The Coalition Government and the rethinking of social housing

Alex Marsh

PAC Annual Conference 2011

Birmingham

2 Structure

• Framework

• Social housing models

• Social housing in England– A changing role– Some established characteristics– A consequence

• Late New Labour housing policy

• The Coalition era: politics, problem, policies

3 Framework

• Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Approach– Problem– Politics– Policy

– Windows of opportunity

• Reframing

• Discursive institutions

4 Social housing models

• Mass housing–Mainstream tenure

• Residual housing

5 Social housing in England:A changing role

• An overall reduction in the scale of social housing provision since 1980

• A transformation of the role of social housing– From a mainstream tenure to a residual

‘safety net’ tenure

6 Social housing in England:Some established characteristics

• Secure tenancies

• Access to properties based on assessed need

rather than ability to pay– Emerged in the 1960s from a focus on suitability

• Legal requirements to show ‘reasonable

preference’ to certain categories of household– including Statutorily Homeless Households

7 Social housing in England:A consequence

• The concentration of social disadvantage in social

housing, which means spatial concentration of

disadvantage and social segregation

8 Late New Labour housing policy

• Fully embraced the ‘Choice in Public Services’ agenda

• Provider diversification• Rent restructuring

– More market-like pricing• Choice-based lettings

– More market-like allocations

• Opening up systems of registration for social housing

9 Policy agendas

• National: Sustainable communities agenda– Increasing social mix through:

• Tenure diversification at local level• Changing methods of allocating social

housing

• Local: Flexibilities in allocation– New Code of Guidance following Ahmad case– Improving lettings “quality”

10 The Coalition era

• Window of opportunity– Housing market context (High private price/rent)– Fiscal consolidation

• Politics– Weak opposition– Incorporation of the LibDems– Badly worked through justifications

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• Problem– Insufficient accommodation– Reframing – the constraints faced and accepted– Framed narrowly (Deficit means limited public

money for new build)– Framed broadly (eg. Waiting list numbers)– Framed beyond “housing” (Fairness and the

taxpayer (leading to policy on underoccupation); Interpersonal welfare comparisons)

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• Policy– Social housing as a temporary safety net– Change to fixed term tenancies

• Economic circumstances– Heavily criticised

• “Pay to stay” (a break from logic of marketisation?)

– “Affordable” rent regime• Return to the aristocracy of the working class?

– Redefine homelessness duties to allow discharge in PRS without household’s consent• Beyond John Major’s fantasies

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• Embedded in broader policy (Welfare/HB reform;

Planning policy reform; Financial regulation) that

will work in exactly the opposite direction

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• Established rights and roles associated with social

housing are being unravelled and reconfigured.

• There has been a rapid reconfiguration of the

terms of housing debate.

• A window of opportunity has opened up and

allowed policies to progress that have the potential

to transform the sector over the coming years.