We are marking the UN International Day of
Democracy with a webinar to discuss how to increase the supply of social
housing in the UK. Although Democracy Day is on 15 September, we are meeting on 20th
to avoid clashes.
The right to
housing is a fundamental democratic freedom and it is difficult to exercise the
vote in many democracies, including the UK, without a permanent address. Secure,
high quality housing improves health and wellbeing, boosts educational achievement
and literally provides a stable foundation for people to reach their potential
– including their potential as active citizens.
Turnout in the 2024 General Election was
the lowest since universal suffrage for men and women was introduced in 1929. Disengagement
on this scale is a challenge to democracy and turnout among non-homeowners was
particularly low. This may partly be because the housing debate in the UK tends
to be driven by the hopes and fears of homeowners. The hopes and fears of homeless
people and families on the lowest incomes get less attention. Social housing
provided by local authorities and housing associations provides a lifeline for
these groups, but it is a scarce resource, in desperately short supply. Too
many households with severe housing needs languish on waiting lists for years,
with no realistic prospect of affordable housing. The government has set a
target to build 1.5m homes within the life of this Parliament. This is to be
achieved through private investment, levered in by changes to the planning system
which are intended to remove obstacles to development. Delivery will therefore depend
on the conditions local planning authorities impose on developers. In this
webinar we will discuss the funding options for social housing and how we can
help to ensure that the housing pipeline includes sufficient numbers of decent social
homes in the areas where they are most urgently needed, designed to meet the
requirements of local households.
The session will be opened by Dr Nazia Khanum
OBE DL, Chair of UNA Luton and former Head of the London Borough of Tower
Hamlets’ Race and Housing Action Team. Our main speakers will be Professor
Stewart Smyth from Cork University Business School and Dr Suzanne Muna,
Secretary and co-founder of the Social Housing Action
Campaign. Dr David Cheesman, Secretary of UNA Luton and former Head of
Policy, Research and Statistics at the Housing Corporation, will facilitate
the discussion.
