Housing Minister reveals Social Housing plan

Jersey's Housing Minister has set out his official plan to significantly shake up the island's social housing system.

Years of under-investment has led to a housing crisis where a quarter of homes in the Bailiwick are currently below the UK's Decent Homes standard - a measure used because the island does not have a decent homes standard of its own.

Among Deputy Green's proposals is looking at increasing rents for those who can pay by up to 20%.

He wants radical change in the Housing Department, so that it would not exist in its current form. The main proposals, which need to be agreed by the States, are as follows:

1. Set up a Strategic Housing Unit to decide and promote future plans and strategy.
2. Introduce a new Affordable Housing Regulator to provide independent monitoring of social housing.
3. A new Housing Association is set up to replace the Housing Department's work.
4. Ensure social rents are set at fair levels so that social housing tennants are assessed for whether they can afford to pay more. Those who rely on Income Support would not have rents increased.

Deputy Green wants to ensure all social homes meet the Decent Homes Standard in the next 10 years - and says he would need to borrow an extra £108 million.

He wants to set up a new Housing Association, which would take control of the island's 4,500 States properties away from the Housing Department.

He also wants a Strategic Housing Unit, which would look at strategy for housing and create an independent housing regulator to monitor the work of those organisations.

And finally, he wants transparency of rents and to set 'a fair rent level'.
(from CTV)

part of this applies in guernsey we have already got rents that are based on gross incomes...tenants can pay up to 25% of income on states house rentals..there are also charges for working and non working adults
in the household..we have 2 housing associations in the island at the moment xx

I thought we had 3 .States housing ,Guernsey housing association. and Sarnia housing .all working together at last .
at one time if you were in Sarnia housing it did not mean they would let you have a states house
i was in there and had to move into a private area before they would even put me on the list
times have change thankfully and we do have good housing departments that are helping each other and working together .

states housing isnt a housing association kat and sorry i forgot about sarnia housing..i agree they are working together and that some wonderfulnew homes have been built..the only one i think is an eyesore is the one that was built on the lower part of the petit bouet ...

Yes i agree with the ones there .they will be removed with in the next40 years lol