My interview with The Guardian on the need for better Housing Association regulation and reversal of aggressive marketisation
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/apr/12/mps-call-for-sweeping-changes-to-housing-association-regulation?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
“Rushanara Ali, the MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, called for a new system of transparency and official ratings. “Why can’t we have league tables for housing associations so we know who are the worst offenders?” said Ali, who has led recent attempts in parliament to force the government to take action on oversights by housing associations. “That would force them to act.
“We cannot tolerate the poor practice we’re seeing now. We wouldn’t tolerate it from private landlords, so there’s absolutely no reason we should be tolerating it from publicly funded housing associations. What’s scandalous is that public money is being given to them, even when customer service is failing.”
Calls are growing for a different system of regulation, which would boost the role of the housing ombudsman. “Sixty-one people work for the housing ombudsman,” said Ali. “That’s not many. I would like the government to change the requirement for people to go to their MP before they make a complaint. That just delays things. And the ombudsman does not publish how many complaints have been submitted for housing associations. That needs to change.”