Housing Quality Magazine October 2025

ISSUE

23: OCTOBER 2025

HQM investigates: Homes England’s past, present and future

The future of the private rented sector –from renters’ rights to decent homes “Helpless, abandoned, disrespected” – the real-life impact of tenancy succession battles

AMANDA NEWTON INTERVIEW

“Awaab’s Law is very personal to us”

–make sure you’re investing

Our outstanding team of training professionals are ready to bring you the highest quality training sessions. With over 200 different topics covered, we have you and your organisation’s interests at heart.

• Sign up to our public training, which covers a range of key issues – from technical ones to soft skills

• Looking for a more tailored approach for a number of your staff? Book an in-house session and get real value for money

• Want something longer term? We’ve a range of qualified coaches and mentors

• All our courses now have certificates included. This means the hours of training you complete can go towards your professional development. Your people are your most important

For more information, please contact training@hqnetwork.co.uk, call 01904 557150 or visit www.hqnetwork.co.uk

8 Homes England’s past, present and future

Keith Cooper investigates issues at the government’s housing delivery agency

12 The future of the private rented sector

Neil Merrick looks at the government’s proposed reforms of the PRS

16 Amanda Newton interview

Rochdale Borough Housing’s CEO talks Awaab’s Law, its G2 grading and what the future holds

22 The real-life impact of tenancy succession battles Danielle Aumord investigates

The latest research and analysis – in plain English

Bringing you the latest housing research from leading academics, this edition of Evidence focuses on building safety, remediation and youth homelessness.

Design:

Published four times a year. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

Editor’s welcome

I’ve known Steve Reed since his Lambeth Council days but his current persona as some sort of Maga-inspired housebuilding superhero is a new one on me.

The red cap, the ‘Build Baby Build’ mantra and the rather bizarre performance at the Labour conference may have grabbed a few headlines but it smacks of desperation rather than someone on a mission to deliver the 1.5 million homes this government has promised by the end of this parliament.

Deep down, I suspect Steve already knows full well that they cannot possibly deliver, given the current flatlining housebuilding figures – but it’s not going to stop him talking a good game.

In reality, housebuilding is pretty much the only thing the housing secretary has talked about since taking over the role from Angela Rayner. And despite the much-heralded £39 billion investment in social housing, it seems that housing associations and local authorities aren’t at the top of his list of priorities when it comes to building homes.

This is underlined by the recently leaked government memo that outlines an emergency scheme to get London building that effectively gives developers carte blanche to build whatever homes they like, as long as they get the numbers asap.

A key part of this is the decision by Steve Reed and London Mayor Sadiq Khan to drop the current 35% affordable homes requirement on new developments to 20%.

While the details are still to be announced, and described as a “short-term intervention”, this is effectively a kick in the teeth to those living in the capital who are crying out for cheaper housing, as well as the notion that housing associations and councils have any significant role to play. Turning housing into a numbers game has always been a dangerous thing to do and we’re now in a situation where we may see housebuilding increase but it’ll do little to address the temporary accommodation crisis nor the desperate need for more quality rented housing.

A number of these issues are covered in the October edition of HQM. In particular, our investigation into Homes England shines a light on why the government’s flagship housing delivery agency has struggled to meet expectations in recent times. Covered elsewhere, the government’s increasingly desperate attempts to boost housebuilding are also behind the recent watering-down of environmental protections and Rachel Reeves’ frankly bizarre crusade against snails. There’s some irony in this, given the fact that Steve Reed’s previous role was environment secretary – when he was all for initiatives such as ‘swift bricks’ for every new home, support for which he’s quietly dropped.

Jon Land Editor, HQM

From the Chief Executive...

“I’d start

inspections with real life then work back to

the

boardroom”

“No one is listening”. That’s what a manager said on the phone as she told a worker how to fake safety evidence. Turns out she was wrong and Sky News got hold of the incriminating tape. This happened at Clarion. But it could have been just about anywhere.

We’ve just done an interview with a repairs operative who’s written about his time working for a few associations. It’s not for the fainthearted. He points to many instances just as troubling as the Clarion case. As he says – “too many decisions are made by those who never set foot on an estate”. How do we put this right?

I’d turn inspection on its head. I wouldn’t start with the boardroom instead I’d go there last. Boards are full of people that are good at defending vivas. (BTW that’s a university exam, not the old Vauxhall car.)

As a leading troubleshooter says – strategy is for amateurs, logistics is for professionals. We know that the board reports will look fine. After all the RSH goes to great lengths to tell boards what to say. Plus, they give plenty of notice that they’re coming. So, there can be no excuses. But what’s all this got to do with reality? Did anyone at Clarion look at their safety data and smell a rat?

You only get to the truth by walking round estates, talking to operatives and call handlers and, of course, residents. To be honest, one or two of the C1s befuddle me. No one is surely claiming that this is the crème de la crème of housing management? Then it dawns on you. The inspectors never visit estates. So, we have C1s that are actually strong and others that just leave you shaking your head.

There’s the old mantra – what gets measured gets managed. Let the inspectors loose to roam on estates and talk to people. Then the landlords that really do focus on the frontline would get their just rewards. And the others would quickly follow suit.

I’d start with real life then work back to the boardroom. Inspecting only the boardroom is high risk and will unravel. The only question is when and where. After the Clarion case journalists will be digging. That’s their job.

So, boards need to get out there and find out what’s going on. Then we need to get better. That’s where we hit the Babar in the boardroom.

Inspection changes nothing in and of itself. The surveys that the RSH has ordered landlords to do reveal that we ought to spend heavily on the homes. Where’s the cash coming from? Let’s go back to the future and do what we did under New Labour. Maybe the welcome return of Louise Casey from that era is a good sign.

Back then if a council passed muster at inspection they got cash to fix homes. If they failed then it was time to change the guard. Nothing wrong with that.

The RSH is halfway through its programme of inspections. The teams have certainly put in a shift. So, don’t let it fade away. To misquote Marx – the inspectors have only interpreted the world in various ways, the point, however, is to change it.

Alistair McIntosh, Chief Executive, HQN

Behind the headlines

‘I’ve never experienced such difficult times since arriving in the UK’

By Fuad Mahamed, CEO and Founder of refugee and migrant housing and integrated services provider ACH.

On August 15, the High Court granted an interim injunction to prevent the Bell Hotel in Epping from continuing to be used to accommodate asylum seekers.

Almost two weeks later, the Court of Appeal overturned the interim injunction for several reasons that have been widely reported on in recent months. As for what happens next, the case is currently being heard in the High Court.

The outcome is anticipated to set a precedent for similar cases and is something we’ll be keeping a very close eye on. Sadly, the issues highlighted by this case aren’t isolated. Every day, the headlines and social media feeds are full of stories that highlight a growing ripple effect of division and uncertainty developing within local communities across the UK.

Lasting impact

The impact on local communities has been huge, which we’ve been experiencing firsthand. There’s been a significant rise in protestors out on the streets. Meanwhile, some of our members of staff and several residents have been targeted in recent weeks. While I’m pleased to say nobody has been physically hurt, the impact remains with us every day. To say it’s a challenging time right now would be an understatement – I’ve never experienced such difficult times since arriving in the UK in 1998. Misconception has a big part to play in fuelling the growing community-level tension. And

it hasn’t been helped at all by the inaccurate information circulating about the actual number of asylum seekers and boats coming to the UK and the subsequent associated costs. The figures that are being talked about don’t reflect the true picture. There are accurate numbers available from the Home Office that do show the number of people who have been granted status to live in the UK, as well as the overall net migration number. Better assessment of asylum

ACH’s Green Employment course

applications, speeding up the process and investing in the integration process is the way forward.

Inter-community dialogue

Sharing accurate facts will immediately help reduce tension between communities. At the same time, I believe that encouraging inter-community dialogue by bringing different communities together to discuss their opinions will also have a positive impact. As a nation, it’s crucial these types of conservations take place up and down the country to encourage better community cohesion.

But, most importantly, we need to change the narrative about the actual number of refugees and migrants who are contributing to society, particularly those in vital paid work. For example, in cities, such as Bristol and Birmingham, there are huge numbers of refugees who are delivering vital services, including many frontline services. Roles include taxi driving, delivery, nursing and shop workers. Sharing the true employment picture, which involves showing just how much refugees and migrants are contributing, is incredibly important for helping challenge people’s misconceptions about refugees and migrants in the UK.

Learning lessons

Meanwhile, social housing organisations should work more closely with the government to act as a community anchor and bridge between communities. Housing associations are in a good place to implement the recent community cohesion strategy produced by the government, counteract negative policies towards migrants and refugees, and encourage dialogue between communities. The negative impact of these policies needs to be understood and used as valuable learning lessons to create future strategies that foster collaboration and knowledge sharing, and are

“…some

of our members of staff and several residents have been targeted in recent weeks. While I’m pleased to say nobody has been physically hurt, the impact remains with us every day”

underpinned by lived experiences.

I’m not sure how everything is going to develop from a long-term perspective. As I share my views with you now, we (ACH) are one of 100 organisations to have signed an open letter to the Home Secretary, urging her to unite communities, stop blaming migrants and help improve everyone’s lives.

Empower us to do more

God forbid that the marginalisation of black and ethnic minorities, migrants and refugees, and attacks on the streets continues. This is the last thing anybody wants. We really need to be thinking about how we can support refugees and migrants in the UK to become active citizens and develop, thrive and give back to society. Because they do have a lot to contribute, they just need to be given the opportunity to restart and rebuild their lives again.

My number one ask of the government right now is to speak to organisations, like ACH, who are already acting as a bridge between refugees and migrants and local communities, and empower them to be able to do more by providing them with the right type of support and investment. We’re here to help make a difference, but we can’t deliver the fundamental changes that are required on our own, if only we could.

ACH’s parliamentary reception at the House of Commons

HQM INVESTIGATES: HOMES ENGLAND’S PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

The Labour government’s hopes of delivering the 1.5 million new homes promised for this parliament are largely reliant on the performance of its flagship housing and regeneration agency. But, as Keith Cooper investigates, whether Homes England is up to the job remains to be seen after some embarrassing recent failures.

Homes England is expected to play a pivotal role in tackling the country’s housing crisis. It’s mandated to spend £27bn of funding funnelled through the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on affordable housing, find and free up land to help hit the government’s 1.5m homes target, and act as a key adviser on Labour’s plans to build a dozen new towns. All of this is happening as the local authorities it must work with undergo radical reorganisation and mayors are given new powers over housing, planning and transport across swathes of England.

It’s a big and challenging job for MHCLG’s largest agency, as it undergoes its own major upheaval after some patchy past performance and the embarrassing failure of its last modernisation project.

So, how well set up is Homes England to deliver on the government’s housing ambitions amid the major on-going shake-up of local government? To find out, HQM has looked into its past, present and future, and spoken to experts familiar with its operations.

Housing targets

The latest figures on Homes England’s performance appear to spell a positive future for the agency. For the past two years, it’s exceeded most of its major housing targets on the number of homes it helped start, complete and “unlocked”, the latter referring to a key role of getting land ready for housing development. But closer examination of these key performance markers point to a challenging future for an agency expected to seriously accelerate affordable housing development.

In 2024/25, it topped its key 36,484 target for completions but by just 366 homes, a margin of just 1%. The previous year, the agency performed against a ‘target range’, beating its ‘central target’ by a larger margin of 9% but falling an unspecified number short of this range’s upper end, its accounts show.

In the preceding three years – from 2020/21 to 2022/23 – Homes England missed most of its main housing targets. The Public Bodies Review into Homes England last year found the agency “very materially under-delivered” during this three-year period, largely because of “external economic factors”, such as Covid-19, increased interest rates and inflation, and the Truss minibudget.

The review, however, pinpointed Homes England’s “forecasting and communication of projected underperformance” as a “secondary factor” in its failure to hit its housing targets. This major government agency managed its housing

programme data on Excel spreadsheets, a “very labour intensive” process which made it “difficult to aggregate portfolio data to inform a strategic view and manage expectations on delivery, or respond quickly when required,” the review found. This agency, through which 40% of its sponsor department’s revenue budget is channelled, relied on “manual and paper-based processes” to manage its programmes, the review added.

Evolve

This reliance on error-prone manual systems and multiple spreadsheets to manage multibillion programmes was being addressed, the review said, with a £96m “large transformation programme”, known as Evolve. Evolve aimed to improve the agency’s systems and avoid them becoming an obstacle to hitting its housing targets again. Its success appeared crucial to Home England’s ability to keep track of and manage its programmes.

