Independent review of social housing

Wednesday 04 September 2019

The States will commission a wide-ranging review of social housing and the increasing role of the GHA in delivering the island's accommodation needs.

Employment & Social Security and the Guernsey Housing Association have agreed terms of reference for an independent review.

"The reason for the review is that we have had housing associations in Guernsey since 2001," said ESS President Michelle Le Clerc. 

After the States passed legislation enabling their creation, the Guernsey Housing Association was established in 2002 and Housing 21 - which developed Rosaire Court - started up locally shortly afterwards. 

"The GHA does our new builds and they have got a combination of rented accommodation, partial ownership and extra care housing.

"We know our [States] procedures can sometimes be bureaucratic and the GHA can perhaps be more flexible, they can look at things like partial ownership schemes to help low income first time buyers onto the property ladder.

Agree GHA do a great job, they operate a different housing policy and we always need to ensure those most vulnerable still have Housing. A review will be undertaken in next 12 months before we go down any Jersey Andium Homes route. https://t.co/ybXqADg3hw

— Michelle Le Clerc (@mkleclerc) 11 August 2019

Pictured: Deputy Le Clerc's reference to Andium Homes is in relation to Jersey Government's decision to transfer management of social housing to one of the island's housing associations. 

"We have had a very close and very good relationship with them, but everything should be reviewed in a timely manner and after 18 years without a review it is good for both parties."

While the States currently manages social housing 1648 properties, the number of GHA properties continues to increase, with 690 rentals and 224 partial ownership properties. 

"I think we have a very good relationship with the States," said GHA Chief Executive Steve Williams. "Our success is dependent on the support of the States in terms of housing and P&R.

"We think it is going very well and that we provide a really good service for our residents, for the island and for taxpayers. 

"We have got to a certain size now where it [having a review of our role] is understandable."

Mr Williams said he was interested to see what "new ideas" came out of the review once it is commissioned. 

One of the recent developments is the creation of a joint waiting list for GHA and States properties, which both parties say has been beneficial. 

Pictured: The GHA recently opened new key worker housing at Ville Au Roi. 

Deputy Le Clerc said the social housing situation in Guernsey was much improved in recent years, although there is still work to be done to meet all the island's housing needs.

"We have two things going on in tandem at the moment, there’s the housing strategy work and the review of housing associations, which will feed into the overall housing strategy.

"We are joined up at the moment and after this we should be better equipped to know going forward that we have the right housing for Guernsey."

"If you look around at the quality of the GHA properties and the maintenance programme we have in our own States housing, we are in a good position."

The GHA is is an independent not-for-profit company, sponsored by ESS. If anything happened to the GHA as an organisation, their properties would revert back to the States of Guernsey.