83 per cent agree that Britain has a housing crisis – here’s how we’ll fix it
The housing sector is reaffirming its commitment to addressing the UK’s housing crisis through building affordable, sustainable homes, empowering communities, and urging stronger collaboration with government to meet ambitious national targets, says Clare Miller
Across the country, the public is clear: we need more affordable homes. And encouragingly, signs from government suggest they’re listening.
As the June Spending Review approaches, we have a rare window of opportunity — a chance to align political will, public support, and housing sector capacity to finally make meaningful progress on the housing crisis.
But this moment must be seized, not squandered.
This year marks 125 years since our founding benefactor, William Sutton, left his fortune to house working families in need. At Clarion Housing Group, we’re proud of the legacy we’ve built, supporting over 360,000 residents and managing 125,000 homes across the country.
But as we mark this milestone, our focus is not just on the past. It’s on the future, and on what more we can do, working alongside government, to tackle the housing crisis and deliver the homes our country needs.
To mark our anniversary, we commissioned new nationwide polling, conducted by Focal Data, to better understand public attitudes towards housing associations and social housing. The findings are both revealing and encouraging and should serve as a wake-up call to those who underestimate the strength of public support for new affordable housing.
The data shows overwhelming consensus: 83 per cent of people believe the UK is in the midst of a housing crisis, and nearly 80 per cent say decent, affordable housing should be a right for everyone. Even more striking, 74 per cent support new social housing being built in their local area, a clear rebuttal to the assumption that local opposition is a barrier to progress.
There’s no question that demand is urgent and public backing is strong. But support alone doesn’t build homes, policy does. That’s why we’re urging government to seize this moment and work with housing associations to deliver at scale.
There’s no question that demand is urgent and public backing is strong. But support alone doesn’t build homes, policy does
The public understands the importance of housing associations in meeting national targets: one in three respondents in our survey said they believe housing associations must play a key supporting role, alongside government. That dual mandate, government leadership and sector partnership can now be reflected in policy.
The Spending Review is the moment to act
At Clarion, we stand ready to support the Government’s target of delivering 1.5m homes during this Parliament. To unlock our collective potential, the sector needs some intelligent interventions; a policy and funding environment that enables long-term planning and confident investment.
A long-term rent settlement would give housing associations the certainty we need to make bold, future-focused decisions, investing in new homes while maintaining and improving the ones people already live in. Alongside this, improved long term grant rates, careful consideration of more regulation, support for regeneration of existing estates and access to the building safety fund, would make it viable to bring forward more high-quality developments in areas of greatest need.
We’re not calling for unlimited subsidies, we’re asking for smart, targeted investment that recognises the social and economic value of safe, secure housing. We know that every pound spent on housing pays dividends: in improved health, increased employment, and stronger communities.
Our recent polling shows that the public is ready for action. The political will must now follow.
At 125 years, Clarion is still guided by the same mission: to provide homes for those who need them most. We know we must modernise to meet new challenges, including the climate transition and rising living costs.
The foundation of everything we do is housing, and there is no path to national prosperity that does not run through a stable, affordable home.
The government’s ambition is bold and rightly so. The task now is to back those of us who are ready to help deliver it. The public is with us. Government is listening. June’s Spending Review is our moment to act and together, we must take it.
Clare Miller is chief executive of Clarion Housing Group