“A response to an FoI (freedom of information) request, seen by HQM, has shown that this crucial modernisation project ended in failure after burning through more than £117m. The project is described in a letter from Homes England in July as a ‘deep source of regret’”

The problems with the agency’s systems which Evolve was supposed to sort out are spelled out in more detail in a Homes England tender document linked to Evolve from 2022. It says the agency “lacks basic digital capabilities”. “Data isn’t recognised as the significant asset in the way it should be, data accuracy is not sufficiently valued, and consequently it isn’t governed or managed effectively.” The manual effort to bring together data from “multiple sources of data in Excel” created “multiple failure points in process where errors can creep”. As a result, reports on its work “take significant time to pull together –the reports are often out of date”.

Failure

A response to an FoI (freedom of information) request, seen by HQM, has shown that this

crucial modernisation project ended in failure after burning through more than £117m. The project is described in a letter from Homes England in July as a “deep source of regret” that “fell significantly short of achieving the ambition to fully modernise agency systems”.

A review of Evolve by consultancy KPMG obtained under an FoI request said they uncovered “very significant issues”. Its report described the project as “impossible to deliver” in March and “very challenging” in a further review following months of Home England attempting to turn the project around.

Homes England staff felt the scheme was “closed and secretive”, the KPMG report found. “Colleagues didn’t believe that the programme scope was achievable and there were significant differences of opinion as to what that scope was,” it said. The review also describes a “lack of coherent commercial and supplier management” and that the “finance and risk perspective of the programme is detached” from decision-making.

The consultancy was also damning about the governance of the Evolve programme. “There has been limited, if any, formal governance meetings taking place outside of the change committee.” This committee had six members, including the agency’s current chair Pat Ritchie, and three other members of its current board, including two senior MHCLG officials. But the consultant said this committee was “too high level to grapple with the challenges and to explore and discuss the risks, issues, dependencies and assumptions appropriately”.

Evolve was finally closed in May by which time the agency had spent £117.6m. More than a quarter of this money – £34.4m – was spent in 2024/25. Homes England’s latest accounts, published in July, shows this spending included a £1.4m “irregular payment” to management consultants in January 2024 “without an approved commercial contract being in place”.

The MHCLG’s accounts for 2024/25 also reveal £6.6m of spending by Homes England, described

as “fruitless” or “constructive losses”.

The fruitless loss was a £324,000 spend on an “agreement to acquire software licenses” for Evolve which the agency “wasn’t able to make use of in 2024/25”. The constructive losses include £4.8m on the development of a loans system which “was not in use, with no current plans to complete”; £1.1m on a document management system which “due to technological developments in this area, mean a more cost effective solution is now required”, and £360,000 on a “land disposal service” which is now “unable to deliver”.

NAO report

And a National Audit Office analysis of the MHCLG’s accounts reveal that Evolve hadn’t ended the agency’s reliance on spreadsheets to manage its multi-billion programmes. In a section in the accounts called ‘key audit matters’, the NAO flags concerns with the £15.9bn portfolio of Help to Buy equity loans, which it says “dominates” the department’s “financial position”. The agency’s use of a “spreadsheet application” to model the value of this portfolio is “split over multiple workbooks due to its size”, the NAO says. This meant “a high degree of manual intervention” was required to produce the final valuation “bringing additional inherent risk”. The NAO didn’t identify any “material

“The MHCLG’s accounts for 2024/25 reveal £6.6m of spending by Homes England, described as ‘fruitless’ or ‘constructive losses’”

New Homes England chief executive Amy Rees

Homes England chair Pat Ritchie

misstatements” in Homes England’s accounts, the agency said.

Homes England originally set out to save £268m through the efficiencies Evolve was supposed to create. Today, it “estimates” that the IT products it did produce will eventually deliver “up to £95 million in productivity benefits over 10 years”.

A Homes England spokesperson said: “Evolve assets are now part of a single integrated programme for the agency as a whole with responsibility for data, digital and the business target operating model. Important lessons learned from Evolve, including actions around governance, management and business-led collaboration, are reflected in new ways of working.

“Since 2018 we’ve provided more than £10.1bn in grant funding for affordable housing. In addition, we’ve supported the sector to start construction of more than 278,000 homes, complete more than 256,0000 homes, and have unlocked land capable of providing nearly 498,000 homes,” she added.

In the wake of Evolve, and under its new chief executive, Amy Rees, Homes England has launched a new internal transformation programme, entitled ‘Integrated Change’, to deliver on the announcements in the spending review, it confirmed to HQM.

Integrated Change aims to help it establish a housing bank, a new social affordable housing programme, and a national housing delivery fund. It’ll also help move the agency towards a regional operating model.

“Exciting new phase”

“Homes England is entering an exciting new phase, working through a regional and national operating model that will deliver homes, unlock regeneration and create places that thrive,” a spokesperson told HQM.

Terry Fuller, a former Homes England director, says this move to a new regional model had saved the agency from being absorbed into MHCLG. “The department was absolutely certain they were going to take Homes England in house,” he added. “They [MHCLG] realised that going regional would have implications for the department. It might force the department to go regional too and nobody from the centre would want to go and work in the outer provinces.”

Mr Fuller, a former regional director for the east of England, says the new regions will have to work with the combined authorities and mayors. “You need to keep affordable housing in the centre. The regions and the regional executives will have to work closely together,” he adds. “If the

“We think Homes England has done a pretty good job under quite difficult conditions. But the devolution revolution opens up the possibility to broaden the scope and scale of where its powers are wielded”

Simon Kaye, director of policy, Re:State think tank

government dished out money to six different mayors you would have all sorts of weird and wonderful ways of getting it spent.”

Urgent thinking

Professor Janice Morphet, an academic who researches Homes England’s relationship with local authorities, says some urgent thinking is needed about how it will work with mayors and combined authorities. Without money or land, the mayors’ new housing powers could be “hollow”, Prof Morphet says.

“It seems mayors might be given powers to borrow. But how are they going to do it without specific government grants?” Prof Morphet asks. “If they want to buy land, they might be able to raise a loan but how will they guarantee that it’ll be paid back? If they were given Homes England money or parts of it were devolved that would allow them to borrow more. But it’s all a bit up in the air.”

Simon Kaye, director of policy at the thinktank Re:State, which recently called for the agency to be abolished in its report, New House Rules, says England is out of step with other comparable countries where housing delivery is co-ordinated at the local or regional level.

“We think Homes England has done a pretty good job under quite difficult conditions,” he says. “But the devolution revolution opens up the possibility to broaden the scope and scale of where its powers are wielded,” Dr Kaye adds.

“Abolishing Homes England would be a big challenge now. But the case we make in our report is that once there are strategic authorities across the country, you can go for it and devolve the majority of its functions and responsibilities.”

For now, it appears that Homes England’s future is secure in the short term. But it’ll no doubt be under significant pressure to do a better job on transforming itself than under Evolve – and to deliver the affordable housing the government wants and England needs.

THE FUTURE OF THE PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR – FROM RENTERS’ RIGHTS TO DECENT HOMES

Reform of the private rented sector is Go! Government efforts to improve conditions for private renters have taken years to come to fruition, often due to the vested interests of landlord members of parliament. Now, however, a raft of legislation is coming through that will dramatically change the way the PRS is regulated, even if some of it will take years to fully implement. Neil Merrick looks at the proposed reforms and gauges the appetite and preparedness of local authorities.

For much of the past year, Mansfield Council has been taking a proactive approach to the private rented sector (PRS) in terms of both the opportunities it provides and the potential pitfalls it poses.

In February, the council launched a private rented access scheme that covers the deposit and first month’s rent so that people facing homelessness can afford to move into PRS accommodation.

During the first six months, a total of 58 households (including 41 children) that might otherwise be living in temporary accommodation were housed with 24 landlords.

Last month, the council also introduced a selective licensing scheme that requires landlords to pay £800 for a five-year licence. In addition, it’s running an advice and support service for private renters alongside Citizens Advice.

With at least 2,000 landlords known to be letting about 9,000 properties across the district, Anne Callaghan, the council’s portfolio holder for housing, makes no apology for taking a more hands-on approach to enforcing standards.

Decent homes

To qualify for the access scheme, properties must meet the current Decent Homes Standard (DHS), which by law only applies to social landlords. Over the next 10 years, however, things will get far tougher for all private landlords in Mansfield and elsewhere as a new DHS comes into force for both sectors.

As well as improving the quality of their own stock, local authorities will be expected to enforce standards in the PRS and identify properties that fall short of the DHS. To date, says Cllr Callaghan, there has not been any ‘kick back’ from landlords over the DHS, while it’s too early to gauge the success of the licensing scheme. By next year, the council expects to appoint two new enforcement officers to manage the increased workload, their salaries paid for through the sale of licences. “I believe private landlords have a responsibility to make sure homes are safe from serious hazards,” she says. “If it improves people’s lives and their health and well-being, let’s have the headache.”

At this stage, it’s impossible to say how big a headache enforcing the DHS among private landlords will prove to be. About one in five households in England rent in the PRS (equivalent to about 4.4 million households).

But while 10% of social rented housing fails the current DHS, the figure in the PRS is more than double at 21%.

Among those with concerns is the Local Government Association, which would like

councils to be able to carry out targeted inspections of private landlords in the same way the Regulator of Social Housing does in the social rented sector.

“To deliver the best results for the PRS, councils must have the resources to regulate proactively, going above and beyond relying on residents to make a complaint,” the LGA said in its response to a recent consultation over the updated DHS.

At present, regulation of private landlords can be a hit and miss affair, with fewer than 50 councils in England running licensing schemes. Cuts in the early 2010s left councils short of environmental health officers or other staff to enforce standards.

According to Hollie Wright, a researcher at the New Economics Foundation (NEF), tenants want reassurance that councils can enforce standards effectively. “People tend to go to the local newspaper rather than the council because they don’t think the council will do anything,” she says.

“To deliver the best results for the PRS, councils must have the resources to regulate proactively, going above and beyond relying on residents to make a complaint”

The Local Government Association

Postcode lottery

A study by the NEF earlier this year shows that renters face a postcode lottery when it comes to reporting poor-quality accommodation. Nottingham City Council boasts the best enforcement capacity, with 133.5 officers in charge of 35,695 private lets (267 properties per officer).

The London borough of Waltham Forest, which recently relaunched its licensing scheme, came second with 60 officers for 28,180 PRS homes (470 properties per officer). Meanwhile, according to the NEF data, Huntingdonshire employs just one part-time member of staff to check on the 12,416 PRS properties in its area.

Henry Dawson, part of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health’s housing advisory panel, says most problems reported by private renters come under the auspices of environmental health officers, with other issues the responsibility of trading standards departments.

During the past 10 years, the government has tightened up regulation of larger houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) as well as backing

a private members’ bill that became the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act. This gives tenants more power to complain about conditions in social and private rented housing.

Renters’ Rights Bill

With the Renters’ Rights Bill due for Royal Assent at the time of going to press, council enforcement staff are faced with a range of complex and overlapping legislation, says Dawson, a senior lecturer at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

What will private landlords have to do?

Awaab’s Law

Along with social landlords, private landlords will be required to remove damp and mould and other major health hazards within specified timeframes. While Awaab’s Law comes into force in social housing on 27 October, no date has been given for when it will apply to the PRS.

Decent Homes Standard

The updated Decent Homes Standard will cover all homes let as assured tenancies, plus private supported housing occupied under tenancies and licences. In line with social housing, private landlords are likely to have until 2035, and possibly 2037, to comply with the standard in full.

Energy efficiency

Ahead of the new DHS coming into effect, private and social landlords are likely to be required to comply with a new system of minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES). It’s expected homes will need to meet a standard equivalent to energy performance certificate (EPC) C, in line with the new MEES, by 2030.

Database

All landlords offering assured and regulated tenancies will be required to register on a new national database for each of their properties. Penalties will be incurred if they market or let a property before registering or fail to upload key information, such as compliance certificates and tenancy agreements. The database should provide local authorities with better data about private rented sector properties in their area.

What won’t private landlords need to do?

According to the MHCLG’s recent consultation on a new DHS, private landlords won’t need to take responsibility for boundary walls, pathways and external lighting in the same way as social landlords.

