Say When

That campaign echoed Clackson's call for action to improve the standard for measuring overcrowded housing, which was laid down in 1935 and means kitchens and living rooms often count as appropriate sleeping areas. It pressed housing minister Keith Hill to make good on the promise he made in January to explore the possibility of "incrementally improving the present standard".

Well, now Hill has heeded the sector's calls with the announcement last Wednesday that the ODPM was "making amendments on overcrowding to the Housing Bill". The government has given itself the power to amend the standard "whenever it wants".

But the question housing professionals and MPs who have been campaigning on the issue are asking is: when will all the rhetoric be turned into action to ease the overcrowding crisis?

Last week, Clackson and her five children were moved by Westminster council from their cramped two-bedroom flat to a more spacious three-bedroom home nearby.

But according to ODPM research released last Thursday, 510,000 other households remain in similarly cramped conditions – and that's just in England. Of these, just 20,000 would be recognised as overcrowded under the 1935 measure.

Studies into the adverse impact cramped living conditions are believed to have on children's health and education had already been compiled by other researchers for the ODPM, so it's hardly surprising that, now the government has armed itself with the facts, pressure for action is growing.

Housing minister Keith Hill said last week that "there is room for a debate on the very serious and complex issue of overcrowding and it will clearly involve consultation on what we should do next". However, he would not commit himself to a timescale for when this debate and consultation would filter through to helping families such as the Pinders, whose plight was also highlighted by Housing Today but who have not yet been found a better place to live (HT 5 March, page 18).

It will be councils that are most affected by any improvement in the standard: if it is changed to include more families, they are the ones who must find new homes for the extra numbers – particularly those in London, which has the highest rate of overcrowding in the country. Yet they are eager for the government to press on with finding and implementing solutions.

Martin Cheeseman, director of housing at Brent in north-west London, says: "It's welcome that the government has shown it is willing to update the standard, but I'd be keen to know a timescale as to when this will be enacted."

According to figures for March, Brent has 8778 overcrowded households – that's 8.8% of all its households, making it the third most overcrowded council in the country behind Newham and Tower Hamlets.

"We do what we can to help people, but the situation will remain in limbo until there are some concrete dates for action," says Cheeseman. "At the very least, a common improved standard would allow us to ensure we were giving people equitable treatment across different priority groups."

Neil Litherland, director of housing at Camden – the 10th most overcrowded council in England with 5.9% of its households falling into the bracket – agrees with Cheeseman. He describes the government's action to date as "a promising compromise".

He continues: "Overcrowding work should go on alongside other areas like key workers. If this doesn't happen then it would begin to look more like a sop to keep people quiet. It's good that they haven't just jumped in with a quick fix, though.

"But the government has opened the door and now is the time for people to press hard for change. What I'd like to see is this acceptance of the overcrowding problem reflected by the ODPM working with councils to get a proper handle on the problem – to look at why, when and where. Once we know that, we can take action."