Decent Homes Standard
Encyclopedia
The Decent Homes Standard is a technical standard for public housing
introduced by the United Kingdom
government. It underpinned the Decent Homes Programme brought in by the Blair-Brown government (Labour party
) which aimed to provide a minimum standard of housing conditions for all those who are housed in the public sector
- i.e. council housing and housing association
s.
The government set out a target in 2000 that it would
"ensure that all social housing meets set standards of decency by 2010, by reducing the number of households living in social housing that does not meet these standards by a third between 2001 and 2004, with most of the improvement taking place in the most deprived local authority areas."
Local authorities were required to set out a timetable under which they will assess, modify and, where necessary, replace their housing stock according to the conditions laid out in the standard.
The criteria for the standard are as follows:
The standard was updated in 2006 to take account of the Housing Act 2004, included the implementation of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
The policy also makes it possible for local councils to devolve their housing stock to registered social landlords, housing associations or private companies, and to seek funding under the Private Finance Initiative
in order to fund future developments.
Some local authorities calculated that large proportions of their housing stock was in need of upgrade. For example, Norwich City Council calculated in 2006 that 36% still needed refurbishment. Other local authorities, such as the London Borough of Lewisham
felt unable to meet the 2010 target and applied for extensions of time to 2012 on the grounds that the works required major regeneration.
The policy led to the demolition of some tower blocks and prefabricated buildings
which were deemed beyond repair or too expensive to refurbish.
Many local authorities set up ALMO
s to manage their homes in order to access extra funding. However, in 2009 the Government diverted some of this funding to new building, to the dismay of the tenants who had got involved with the new management organisations.
At the start of 2010, the CLG
announced that 95% of Council homes would meet the standard by the end of the year. However, provisional figures published in August that year indicated that 10.2% had failed the standard at the original target date of April 2010, and figures for London published in September showed that a quarter of Council homes still fell below the standard.
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
introduced by the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
government. It underpinned the Decent Homes Programme brought in by the Blair-Brown government (Labour party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) which aimed to provide a minimum standard of housing conditions for all those who are housed in the public sector
Public sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...
- i.e. council housing and housing association
Housing association
Housing associations in the United Kingdom are independent not-for-profit bodies that provide low-cost "social housing" for people in housing need. Any trading surplus is used to maintain existing homes and to help finance new ones...
s.
The government set out a target in 2000 that it would
"ensure that all social housing meets set standards of decency by 2010, by reducing the number of households living in social housing that does not meet these standards by a third between 2001 and 2004, with most of the improvement taking place in the most deprived local authority areas."
Local authorities were required to set out a timetable under which they will assess, modify and, where necessary, replace their housing stock according to the conditions laid out in the standard.
The criteria for the standard are as follows:
- it must meet the current statutory minimum standard for housing
- it must be in a reasonable state of repair
- it must have reasonably modern facilities and services
- it must provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort."
The standard was updated in 2006 to take account of the Housing Act 2004, included the implementation of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
The policy also makes it possible for local councils to devolve their housing stock to registered social landlords, housing associations or private companies, and to seek funding under the Private Finance Initiative
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
in order to fund future developments.
Some local authorities calculated that large proportions of their housing stock was in need of upgrade. For example, Norwich City Council calculated in 2006 that 36% still needed refurbishment. Other local authorities, such as the London Borough of Lewisham
London Borough of Lewisham
The London Borough of Lewisham is a London borough in south-east London, England and forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham...
felt unable to meet the 2010 target and applied for extensions of time to 2012 on the grounds that the works required major regeneration.
The policy led to the demolition of some tower blocks and prefabricated buildings
Prefabricated buildings
Prefabricated building is a type of building that consists of several factory-built components or units that are assembled on-site to complete the unit.- Prefabricated Housing :"Prefabricated" may refer to buildings built in components Prefabricated building is a type of building that consists of...
which were deemed beyond repair or too expensive to refurbish.
Many local authorities set up ALMO
Almo
Almo may refer to:*Almo , a river deity from Roman mythology*Almo, Idaho, a town in the United States*Almo Sounds, a record label*Almo and Coco, two fictional characters from the manga and video game series Galaxy Angel...
s to manage their homes in order to access extra funding. However, in 2009 the Government diverted some of this funding to new building, to the dismay of the tenants who had got involved with the new management organisations.
At the start of 2010, the CLG
Department for Communities and Local Government
The Department for Communities and Local Government is the UK Government department for communities and local government in England. It was established in May 2006 and is the successor to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, established in 2001...
announced that 95% of Council homes would meet the standard by the end of the year. However, provisional figures published in August that year indicated that 10.2% had failed the standard at the original target date of April 2010, and figures for London published in September showed that a quarter of Council homes still fell below the standard.
External links
- What is a Decent Home? on Government (CLG) website, at The National Archive
- Seminar on leasehold recoveries for Decent Homes works, Social Housing Law Association
- Decent Homes Programme report from the National Audit OfficeNational Audit Office (United Kingdom)The National Audit Office is an independent Parliamentary body in the United Kingdom which is responsible for auditing central government departments, government agencies and non-departmental public bodies...
, 2010 - Report: Strengthen Decent Homes standard and apply it to all, UK Parliament, 23 March 2010