What do the different political parties’ manifestos offer social housing tenants?

Published on December 10, 2019

Published on December 10, 2019

In response to the Government’s Social Housing Green Paper in 2018, we published four things we wanted to see from the government. These included:

1. Meaningful action to ensure the safety of all tenants and residents on social housing estates.

2. A commitment to a substantial long-term social-rented housing delivery programme sufficient to address rising homelessness, overcrowding, decade long waiting lists and the displacement of low-income households from London.

3. An end to the marginalisation and stigmatisation of social housing and its tenants.

4. Vocal and meaningful support for tenant democracy.

To what extent have the main parties addressed the issues impacting most on London’s social housing tenants in their manifestos?

1. Meaningful action to ensure the safety of all tenants and residents on social housing estates.

Note: We’ve focused specifically on what the different parties say they will do about fire safety.

Conservatives: ‘Support residents with the removal of unsafe cladding’ and implement recommendations from the Hackitt Review and Phase 1 of the Grenfell Inquiry.

Labour: Promise a £1billion Fire Safety Fund to replace ‘dangerous Grenfell-style cladding’ and fit sprinklers in all high-rise council and housing association blocks. Would introduce ‘mandatory building standards and guidance, inspected and enforced by fully trained Fire and Rescue Service fire safety officers’

Liberal Democrats: Promise to ‘Set clearer standards for homes that are socially rented’ and ‘Proactively enforce the regulations that are intended to protect social renters.’

Greens: Promise to ‘Update the fire safety regulations relating to the use of all types of insulation in buildings.’

Brexit Party: No policies on fire safety.

2. A commitment to a substantial long-term social-rented housing delivery programme sufficient to address rising homelessness, overcrowding, decade long waiting lists and displacement of low-income households from London.

Conservatives: Promise to renew the Affordable Homes Programme, which focuses on shared ownership, Rent to Buy and specialist accommodation for older, disabled and vulnerable people. A Social Housing White Paper will set out measures to ‘support the continued supply of social homes’

Labour: 150,000 new council and housing association homes per year with rent ‘linked to local incomes’

Lib Dems: 100,000 new social rented homes per year.

Greens: 100,000 new social rented homes per year. Promise to ‘support councils to set more affordable rent rates for social housing tenants in their area by lifting the local housing allowance and reconnecting it to average area rents.’

Brexit Party: Will ‘Change the funding model to make it easier for councils to borrow from central government to build council houses.’

We have also been calling for (i) a suspension of the Right to Buy until the backlog of unmet need for social housing in London has been met and (ii) refurbishment rather than demolition of social rented homes unless the alternative is proven to be socially, environmentally and economically better.

(i) The Conservatives maintain their commitment to the Right to Buy. Labour has promised to end the Right to Buy, whilst the Liberal Democrats and Greens say they would both devolve control of Right to Buy to the local level.

(ii) The Greens promise to incentivise renovation, extension and improvement of existing buildings, rather than relying on new build. Labour promises ballots for social housing residents facing estate regeneration.

3. An end to the marginalisation and stigmatisation of social housing and its tenants.

Note: We’ve looked specifically for policies to raise housing standards and invest in existing social housing stock.

Conservatives: ‘Support the creation of new kinds of homes that have low energy bills’ and ‘amend planning rules so that the infrastructure – roads, schools, GP surgeries – comes before people move into new homes’

Labour: Promise to fund a new Decent Homes programme for social rented homes and upgrade ‘millions of existing homes to make them more energy efficient. Promise to introduce a ‘zero carbon’ standard for new homes.

Liberal Democrats: Promise to introduce a ‘zero carbon’ standard for new homes and ‘cut fuel bills through a ten-year programme to reduce energy consumption from all the UK’s buildings’.

Green: Promise to build all new social rent homes to Passivhaus standard and bring 1 million homes per year up to the highest energy efficiency standards, beginning with lower income households. Would devolve control of Right to Buy to local councils.

Brexit party: No policies on home improvements.

4. Vocal and meaningful support for tenant democracy

Conservatives: Promise a new Social Housing White Paper to ‘empower tenants’. Will ‘support communities living on council estates who want to take ownership of the land and buildings they live in’ and ‘ask every community to decide on its own design standards for new development’.

Labour: Promise they will ‘give tenants a stronger say in the management of their homes’. They promise to fund private renters’ unions.

Liberal Democrats: Promise to ‘Fully recognise tenant panels so that renters have a voice in landlord governance’, and ‘Require complaints to be dealt with in a timely manner’.

Green: Promise to ‘make it easier to set up community-led housing initiatives’ and ‘give communities the first chance to buy local land that comes up for sale’.

Brexit Party: No relevant policies.

At our recent conference, held in partnership with the National Federation of Tenant Managed Organisations and London Federation of Housing Co-ops, we discussed long-term ideas to inform our own Tenant Manifesto for Future Housing.

This will be published next year.