If the conclusion is that it would not, we recommend that the Government amend the …
Read more
We recommend that the Government invite the Office for National Statistics to make a public announcement on whether requiring all social housing providers to register with the Regulator of Social Housing would prompt a reclassification. If the conclusion is that it would not, we recommend that the Government amend the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill to mandate registration through whatever mechanism it deems most appropriate, and if necessary to amend as appropriate the definition of social housing in the 2008 Act.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government is engaging with the Office for National Statistics on the classification implications of the Bill's measures, and will keep the Committee updated on progress.
Read full response →
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government