Bruce Moore: How long must we wait for a government to take a strategic view on housing? | Policy blog

Bruce Moore  is the Chief Executive of Housing 21 , a housing association that owns and manages 24,000 retirement living and extra care properties across the whole of England. Find out why Bruce believes the Housing sector should stand together to take the government to task on what he calls a “myopic and mañana approach to decision making”.

 

So, why have I been invited to contribute to Habinteg’s Accessible Homes Week series of blogs on the 10th anniversary of the M4(2) accessible and adaptable and M4(3) wheelchair user standards being introduced as ‘optional’ standards?   I think it’s because of my long service in the sector and because there are parallels and links between the things that matter most to Habinteg and those that are of greatest concern to Housing 21.

Too often as a sector we spend time arguing for a bigger slice of the cake and jostling for position to get the ear of government to hear our particular plea. What we should be doing is finding common cause to make the case for a bigger cake and using our collective voice to warn the government of the perils of failing to recognise the consequences of a myopic and mañana approach to decision making.

Unavoidable realities

In 2008, the last Labour Government published a powerful and progressive National Strategy for Housing an Ageing Society called Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods. 

This wasn’t just a document that advocated building more retirement living and extra care properties. It recognised that many more older people were going to be living in general housing, so it was just as important to ensure that such housing was accessible, adaptable, and suitable for the needs of people living in non-specialist housing as they aged and increasingly had mobility challenges.

It also advocated for better advice, information, and awareness, and was not confined to housing of a particular tenure or specific sector in terms of the solutions it advocated.

It recognised that being too short-sighted and short-termist, and putting off acting, was only going to make problems more acute and difficult to deal with at the time when they became unavoidable realities, which the demographics tell us they certainly will.  

Poor housing decisions

Housing 21 still has a considerable number of bedsit properties and accommodation that can only be accessed by stairs that are too narrow for a stairlift to be installed. Whilst we are still able to let these properties today, their long-term future is not as certain as it would be if they had been one (or even two) bedroom properties and built with accessibility in mind.

Too many properties are thus being seen as unsuitable and decommissioned at a time when there is a desperate need for more provision. Let’s avoid making these types of mistakes again, when for a little extra cost and thought up front we can reap long term benefits.

The impact of poor housing decisions are not just felt or measured in terms of the ability to find a suitable good quality of home to live in, they also have knock-on effects and costs implications for the health and social care sectors and ultimately on the economy in terms of the extra support that is needed by people who are not well or adequately housed.

Strategic view needed

How much longer do we need to wait for a government that understands what is at stake, what is to come if they do not act now and take a strategic view, to not just increase housing supply, but make sure the right type and quality of homes are being built? 

I am proud to be part of the Housing Ageing Alliance along with representatives from Habinteg, the National Housing Federation, Age UK, the social and for profit housing providers and others.   We have made a commitment to speak with a collective voice and not just think about our own narrow interests. Together we are strong and hopefully we will be heard.

Because I have been around a long time, I still remember the Unison advert with the little ant asking the big bear to move but being ignored, but when the whole colony of ants came together the bear got a fright and had to act (watch it on YouTube). The sooner we all recognise the imperative we face, the better and easier it will be for everyone.