Initial views on the second report of the Housing Improvement Task Force

The report brings together a wide range of ideas that, if implemented, could result in sustained improvement in the quality of private housing. There are some areas where Shelter believes a more assertive approach would have been justified: for example, in governing the relationship between the state and private landlords. The report is a starting point for, rather than the last word in, the kinds of approaches that may be useful in the future. However, implementation is the key. Good ideas do not, in themselves, produce better houses. We do have some hesitation about the degree of reliance being placed on the market to secure higher quality. We also suggest that the key role being placed on local housing strategies needs to be backed by sustained efforts to develop local authority capacity to deliver local strategies.