Agenda item - A New Deal for Social Housing - Government Green Paper and Consultation

38.1           Hilary Edgar gave a briefing on the government green paper. She stated that the Social Housing Green Paper proposes fundamental reform to ensure social houses provided an essential, safe, well managed service for all those who needed it. She referred residents to page 29 of the paper to see how they could get involved.

38.2           Residents questioned what this paper meant for the prospect of social rent and whether this paper was simply a disguise for the government diverting investment from other projects.

38.3           In response to residents, the Chair stated that this was an empowering opportunity and held landlords to account. He said this paper would secure a future for social housing by scrapping the cap, enabling the council to build more homes, and that councils were no longer compelled to sell empty properties.  He added that in terms of a future of social rent, it was not an impossible and was often debated in Housing & New Homes Committee.

38.4           RESOLVED: That the Panel noted the report.