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Time for a national social house-swap scheme

Monday, November 9 2009

Semi-detached houses

In a keynote speech to the National Housing Federation, Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps is to announce plans to give social tenants the chance to move around the country for the first time.

"If you are a social tenant, you don’t have the same opportunities as other renters or home-owners", he will say.

"The system means that your aspirations are squeezed, your expectations lowered, and your horizons are limited".

Announcing that a future Conservative government will facilitate a nationwide affordable-house-swap programme, he will say that every family in social housing - for the first time ever - "will have the chance to relocate by exchanging their home for another one, anywhere in the country".

The proposals follow the Conservatives pilot "Right to Move" policy outlined in the Green Paper Strong Foundations earlier in the year, which shows that a Conservative government would be ready to challenge the social housing sector.

Shapps will also announce the formation of a housing industry forum designed to find solutions to the lack of mobility in the sector, saying that "leaders from the social and affordable housing world have agreed to work with us to find new ways to inject housing mobility into the sector".

Grant Shapps MP

Grant is the Shadow Minister for Housing. A strong believer in social justice, he has done a lot of work to help Britain's homeless.

Read more
Shapps Grant 2007

Shapps promotes radical new housing policies

Grant Shapps looks at how a local residents committee in his constituency inspired the new Conservative housing policy. The proposals will ensure that local homes are built for local people, with the community having the final say on the homes they want.