The Social team had a front row seat as secretary of state addressed the Social Housing Annual Conference.

The Deputy Prime Minister addressed the social housing sector yesterday (20 November 2024) – thanking housing associations and councils for their hard work, telling them “we’ve got your back” but also stressing that with that backing “comes responsibility”.

Angela Rayner, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, said that responsibility extended to building more social housing, providing safe, warm and decent homes and ensuring that residents are treated with the respect they deserve.

Ultimately, this was an invite to the sector to work in partnership with government to help fix the broken housing market.

Describing social and council housing as the ‘beating heart’ of the UK government’s upcoming housing strategy, she added: “No longer will social housing be seen as an afterthought – or even worse, actively discouraged.”

As ever, it was an enlightening day at the Social Housing magazine Annual Conference – getting into the ‘how’ of addressing housing need, the 1.5m homes ambition, attracting investment into the sector and working together to deliver more homes and invest in the quality and sustainability of existing ones.

The highlight was of course Angela Rayner giving a closing keynote speech – and then taking questions (not something housing ministers let alone a Secretary of State has been willing to do in recent times at these events).

She shared her own personal story of how council housing provided the foundation and the security she needed to get on in life, before recognising the challenging environment experienced both for housing providers and their tenants alike.

A key announcement yesterday was the government’s consultation to reform – albeit not scrap – the Right to Buy (which Rayner benefited from herself). The message was that councils have 100% control of cash receipts and ensure reinvestment into desperately needed social housing – while also providing opportunity for long-term tenants to buy their home. The deputy PM also confirmed that RTB would not be extended to housing associations.

On a wider point of policy support for the sector, there was the message that the ingredients needed to address the housing crisis ‘are not a pic ‘n’ mix’. Rayner said ‘we need it all’, including a rent settlement and rent convergence. And she said that was her message to government colleagues – as part of a collective, cross-departmental approach on housing that considers the bigger picture of health, education and infrastructure.

The deputy PM also made a call to restart development plans, and be ambitious around local plans and regeneration partnerships, support more people in acute housing need and get children out of temporary accommodation.

“I can’t do this without you, so I’m asking you to work with me, in partnership.

“I need you to step up, I know it’s difficult…so tell me what more I can do to help you. And I promise that I’ll work with you to delver.”

But of course the big question remains the conundrum of public funding and capital grant – and what money this government will have to send housing’s way.

The scene had been set by the economists – Paul Johnson, of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and Yael Selfin, of KPMG – in the preceding session.

Despite the gloomy outlook and suggestion that health and defence are the only departments likely to receive more. Paul Johnson responded to Social’s question on the importance of the 1.5m homes ambition by making a very clear case for why housing is ‘absolutely critical and fundamental’ to economic growth. Caveat: as long as the investment is made in the right places.

So our takeaway – sentiment, energy, message and tone from Angela Rayner were all hugely positive.

Of course we need more of the ‘how’.

But the opportunity to help shape the government’s housing strategy is in the sector’s reach – and the time is now…