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Kickstarting a housing legacy? 100 days of a new government

Published date: 16 October 2024

Prime Minister Keir Starmer on stage in front of a white lectern, in front of a red projection which reads 'change begins'.

Andrew Soar

Senior Digital Campaigner

The day after the election, we went to a very wet Westminster and held up a big banner saying ‘Change? Time to prove it’.

We wanted to make it clear that the status quo – record homelessness, over 150,000 children growing up in temporary accommodation, unaffordable and insecure private renting – needed to be a priority for change.

Shelter campaigners stand on Westminster bridge with a banner dropped over the bridge saying 'Change? time to prove it' with the Shelter logo. The Shelter campaigners have their arms raised.

We issued a challenge to the new government to kickstart their housing legacy in 100 days by doing these four things:

  1. Improve private renting: bring forward robust legislation to reform the private rented sector, giving renters stability in their homes, and tackling runaway rents

  2. Protect social housing: immediately freeze Right to Buy and do a full review of the policy

  3. Get developers building social housing: hold developers to account by including a nationally set 20% minimum social housing requirement on large sites

  4. Get councils building social housing: arm councils with the funding, capacity and tools they need to build directly

So, how have they done?

Renters Reform Bill: Introduced and up to Committee Stage

A new Renters Reform Bill was introduced by the government on the 11 September.

With record levels of evictions, rising rent rates, and appalling standards all too common in private renting, we believe this new Renters' Rights Bill is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix the huge problems with renting privately in England. It's vital this bill gives renters the security and rights they deserve.

We’re very busy improving this bill – focusing on unfair rent increases. And we’re making progress! During the second reading it was raised 44 times by 21 MPs in total. We held a private roundtable for MPs, and our supporters have sent thousands of emails sent to their MPs about what needs to change. A big thank you to those supporters – you're helping us make this bill better for private renters.

We’re giving evidence on 22 October at the next stage of the bill, as MPs scrutinise it in painstaking detail in the following weeks. If you want to help us make sure this bill is as strong as possible for private renters, you can join our campaign to fix renting.

Right to Buy: Consultation on the policy promised

Since its introduction in 1980, over two million social homes have been sold via Right to Buy, with only 2% of these replaced. In the last 10 years alone we've seen a net loss of 260,000 social rent homes, with the main driver of this being Right to Buy. That’s why we’re calling on the new government to stop Right to Buy from draining our social housing stock by immediately suspending the scheme until we reach the target of building 90,000 social rent homes a year. And we’re in fine company, with thousands of supporters joining our Right to BYE campaign.

The government has promised a consultation on the Right to Buy policy and have said they want a ‘fairer Right to Buy policy’. We await the consultation – and hope the government will go further and immediately freeze the policy to stop the loss of social homes that are desperately needed to end homelessness. Find out more about the impact of Right to Buy.

Get developers building social housing: National Planning Policy Framework Consultation

On the 30 July, the government published proposals and a consultation on them to reform planning (the National Planning Policy Framework, or NPPF).

We believe that too many of the homes being built by developers aren't the right homes, and that the planning system isn't doing enough to build the social homes we need. We think the planning system should help councils to do more to bring empty homes and dilapidated buildings back in to use for people who need a safe and secure home. We believe we can do more to safely convert commercial buildings in to good quality and regulated social homes. And we will continue to fight for national and local policies to include plans to reduce homelessness and social housing waitlist.

That's why we, alongside more than 1500 supporters, responded to this consultation.

The government has promised the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. We believe any reforms to the planning system need to prioritise social housing, and we await eagerly the government’s response to this consultation and the upcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Help councils build social housing: lots of promises, no target or firm long-term funding commitment

Currently, there aren’t enough social rent homes being built by councils. Direct delivery by councils has been the only way England has ever hit high housing targets – like the ones the government has re-introduced. 50 years ago (in 1974), councils directly delivered nearly 100,000 social rent homes. Following years of funding cuts, many councils were forced to shut down their building operations, transfer their council stock to housing associations, or focus on building private homes for sale to balance their budgets.

We believe that unleashing them again would help to build 34,000 social rented homes a year by 2030.

In the last 10 years, we’ve seen a net loss of 260,000 social rent homes, including 11,700 homes lost last year alone. It’s vital the government invest in social housing – and that’s why we’re calling on an immediate investment in social housebuilding through a new Affordable Homes Programme (AHP).

At the budget and next year’s spending review, we want to see recognition of the need for investment. We need to see the government deliver a new, reformed 10-year Affordable Homes Programme focusing most of the funding on social rent, devolving powers and making the process easier to build the homes communities need. If you’d like to know more about our calls on the need for more social homes, read a summary of our Brick by Brick report.

A big thank you: our fellow housing and homelessness campaigners

We want to take this opportunity to thank:

  • the 20,000 people who joined our call on the government to prioritise fixing the housing emergency.

  • the 2000 people emailed their MP ahead of Angela Rayner’s first MHCLG questions

  • the 1500 people responded to the NPPF consultation

  • the hundreds of people who emailed their MP about coming to our stall at Labour Party Conference

  • the tens of thousands of people who have already helped us influence the Renters' Rights Bill.

We can only end homelessness through government intervention – and you help us reach MPs and Ministers. Thank you.

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