During the 10 years to 2020, funding for environmental health fell by 41%. Many councils rely on agency staff to carry out statutory duties as there aren’t enough people coming into the profession to work in local government. “We struggle to recruit and retain staff,” he says.

Dawson favours licensing schemes as an effective way to advise private landlords, keep a check on standards and to ‘professionalise’ the PRS. “It gets somebody through the door,” he says.

Enforcement staff are currently hampered by the fact they must give landlords 24 hours’ notice of an inspection. But a government amendment passed in July by the House of Lords means this will no longer be the case under the new act.

National database

In future, enforcement will depend not just on inspections but a national database, requiring landlords to upload certificates and other key information. This should make it quicker and easier for councils to check whether landlords are complying with the law and perhaps reduce the need for inspections.

It remains to be seen whether the database complements or replaces local licensing, says Samantha Watkin, senior policy officer at the National Residential Landlords Association. At present, local authorities can issue penalties of up to £30,000 if private landlords fail to meet health and safety standards.

Under the bill, this will be raised to £40,000.

“I believe private landlords have a responsibility to make sure homes are safe from serious hazards”

Anne Callaghan, Portfolio Holder for Housing, Mansfield District Council

regular basis, NRLA research suggests other local authorities levy few if any fines.

The Renters’ Rights Bill and looming DHS represent a seismic change for the PRS that will take time to bed-in, says Watkin. Clear guidance is essential from both councils and the government. “Landlords need to be able to selfregulate with confidence,” she says. “We’ve got to make the information accessible for landlords to digest.”

Among those that cannot wait for the new DHS to come into effect is Generation Rent, representing tenants in the PRS. Nye Jones, its head of campaigns, says “time and time” again private landlords fail to respond to complaints about hazards and other issues. “We need proper enforcement of standards,” he adds.

Nye welcomes any steps local authorities take to improve enforcement, along with the database, but rejects a government suggestion that landlords should have 10 to 12 years to comply with the new DHS. “A phased implementation makes sense, but it should take

A look at the Welsh PRS leasing scheme

For the past three years, private landlords and other property owners in Wales have been leasing empty or unused properties to their local council so the homes can be let to people on housing waiting lists.

By this summer, 430 properties had been leased to councils across Wales for between five and 20 years. Not only does the scheme help move people out of temporary accommodation, but landlords or owners receive grants for renovation and energy efficiency improvements.

The Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) was updated two years ago and requires social landlords to meet higher standards than the DHS in areas such as thermal comfort and water use. But there’s no suggestion that it will be extended to the PRS.

Private landlords are, however, required to register and obtain a licence from Rent Smart Wales, a national agency.

Eleanor Bateman, public affairs manager at the National Residential Landlords Association, says the leasing scheme is a sensible way of local authorities working in partnership with private landlords.

But while the scheme provides landlords with guaranteed income, properties are tied up for at least five years, with rental income dependent on local housing allowance (LHA) rates. “It’s not going to generate a lot of money,” she adds.

payments to private landlords so they accept households facing homelessness and that are in receipt of benefits.

In 2024/25, councils that responded to freedom of information requests paid private landlords a total of more than £31m, the survey shows. “It’s a senseless waste of public money,” says Jones.

Many of the councils, including most London boroughs, operate selective licensing schemes to monitor standards and raise money for enforcement. In September, Thurrock announced its scheme will get underway in January. Mark Hurrell, the council’s cabinet member for social housing, says licensing will ensure that all landlords “are held to the same standard of responsibility”.

Looking ahead, the interests of local authorities and private landlords appear to be inextricably intertwined, meaning councils have every interest in ensuring the PRS meets higher standards.

But, with local government reorganisation pending and smaller district councils set to be absorbed into new unitary councils, the task of policing the PRS over the next decade is likely to be extremely challenging.

AMANDA NEWTON INTERVIEW: “AWAAB’S LAW IS THE LASTING LEGACY TO A LITTLE BOY WHO LOST HIS LIFE AND IS VERY PERSONAL TO US”

The inquest into the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in a Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) property will always be remembered as the catalyst for the national damp and mould scandal that rocked the social housing sector, and the subsequent campaign to drive up living conditions.

On the eve of Awaab’s Law coming into effect, HQM caught up with Amanda Newton, RBH chief executive, to reflect on the journey the housing association has been on during the last two years, its preparations for the new legislation and what the future holds.

Jon Land (JL): What are your thoughts as Awaab’s Law comes into effect this October?

Amanda Newton (AN): As you can imagine, Awaab’s Law is very personal and important for RBH. It frames the learning that we as an organisation and much of the wider sector has gleaned through getting underneath the condition of our homes and prioritising investment.

It’s the lasting legacy to the little boy who lost his life as a result of exposure to damp and mould, and the name Awaab Ishak will stand for something important – that people living in social housing and beyond can rely on legislation in his name to keep them safe and free from harm in their homes. Meeting the requirements of this legislation can never be a tick-box exercise nor be seen as an additional burden.

For RBH, it’s a framework that aligns precisely with our core purpose: to provide safe, warm homes. The fact that the first phase focuses on damp, mould and emergency hazards is entirely right. At its most basic level, this law sets the minimum standard for ensuring dignity and respect for those living in social housing. I feel very passionately that by focusing on the purposedriven delivery of housing that respects the people who live behind our front doors and their needs, all the regulatory requirements will be met as a result.

coming year.

Obviously, addressing issues with damp and mould was an early priority and right at the start of our recovery we established a dedicated damp and mould team, now 28 strong. We started in the reactive space of treating but quickly shifted into addressing root cause issues that had come about because of a significant lack of investment in our homes.

We’ve since invested heavily in roofs, guttering and pointing. We’ve got underneath our data further and identified property archetypes which are more prone to damp and mould. In these homes we’ve installed positive ventilation systems to help with preventing the problem reoccurring.

“Damp and mould recurrence in

our homes

is down

from 48% in summer 2023 to 15% now

– a statistic which tells us our focus on dealing with root cause is working”

JL: How has RBH been preparing for its introduction?

AN: Our preparation has been fundamental to how we do things now. We were one of the first organisations to really dig into the issue of damp and mould, and it was a core part of our recovery plan. Doing this alongside getting behind front doors to understand the quality of our homes has seen us prioritise stock condition surveys. Where we’ve identified hazards across the full HHSRS spectrum, we’ve dealt with it there and then – there was never a time we would simply create a list of things to resolve down the track, so, in many ways, we’re ready for the focus on damp and mould but we’re equally ready for the rollout of the focus on the wider hazards in the

We’re most definitely on the front foot. Damp and mould recurrence in our homes is down from 48% in summer 2023 to 15% now – a statistic which tells us our focus on dealing with root cause is working. We’ve also overhauled our property services with a project that provides a new, consistent, endto-end diagnosis and prioritisation system for repairs. This not only ensures that our customers see the right operative at the right time, it’ll also help to ensure we can meet the necessary deadlines set out in Awaab’s Law and support our ambition to achieve upper-quartile customer satisfaction. For us, preparation means we’re ready to turn new policy into operational practice this October.

JL: You’ve just reached your second anniversary as RBH’s chief executive – how are things going? What achievements are you most proud of? What are your current challenges?

AN: From the outset I’ve been really clear that taking this organisation forward will never see an end to our improvement journey. Our ambition is to do more and do better and this will always be informed by our customers who live in our homes. We’ll also never lose sight of the next generation of customers to ensure we’re future proofing what we do.

At the start of our improvement journey we went right back to basics, reconnecting our

culture with our core purpose to provide safe, warm homes in places where people can thrive. We made tough decisions to stop doing things that were getting in the way of the basics. And these were the right choices as our customers are already telling us they’re feeling the difference –our TSMs tell us overall satisfaction is now up to 77% from 72% last year so the changes we’re making are being felt behind the front door.

We’ve focused on understanding our customers and building a picture of who lives behind our front doors to enable us to better tailor what we do to meet their needs. This is more than data on protected characteristics – we’ve pushed into the space of being professionally and culturally curious and removed the fear of getting it wrong.

We’ve embraced the voices of our customers and embedded this into our governance structures. We have customers as formal members of our committees and we’re a cooperative mutual which gives our members a clear and loud voice in how we run our business. Co-creation is very important to us and a great example of this is the work we did early doors on developing a new set of organisational values which were meaningful to our customers and colleagues.

More recently, we’ve been casting our

“[Awaab’s

Law] is the lasting legacy of the little boy who lost his life as a result of exposure to damp and mould, and the name Awaab Ishak will always stand for something important – that people living in social housing can rely on legislation in his name to keep them safe and free from harm in their homes”

Amanda pictured with her RBH colleagues including (above) the executive team, from left, Simon Mellor, Sandra Coleing and Nadhia Khan

minds to the future and preparing for a return to the things we paused. This will include a return to the development of much-needed new homes and a focus on regeneration.

Leading a recovery like RBH is hard graft – it’s about rolling up your sleeves and leaning into driving a programme of deep structural and cultural change, whilst not losing sight of the needs of the people you serve. This can feel like a slow process from doing the work to seeing the results, but we’re now seeing the fruits of our labour.

This includes focusing on a purpose-driven delivery of housing that respects the dignity and uniqueness of the people who live behind our front doors and being crystal clear on the expectations of ourselves as leaders and of our people, and then holding ourselves to account to deliver.

I’m proud of so much. What I’d say is that the people who turn up to work every day in our business to do their very best for the people who rely on us

inspire me and make me more proud than any personal achievement. They deal with some really challenging things daily and they take it in their stride with care, compassion and a drive to make people’s lives better. Who wouldn’t be proud to lead a bunch of exceptional people like that!

On a personal level, this was my first CEO role in an organisation which was facing what was arguably the most complex recovery in the history of the sector. When I applied for the role it was on the back of reading an inquest report into the death of a child and feeling a deep-seated sense of duty to step up and make a conscious contribution to improve things. I don’t tend to dwell on the past but in moments of reflection I’m really happy that I took the leap from a role and an organisation that I loved into RBH, which is now firmly a piece of me.

Our current challenges are mirrored across the sector when I talk to my peers. The pace and scale of change across the sector is unprecedented and we’re spinning a lot of plates to ensure we can deliver it all. The financial impact of a recovery that’s been as deep and complex as ours has been a challenge and we’re focusing on a programme of business improvement that will deliver significant efficiencies, improve services to customers and build back our operating margin.

As a stock transfer organisation, the age of our homes in many of our communities is requiring us to take a value for money review of whether we invest or whether we regenerate. Over time, this will include us replacing some of our homes that have reached end of life with homes that will be fit into the future. This is costly and the funding regimes aren’t as clear as they might be for regeneration over normal development programmes.

In all that we do we have to make decisions

“Achieving G2 in just over two years was a monumental achievement for every single person who works at RBH, particularly when you consider the extent of the past failures”

for the long-term betterment of the people and communities we serve. We have to be clear that as leaders, the decisions we take today must reflect a positive legacy that we will leave for the people who follow us.

JL: Does the G2 grading feel like a vindication of your work?

AN: Vindication, which means to be free of blame, isn’t a word that I associate with the work that I have led at RBH. It has been and remains important that we own our past, and we have. But to have focused on who did or didn’t do what, would’ve simply got in the way of the positive progress we’ve made. We spent a lot of time understanding what happened and this informed what we now do differently and better. Seeing RBH come out of recovery and being re-graded to a G2 grade was the biggest achievement for the organisation in the past year. On 25 March 2025, our return to compliance was

confirmed by the Regulator of Social Housing. That was on the back of over two years of serious heavy lifting from the board, the executive and from every person across the organisation. It was a pivotal moment for RBH and one which was fundamental to restoring confidence and trust in us as a landlord. This was most definitely a moment of intense pride whilst crafting a forward-looking narrative that our foot remains on the gas to push for more.

Achieving G2 in just over two years was a monumental achievement for every single person who works at RBH, particularly when you consider the extent of the past failures. It was something that galvanised the organisation and set us up for the next stage of our change journey, which we’re absolutely not complacent about as we move forward. Our customers should expect more and we need to be part of raising aspiration. The G2 simply tells us we have the right foundations in place to continue the ascent.

Amanda Newton, right, talks to the team at RBH

JL: What’s next for RBH?

AN: RBH feels like a very different business to when I walked in the door two years ago. It’s an organisation that’s been through a lot but we’re coming out the other side stronger and more determined to be the best landlord we can. This will see a continued focus on our core business: being a great landlord, investing in our homes and preparing for a future that will see us working with partners to regenerate the places in which we work and developing new homes.

