Housing and Regeneration Bill

I hope that I can respond swiftly to this. The noble Lord is right in many respects. We all aspire to have better homes but our aspirations are dependent on our circumstances. He asked who determines needs and how we know that they are being met. This process is well worked out. Local housing authorities deliver on aspirations as well as needs. When they set out the needs for their communities, they are setting out their aspirations whether they are looking to provide more social rented housing, more shared equity or more new homes. The aspirations of many people can be met only if we look at the provision of housing as a whole. That is why it is so important that the HCA will support and help to secure the delivery of 3 million homes. That will meet people’s aspirations as the whole housing chain is freed up in different ways so that we can get movement as people move out of rented accommodation and perhaps into shared or full ownership. We need to look at this picture as a whole. That is certainly true as regards looking at aspirations. The noble Lord focused on decent homes. This matter has an interesting history. The Decent Homes programme is the most recent attempt to keep our housing stock in good condition. People’s aspiration to live in warm insulated homes with a modern bathroom and kitchen is very modest indeed and we are absolutely right to prioritise and meet it. However, different needs have to be met as situations change. The noble Lord is also right to say that the private rented sector presents a particular challenge. This is not mentioned in the Bill but he will know that we established an inquiry under Julie Rugg to look into the range of issues thrown up by the private rented sector. They are very complex. It is a very complex market. It will be very interesting to see what emerges from that. The Bill places a clear responsibility on the HCA to provide decent affordable homes and the regeneration of communities with a view to meeting the needs of all people. I stress that that means all people. It means their changing needs as well, because aspirations change. People may aspire to a family home rather than to a small flat. They may, as they grow older, aspire to downsize to a more manageable, safer home. We have to meet the aspirations of different generations, underpinned by the evidence that drives our intelligence up through local authorities and through the regions. That is the business of planning. With the best will in the world, we cannot meet everyone’s aspirations. Personally, I aspire to a small stately home with a stable block, but I do not expect that any one, let alone the Homes and Communities Agency, will enable me to achieve that. It is probably beyond my reach at this point. Now that I think about it, I would also like a Capability Brown landscaped garden to go with it. If we put the provision into the Bill, we are underwriting something rather cynical. Our aim is that people should have their modest aspirations of a decent home met, whatever their stage and whatever that constitutes in terms of how they are fixed. Therefore, as much as I appreciate the contribution of the noble Lord, Lord Greaves— I thought he made an excellent speech—the amendment is not appropriate for the Bill, but I assure him that it would be very difficult for the HCA to meet needs without meeting aspirations at the same time.