Local authority pension fund investment in affordable housing

This meeting of the APPG for "Local Authority Pension Funds was focused on local authority pension fund investment in social and affordable housing. To address the issue and whether there is a case for doing more, the event heard from four speakers: Cllr John Gray (Vice-Chair, Local Authority Pension Fund Forum); Paddy Dowdall (Assistant Executive Director at Greater Manchester Pension Fund); Helen Collins (Head of Affordable Housing, Savills); and John Butler (Finance Policy Lead, National Housing Federation)". Chaired bt APPG Chair, Clive Betts MP.

Check out YouTube of yesterday's panel debate/Q&A. An interesting panel and some great questions. Hopefully, my "ums" and "ers" were not too annoying (and to my continuel surprise on video my accent is still so northern/scouse after all these years down south). 

My message was that Council pensions funds can invest in so called "Affordable" Housing and get a appropriate return from sub market (60-80%)  rents which are good quality, low carbon, well managed homes but low income families in high rent areas need social rents (40-50% of private rents) or they will spend their lives on benefits and in poverty. 

To provide social rents you need subsidy. In the main, this has to come from the government of the day. You cannot expect tenants to receive inadequate housing services from their landlord in order to provide subsidy to build new homes. 

I posed the question at the end of the debate on whether housing associations, advisors and "for profit" provisors, understand that in all probability, in 18 months time or so, there will be a new government in power (not taken for granted for a moment) which may be quite different from the one in power for the previous 15 years? I think not. 

Poverty Pay and Rotten Housing for Housing Association & Voluntary Sector workers

I hope this motion will go to the UNISON Community conference next year.

"This conference notes

1.       A Chief Executive of a Large Housing Association recently remarked at a meeting that many of the workers and their families employed by the association to support and rehouse the homeless lived in worse accommodation than the people they were trying to help.

2.       Years of below inflation pay rises and massive increase in rents and property prices means that many Housing Association and Voluntary workers live in privately rented shared, damp, expensive, overcrowded and insecure homes.

3.       Most of their income is spent on rent and travel costs with nothing left over in order to save for a better quality home.

4.       Housing Associations and Voluntary sector who operate in expensive property areas have a duty and responsibility to their workforce to ensure that they live in suitable and affordable accommodation.

5.       If a Housing Association or Voluntary sector worker is inadequately housed and living in poverty then the service they provide to residents and clients will also be adversely affected.

6.       Historically, Housing Associations and other housing providers in the past did provide accommodation for some of their workers and today many still provide services tenancies to staff. Others provide “Key worker” accommodation.

7.       Housing Associations are also major developers as well as Landlords who build homes for sale, shared ownership, provide Student and supported accommodation as well as market, near market and social rents. They are uniquely able to provide housing solutions to their workers.

This Conference resolves:-

1.       To call upon the Community Service Group Executive to continue to campaign with Labour Link, branches, regions and self organised Groups for extra funding for the sector and better wages for staff including sector pay boards.

2.       To also work with the National Housing Federation and Voluntary sector employer organisations to campaign for their workers to be treated as “key workers” and for them to provide safe, secure and affordable homes for them if needed.

3.       To also work with the Co-operative movement to see if a co-operative housing model could provide decent homes for housing association and voluntary sector workers and their families. 

Stop the jobseeker injustice

Well done to the NHF for carrying on with their "Don't mention the housing crisis" campaign post General election.  Also, for annoying Coalition ministers for pointing out the inequities and injustices of their policies.

This screen print from their website encourages you to contact your MP about the latest bit of Condem viciousness towards the vulnerable. 

"The Government is planning to cut support for people who are looking for work.

From 2013, job seekers will see a 10% cut in their housing benefit if it takes them longer than a year to find a job, while claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA).

This proposal is wrong, it will penalise people who simply can’t find work and threatens to increase homelessness or debt among vulnerable people.

A young person hit by this cut will have to live on an average of just £41.65 a week.

Your MP has the power to vote against the change in Parliament, use this template email to ask your MP to stop this injustice from happening.

We've made this easy for you with this template email which we encourage you to personalise. Once you've finished it, just click 'send' and it will be emailed to your MP".