Received from: National House Building Council Staff Association, SoR
Comprising of Motion 35 and 36
Access to affordable housing has been a recurring issue since the social housing sell off following the introduction of the ‘right to buy’.
There has been a loss of 13,000 small to medium-sized building companies since the mid-2000s affecting workers directly through lay-offs. This has led to a gig economy in housebuilding, where the majority of trades are self-employed on precarious contracts.
Secure housing was once built into the design of public sector infrastructure – new hospitals came with supported accommodation for young professionals; new schools included caretaker housing.
Today’s reality is very different. As value gaps emerge – those looking after money have seen rewards rise faster than average pay, whilst those responsible for looking after people have been consistently devalued – fuelling a recruitment and retention crisis impacting all families and the wider economy.
In parallel, housing policy has protected landlords more than tenants, including new professionals, often moving to start their new careers without housing security.
Improving access to affordable, secure rented housing for public sector professionals, alongside legislation to secure rent control and improve tenant rights, will help address the public sector recruitment and retention crisis and help communities they serve in.
The new government has committed to building 1.5 million homes during the next five years but targets such have these have not been achieved in many years.
Planning applications on medium to large sites will take up to two years to be granted, exacerbating the housing issue through delays in getting new stock available to the social or private housing sector.
Congress welcomes the commitment to easing planning delays through the creation of good jobs in planning departments but notes that 300 new jobs is not going to end the delays, and neither is it going to end the skill shortage in the construction sector.
Congress calls on the General Council and affiliates to work with the government, and across public and private sectors to:
i. train a new generation of skilled construction workers
ii. work with employers in the private sector to improve the employment model, ensuring those workers have a secure future
iii. work in partnership with unions and employers to identify effective, targeted incentives to improve public sector recruitment, including publicly supported accommodation
iv. prioritise renting in its housing strategy – securing access to affordable rented housing for all, including public sector professionals
v. introduce fair rent control and legislation that prioritises tenants before landlords
vi. secure investment in public sector infrastructure, including affordable rented accommodation, as part of its industrial strategy, linking to any tax breaks for private sector investment.
vii. collaborate with industry to achieve the delivery of the promised homes, making safe, affordable, well built, environmentally friendly housing available to all workers.
Mover: Society of Radiographers
Seconder: National House Building Council Staff Association