First and foremost is delivering on all the objectives of our new corporate strategy for 2025-28, with its five focus areas of customers, communities, homes, people and governance. At the same time, we’ll continue to bring our customers into the business at every opportunity, using their voices to scrutinise and shape our services.

We’ve invested in building data and insight to move from backwards-looking data models to predictive analytics that enable us to plan more effectively. We’ll continue to develop this to ensure that we’re consistently joining the dots across all data points, listening to feedback, using customer engagement as a strategic tool to inform our decision-making and tailoring our services based on the needs of our customers.

“The financial impact of a recovery that’s been as deep and complex as ours has been a challenge and we’re focusing on a programme of business improvement that will deliver significant efficiencies, improve services to customers and build back our operating margin”

We must also continue to manage our finances well and maintain the necessary investment levels in our existing stock – something that was neglected before – and keep improving our already-growing customer satisfaction with repairs. The improvement journey never ends, and our ambition to get it right is unquestionable. Finally, we’re pushing through our regulatory improvement programme to ensure that we’re ready for inspection and that we’re able to evidence clearly positive outcomes for customers in all that we do.

JL: We’re seeing the rise of nationalism across the UK, including in places like Rochdale. Why do you think this is? What role is RBH playing in trying to promote community cohesion in the local area?

AN: RBH is an organisation that’s anchored in its communities and therefore we play a critical role in supporting community cohesion and neighbourhoods that are stronger because of their diversity. I mentioned earlier about our cultural development including a focus on cultural curiosity and removing the fear that has stopped people from all walks of life from seeking to understand and embrace difference.

There’s a lot of fear in communities across the country that’s manifesting itself in ways that can only serve to undermine cohesion.

I was chatting to a customer a few months ago about why he loves the community where he lives and where we, as a housing provider, can do more to support the building of communities. He was really clear that no single organisation “builds” communities, they can only enable and facilitate, which is most definitely the role we play.

Our governance model is somewhat unique and we’re proud to be a cooperative mutual society. We use this to amplify the voices from across our communities, bringing customers and stakeholders together as they all have a stake in the success of RBH. We also have strong links with the voluntary sector and faith groups and will be building a new ‘community investment’ approach as part of our commitments for the coming year.

On a practical level we’re very visible in our neighbourhoods and communities and that’s seen community fun days on our estates, lots of pop-up engagement events where we take our gazebo and go to the people who live there and provide opportunities for customers to be part of reviewing what we do at a neighbourhood level. There’s nothing like being held to account when you’re face to face with your customer inspectors looking at the grass that’s been mown and assessing how well it’s been done with the people who lead those services! This brings diverse communities together, framed around a common goal.

It strengthens the bonds of community, and I believe a good landlord needs to be at the heart of that.

“HELPLESS, ABANDONED,

DISRESPECTED”: THE REAL-LIFE IMPACT OF TENANCY SUCCESSION BATTLES

Danielle Aumord investigates the often confusing world of tenancy succession rights and meets social housing residents fighting to stay in their homes following the death of a family member.

Rio’s story

“My grandparents lived at Treadgold House for 53-years after coming to North Kensington from Grenada in the 1960s”.

As we sit in Fez Mangal, a popular Turkish restaurant in Ladbroke Grove, west London, Rio Roberts, 34, tells her story. She’s one of a group of people that have agreed to talk to HQM about the issues they are facing around social housing tenancy succession.

Rio was hit with a possession order for her home following the death of her grandmother in 2023. “After my grandfather passed in 2020, myself and my grandmother downsized from a three-bedroom flat to a two-bed,” she says. “I was offered a separate flat, but my gran couldn’t live by herself. I was her carer, so I signed an agreement to live with her as an occupant, not as a tenant.”

She has lived on the Lancaster West estate, where the Grenfell Tower is currently being demolished, since the age of 15. The family were evacuated from their home in the aftermath of the Grenfell fire. “I remember the police knocking on our door and telling us we had to leave because there were concerns that the tower might collapse” she explains. “My granddad was disabled. I remember having to help him get dressed. We were then put in a hotel. It was a horrible time.”

Rio had already been diagnosed with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder before she received the letter from Kensington and Chelsea Council demanding that she leave her family home.

She’s currently receiving therapeutic support from a local hospital and says that her mental health condition has been exacerbated by the threat of homelessness. “I could understand if they wanted to offer me a smaller flat, if they were asking me to downsize but it seems like they don’t want to offer me anything, which doesn’t make sense to me as they had previously offered me my own flat when my nan was alive. They say there’s no space now,” she says.

“The housing officers haven’t seemed concerned about me, just about getting the keys to the flat back. I’ve been grieving my grandmother but I haven’t been able to process that grief properly because I’ve had all of this other stuff to deal with.”

Derrick’s story

Derrick Edwards, 59, another Lancaster Estate resident, was also shocked to receive a notice for possession after his elderly mother died in October 2023. “Earlier that year, we had gone

to the estate office to ask to get a two-bedroom flat on the same estate but on the ground floor level,” he explains as we have coffee together in a café in Shepherd’s Bush.

“Our home is a three-bedroom flat on the third floor in one of the walkways. My mother’s mobility was worsening so we needed a more suitable home, but a couple of weeks later my mum took really ill so we didn’t move forward with it. My sister, who lives locally, has bi-polar and I’m also her carer. Between work, caring responsibilities and managing the house, I’ve had a lot on my plate,” he says.

Derrick received notice for possession in July 2024 and says that when he went to the council to try to get help with his housing case, he was “brushed off” by the housing officers at Kensington Town Hall. “Someone at the town hall’s housing department took down my details but they never got back to me,” he says.

“I imagined that the council would have my back, that they’d just downsize me into a smaller property. Then when I received the letter for the court hearing to take back possession of the flat, I felt hijacked. Even now I’m feeling helpless, abandoned, disrespected, like I’m just a number. I’m 60 next year, where am I going to go?” he asks.

“The housing officers haven’t seemed concerned about me, just about getting the keys to the flat back. I’ve been grieving my grandmother but I haven’t been able to process that grief properly”

Rio Roberts, social housing resident

Muddied waters

Some local authorities, such as Kensington and Chelsea, operate a discretionary succession housing policy and this is where the waters get muddied. When asked by HQM about some of the issues, a council spokesperson said they couldn’t comment on individual cases.

Social housing tenancy succession is the process where a qualifying person takes over a deceased tenant’s secure tenancy, provided certain conditions are met, such as being a spouse, civil partner, or a family member who has lived in the property as their main home for at least 12 months.

This process can typically only happen once, and the individual’s eligibility and the specifics of the situation depend on the type and start date of the original tenancy. However, where a local

authority operates a discretionary succession policy, there’s flexibility to allow qualifying persons to take over the tenancy of the family home.

Spouses, civil partners and joint tenants usually have a legal right to succeed a social housing tenancy. But other qualifying family members can include parents, children, grandchildren, siblings and others. But their right to succeed depends on the tenancy starting before April 1, 2012 and them living there for at least 12 months before the tenant’s death.

“I imagined that the council would have my back, that they’d just downsize me into a smaller property. Then when I received the letter for the court hearing to take back possession of the flat, I felt hijacked” Derrick Edwards, social housing resident

In the cases of the two council tenants that we met up with, they have both had their cases adjourned so that the council can present more evidence for their reasons for not implementing the discretionary policy in their favour.

North Kensington Community advocate Jackie Haynes told HQM that the court recognised that there were some good arguments for the defence of the tenants within the succession cases: “The judge decided to take their cases to trial which is what is needed.”

She says that important questions also need to be asked about Kensington and Chelsea’s council housing succession policy: “We need to be asking ‘did the council consult on this policy?’. My view is that they didn’t. In both Derrick and Rio’s cases, the older family members were the

named tenants, but they were housed by the council in a time when, traditionally, the men were the head of the households so women and other family members tended not to be named as tenants. In those days, there was no need to worry about the ramifications of a housing crisis. We’re living in very different times,” she adds.

Unfortunately, these types of housing cases aren’t uncommon.

Kyle’s story

Kyle Rolfe, 25, says Ealing Council is asking him to leave his Hanwell flat because of the succession rules. He tells how after his mother died of cancer, he’s now facing eviction from his childhood home that he’s lived in since the age of three.

After his mother’s death, the tenancy was handed over to his older sister by the council. She’s since moved out.

Under the current succession rules, a council home can only be passed on once. But many are questioning whether a change of law is needed because those being evicted tend to end up having to present at the local authority’s homeless unit in a bid to get rehoused.

Kyle tells how he “did the right thing” by letting Ealing Council know that his sister was moving out but he then started to receive letters demanding that he vacated the property. “My mum’s ashes are scattered in the garden. Being here, I feel like I’m with my mum. If I have to leave, I’ll feel like I’m losing her again,” he says.

“In 2022, when my mum was diagnosed with cancer, she had been in the process of going through the right to buy scheme so that we’d be able to have security in our home. We didn’t expect her to go so quickly,” he explains. “I have a younger brother and although I was only 22 at

A view of the Lancaster West estate in west London, including Grenfell Tower

the time, I took it upon myself to look after him until he turned 18.”

Despite numerous attempts to negotiate with the council, Kyle says that he’s been ignored apart from a few letters which refer to him as an “unauthorised occupant”.

Kyle says that he finds it hurtful to be addressed as an “unauthorised occupant”, in a home where he looked after his ill mother: “I’m still struggling with losing her. It’s been really hard.”

An Ealing Council spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear about Kyle’s situation and understand this must be very difficult for him. National laws mean that council tenancies can only be handed down within a family once.

“This rule was introduced to stop publiclyowned property being passed from generation to generation within one family regardless of the needs of others in the borough.

“In this case, the property was handed down from Kyle’s mother to his sister when she sadly passed away in 2022, which Kyle agreed to. Kyle’s sister told us that she wanted to quit her tenancy. When we serve a notice to quit, we address letters to ‘unauthorised occupants’ because there may be people living at the property we’re unaware of. Going forward, once an account has been set up in Kyle’s name, future letters will be addressed to him.”

Kyle has now submitted a rehousing request with Ealing Council and is awaiting an interview. In response to this, the council has said that “no actions will be taken to gain possession of the property until the outcome of Kyle’s rehousing assessment”.

Local authorities around the country have differing policies around succession. For example, Islington Council has a discretionary policy where on the death of a tenant, stepchildren who have been living at the property can succeed the tenancy.

Any social housing occupants looking to apply to succeed a tenancy should study their local authority or housing association’s succession policies, which tend to be publicly available on their websites.

Statistics available on the national picture around council housing succession tenancies

“It doesn’t get more morally wrong than someone losing a parent and then being made homeless straight after, but that’s what’s happening”

Kwajo Tweneboa, social housing activist

are few and far between, with published figures being quite old.

A spokesperson for the Survey of English Housing said: “The number of cases in our samples in recent years for such successions on death for council tenants was very small and it’s not possible to provide any robust statistics for the number of cases that had occurred in each year since 1997. We can only provide a cumulative total.”

Kwajo’s story

Housing activist Kwajo Tweneboa had his own experience of being threatened with eviction after his father died in 2020. “Myself and my two sisters were given an eviction notice after we were bereaved. We were lucky because it was during the Covid pandemic, and they couldn’t just turf people out on to the street,” he says.

“Legally, if not morally, the social housing providers are in a pretty comfortable situation in these cases. It used to be that social housing tenants could pass on their tenancy to any other family member living with them when they died, through succession, but in about the 2010s, many housing providers slowly began changing tenancy agreements to say you could only pass on a property to a wife, husband or civil partner.

“Residents may not read or understand the small print in their agreements and pick up on this, but even if they do, the providers still have the upper hand.

“It doesn’t get more morally wrong than someone losing a parent and then being made homeless straight after, but that’s what’s happening,” he adds.

Housing activist Kwajo Tweneboa (right) talks to HQN chief executive Alistair McIntosh

Sponsored by

Welcome

It’s hard to credit that eight and a half years after the Grenfell fire we’re still discussing the prospects for remedial work on high-rise blocks. But that’s where we are, and new research by Jenny Preece and colleagues considers the effect of the works on people who live there.

The researchers find that too often, there’s been little consideration for residents as they live through months or even years of construction work. On the plus side, for the first time the legal requirement on ‘responsible persons’ is producing some efforts on behalf of private sector owners to consult residents and hear their views. The hope is that good practice will emerge, not least from the social sector.

