The Northern Housing Consortium has been trying to increase the awareness of the consequences of the rapid change in housing markets across the north of England.

Recent comments attributed to Alan Milburn about a shift in housing policy towards extending right to buy seem also to be echoed by the Conservatives, with suggestions of setting targets for local authorities on right to buy.

This comes as the ODPM report Breaking the Cycle predicts that homelessness will be back up to its early 1990s level and the Prime Minister has called for action on it.

Here is a great example of the need for some “joined-up” thinking. While increases in the right to buy are not directly the cause of an increase in homelessness, there is growing evidence from members of the NHC that the substantial increases in right to buy have been the straw that has broken the camel’s back for homeless families finding reasonable quality affordable housing in their local communities.

It is no coincidence that many housing organisations across the North have seen big increases in homeless presentations alongside growing waiting lists and enormous increases in right to buy.

There are other examples where there is a lack of joined-up thinking. Rent restructuring is rightly about bringing housing association and council rent levels closer together. When are the rules on the ability of council and housing association tenants to buy their homes being brought together?

The NHC is not suggesting the principle of homeownership is wrong. What we see on the ground are sets of circumstances which make the opportunity for those families who want to make a choice to rent quality, affordable housing, almost impossible.

There is still this mythology that renting homes from a social landlord is a dying business – not true. Here in the Oldham Rochdale Pathfinder, where privately owned terraced homes are set to be demolished, substantial numbers of those owners have said their only viable option is social housing.

So while right to buy might be populist, we should also attempt to encourage politicians in the run-up to the next general election to recognise that the provision of new, affordable, socially rented properties will also be very populist.

Hugh Broadbent, vice-chairman Northern Housing Consortium

Source

Housing Today