Sovereign's response to the Social Housing White Paper

17th November 2020

Sovereign Housing has today welcomed the publication of the government’s White Paper on Social Housing: the Charter for Social Housing . The White Paper sets out how the government plans to reinforce the Regulator of Social Housing’s powers, with a focus on safety and transparency. There are also measures to improve resolution of complaints and empower residents.

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government said today that the government was delivering on the commitment made to the Grenfell community that “never again, would the voices of residents go unheard.” He added that he wanted to see “social housing tenants empowered by a regulatory regime and a culture of transparency, accountability, decency and service befitting of the best intentions and deep roots of social housing in this country.”

Sovereign chief executive, Mark Washer, speaking from his home this morning said:

“I share the government’s ambition that social housing tenants should live in safe homes, feel connected to their landlords and feel that their voices can be heard. At Sovereign we have been working with the National Housing Federation to improve how landlords engage tenants across the sector. I am proud of the way we communicate with our customers, especially if things go wrong. But we can never be complacent and good customer service requires constant vigilance.”

He went on to say:

“I look forward to working with the Social Housing Regulator as she takes on new responsibilities as a proactive consumer regulator. I am passionate that social housing tenants should expect consistently high standards, just as a private tenant would – indeed I hope that Sovereign’s customers have a better experience than most.”