A select committee of MPs has been looking into the dire finances of local government. It finds that ballooning demand for services such as homelessness is taking councils beyond the limit. Government has pledged to reform council financing but the committee wants the

nature of demand looked at too. It finds actions by other departments such as the DWP push up demand for local government services. Not only that, ringfencing and competition for pots of funding all produce inefficiencies. Is it time to let local authorities take on more responsibility in the most centralised government system in Europe?

Homelessness among young people is, of course, one of the complex issues local councils must tackle. New research by academics from Cardiff University considers an initiative by United Welsh called Tai Ffres that can help stabilise the lives of troubled young people. The young people are offered a flat with optional support services to help them settle. The researchers’ evaluation asked residents what made their accommodation into ‘a home’. The results give a fascinating glimpse into young people’s worlds and what can help them feel secure.

Janis Bright Editor, Evidence

Tackling building safety remediation – what lessons can we learn two years on?

Building safety remediation following the Grenfell Tower fire is affecting thousands of buildings in England. Initial concerns that extensive building work was taking place without attention to the negative impacts on residents, who often live in-situ through the work, resulted in the government publishing a Code of Practice for the remediation of residential buildings.

Two years on, writes Jenny Preece from the University of Sheffield and UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence, debates continue about both the pace and the experience of building remediation projects. Here are some of the key issues.

Involving residents in remediation

Our research with leaseholders living through building

remediation found that residents experienced a range of negative impacts, unsettling people’s ability to feel at home. The problem of living through remediation was often not considered by those involved in remediation projects. A fundamental tension is exposed during remediation, as the building continues to be ‘home’ to residents, but a building site to those working on projects.

There are also significant issues of power and control that come to the forefront. Noise and loss of privacy were major problems. Some people were living for months behind opaque plastic sheeting, unable to open their windows. Communication was often challenging, and people had little opportunity to find out in advance about disruption. Improving the approach to remediation is an opportunity to minimise these negative impacts – which can have a devastating impact on people’s ability to feel at home. But this means putting residents’ voices at the heart of remediation projects. This represents a significant culture

change, especially in the private sector with little established history of resident involvement when compared to social housing.

The Code of Practice

The code sets government’s expectations for remediation projects, providing guidance on putting residents’ needs at the heart of remediation. This includes both the planning and the day-to-day management of projects once they start, covering areas such as understanding residents’ needs, involvement in decision-making, communications, and considering ways to reduce negative impacts from things like noise, obstruction of natural light, lack of ventilation and security issues. The aim is to minimise the negative impacts of living through extensive building works, which can last for months or even years.

Progress so far

The code was put in place in summer 2023, but there is evidence of variability in the requirements being met. The government acknowledged in the Remediation Acceleration Plan, published in December 2024, that the experience of residents needed to be improved, and that their voices were still not being heard loudly enough. Meanwhile, evidence to the 2025 Public Accounts Committee inquiry on the remediation of dangerous cladding heard different views on the experiences of

residents and the effectiveness of the code. Residents’ groups explained that awareness of requirements seemed limited, and oversight and enforcement needed to be improved. Industry representatives from the social housing sector reported that the code was a useful tool but the profile could be raised, whilst private sector representatives argued that it was central to developers’ approaches to remediation works. These different viewpoints suggest variability in experience, which needs further understanding, especially as more buildings come into the remediation process.

Learning from established histories of resident involvement

Our review of the evidence on tenant participation notes that power is central to the history of tenant involvement in social housing, and wider organisational cultures of accountability, transparency and partnership working are fundamental to achieving effective involvement. Research in social housing suggests that achieving the potential gains from embedding residents’ voices is therefore about more than strong leadership – or the development of something like the Code of Practice – but relies on wider culture change. Nevertheless, our research also highlighted that regulatory prioritisation of resident involvement can be a significant factor in driving organisational focus and change.

The Code of Practice – embedding residents’ views in remediation projects and making adjustments in practice

– applies to social and private landlords. In the social housing sector, whilst not without its challenges and variability, there’s a much more established culture of resident (particularly tenant) involvement, and established frameworks for communicating with residents and involving them in decision-making.

In the private sector this is less common, but it’s changing. For example, accountable persons for high-rise buildings (above 18 metres) are now required to develop a resident engagement strategy. There may be valuable cross-sector learning to be shared between different housing providers to understand different approaches to engagement and the benefits that can flow from this, not just in relation to remediation but other areas as well.

Future developments

The code represents a significant shift in the management of large-scale projects that impact on residents, but it’s clear that residents are still experiencing negative impacts, something that’s acknowledged by the Remediation Acceleration Plan. The Public Accounts Committee recommended that annual updates should clarify the ways in which adherence to the code has been measured and monitored, and utilise any available data from resident surveys.

It’s essential to ensure that remediation schemes communicate with and consider residents, and that

negative impacts are minimised; this should routinely include evidencing compliance with the requirements of the code. Given concerns raised by residents’ groups, it’d also be beneficial to undertake further work to understand the experiences of residents living through remediation around the country, and the impact that the code is having on the ground. This will ensure that evidence-based improvements can be made in further developing the code and its implementation.

There’s an important gap in evidencing best practice examples of compliance with the code, and building wider awareness about the expectations and requirements of organisations involved in remediation. Greater publicity of the code and how it can be used to positively shape remediation projects are needed. It may also be beneficial to develop targeted communications – for example, through continuing professional development (CPD) modules aimed at contractors involved in remediation on the ground.

The problems associated with remediation have provided a critical lesson in the importance of resident involvement in decision-making; it’s crucial to now show learning in practice through the implementation of resident-centred approaches to remediation, safeguarding a sense of home for residents whilst making buildings safe for the future.

Dr Jenny Preece is a Lecturer in the School of Geography and Planning, University of Sheffield

Can local government be steered away from the financial brink?

An inquiry by the Housing, Communities and Local Government select committee has raised important issues about the precarity of councils’ finances and how to improve the situation.

The report comes as government pledges to reform local authority funding but has not yet said how the demand for services will be tackled.

The committee found that demand-led services are the main cause of the financial crisis in local government. Principally that’s social care, special educational needs and homelessness. Local authorities spent £2.13 billion on homelessness in 2023/34, according to the National Audit Office. That’s a 105% increase since 2015/16.

That doesn’t mean that local authorities are taking on too much, however. As the LGA commented, councils want to provide essential services of high quality. The issue is resources.

Councillor Pete Marland, Leader of Milton Keynes City Council and Chair of the Economy and Resources Board of the Local Government Association (LGA), said: “Councils by their very nature are leaders of place. Should we be delivering housing? Yes. Should we be keeping children safe? Yes. Should we be making sure that children with special educational needs have the right education to make sure that they can get on in life? Yes. […] I don’t think that

councils are being asked to do too much; I think councils should do more, but they need the resources to be able to do it.”

Seven councils have issued S114 ‘bankruptcy’ notices and 42 have received special funding after getting into difficulties. The current government has pledged to reform local authority funding and has begun to work towards this. A new Local Government Outcomes Framework sets out priorities and draft outcomes metrics. These cover at least three areas directly relevant to housing: homelessness and rough sleeping; decent, safe and affordable housing; and neighbourhoods. Others cover health, social care, environment, children and disadvantage. However, the objectives are broad, and questions over how they will be achieved and what form the financial changes will take remain.

The HCLG Committee draws attention to two issues. One is ringfencing and special pots of funding that limit what local authorities can do and create inefficiencies. This is part of a greater problem of over-centralised government, on which the committee points out the UK has a poor track record compared with other European countries where power is more distributed.

The current government says it’ll reduce some ringfencing. MHCLG’s Director of Value for Money told the committee:

Demand-driven service spending has grown faster than core spending power in recent years

Cumulative real terms per person % change since 2017/18, England total

“We listed 13 separate funds that all had a connection with authorities tackling homelessness and they were across three departments. Some were allocated funding; some was funding that would be bid into. That gets very difficult if you’re a local authority trying to navigate what your budget is for tackling homelessness.”

The second issue the committee highlights is the failure of different government departments to work together and anticipate problems. Here it had strong words on how other departments’ decisions can impact on local government.

“The [MHCLG] is in regular contact with other departments and government bodies about the needs of local government, but it lacks the levers that it needs to control decisions across central government. In our view, merely discussing the issues with other departments isn’t enough. To properly reform and stabilise these vital services, clear lines of accountability between relevant departments

are needed, with the responsibilities for overall delivery and for funding being held together in a single department (even if delivery in practice is managed by several).”

The committee gave an example that those affected by DWP welfare cuts such as the freezing of local housing allowance may no longer be able to afford council tax and “may even present as homeless, drastically increasing the level of support that local authorities must provide”.

The committee’s report repeatedly warns that government ambitions to refocus on prevention instead of expensively ‘curing’ problems will be hard to achieve. And success mustn’t come at the price of neglecting acute problems further, it adds.

The government says it wants reform, including multiyear financial settlements, to begin from next April. All eyes will be on the budget on 26 November to discover how far and how fast the changes may arrive.

Tai Ffres: A fresh approach to home

Dr

Jennifer Hoolachan

and Dr Fiona Long. Youth homelessness is a significant problem across the UK. In Wales, around 6,500 young people (aged 16-24) approached their local authority for homelessness assistance in 2023/24. The causes of youth homelessness often centre on familyrelated issues and/or challenging housing and labour market conditions, though some are more at risk than

others, including care leavers and those who identified as LGBTQ+. When experienced at an early age, homelessness can have a negative and long-lasting impact on young peoples’ health, housing, relationships, and education, training or employment prospects. In consequence, the Welsh government aims to prevent and ultimately end homelessness in Wales.

Tai Ffres was developed against this backdrop. A collaboration between a housing association, United Welsh and the Llamau support service, Tai Ffres aims to offer safe, secure and affordable homes for young people (16-26) at risk of homelessness in Wales. Tai Ffres currently provides

33 studio, one-bed and two-bed flats to young people across Cardiff, and aims to deliver a total of 102 units by March 2027. The young people also have access to personcentred support via an ‘asset-based coach,’ though aren’t obliged to engage with this support.

This article presents findings from our qualitative evaluation of Tai Ffres which examined its effectiveness, the young people’s experiences of it, and the possibility of rolling the model out further. This article will focus on 13 semi-structured interviews with the young people living in Tai Ffres properties, and will centre on the theme of ‘home’.

Home and home-making practices

The young people each had their own ideas about what ‘home’ meant to them. Christy distinguished houses from homes: “A house is anything, I’ve lived in plenty of houses, but a home is somewhere you wanna go after a long day.” The young people’s perceptions of home centred around three key themes: comfort, safety and autonomy. Orion said “home is just somewhere I feel comfortable,” whilst Ella placed emphasis on it being “a safe space” where she could go and not have to answer to anybody.

Whilst many of the young people described ‘home’ using abstract concepts – as a place which evoked a certain feeling – they equally recognised that home-making practices could help them to achieve those feelings. All of the young people we spoke to engaged in home-making practices of some kind. As the young people were able to redecorate their spaces without needing to request permission, many of them painted their walls and added fixtures and fittings to match their individual tastes, and were enthusiastic about making the space their own.

“I like the colour white, I bet you can’t tell [laughs and gestures around because the whole room is white].” (Molly)

“We’re planning on putting like panelling around, I love panelling.” (Jade)

Others planned out their ideal space prior to moving in, including Chelsea, who wanted to put up curtains in order to create designated spaces within her flat (“it definitely creates a better space”). The home-making process was important as it impacted how the young people felt about, and lived within, their new flats. For example, Claire said you “need to make it home so you can live properly”.

Feeling at home

Most of the young people we spoke to said that they either felt at home or were on their way to feeling at home. This feeling wasn’t instant and was aided by the home-making process. Orion had everything that he needed in his flat and so felt comfortable there: “This is my home and it feels like home as well.” Maria took a couple of months to settle in, though after adding her own touches, eventually felt “cosy” in the space and added: “I feel like it’s actually a home now.”

