We previously reported on the invitation for ARCH to participate
in the Government led review of the Decent Homes
Standard as a core participant in the Decent Homes
Sounding Board being set up by the Ministry of Housing, Communities
& Local Government (MHCLG).
The role of the MHCLG Decent Homes Review Sounding Board will be
to advise and support the Government led review by providing
perspectives on experience of delivering the Decent Homes Standard
and to help MHCLG understand the operational delivery of any new
criteria. ARCH has been invited to participate as a
'core-participant' to the MHCLG Sounding Board and will be invited
to all meetings of the Board and provided with opportunities to
contribute during or following the meetings.
Alongside ARCH, other representative bodies invited to
participate as members of the MHCLG Sounding Board include:
- Building Research Establishment (BRE)
- National Housing Federation (NHF)
- G15 Group
- G320 Group
- Local Government Association (LGA)
- London Councils (LC)
- National Federation of ALMOs (Nat Fed)
- Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH)
- Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH)
- Northern Housing Consortium
- UNIFY (BAME)
- Housing Ombudsman (HO)
- Regulator of Social Housing (RSH)
- Confederation of Cooperative Housing
- National Federation of Tenant Management Organisations
(NFTMO)
- TAROE
- Tenant Participation Advisory Service
- Rural Services Network
The first meeting of the Decent Homes Sounding
Board is scheduled for early February and the review will be
conducted in two parts through to Summer 2022.
Part 1 will run from Spring to Autumn 2021.
The aim of part 1 will be to explore the case for criteria within
the Decent Homes Standard and begin to understand what should be
included in a new standard. For each existing criterion, it will
consider the strategic fit against wider Government objectives and
seek to identify any contradictions or inconsistencies. It will
consider whether the criterion reflects present day expectations
and concerns. It will also seek to identify any unintended and
undesirable consequences precipitated by the criterion and consider
whether the criterion has been practical and deliverable on the
ground. The findings will guide a decision on whether to include,
amend or remove the criterion from the new Decent Homes
Standard.
Part 2 of the review will run from Autumn 2021
to Summer 2022. The aim of Part 2 will be to redefine decency.
MHCLG say they intend to do this by considering the strategic,
management, economic and financial case of policy options
identified during Part 1 of the review.
ARCH has established an internal working group comprising
relevant officers from 15 ARCH member councils to help inform and
evidence our input to the Decent Homes Sounding Board and we will
be reporting regularly to the ARCH Tenant Group to ensure that
tenants' views are reflected in our submissions to the review.
Alongside the Decent Homes Sounding Board, MHCLG intends setting
up a wider 'non-core participant' group to include interested
social landlords who will be able to register with MHCLG as to
receive papers and to submit comments and evidence in writing. ARCH
member councils wishing to register as non-core participants to the
review may do so by contacting Lucy Hutton at MHCLG lucy.hutton@communities.gov.uk
to express their interest.