District Matters

Better homes mean better lives

December 2023

I have to thank my local WI for the subject of this month's column. Every year, members of the WI vote on a shortlist of resolutions to take forward for further debate and selection at their Annual Meeting. One of the resolutions this year considers the impact of poor housing conditions on health and wellbeing.

As a District Councillor, my casework has always included complaints about housing and housing conditions. The District Council does not own its own housing stock, but has a responsibility under the Housing Act 2004. It has powers allowing it to take action against Category 1 hazards, including damp, mould and excessive cold.

As winter starts to bite, my colleagues and I know that our casework will grow with reports of damp and mould in peoples' homes. Many of these will involve families with children. Most will occur in housing owned by housing associations or the private sector. Over the past two years, the rise in energy prices has pushed up the number of cases and made them more acute.

In the past month alone, I have had three cases reported to me. The District Council has a Private Sector Housing team who work with the housing associations and private property owners to combat damp and mould in rented housing. Act on Energy has caseworkers who are able to give advice on energy grants, while Citizens Advice can address wider issues. All have assisted me in my casework while I challenge the landlord concerned.

But we need to look forward. We need better strategies to improve our housing stock. No family should have to live in a home that is below the minimum standards and plagued by dampness and disrepair. Far too many people are on waiting lists for decent, affordable housing. The indefinite delay in ending ‘no fault' evictions for private tenants are adding to the list as interest rates bite.

Affordable, well-built homes – as well as infrastructure such as schools and GP services built to the highest possible standards – save money for the NHS. Affordable housing, delivered through planning obligations on developers, were estimated by the Royal Town Planning Institute to have saved £240million for the NHS in 2019.

According to the Centre for Ageing Better, every £1 spent on improving warmth in homes occupied by vulnerable residents yields £4 in health benefits.

A failure to put in place meaningful energy-efficient building policies leaves a lifetime legacy of homes where families pay higher bills. The number of households installing energy efficiency measures fell rapidly from 2014 to 2022 and are only now beginning to rise again.

Nobody is arguing about the benefits of good housing across the board. But the necessary steps to get there are not currently good enough. More needs to be done to address affordability, achieve health benefits and produce a lower carbon footprint.

Affordable, well-built houses with the proper infrastructure need to be planned from the beginning, not as an expensive afterthought. A balanced mix of affordable homes for young people, families and those who wish to downsize helps to support healthy communities.