14 July 2022

The next leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister will face a monumental challenge in tackling all of the issues facing the housing sector.

The big issues of availability, affordability, repairs, energy efficiency, regulation and remediation issues are all gathering, at once, with a considerable financial burden attached to them. Most of us agree that changes are necessary to improve the situation for residents but achieving all these goals at the same time will not be possible without significant government support.

Almshouses have been providing genuinely affordable homes to people in housing need in our towns, cities and villages for over a thousand years. This enduring model of charity could be  part of the solution to our current housing crisis by not only providing homes but also independent living within a community.

Will the new PM understand that there are many different models that operate in the affordable, community housing sector?

All play a valuable part in solving the housing crisis. Not just in terms of numbers but through the value added by preventing loneliness and creating thriving communities.

Almshouses are sometimes caught in the middle when it comes to government support. Primarily, almshouses are charities, regulated by the Charity Commission. This can sometimes clash with the government’s housing agenda which prefers all housing providers to be Registered Providers of Social Housing. Due to the size of most almshouse charities, however, this is not a suitable option, which means that many are locked out of government support for new developments and tackling issues around decarbonisation.

Almshouse charities have managed to survive the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution and two world wars, but they now need a government which can acknowledge their value as an efficient form of social housing  and support their development in the communities they serve.

Whomever emerges victorious from the race to be Prime Minister can help the almshouse movement by:

  • amending the National Planning Policy Framework to acknowledge almshouse charities (Registered and Non-Registered Providers) as ‘Affordable’ forms of housing
  • expanding  financial support  across the housing sector to tackle decarbonisation and broadening the remit for those who can access funding
  • strengthening the Charity Commission so that it has the power to perform as the primary regulator of almshouse charities.

We look forward to the new PM taking account of the most fundamental necessities for a good home – warm, secure affordable housing within a small community.

Yours sincerely,

Nick Phillips | CEO of The Almshouse Association