In fact, against this pre-war yardstick – which counts kitchens and bathrooms as sleeping areas – the Clackson's two-bedroom flat can accommodate the six of them with room to spare.
Despite the rise in incidences of asthma and tuberculosis, both of which have been linked to poor housing conditions, overcrowding remains a hidden problem. Families living in such conditions often have more chance of winning the lottery than rising to the top of the council waiting list. The problem is that there are simply not enough three-bedroom homes, and those in temporary accommodation and bed and breakfast have to be given higher priority.
This is where the government finds itself between a rock and a hard place. Its new indicator of child poverty, published last December, clearly shows that overcrowding is on Labour's radar, decreeing as it does that children over the age of 10 of different sex should have their own rooms. But it argues that to overhaul the 1935 standard now would be academic at a time when there is no alternative accommodation. It would be demanding more of councils without providing them with the means to do anything about it – and giving the Opposition a statistical stick to beat it with, to boot. Many in the sector will sympathise with this dilemma.
So should the government listen to the four MPs campaigning for it to use the Housing Bill to update the current standard? Despite the lack of on-tap solutions, the answer has to be "yes". The problem of overcrowded homes cannot be solved overnight, of course, but moving to amend the bill to allow the standard to be changed would at least indicate that the government is committed to tackling the problem.
An inspired choice
The choice of Jon Rouse as the new chief executive of the Housing Corporation is inspired (page 8). Rouse is a shrewd political operator who, during his three years at the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, got design onto the agenda across Whitehall. He has a passion for housing and – crucially – the ear of the deputy prime minister.
In recent times the corporation has been seen by housing associations as dancing too much to the government's tune. In turn, the government has seen it as too close to RSLs and too slow to move with its own agenda. Rouse's appointment signals a strong future for the corporation, but not necessarily as we know it.
He clearly wants to re-establish the organisation as the main agent for ramping up the supply of new homes. It wouldn't be surprising if, in the future, the regulation role passed to the Audit Commission.
Rouse certainly brings a much needed new pair of hands – hands not weighed down by housing organisation baggage. He will deliver government policy having made sure he has been heavily involved in formulating it. Behind the scenes, he has already made his voice heard on housing procurement and on design.
His lack of experience of managing large organisations and a possible lack of empathy with housing associations might be a worry to the sector, if they were not balanced by the skills of his chairman. There are, then, high expectations of Rouse's arrival in Maple House – not least from staff, who are looking to their new boss to lift severely battered morale.
Source
Housing Today
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