{"id":95858,"date":"2018-09-20T18:52:35","date_gmt":"2018-09-20T18:52:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=184a04c1069722fa21c4b3a342d689f7"},"modified":"2018-09-20T18:52:35","modified_gmt":"2018-09-20T18:52:35","slug":"speech-national-housing-federation-summit-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=95858","title":{"rendered":"Speech: National Housing Federation Summit"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Thanks to Baroness Warwick for that kind introduction.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a great pleasure to be here \u2013 albeit on a site that I understand once housed one of Britain\u2019s so-called ugliest buildings.<\/p>\n

Some of you may remember \u2013 and even mourn \u2013 the County Hall Island Block apartments that stood empty here for 20 years before a 6-year old boy got his wish to set the bulldozers in motion.<\/p>\n

Now we may all have our different views on architecture and design.<\/p>\n

But I think we can agree that you know you\u2019ve succeeded when you\u2019re not constructing buildings that 6-year-olds want to demolish!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also genuinely a great privilege to be speaking before we hear from David [Orr] for the final time in his role as the National Housing Federation\u2019s (NHF<\/abbr>) Chief Executive.<\/p>\n

Though, I understand, it\u2019s not just his speeches which are much much-anticipated.<\/p>\n

I hear his performances at NHF<\/abbr> karaoke nights, too, are also quite a draw.<\/p>\n

And while I can\u2019t promise to match David\u2019s musical talents, I\u2019ll do my best as the warm-up act!<\/p>\n

Before I go on, I want to firstly applaud the tremendous leadership and public service David has shown through a long and distinguished career.<\/p>\n

I also want to welcome your successor, Kate Henderson, and say how much I\u2019m looking forward to working with Kate.<\/p>\n

I know you\u2019ll be putting your own stamp on the role, but what a great legacy to build on.<\/p>\n

David, you have transformed the housing association sector and inspired and challenged us all to raise our game for people living in social housing and, indeed, all parts of our community, including the most vulnerable.<\/p>\n

I think that\u2019s the thing I have been most struck by, David\u2019s passion, leadership, and humanity too \u2013 it comes from the heart and we have all been strengthened by it.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m especially grateful for your contribution to the Rough Sleeping Advisory Panel which helped develop the Rough Sleeping Strategy<\/a> we published recently \u2013 an issue that I know matters greatly to us both.<\/p>\n

This Strategy – and, indeed, all our work on housing \u2013 is driven by the belief that everyone must have the security, dignity and opportunities they need to build a better life.<\/p>\n

As the Prime Minister said yesterday, this mission is absolutely central to this government\u2019s priorities \u2013 and very much in keeping with your founding ideals as a sector.<\/p>\n

And, working with you, we\u2019re delivering on it.<\/p>\n

Housing associations played a big role in helping us deliver 217,000 homes in 2016 to 2017 \u2013 the highest level in all but one of the last 30 years. And I\u2019m hugely grateful for all of your efforts.<\/p>\n

But we know you can and want to do more.<\/p>\n

Which is why we\u2019ve listened to what you\u2019ve told us – about wanting more certainty and stability to be able to protect and boost supply – and have responded.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve put billions into affordable housing, including homes for social rent, and given housing associations a leading role in delivering this through long term funding deals.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve given you more certainty over your rental income.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve retained the funding for supported accommodation within Housing Benefit.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve enabled councils to borrow more to build more.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re supporting Homes England to take a more strategic, assertive approach \u2013 putting more certainty into the system – and reforming planning to get Britain building.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re also taking action on other issues that you\u2019ve raised such as doing more to capture increases in land value for the public good through:<\/p>\n