Summary
It is estimated that over a million social homes have been improved by the Department for Communities and Local Government's Decent Homes Programme, which aims to improve the condition of homes for social housing tenants. The Department has also provided funding to improve conditions for vulnerable households in private sector accommodation.
The Programme has made progress and, as of April 2009, 86% of homes in the social sector were classed as decent. The Programme has also brought wider benefits such as improved housing management, tenant involvement and employment opportunities.
The original target was that all social sector homes would be decent by 2010, but by November 2009 the Department was estimating that approximately 92% of social housing would meet the standard by 2010, leaving 305,000 properties 'non-decent'. 100% decency would not be achieved until 2018-19.
In 'The Decent Homes Programme' (HC 212), The National Audit Office has concluded that there are weaknesses in the information collected by the Department, warning that information gaps create a risk to value for money. Weaknesses in the Department's information are illustrated by uncertainties over the total cost of the Programme to itself or to the sector and the number of properties improved.
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