NALC welcomes government’s Social Housing Green Paper

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has welcomed the publication of the government’s Social Housing Green Paper, last week.

The main proposals in the paper are fundamental reforms to ensure social homes provide an essential, safe,well-managed service for all those who need it. The government will also consider how it can rebalance the relationship between residents and landlords to ensure issues are resolved swiftly and residents’ voices are heard. 

To support this vision there is a powerful case to be made for strengthening the regulatory framework so that it not only focuses on the governance and financial viability of housing associations but also on how residents are treated and the level of services they should expect.

Cllr Sue Baxter, chairman of NALC, said: ”NALC is pleased that the government has decided to publish its Social Housing Green Paper. In particular, we welcome the government’s intention to make social housing a stable base that supports people when they need it and encourages social mobility. NALC has several positions on affordable social housing, in particular in rural areas. We recently said in response to the National Planning Policy Framework update that the country needs a sustainable supply of good quality homes and the paper will help to achieve that. The government now needs to ensure that the principles contained in the updated National Planning Policy Framework apply equally across the social and private housing sectors, in both rural and urban areas.”