Importantly, this was the first time that many of the young people had been given their own space and had experienced living alone. For some, this in itself involved a period of adjustment, such as Ella who had initially invited her boyfriend to stay with her:

“I was nervous at the thought of being on my own… After I settled in and learned who lived in here, I know I’m safe, it was fine.” (Interview with Ella)

However, this sense of freedom and autonomy was something which the young people valued most. Molly liked that she could come and go as she pleased and said, “it’s more freedom”. Some of the young people, like Molly, contrasted this sense of freedom with the curfews previously imposed on them by supported lodgings. Others appreciated having access to areas they hadn’t previously used, including Chelsea, who once avoided her hostel’s communal kitchen, though discovered that she enjoyed cooking in her own.

“I’m in the kitchen doing what I want and making what I want. And I’m like, oh, this is actually quite nice.” (Chelsea)

Unable to feel at home

Whilst the majority of the young people felt at home in their Tai Ffres flats, others struggled. Olivia found it difficult to settle anywhere based on a history of repeated movement, and said, “I’ve moved and I’ve moved and I’ve moved, I think it’ll take me a while to say I feel like home”.

Others experienced issues with their flats, which made them feel less at home. For example, following a period

of extreme rain, Jade experienced leaking in her flat and said that she would rather be at her mum’s house. In consequence, she felt slightly less at home.

What makes a ‘home’

These findings highlight the fluidity of the meaning of ‘home’ amongst young people. Moreover, home-making practices are conceived of as those which connect the tangible aspects of home (eg, curtains) with the intangible

(eg, comfort), thereby enabling young people to feel ‘at home’ in their space.

These findings and others can be found in the full Tai Ffres evaluation which will be published shortly.

Reference FEANTSA. 2020. European Framework for Defining Youth Homelessness. Available at: https://www.feantsa.org/ download/framework-for-defining-youth-homelessness_ final_pdf3614092469143708469.pdf

Warm homes and decent incomes essential, says professor

A leading academic has laid bare the damage done to the health of the poorest during the years of austerity in the UK.

Director of the Institute of Health Equity at the University of Central London Professor Sir Ian Marmot told MPs at Westminster that from 2010 to 2020 some £170-180 billion a year had been cut from public spending. Even worse, the cuts hit the poorest areas hardest.

Prof Marmot told the Communities, Housing and Local Government Committee the effects could be seen in poorer health and even in stalling life expectancy:

“We plotted life expectancy for every local authority in England in 2010, and the subsequent change in local government spending power. The shorter the life expectancy in 2010, the steeper the reduction in local government spending power over the next 10 years, so the more unhealthy the community, the more money was taken away.”

Prof Marmot estimated that austerity had “killed 148,000 people” and life expectancy did not improve at all, health inequalities grew bigger and health for the poorest people became worse.

He added angrily:

“I look at that and say, ‘In what moral universe could that be the right thing to do? How could you possibly justify that?’ The sicker the community, the more money we’ll take away. That needs to be reversed immediately … It’s bad for health, and it’s bad for productivity. It violates all norms of fairness and morality; it’s just completely wrong.”

Prof Marmot called for a green budget to insulate homes for those who cannot afford it and to make inroads into fuel poverty. He pointed out that England previously had a home insulation programme but after 2013 it went down by 90%. He said: “We have among the worst quality in Europe. If you look at the loss of heat over a five-hour period, the loss is greater in housing in the UK than in other European countries. Our energy costs are at least 20% higher than the European average.”

He cited Joseph Rowntree Foundation research that found the median income in the UK is close to the minimum income for healthy living. In other words, people on average incomes can just about get by, but about half the population don’t have enough money coming in to lead a healthy life, including heating their homes properly.

Evidence editor: Dr Janis Bright

www.hqnetwork.co.uk

email: evidence@hqnetwork.co.uk

Housing in Practice

Housing for the ages

Continuing our Housing in Practice series, Neil Merrick reports on a housing association that’s encouraging students to live alongside older residents and help reduce loneliness or isolation.

Melfield Gardens in Lewisham

The resident’s story

Prior to moving into a flat in south London earlier this year, Claire Carpenter had spent a decade living in women’s hostels and supported housing.

Now she’s one of about 30 residents aged 55 or over at Melfield Gardens, built in Lewisham by Phoenix Community Housing and giving older people the opportunity to live independently.

Except not everyone at Melfield Gardens has reached their fifties. Living among the older residents are eight students from Goldsmiths, part of University of London, who help to give other residents a different outlook on life.

The intergenerational living scheme is specifically devised to help older people avoid loneliness or isolation. This means anything from chatting over a cup of coffee in the communal lounge to organised walks in nearby Beckenham Park.

For Carpenter, life could not be more different from where she lived before. “It’s nice to be back in the community,” she says. “We all look out for one another and the students bring an injection of youth.”

What is intergenerational living?

Multi or intergenerational living consists of people from different generations living in close proximity, sharing common facilities, and perhaps spending time together on a reasonably regular basis.

there was insufficient space for the minimum of 60 homes required. Another option was therefore needed that was attractive to tenants in their mid-50s and older.

What’s special about Melfield Gardens?

Melfield Gardens consists of 30 homes for residents over 55 and two four-bedroom flats for students from Goldsmiths.

Older residents live in one-bed flats that feature an additional room for multiple use, including as an office. There’s also a shared community lounge, plus landscaped communal gardens.

Most are single people, along with two couples. Ages vary, with half aged over 66. Ten households downsized from family-size homes owned by Phoenix. “We tried to create an environment that was future-proof and encouraged people to move out of their previous home,” says Angela Hardman.

Each block of flats includes a four-bed flat for the students. In return for paying a rent of £130 per week (below market rates for London), they agree to socialise with other residents, arrange activities, and look on the older residents as close neighbours.

“This approach to shared living aims to increase the sense of community and reduce loneliness among older and young people, with clear benefits to health”

Many families live this way for economic reasons, with younger people sharing a home with their parents, or even grandparents, due to the high cost of renting or buying a property.

Outside of immediate relatives, intergenerational living is relatively unusual in the UK. At Melfield Gardens, students from Goldsmiths live in flats alongside people who are significantly older but who are also tenants of Phoenix Community Housing.

How did the Melfield Gardens scheme come about?

Five years ago, Phoenix decided to decommission 16 bedsits in Lewisham and replace them with housing more suited to older people. The association considered building more extra care housing, similar to a scheme at nearby Hazelhurst Court, which opened in 2017.

This is made up of 60 homes for elderly people with a range of care needs. About a third moved from family-size homes owned by Phoenix elsewhere in south London, freeing up the larger houses for younger tenants. “It was about making best use of our assets,” says Angela Hardman, Phoenix’s head of development.

But such a scheme wasn’t feasible at Melfield Gardens as

The students, she stresses, are not carers and so aren’t expected to carry out day-to-day tasks for older residents, some of whom receive regular care.

Instead they socialise with residents in the lounge or garden, or arrange activities such as walks or exercise sessions. “We want to remove the fear of isolation or loneliness and create an environment where residents can thrive and live close to younger people,” adds Hardman.

All the homes are built to Passivhaus standards, with high levels of insulation that provide better thermal comfort and reduce energy bills.

How were the students chosen?

Goldsmiths, University of London, has an international reputation for teaching and research in creative arts and humanities. About 8,000 students are based on its campus in south east London, about four miles from Melfield Gardens.

In return for paying a below-market rent to live at Melfield Gardens, they commit to spending at least one hour per week with older residents, either individually or on a collective basis.

Annabel Kiernan, deputy vice-chancellor for education and student experience at Goldsmiths, sees the scheme as a “bold model in intergenerational living” based on caring for others within the community.

Not only are students supporting their neighbours, but each generation can learn from one another, she adds. The students, who were selected based on applications

submitted earlier this year, are all postgraduates who qualify for bursaries or other financial support. Undergraduates may be invited to apply in future years.

“We selected them on the basis of commitment to communal or intergenerational living,” says Professor Kiernan. “They are all interested in community engagement and the ethos of social justice that we’re trying to build.”

Morley, a 28-year-old postgraduate in psychology, was one of the first students to move into Melfield Gardens. He enjoys discussing dance music with older residents, as well as taking part in walks or group-stretching exercises.

Other times, it’s a matter of meeting for a cup of tea or coffee. “Students bring their own skillsets,” he says. “We share a lot of life-enriching experiences.”

Moving forward, Phoenix’s community engagement team will liaise with Goldsmiths to check the arrangement works well for all parties. “We intend to monitor results to ensure there are positive outcomes,” says Angela Hardman.

What are the overall benefits of the scheme?

A report by Age UK has found that 49% of people aged 75

or over live alone, while loneliness can be as harmful to people’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

By putting older people in touch with students in their twenties, Phoenix is not only providing residents with better homes, but a broader outlook on life.

This approach to shared living aims to increase the sense of community and reduce loneliness among older and young people, with clear benefits to health, says Angela Hardman.

In five years’ time, more than 35% of Phoenix tenants will be over 65, with nearly 10% in their mid-70s or older. The housing association is therefore also considering how best to ensure older people can live independently, with less chance they will need to go into care.

The Melfield Gardens scheme is based upon close cooperation between Phoenix and Goldsmiths, which may eventually offer students the opportunity to take part in similar schemes elsewhere.

“A supportive, family-like environment, combined with a sense of belonging, enables older residents to maintain their independence and stay in their homes for longer,” says Hardman.

Claire Carpenter (resident) with Lord Richard Best, chair of the APPG on housing and care for older people, at the official opening of Melfield Gardens in July

Rental income service health check

HQN provides an independent health check with full written report highlighting the current strengths of the service and areas requiring further development, along with recommendations in the form of an action plan.

What could a service review deliver?

• Initial meeting to understand your specific organisational requirements

• Work on site with staff in the Rental Income Team, other key internal teams, external stakeholders such as advice agencies, and home visits to residents

• Review of past and current performance including former tenant arrears debt

• Review and advise whether the current staff structure and budget (such as budget for external advice and any Homelessness Prevention Fund) is fit for purpose

• Reviews of individual rent accounts to ensure there are prompt and correct actions being taken

• Review of policies and procedures

• Review of how Universal Credit is managed including the relationship with the DWP Relationship Manager and Universal Credit Service Centre

• Review of the processes around people starting a new tenancy

• Plus much more.

For more information, please contact Anna Pattison at anna.pattison@hqnetwork.co.uk, call 01904 557197 or visit www.hqnetwork.co.uk

Ombudsman Corner

By Richard Blakeway, the Housing Ombudsman

Page 40 of the 2007 Cave Review into social housing regulation, commissioned by the last Labour government, contains a surprising nugget. It reported how the Housing Ombudsman had seen complaints about repairs slip to the second most likely reason for escalations to them. What a difference 18 years has made.

For several years property condition has dominated our casework, especially damp and mould, and our Annual Complaints Review for 2024-25 revealed a 43% increase in findings on disrepair. This is disproportionately high, even with the substantial rise in investigations being closed during that year. The maladministration rate has also remained stubbornly high in this space too.

That said, overall the annual review shows the landscape is less bleak. There are some indicators that complaint handling itself is turning a corner, with a 7% fall in related findings being upheld. There was a 60% increase in reasonable redress findings, that’s where something went wrong but a sensible solution was offered by the landlord itself. The volume of complaint handling failure orders was proportionately lower and severe maladministration for complaint handling itself infrequent. This is encouraging. It shows the effort and investment by landlords is paying off, and the Complaint Handling Code is embedding itself.

That’s not the end of the encouraging news. There were 16 landlords who we felt had demonstrated significant improvement compared to the previous financial year. This includes landlords who have been on our radar as being a concern previously. This sits alongside two landlords with no findings of maladministration despite a reasonable volume of investigations.

Of course, challenges remain. These improvements come from a poor base, with 71% of findings still being upheld by us; that’s way too high. There were also 120 landlords where three-quarters or more findings were upheld. This suggests particular challenges exist there – improvements made by those

landlords may show up in future annual reviews, or more work is still to be done before it does. There were also some landlords where we awarded a high average of compensation, despite a fall overall. That indicates some things going very wrong and those landlords need to understand why, and whether it is isolated. That half of our compensation relates to leaks, damp and mould also shows how much of a challenge this issue remains for the sector as it prepares for Awaab’s Law. Our findings show local authority landlords facing acute pressures in handling housing complaints, alongside medium-sized housing associations. It’s also interesting to look at our annual review alongside what we’re seeing in the initial regulatory judgements, where higher volumes of complaints don’t necessarily mean more problems, and a positive complaints culture shines through. Which brings me to how landlords can engage with the annual review, and the future. Generally, it’s moved from defensive to curious. The individual landlord performance reports are an excellent way for the member responsible for complaints to structure a conversation about how things are going. It should feed into the learning reports and self-assessments on the Complaint Handling Code. It’s an opportunity to look afresh at how to improve practice, policy and performance. For most landlords, complaints about property condition will be a key driver. Reflecting on our Spotlight report, Repairing Trust, and other insights remains vital as landlords seek to create human-centric, modern repairs and maintenance services. This involves better data and connecting the person living in the home to its condition, achieving brilliant basics (such as fewer missed appointments and a reasonable approach to gaining access) and moving towards a predictive rather than reactive repairs service. Our proactive interventions with some landlords to promote learning from complaints will remain vital. And this review is also a way to think about preparedness for the future and resilience.

