Fighting for improved social housing

Protecting residents’ health does not stop at cancer screening – people need a safe and warm place to call home. Social housing is one of the most common issues residents from right across Woking constituency contact me about.

As a member of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee, I recently helped draft a cross-party report titled Housing Conditions in the Social Rented Sector, that was published last week.

We found that nationally, social housing standards have barely improved since the pandemic. While many social homes are safe and decent, the minimum Decent Homes Standard has not been updated in over twenty years – and nearly 430,000 social homes still fail to meet even that basic benchmark.

Too many tenants are living in unacceptable conditions, and too often their complaints are not taken seriously.

Here in Woking, there has been progress. The Lib Dem-led Woking Borough Council invested £13.1 million in 2025/26, with a further £16 million planned for 2026/27 for capital investment on fire safety and Decent Homes improvements. That is a significant increase on the previous Conservative administration’s average of around £4 million per year, but there is still more to do.

Our committee has recommended a new, modern Decent Homes Programme that supports social landlords to help raise standards nationwide, including a dedicated pooled improvement fund and a single, clearer housing quality framework.

I am committed to ensuring every Woking resident has a safe, warm place to call home and I’m proud to have helped shape a report that sets out the path forward. However, I am only too aware that while national reform is vital, long-term plans do not fix immediate problems. If you are experiencing poor housing conditions, please contact me and my team, we will do everything we can to help.