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Matthew Bailes is CEO of Paradigm, and Charlotte Carpenter is executive director of growth and business development at Karbon Homes
With 8.5 million people in England in housing need, we need a long-term plan for housing
Today in a new report, the National Housing Federation is calling for a long-term plan for housing. Matthew Bailes and Charlotte Carpenter explain why
A key premise of the welfare state is that it provides a ‘safety net’, based on agreed minimum standards, that enables all individuals and families to enjoy what is deemed to be a reasonable, if basic, standard of living.
Inevitably, what constitutes a reasonable, basic standard of living has long been debated, as society tries to balance supporting people in need and ensuring there are strong incentives to work.
But in the post-war period, very few have suggested we should abandon the idea of a minimum safety net altogether, least of all for families with children for whom the case for state intervention is particularly strong.
We should, therefore, be clear as a society what minimum acceptable standards look like, including in terms of housing.
“It seems possible that politicians have consciously avoided a debate on minimum standards because they know that delivering standards acceptable to the public would involve making hard choices”
And, importantly, we should know whether we are meeting those standards, and if not, what policy changes we are making to address the problem.
However, anyone looking for a clear statement of the government’s view of the minimum acceptable housing standards and outcomes will struggle to find one.
For example, nearly 800,000 households (3.7 million people) live in overcrowded conditions and 120,000 children live in temporary accommodation. It is not clear whether ministers regard this as an acceptable situation or not.
Although, given the absence of any targets to improve the position, it is tempting to conclude that they are willing to tolerate these figures.
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The reasons why we are in this position are not entirely obvious. But it seems possible that politicians have consciously avoided a debate on minimum standards because they know that delivering standards acceptable to the public would involve making hard choices.
Whatever is really going on, the lack of agreed minimum housing standards is helping to camouflage serious real-world problems and, as a result, is contributing to them.
There are 8.5 million people in some form of housing need in England. For 3.3 million who could afford it with some help, the best option is to buy a suitable home. Many have been shut out of homeownership by an unaffordable private market and need new routes in. A further one million people could afford a rent slightly lower than market prices.
“We have to make the argument for long-term political commitment on housing, a clear set of outcomes to measure progress against and a strategy for delivering on these targets”
For 4.2 million people, including families with children on low incomes, people nearing retirement who can’t afford to buy, those who are in acute need and for people living in overcrowded or ageing homes, the crisis is affecting their health and well-being right now.
Today, the National Housing Federation (NHF) launches Why we need a long-term plan for housing, a report that compiles the evidence of the impact of neglecting the housing crisis and the benefits we are missing from having a clear, outcomes-based long-term strategy for ensuring everyone has a decent home that they can afford.
As well as setting out a hopeful vision for what a different approach to housing could look like, the publication reminds us of some shocking facts:
- Three million people are pushed into poverty by their housing costs
- Poor-quality housing costs the NHS £1.4bn each year (1% of its total budget) in treating health problems directly caused by issues with the home
- 310,000 children share a bed with a caregiver or sibling because of overcrowding
- Almost four in five young people said the uncertainty surrounding their housing future is affecting life decisions, such as what jobs they will apply for
It’s obvious that now, in the run-up to the next general election, we have to make the argument for long-term political commitment on housing, a clear set of outcomes to measure progress against and a strategy for delivering on these targets.
That’s why we’re pleased to be joint chairs of the NHF’s Meeting Housing Need group, which will be helping to shape and steer the trade body’s general election plans over the next 18 months.
The work starts today. The Why we need a long-term plan for housing report invites the sector and our stakeholders to consider over the summer the outcomes and indicators we want to see for tackling the country’s housing challenges.
These outcomes need to go well beyond simple build targets, but instead consider the long-term societal and economic progress we can drive with good housing of all kinds.
And while we pose these questions, the NHF will continue to press all political parties to commit to a long-term plan as we approach the next critical party conference season and beyond to polling day.
This ask will also come with an offer – for the sector to work with the next government and partners to shape and deliver that plan – as well as a commitment, as not-for-profit organisations that exist to address housing need, to shine a light on housing outcomes that we don’t think are acceptable.
Matthew Bailes, chief executive of Paradigm, and Charlotte Carpenter, executive director of growth and business development at Karbon Homes, both chair the NHF’s Meeting Housing Need group
Charlotte Carpenter is speaking at Housing 2023. Hear from her in the ‘Navigating the climate policy landscape’ session at 9.30am on 28 June. To find out more, click here
