Pulling together

One year after the riots it is good to hear Tottenham MP David Lammy suggest landlords could be the ‘social glue’ that pull different agencies together to help prevent further disturbances.

Apart from anything else it makes a change to hear praise from a politician. Back in 2008 the Placeshapers group of housing associations was so worried about MPs’ attitudes to landlords that it commissioned a piece of research to try to understand what was driving their negativity. Today positive comments are still relatively rare.

Our news analysis provides a timely reminder of why this should change. Whether it was stepping in to house those made homeless, helping people with insurance claims or reassuring vulnerable people, the sector can be proud of its response to the riots.

As our detailed Riot Report, published with the Chartered Institute of Housing and the National Housing Federation, pointed out earlier this year - such actions are no exception. In many areas landlords are already providing that vital ‘social glue’.