Allocation policies: A hidden homelessness scandal

By Mel Nowicki and Katherine Brickell, authors of Debt Trap Nation: Family Homelessness in a Failing State.

It’s no secret that England is a country in housing crisis. Homelessness records are continually being broken. Last year, 1,611 homeless people died, a 9% increase from the previous year, and a record-breaking 131,141 households, including 170,000 children, are currently homeless and living in temporary accommodation – a 12% jump in just one year.

It’s also no secret that local authorities are cash-strapped and are struggling to keep up with the soaring costs of housing people in temporary accommodation, including in hotel rooms and B&Bs. Local authorities in England are spending a staggering £2.8 billion per year on temporary accommodation. In London, the epicentre of the temporary accommodation crisis, that spend is up to £5.5 million per day.

And yet, what remains under the radar are how local authorities themselves contribute to increasing numbers of families stuck living in temporary accommodation.

Our new book, Debt Trap Nation: Family Homelessness in a Failing State, tells the stories of single mothers navigating rent arrears, spiralling debt and life in temporary accommodation. In it, we pull back the curtain on some of the lesser-known policies that contribute to this trap.

Social housing allocation policies are one of the key offenders, with most councils in England barring families from bidding for social housing if they are in housingrelated debt – even though these debts are usually what triggered their homelessness in the first place. This is a perverse situation where local authorities are unnecessarily extending families’ stays in temporary accommodation, extending time spent living without a secure home, or a secure future, and extending their own vast spending on unsuitable, often trauma-inducing, accommodation.

Our research found that 88% of local authorities in England have disqualification rules linked to housing-related debt. In one month alone, FOI requests we submitted revealed that nearly 4,000 households were barred from social housing due to debt-related rules – over 1,500 of these households included children. This is likely to be a gross under-estimate, as many councils could not provide us with the data. Typical

“Many of the women we met, and whose stories we tell in the book, had fallen into rent arrears and homelessness as a direct consequence of abuse”

responses to our FOI requests included “We don’t hold this information” or “This will require a manual trawl” through their records which they declined to do. If councils can’t – or won’t – monitor how their own rules affect society’s most vulnerable families, how can they claim to be fair or functional?

The cover of Debt Trap Nation

Fewer than one in five local authorities state that they exempt domestic abuse survivors from these rules. Many of the women we met, and whose stories we tell in the book, had fallen into rent arrears and homelessness as a direct consequence of abuse. This took various forms, including their abuser lying to them about not paying rent, taking out loans in their name, and withholding access to money. Women we spoke with had fled violent partners only to enter financial destitution. They then found themselves – and their children – trapped in poor-quality temporary accommodation, which they couldn’t escape because of allocation rules that meant they were unable to bid for social housing because of the debt they were in, despite the fact that these debts had been forced upon them by their abusers.

One participant described themselves as “survived then punished” – escaping one trap, only to be immediately entangled in another.

This isn’t only immoral: it’s also potentially unlawful. We met with a top barrister in social housing and allocations law, who confirmed that if local authorities are excluding domestic abuse survivors from allocations lists on the basis of housing-related debt, and that debt is a direct consequence of domestic abuse, then that’s discriminatory and therefore unlawful under the Equality Act 2010.

We’re therefore calling on national government to change legislative guidance and regulation to ensure that all survivors of domestic abuse are exempted from these rules. This won’t produce more of the desperately needed high-quality social housing overnight, but it will at least give families, who have already been through too much, a fighting chance of eventually moving on from homelessness.

Debt Trap Nation: Family Homelessness in a Failing State is out now

The case for nature-centric housing

The UK government plans to deliver 1.5 million homes during this parliament, enabled by its Planning and Infrastructure Bill. It argues the new legislation represents a “win-win” for housing and nature, but with the UK being one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, wildlife organisations are wary of watered-down environmental protections. As Matt Pritchard suggests, the solution may lie in a deeper change in values and mindsets.

‘Vertical Forest’ in Milan, Italy, an approach to enable plants and associated pollinators to live alongside humans Stefano Boeri Architetti

There’s a housing crisis and we really need to solve it. HQM readers don’t need to be persuaded of that. But there’s also an ecological crisis and we really need to solve that too. Global vertebrate populations have plummeted by 73% since 1970. Closer to home – and lest one think we’re avoiding such annihilation in our ‘green and pleasant land’ – we’re one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. You needn’t even care about non-human life to see that this matters. Healthy ecosystems are the indispensable foundation of our society: according to UK government reports, nature losses drive human losses, from increased risks of flooding to food insecurity, disease and pollution. Wildlife decline also contributes to human physical and mental health decline, with nature poverty varying markedly between postcodes.

How, then, do we build 1.5 million new homes in five years without making matters worse? How do we solve two intersecting crises simultaneously?

One approach is to blame a cabal of sinister species which all happen to carry a whiff of witchcraft for blocking developments. It’s to imply that the slippery machinations of newts, snails, bats and spiders are thwarting young people from gaining a foothold on the property ladder. As Chairman of Natural England, Tony Juniper noted at the recent Wild Summit that ministers have been somewhat less vocal about the obstructive behaviours of popular, wholesome creatures like otters or golden eagles.

When one moves from Halloween rhetoric to policy, the harrowing tale continues. Existing environmental protection policies, and their implementation, are failing: the UK government is missing its own targets for nature recovery, and for providing clean water and air, remaining on track for just nine out of 43 environmental commitments.

The government claims that its new legislation is designed with exactly these failures in mind, but it isn’t learning from the mistakes. Take, for example, the policy of biodiversity net gain. This outlines how much habitat needs to be “restored” in exchange for developers destroying nature to build homes, but it turns out that the promised nature restorations rarely happen. Doubling down on this approach, the new planning system reforms enable developers to pool promised habitat “units” and restore them elsewhere.

But destroying nature in one place and trying to rebuild it elsewhere isn’t the answer: ecosystems take decades to mature (consider the complex interactions between soil, fungi, plants and insects), and people living in new homes surrounded by dead zones will pay the price of drastically reduced health

benefits.

There’s a better way. I’m a senior research associate at the Nature-Centric Catalyst, a project based at the University of Reading and supported by the V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation. The catalyst explores the practical implications when other species aren’t just valued for what they can provide human beings, or objectified as lifeless “assets”, but have value in their own right. This ‘nature-centric’ stance expands the stakeholders considered in any decision to include other species, ecosystems and/or other natural phenomena.

Such a position may seem radical, but seeing nature as an intrinsic part of us, and vice-versa, is a more scientifically accurate worldview. Moreover, an international science body – the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) – produced a report ratified by 147 governments, including the UK, arguing that disconnection from – and domination over – nature was one of the key underlying causes of nature destruction. The IPBES concluded that “transformative change is urgent because there’s a closing window of opportunity to avoid further biodiversity loss,” stating the need for “fundamental system-wide shifts in views, structures and practices”. The UN and the European Environment Agency also deem this worldview shift essential for a sustainable civilisation – a shift with widespread implications for the design of our businesses, governance and education systems.

So, how would nature-centric housing work? And what would it look like? This summer, the Nature-Centric Catalyst hosted a workshop with academics specialising in the built environment, planning, ecology and law, with representatives from national and local government, and with architects, designers and consultants. Together we explored visions for nature-centric housing, probing the

Catuçaba, an environmental award-winning off-grid building in São Paulo, Brazil. MKStudios, photographer: Fernando Guerra

opportunities and risks for their realisation.

We identified a number of principles that would enable those visions. Perhaps the most important emerges when we question the assumption that humans should evict other species from their habitats in order to create our own. Instead, we ask what other beings already have their homes in the area being considered, and then seek to live alongside them as far as possible. In other words, instead of treating nature as something separate to us, like a property we have a right to destroy, we reassess our relationship with it.

Environmental surveys show which species already live in a potential housing location, and together with ambitions for nature recovery, this can provide a basis for planning and design.

Construction of modern housing will inevitably displace nonhuman species and disrupt nature cycles, but we should keep the degradation to an absolute minimum. Moreover, we should seek to restore habitats at the same location, thereby contributing to nature’s recovery and establishing coexistence.

This doesn’t mean we abandon nature recovery efforts elsewhere. Those should continue too, but the notion of biodiversity net gain (BNG) – in cases where this entails destruction of species, ecosystems or habitats in one area on the basis that this can be ‘offset’ by restoring something similar elsewhere – is problematic on several counts. First is that measuring the biodiversity in an area can be highly challenging, not just due to species identification but because many are mobile, invisible or seasonal. Advances are being made in sampling and measurement techniques, but there are deeper difficulties. One is that off-site restoration doesn’t recognise the uniqueness of individual

places, which those who have experienced certain kinds of developments in a treasured area will know only too well: are you content for that unique forest you played in as a child to be levelled because there’ll be a plantation somewhere else?

There’s also the prospect that promised future benefits may not materialise. A recent study by the Royal Town Planning Institute found that only half (53%) of the ecological features required in planning permissions had been introduced, and when newly planted trees were excluded, this fell to 34%. This suggests major weaknesses in postplanning processes and enforcement such that, even if BNG and offsets are acceptable mechanisms, there can be little confidence that commitments will be honoured.

Nature-centric housing isn’t just a theoretical proposition or a hippie ideal; examples already exist, including in Brazil, Italy and the Netherlands. And in the UK, developments such as Kidbrooke Village in Greenwich demonstrate that it’s possible to create 5,000 new homes while providing habitats for declared spooky spoilers like newts and bats.

There may be challenges in building nature-centric developments at scale and adapting them to local ecosystems, but examples such as these show that housing design and surrounding areas can be tailored to help regionally rare animals, like otters and certain bats, as well as amphibians, insects and plants. The experts at our workshop agreed that the technical expertise already exists, but that we lack the deeper mindset shift needed to bring about such an ambitious programme.

Research shows that promoting this nature-centric shift in worldviews must become a top priority. Without such realigned value systems, environmental regulations are simply rules that get ignored. Hence, the poor state of our rivers and the loss of our plants and wildlife. But how would such realignment happen? At the core is how we grow our nature connectedness – our individual, subjective sense of our relationship with the natural world. In a planning context, this sense of connection can expand our imaginations for how we can live alongside other species, and develop political courage for the homes to

Kidbrooke Village, Greenwich. Photograph: CCullen

Snail fail? Chancellor Rachel Reeves has railed against snails

match. Building them may take longer than a single parliamentary term, but anything less will continue to drive the loss of nature on which our health and prosperity depends.

As well as considering visions for nature-centric housing, our workshop participants assessed various interventions, some currently implemented, others in germinal phases, according to their potential to advance those visions or to reinforce the status quo. The interventions spanned financial mechanisms, regulation, governance approaches and local community initiatives, some related to housing, others to society more broadly. Some interventions, like the government’s proposed Nature Recovery Fund, are simply misaligned with nature-centrism for the reasons given above: a fund is welcome, but not as payment to avoid current sitespecific nature protections. Others are more promising but liable to be diluted or ‘captured’ by the status quo. B-Corp certification, for example, has largely been a positive force, but its ‘triple bottom line’ of people-planetprofit perpetuates the conceptual separation between humans and nature. It also suffers where accredited organisations claim to strike a ‘balance’ across the three – assuming relationships of gain and loss between them – and therefore neglect opportunities to imagine paradigms and structures that might elevate all three together.

Finally, there are interventions that are well-aligned with nature-centric housing but which need help to scale. This is the case with forms of nature representation such as morethan-human assemblies, where each participant represents the interests of a particular species during a decisionmaking process. One type of assembly – the Interspecies Council – has been used for both exploratory future river policy development and to create a more-than-human response to the Defra Land Use Framework consultation. However, like many nature-centric interventions, it’ll need to be used more widely in order to have a strategic impact.

