Social housing must plan for a radically different future
Im working on a cracking project in Scotland, where the Scottish Government has offered three community led housing organisations a 3 fold increase in funding if they can develop a new national alliance. How refreshing compared to the challenges facing those involved in the English scene as set out below:
This year’s National Housing Federation’s annual conference in Birmingham will be my 10th as chief executive. A huge amount has happened in housing since last year’s event.
Housing associations have campaigned, and succeeded, in putting housing at the heart of a general election campaign for the first time. We have experienced a tightly fought campaign that, against all predictions, the Conservatives won with an outright majority.
In the aftermath of that dramatic result, we have seen the appointment of a new secretary of state for communities and local government, Greg Clark, and an array of new policies, including the extension of right to buy to housing associations, a 1% cut to social rents and changes to planning and public land.