Thank you for contacting me about improving housing stock across the country.
Everyone deserves a warm, safe, high-quality home to call their own. I share the determination of my ministerial colleagues to improve housing quality across the private and social rented sectors and strengthen the voices of residents up and down the country.
The Government has laid out its plans to spread opportunity and prosperity to every region of the UK in the Levelling Up White Paper. Building more homes and transforming the quality of our housing to ensure it is fit for the 21st century are important parts of this. I understand that the levelling up agenda will be underpinned by a Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill which will require the Government to provide annual updates on its progress against goals set out in the White Paper.
The Government is taking steps to deliver on its commitments made to social housing tenants following the Grenfell tragedy in 2017. Building on the policies outlined in the Charter for Social Housing Residents, a Social Housing Regulation Bill will raise the standard for social housing to meet the needs and aspirations of residents around the country. Taking on board comments made by the Secretary of State, I understand that legislation is due to be published later this year.
I believe that much of the current housing being built on the Island is not for Islanders and is harmful to our economy. The developments are not designed for local people, but for the broader South-East housing markets. Many developments fail to meet local demands; we build three and four-bed houses when the Island requires affordable 1 and 2-bedroom properties. As a result, our young people are unable to find or afford the right housing and often have no choice but to leave the Island.
I believe that we need a policy that builds the housing that Islanders need. I want to see fewer houses built, but I want almost all of those that are built to be affordable homes for Islanders. I want the Council to become further engaged in shaping the house-building market on the Island and I support plans to establish an Island housing company, to build affordable homes for Islanders.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
