Measures announced to improve Social Housing
A government announcement by Minister for Housing and Rough Sleeping, Eddie Hughes, outlines a range of measures to improve the delivery of quality homes and services for social housing residents in England.
It’s not entirely surprising, as following the Grenfell tragedy, thousands of social housing residents reported feeling that their landlords had failed to treat them with courtesy and respect.
According to the latest English Housing Survey report, 59% of social housing residents who complained were not satisfied with the response to their complaint. On top of that, the Housing Ombudsman received a huge 139% increase in complaints in the last year.
Eddie Hughes has stated that social housing residents will be better protected and that they will be listened to. A Social Housing White Paper claims that tenants will live in good quality homes, and have access to redress. A professionalisation review will take place to look into things like qualifications of social housing staff with input from landlords, residents and trade bodies before considering if more training is needed to improve services to residents.
A working group made up of representatives from the Chartered Institute of Housing, TPAS, North Star Housing and Sanctuary Housing will work towards strengthening consumer regulations and will set parameters for what makes a decent home and what could be improved or updated.
Social Housing Residents are now being urged to come forward to have their say and suggest what changes and improvements they would like to see.
Click here to visit the Government website for further links and details.