Government announces review of allocation and use of social housing

In a letter to council leaders and private registered providers in England about the introduction of the Social Housing Bill, Matthew Pennycook, Minister of State for Housing and Planning, said the aims of the review include “strengthening council nomination arrangements and reviewing statutory guidance to better reflect local needs and support vulnerable households”.

The Minister said the Bill, one of 37 in this week’s King’s Speech, has three core objectives.

“First, to protect much-needed social housing stock and thereby incentivise the building of more social rented homes.

“Second, to create a fairer system with greater protections for social housing tenants in instances of domestic abuse.

“Third, to clarify the statute book and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy so that providers can invest in new social and affordable homes with confidence.”

The Government had previously announced the intended reforms to Right to Buy which Pennycook said would be “at the heart of the Bill”.

Among these are increased eligibility periods from 3 years as a secure tenant to 10 years, reformed percentage discounts to better align with cash caps, and exempt new social homes from the scheme for 35 years to maintain stock levels nationwide.

There will be further measures that give councils and providers greater opportunity to retain homes within the sector, the Minister said.

The Bill strengthens protections for tenants experiencing domestic abuse to remain in their property away from their abuser or to move to suitable alternative accommodation.

“Finally, by repealing unworkable legacy provisions from previous housing legislation, including the mandatory ‘pay to stay’, and streamlining the housing consent process for councils, the Bill will clarify the statute book and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, helping to enable sustained investment in social and affordable housing,” the Minister said.

In the letter Pennycook also briefly explains the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, intended to transform the experience of home ownership for millions of leaseholders across the country, and the Remediation of Unsafe Cladding Bill, which he claimed would create certainty as to which buildings require remediation.

Harry Rodd