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The Kirstie Allsopp controversy may have done us a favour
Kirstie Allsopp’s recent comments on home affordability have sparked an important discussion over the role housing plays in young people’s lives. Geeta Nanda says it’s time for the sector to listen to them and become advocates
The fall-out over television presenter Kirstie Allsopp’s comments on young people and home affordability took a new turn, as the Sunday Times issued an apology for misquoting her original statements. Whether she intended to or not, we should perhaps be grateful for the discussion that the original article triggered. It prompted a rare discussion over the role housing plays in the lives of young people.
As a sector, we continue to grapple with finding meaningful solutions to the country’s housing crisis. In doing so, we consider a myriad of factors which could help close the housing gap for so many. We grapple over regional disparities, we think about the intricacies of policy twists and turns, and so much more.
Yet, rarely do we consider that the most serious dividing line in UK housing might be generational.
“[Young people’s] ambitions and dreams are being slowly snuffed out by the paucity of long-term housing security”
The comments that were reported implied that a blasé, or even lazy, attitude towards housing and working hard in life is all too common among young people. An expectation that they can ‘have it all’ and still feel entitled to be able to get a home of their own.
What is clear from new research conducted by Metropolitan Thames Valley is that this could not be further from the truth.
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Having consulted young people from different parts of the UK in workshops and through opinion polling, there can be no doubt that they are hugely concerned about the bleak housing prospects in front of them. We ignore their concerns at our peril.
Those we surveyed were depressingly realistic about their immediate housing options. While 60% said they hope to own their own home in five years’ time, fewer than half think it is likely that they will do so. This harsh dose of reality is perhaps not entirely unexpected.
What is truly shocking, though, is the impact this is having on them.
More than 60% said that thinking about their future housing situation is impacting their mental health. At the same time, almost four in five young people said that uncertainty over housing is affecting key life decisions, such as whether to start a family or what jobs they should apply for.
In other words, ambitions and dreams are being slowly snuffed out by the paucity of long-term housing security. Unless addressed, this lack of hope threatens to blight our society’s next generation.
“It is not only affordability which is compromising their ambitions. Often, young people simply have no idea how to realise them”
There is no lack of enthusiasm on their part. In focus groups and workshops, young participants consistently spoke of their housing ambitions. Sixty-nine per cent of those asked want more homes built in their area, but view affordability as the most significant barrier to owning a home.
The young people we spoke to were also fiercely determined to push themselves to achieve what they want and certainly did not expect it to be handed to them on a platter.
However, it is not only affordability which is compromising their ambitions. Often, young people simply have no idea how to realise them. They feel woefully ill equipped to make decisions around housing and expressed a strong desire for improved financial and housing education at school and college.
Strikingly, they also feel that the cards are inherently stacked against them.
A cursory dip into the twitter-verse following Ms Allsopp’s reported comments revealed just how disconnected many from older generations are to the realities facing young people today. Funnily enough, it’s those who already enjoy the benefits of a secure home that are most likely to place ‘blame’ at the door of young people for not doing enough to realise their ambitions.
Young people see this, with seven out of 10 saying that their housing choices are restricted because the interests of other groups are prioritised over theirs. Understandably, over three-quarters believed that decision-makers must start thinking more about the needs of young people when it comes to housing policies.
Quite simply, young people are crying out not just for more affordable housing, but a sympathetic ear to listen to their concerns and support to guide them through the intricacies of the housing market.
“By giving young people greater housing security, we will empower them to build the sort of lives they dream of, to fulfil their ambitions”
Decision-makers must take their voices into account when determining policy. Schools and colleges must help give them the requisite skills and tools. Meanwhile, those of us working professionally in the sector must increasingly become their partners and advocates.
The outcry in recent weeks triggered by Ms Allsopp’s interview should be viewed as something of a wake-up call. It has underlined how young people are so often treated as an afterthought in housing. It is our job to bring them further towards the front and centre.
By giving young people greater housing security, we will empower them to build the sort of lives they dream of, to fulfil their ambitions. In doing so, we will also take an important step towards a brighter future for our society as a whole.
Geeta Nanda, chief executive, Metropolitan Thames Valley; chair, G15
