Here it is Merry MHCLG

Christmas is supposed to be the season of goodwill to all (just don’t watch the news). The Government has come under a lot of flak since the election, so I am going to try and spread some good cheer. The activity coming from the MHCLG has been frenetic, particularly over the last couple of months; planning, council reorganisation, cladding, house building and homelessness you name it things are moving.

For over a year Housing Minister Pennycook and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner have been charming the social housing sector. In November Angela Rayner addressed the Social Housing Conference starting her speech “…this Government’s mission to drive more social housing is a personal mission of mine too. I want to say loud and clear that no longer will social housing be seen as an after-thought, or worse actively discouraged.”  Angela’s whole speech echoed the views and concerns of the social housing sector. She also promised to take her message of social housing growth into the forthcoming spending review.

There has been a flurry of announcements, earlier this month a timescale was set for (by 2029) to remove unsafe cladding from all blocks higher than 11 meters; the launch of a warm homes plan removing some restrictions on installing heat pumps; changes to Right to Buy being consulted on which confirms that it won’t be extended to housing associations, that councils will keep 100% of receipts and changes which will reduce eligibility for discounts.

More recently we have seen major announcements to the planning framework with a key element being the return of mandatory housing targets for local authorities, more clarity on the green/grey belt to ensure more land is available for housing and the requirement for social infrastructure e.g. GP surgeries to be the part of plans. The Government is also trying to avoid the delays created by environmental considerations such as nutrient neutrality.

Matthew and Angela are also providing some cash in advance of the spending review to move things forward including £100m for councils to produce their housing plans and review the greenbelt. In the last week, more cash has been found to help with the crisis of homelessness with an announcement of almost £1bn. This includes more money for local authority work on prevention, increasing Housing First and support for experimental schemes to reduce the use of hotels while also extending and increasing funds for existing projects. This injection has been welcomed by Chief Executives of Homeless Link, Crisis and St Mungos, undoubtedly a welcome change for the Government given sector wide concerns and campaign about the increase in employers national insurance.

There is no doubt that Matthew and Angela have charmed housing sector leaders. The commitment to build social housing is welcomed despite both housing associations and local authorities having to move £billions from development to meet repair requirements. However, a slight word of caution, the votes the Labour Party will need are not those of the largely centre and centre-left minded social housing leaders but those of their tenants who are still feeling under significant pressure.

So, a Merry Christmas to all at MHCLG and let’s hope the new year brings a turnaround of the decline of social housing.