If housing policy is interpreted to mean state intervention to influence the supply and affordability of homes then, in early 2003, the answer to the question ‘Did the late 1990s mark the end of a meaningful housing policy?’ (Bramley, 1997; Malpass, 1999) would have been a resonant ‘yes’. New Labour’s housing policy consisted of implementing the ‘avalanche of new procedures for every nook and cranny of the housing sector’ contained in the 2000 Housing Statement (Roof Briefing, 2000, p 20), but the big picture of a market-dominated housing system, set by the Conservatives, remained unchanged. This chapter examines the developments in housing procedures during 2002-03 and then explores the implications of Sustainable communities plan: Building for the future (ODPM, 2003a) and the ‘Review of housing supply: securing our future housing needs’ (Barker, 2003) for the future of a ‘meaningful housing policy’.

Private renting

Under New Labour, the private rented sector of the housing market remained constant at about 10%. New Labour’s contentment with private landlords was reflected in its limited yet protracted reform agenda. Its 1997 manifesto promised only “protection where it is most needed for tenants in houses in multiple-occupation” by “a proper system of licensing by local authorities which will benefit tenants and responsible landlords alike” (Labour Party, 1997, p 26). Although this promise was not redeemed in England and Wales during New Labour’s first term of office, the 2003 Housing Bill included a mandatory national licensing system for threestorey houses occupied by five or more persons and discretionary powers for local authorities to license other types of houses in multiple occupation. In addition, local authorities would acquire powers to license all landlords operating in ‘low-demand’ areas – a response to evidence that some landlords were contributing to neighbourhood decline by buying properties in such areas and renting them to unruly tenants (ODPM, 2003b).

Social housing

Stock transfer

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister defines social housing as accommodation let at a rent below the market price. The term was coined in the late 1980s to blur the distinction between local authority and housing association-owned dwellings, thereby facilitating the transfer of housing stock from local government to registered social landlords.