Conservatives in ‘complete rethink’ over social housing

THE Conservative Party has pledged a ‘complete rethink’ of social housing in the wake of the Grenfell disaster – admitting tenants are being ‘failed by the system’.

In a sign the government is feeling the pressure in the wake of the tragedy, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid admitted social housing system ‘has to change’, promising a ‘top to bottom’ review following the fire that left more than 80 people dead.

“It is a matter of basic justice,” he told Conservative delegates at conference in Manchester.

He also pledged to end the ‘great injustice’ of the ‘broken housing market’ more widely, including more rights for private renters.

Mr Javid was speaking less than a week after Jeremy Corbyn put the implications of Grenfell at the heart of his own conference speech, while promising rent controls to help young people facing spiralling housing costs.

Mr Javid did not outline what steps the government would take to improve social housing, however, or pledge to build any more.

But his speech did outline a raft of new policies aimed at private renters, as well as confirming that new legislation to ban letting fees would be published imminently.

He said some landlords do not offer a good, secure home’, pointing to ‘unreasonable’ rent rises, repairs left undone and the threat of revenge evictions. All letting agents will in future be more tightly regulated in order to make sure they meet ‘strict minimum standards’, he said.

All landlords will have to be covered by a redress scheme backed