Housing delivery missing in action – and from the Budget

COMMENT Last week’s Budget wanted to be a safe pair of hands for the UK economy. But there was no security for the hundreds of thousands of families that sit on housing waiting lists, the millions in social and affordable housing struggling to pay their rent, or the 2.8m families that live in substandard accommodation. Over the last 12 months, there has been tinkering with planning policy and consultations, a rent cap and much rhetoric about helping those worst off. But save for a mention of housing help for veterans, this Budget paid absolutely no attention to some of the most critical issues the UK is facing. My AWOL register is as follows:  • Missing: planning system certainty and clarity to deliver housing; • Missing: support for housing associations and registered providers and developers to fast track affordable housing delivery;• Missing: urgent improvement funding to accelerate the standard of housing. At any given time or place, there are swathes of uninhabitable dwellings, some still being lived in and others empty, that need urgent repairs in order to cut down housing waiting times. The stick that was put in place to fine housing associations and registered providers for not making repairs has only just started to gain traction, and sticks don’t tend to do well without carrots. Where are the carrots? The Levelling Up Bill – and its associated funds – are in theory a good idea, but there is so much disparity in every region that I would argue that genuine levelling up begins by upgrading the quality of housing in every local authority. It’s no good handpicking a few red-voter locations as priorities to tick the box. We want genuine levelling up so that no-one has to live in damp, mouldy, cold or insecure properties and that every person has the right to warm shelter of an appropriate standard.  We hope that such measures will be announced separately given their absence last week. This simply must be a priority for the government and it is really sad that it doesn’t appear to be the case right now. EVO Digital is working with developers, housing associations, registered providers and organisations such as Capital Letters to get repairs made instantly to release more housing to all people who need it. But companies like us alone cannot fix the huge amount of broken housing stock. Maybe my many contemporaries who feel the same can join me for a pint now that’s cheaper and plot between us how to fix the housing system. Thanks Jeremy. Steven Rae is chief executive at EVO