The Housing Minister, Deputy Andrew Green, has published a note from Professor Christine Whitehead OBE, a leading expert in housing and former Director of the University of Cambridge Centre for Housing & Planning Research, setting out her thoughts on the proposals he has made for social housing reform (P.33/2013).
 
Professor Whitehead undertook the initial review of the social housing sector and published her findings in 2010.  These formed the basis of the Housing Ministers’ Housing Transformation Programme which culminated in the Minister lodging proposals for reform which focus on 4 key areas of change:

• the establishment of a Strategic Housing Unit (SHU) that would recommend an Island-wide housing strategy that was clearly joined up
• the creation of an independent Regulator to ensure the stock is improved, that social housing providers have high standards and that social housing is financially sustainable for the future
• the establishment of a new wholly States-owned Housing Company to deliver decent homes for the States owned housing stock with commercial efficiency and enhanced Tenant focus
• the return of social housing rents to previously agreed Fair Rent Levels (90% of market value) to make the whole sector financially viable and remove the current unintended hidden rent subsidy over time