Social housing regulation - tenants' views

Recently the Department for Communities and Local Government published the output of the tenants’ focus groups for the Cave Review of social housing regulation. (The document can be downloaded.)

As you’d expect from a series of focus group meetings there were a variety of views expressed. Important themes can be found in the key findings:

- local management arrangements in organisations of a “human scale”;

- a common framework and regulator for all housing organisations – including the private sector;

- removing benefit dis-incentives that discourage tenant involvement on boards;

- a national organisation giving tenants a voice alongside the Audit Commission, National Housing Federation and the Chartered Institute of Housing; and

- more choice for tenants – including choice of landlord.

I agree with all those – and have argued on this blog for them!

Hopefully the Cave report will reflect the views of tenants.

The radical, critical and thoughtful contributions of tenants to the housing debate contrasts with the empty rhetoric and anti-housing association stereotyping in this month’s Red Pepper Housing Special (I’ll be cancelling my subscription) or on the Defend Council Housing website.