Ministers and developers might roll their eyes. They’ll say there’s already pressure to include climate mitigation and adaptation measures, such as solar panels, insulation and heat pumps. They’ll say that planting trees, creating provisions for individual species or incentivising interconnected gardens is just adding to an endless list that increases complexity and expense. They’ll say that nobody cares about snails or newts anyway, ignoring those who do and quietly omitting to mention the consequences of land use decisions for our charismatic mammals and raptors.

And they’ll say nothing at all about the costs of ecological breakdown. However, a response focused on cost and complexity also carries the assumption that a housing location is for humans and nature provisions are add-ons. Nature-centric values and mindsets, by contrast, mean that the creation of individual dwellings and communities becomes a multispecies design process from the outset.

Nature-centric housing is the only real ‘win-win’ for housing and nature. It exposes the mirage of an alleged ‘win-win’ that extinguishes living populations in one location on the basis of a promise that provision will be made for some of their conspecifics elsewhere. The real solutions transcend bricks and mortar and rules about where to put them: we need to rebuild our care and responsibility to the natural world, acknowledging nature as something we humans are deeply part of, instead of apart from. To solve the housing crisis in ways that are genuinely sustainable may require “inner development”, but that development is highly rewarding in itself.

We can – if we choose to – unlock the housing crisis in a way that doesn’t compromise the integrity of nature on which national prosperity depends, creates a new generation of developments showcasing UK leadership and innovation, and provides people with ethical, healthy and desirable places in which to live.

Image from a competition entry entitled ‘More than human neighbourhood’ for the site of Hjertelia, Norway. Andrew Tabocchini Architecture

A week in the life of...

Name: Harriet Evans

Job title: Complaints Officer

Company: Mount Green

Monday

Employee since: 2022

Location, location, location: Leatherhead

Previous employment: Hospitality

I start the week by logging on and making my way through all the various complaints emails that we’ve received from Mount Green residents over the weekend. All of the complaints get logged onto our internal tracking systems so that they get responded to on time. I then send the information for each complaint over to the correct investigating officer, so that they can respond to it.

I work across many of Mount Green’s departments to allocate complaints to various people, ensuring that they’ll be responded to correctly and efficiently.

We always make sure that we’re complying with the code set out by the Housing Ombudsman and always prioritise giving a fair and considered response to each and every resident.

We get such a variety of enquiries from residents on a daily basis, so we need to make sure that we’re constantly reviewing and aligning our replies to make sure that residents are responded to correctly and are given the right information to help resolve their complaints.

Tuesday

I have a weekly meeting with our repairs team, just to check the status of ongoing repairs and make sure that everything that needs completing gets done on time. I also speak to our finance team to process any compensation from complaints that have already been responded to, if this is relevant to a case.

I meet weekly with our reactive repairs manager to discuss complaints for the next week that are relevant for our repairs delivery service.

I might also try to get some studying in for my CIH Level 3 Certificate in Housing Practice, if my diary allows!

Wednesday

I’ll start the morning by responding to and checking any new emails that have come through overnight. I might help some colleagues answer any questions they may have about our complaints processes or explain how we go about offering compensation, if this is relevant to the situation that they’re dealing with. It’s important that we’re consistent in our complaints responses and that the way we reply to any issues is in line with our internal policies, as well as complying with industry standards.

Sometimes I might have to investigate and answer multiple complaints myself, so I’ll first make contact with the resident, so that I can get a better understanding of the problem and to make myself aware of the outcome that they’re looking for. I’ll also contact residents to discuss any ongoing complaints and make sure I provide a written response, so they are fully informed about next steps and know we’ve seen their message.

Additionally, I attend Housing Ombudsman training, to ensure that we’re kept up to date with any changes to the Complaint Code.

Alongside my day-to-day work, I’m also studying to complete my CIH Level 3 Certificate in Housing Practice, so, if possible, I’ll carve out some time to complete any research or necessary tasks for this. The qualification means that I’m constantly building and growing my knowledge and competency in housing, so that I’ll be able to deliver the best possible services to Mount Green residents. At the end of my day, I’ll check that all the complaint responses have been sent out to the residents and marked off on our systems.

Thursday

About once a month, I update my fellow colleagues on the current performance management of the complaints that we’ve received in the past month, to reflect on any lessons learned and to evaluate on anything we can do to improve our services going forward.

As mentioned, this is a monthly occurrence, but as you can imagine it can take some time to pull everything together, so I spend a day collating all the information from complaints over the last four weeks to present to my colleagues.

I also join our weekly complaints meeting with our internal team to chat through any high-risk issues and complaints that are due that week. We’ll also discuss any ideas and solutions to help resolve any existing complaints, if needed.

Friday

I’ll finish the week by checking through my emails and making sure I’m up to date and I try to get through any complaints as best I can before the week commences.

I’ll also update our commitment tracker with any commitments made in response to a complaint, so that we can keep track of and ensure that we’re completing any necessary actions.

I’ll make sure to check on my colleagues and see if those who are responding to a complaint that’s due that day are still able to meet their deadline, and discuss a resolution if not.

I’ll make any last contact to residents for the week to discuss their complaint and make sure it’s correctly filed and responded to on our end.

A job dealing with complaints every day isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but in this kind of role, you might come into contact with residents who are repeatedly submitting complaints, and, in that situation, some people would feel frustrated that things haven’t progressed, but I don’t. I feel like I’m advocating for them on their behalf throughout the business and getting things resolved for them, as often people are complaining for a genuine reason.

I really like being able to support people in my role. When someone comes back to you and they say, “oh, thank you, you’ve really helped me” or “you’ve understood my concerns” – I really enjoy that part of my job. Complaints isn’t always doom and gloom!

In the frame

 Colourful Canaries Orbit

The housing provider joined up with local artists to paint a new mural celebrating the supporters of Norwich City FC at its St Anne’s Quarter development.

 Paws for applause Housing 21

The specialist housing provider was announced as a winner of the RSPCA’s Silver Award in the Housing category for going above and beyond in its efforts to ensure the welfare of animals living in its retirement living and extra care properties.

 Meet the Manbassadors Salix Homes

The housing association is leading the roll-out of Salford Manbassadors – a grassroots initiative designed to create a network of trained volunteers, known as ‘Manbassadors’, across the city.

The housing association hosted a vibrant celebration of culture, fashion and community ahead of this year’s Leeds West Indian Carnival.



Hi-vis Hull Thirteen Housing

The housing association has appointed North-East based regeneration specialist

RE:GEN to carry out a £5.2 million regeneration project at Turner and Owbridge Court in Hull.

 Perfect match Ongo

The housing association has announced a continuation of its partnership with Doncaster Rovers Football Club and Club Doncaster Foundation for the 25/26 season.

If you’d like to be featured In the Frame, please email your pictures to max.salsbury@hqnetwork.co.uk

 Fashion parade Unity Homes

A life in 15 questions

Kate Wareing

Chief Executive, Soha

1. What do you do for fun?

Not enough! I love being in nature –walking, swimming, and I think the Merlin bird song identification app is a work of genius. I love travelling – I love meeting new people and seeing things from a different perspective.

2. You have the power to change one thing about the social housing sector: what would it be?

I’d open up allocations so that everyone who can’t afford to buy or rent a home has a chance to access a secure home through us. Although allocating to the person who ‘needs’ that home the most always makes sense on an individual level, it doesn’t work long term for communities. We need our communities to see social housing as for them and their children and support us to build far more of it.

3. What advice would you give to someone starting out in housing?

Always remember that your job is about people. We’re often involved with people at points of crisis in their lives, and how you’re treated by others at a point of crisis really matters.

4. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever experienced?

OK, this is about to take an unexpected turn. I was raped and nearly killed by a stranger about 14 years ago. Knowing what I thought about when I was expecting to die is definitely the strangest thing I’ve ever experienced. That knowledge has been oddly protective ever since. I also decided very shortly after I had survived that I wouldn’t hide what had happened to me. I’m not responsible for, or ashamed of, having been raped, and politically I think it’s important that we understand how common sexual assault is.

5. Who’s your favourite author, and why?

I’m much better at identifying my favourite books than authors. One of my favourite books is To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara. Spoiler: it’s not happy! It’s set in New York over three time periods – one of which is in the future. I love the way that the links between people across these three periods of time are built, and it’s also an incredibly well written warning about what the future could become if we aren’t careful about our world, our politics and our freedoms.

6. What are your three favourite albums?

Europe is Lost by Kae Tempest, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill, and Random Access Memories by Daft Punk. At least that’s my answer today.

7. Favourite film or TV series? The West Wing

8. Proudest achievement?

Having raised three functional young adults, and I’m very proud of Soha and all we achieve together too.

9. A world without music or a world without literature – and why?

Literature has to go, although with a very heavy heart. I love music. I love how it reaches your emotions and creates connection. And you also can’t dance to a book.

10. Favourite place in the world?

What an impossible question. New York for its energy. Laos for calm and beauty.

11. You can resurrect anyone from history and talk to them for an hour: who, and why?

I’d pick someone who I wanted to understand better, and whose perspective I don’t share, but who has had a big impact on the world – there are lots of them!

12. Favourite food?

Anything eaten by the sea in the sunshine.

13. Most embarrassing moment?

That I’m prepared to share? My team singing happy birthday to me on my 50th birthday at our staff conference.

14. If you didn’t work in housing, what would you do?

Ideally, I’d run a really lovely florist.

15. What makes for a good life?

Relationships with people you love, being part of a community of people who you care about, and being lucky enough to do a job you enjoy and believe matters.

By Hannah Fearn, freelance journalist specialising in social affairs

Why living through scarcity opens the door to bad actors The last word

The failure of successive governments to build enough new homes has resulted in a housing crisis and low economic growth. With supply so tight, it’s now only the most vulnerable people in society who qualify for low-cost housing.

Waiting lists are long and growing. Only those with very complex needs are allocated tenancies at social, rather than ‘affordable’, rent levels. Inevitably, over the same period that the state pulled out of funding housing, the cost of supporting tenants effectively and building sustainable communities has just kept on rising. The government might be plunging into a long campaign of spending and legislating to reverse poor development rates, but that pattern of increasing needs isn’t going away.

“Inflation has been rapid in the post-covid period. We can all feel it. Nevertheless, this year’s minimum income standard will shock you. It certainly shocked me”

In September the Joseph Rowntree Foundation published its annual assessment of the ‘minimum income standard’. This figure is a complex calculation of the income that a person or a family needs to be able to be an active and engaged part of their community. It isn’t a measure of basic needs; the number always includes the type of discretionary spending that makes a life feel liveable and worthwhile –an occasional takeaway, a Netflix subscription, a visit to the zoo with your children, and being able to afford some decorations to put up at Christmas time.

Inflation has been rapid in the post-covid period. We can all feel it. Nevertheless, this year’s minimum income standard will shock you. It certainly shocked me.

A single person now requires a pre-tax income of £30,500 to achieve that basic standard of living. A couple who have two children aged three and seven require £74,000. The current UK minimum wage for an adult works out as an annual salary of around £25,400. Two people earning that are falling well short. The slack is picked up by universal credit, but benefits are being repressed and are only intended to help a family reach subsistence.

The median average income for an adult in full-time work is £37,430. Two adults on that income are over the minimum income standard threshold – but not by much. And most families in social housing today will not fall into that category.

Destitution levels are rising in the UK, but just as importantly, so are the numbers of households living somewhere on the cusp of poverty. They may be just about scraping by on a package of low paid work and small benefit payments, with some free childcare or perhaps free school meals, but they don’t have the slack in their budgets to participate in their communities in the way they would choose. They are falling well short of today’s minimum income standard.

The government is still looking to reduce benefits, meaning that incomes of those on this threshold will shrink even further while costs continue to rise. While incomes are steadily rising again, they are still not keeping pace with daily costs.

These shifts have real consequences within communities. Living through scarcity turns people inwards; it can create emotions of frustration and hostility. It leads to a sense of personal powerlessness that can be easily manipulated by bad actors – whether that’s local doorstep loan sharks or the fascist agitators of the far right.

The people that housing associations now work with are living more complex and under-supported lives than at any time in the movement’s history, and they’re doing so while money for the public services they rely on is still shrinking even while the cash tap for development funding has been turned back on.

So, do celebrate the arrival of a new era of government support for social housing – but don’t make the mistake that it’s going to make your job any easier.