Earlier this month, we issued a call to the new government, urging them to show bold action and commit to a long-term plan to reform the UK’s housing system.
Our call for change rests on five clear recommendations, which we have outlined in a newly published document: Decent and affordable homes for all: five proposals for a fairer housing system.
Drawing from decades of evidence and research, we firmly believe that these proposals have the collective potential to transform the failing housing system. The first of these proposals is our overarching recommendation:
Why is this our first recommendation?
Our homes should be secure, stable places for families to thrive, but millions of people are unable to access a decent, secure home. In fact, more than 130,000 children live in temporary accommodation, one in five privately rented homes in the UK fall short of basic safety and decency standards and one in 182 people are now homeless.
The challenges within England’s housing sector are deep-rooted and housing policies of successive governments have been fragmented and inconsistent. These policies, often characterised by short-term interventions, have failed to address the fundamental and systemic failures within the housing system.
This needs to change. Our overarching recommendation is for all political parties to agree on a long-term vision for a well-functioning housing system, which will enable everyone to have a decent, affordable home. This will inform a long-term strategy and the delivery of policies to make the vision a reality.
How could this be achieved?
Housing should be an urgent priority. A long-term vision should set out what
‘good’ looks like across four key areas:
- better homes
- an effective housing market
- better systems
- better policy and policymaking
Cross-party agreement is needed to ensure that the necessary long-term changes are sustained and progressed across multiple government cycles.
Government should then develop a strategy to help achieve the vision, that recognises the interrelationships and interactions between housing, the economy, health, education and other elements of society. The strategy needs to look beyond addressing housing shortages and supply.
A statutory Housing Strategy Committee should be created, akin to the Climate Change Committee, to advise and hold government now and in the future to account for progress towards the vision.
Alongside the Church of England, we are leading members of ‘Homes for All’, a coalition of organisations who support the urgent need for this long-term strategic approach to addressing the housing crisis and creating a well-functioning housing system. Supporters include the National Housing Federation, the Chartered Institute for Housing and Crisis.
You can read the full Homes for All vision, or find out more about why the Nationwide Foundation believes so firmly in this vision for the future.
Jonathan Lewis, our Programme Manager for Nurturing Ideas to Change the Housing System, said: “England’s failing housing system is denying millions of people a home – the place of comfort, safety and security that serves as the foundation for a decent life. This isn’t right and it demands change.
“To address this, we need decisive action and leadership. Transforming England’s homes is possible, but it begins with the government recognising housing as a long-term issue that requires equally long-term solutions. By committing to creating a well-functioning housing system, that will support people’s health, wellbeing, education and careers, the government can leave a lasting legacy – one that will ensure safe, affordable and high-quality homes for all.”
What are our other recommendations?
Our five proposals for a fairer housing system:
- Reimagine our housing system: agree a long-term vision to achieve Homes for All
- Increase the supply of genuinely affordable homes
- Transform the private rented sector to better protect tenants
- Support the growth of community-led housing to diversify the housing market and deliver more homes at prices people can afford, in places where they are needed and wanted.
- Place tackling health inequalities at the heart of housing policy
The five recommendations also contain further tactical solutions for the government to consider, to help achieve the five main proposals. These include: support the conversion of private rented sector properties to social or genuinely affordable rented homes and replace ‘affordable rent’ with income-linked ‘living rent’. You can read all the proposals in more detail on our website.