I’m delighted to introduce my summer intern, Lamara Wilson. She’s studying Social Policy at the University of Lincoln and is joining me this summer to learn all about pensions. I’m sure many of you will see her out and about with me, come and say hi!
Lamara and I went to the Housing 2025 conference in Manchester on Tuesday. It was such a treat to get immersed in a different policy area; adjacent to pensions but with its own depths and complications. Also, like the PLSA conference, there were lots of stalls to visit, one of them provided me with a vegan Biscoff ice cream!
The best talk was ITV’s Daniel Hewitt, who produces Trapped: Inside Britian’s Social Housing Scandal. This podcast exposes the neglect of tenants left in substandard dwellings by councils. I was so interested to hear Daniel say that part of the reason for council inaction is actually the lack of social housing to meet demand. Around 145,000 new affordable homes are needed each year, but supply has consistently under provided: in 2023 around 64,000 were built and this was an increase on previous years.
Lamara explains, “With housing providers focused on building new stock, existing properties are often neglected. As a result, the current social housing stock is ageing, and maintenance needs are rising. This is particularly concerning for older tenants. Around 79% of social housing tenants aged 75 and over have lived in their homes for more than a decade. It is therefore not surprising that 11% of tenants aged 65 and over live in homes that fail to meet the Decent Homes Standard.
A lack of affordable alternatives worsens the problem. The shortage of social housing limits choice for low-income households, forcing many to rely on the private rental sector. Some landlords exploit this, knowing tenants cannot always afford to move. As a result, 21.3% of private rented homes fail to meet the Decent Homes Standard, a rate consistent across all age groups.”
A failure to meet demand for affordable homes is driving multiple systemic problems, from poor quality housing to more private renting in later life. Housing supply, security, and pensions are deeply connected. It’s been brilliant to explore these links with Lamara as she starts her summer with me.
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