Repair and
maintenance work on public housing has been on a downward trajectory over the
last two decades.
According to latest
research from public sector procurement specialist Scape Group, it hit an all-time low in
2018 of £7.1 billion – a £2.2 billion decrease since 1997, despite the number
of public sector homes only decreasing by 542,000.
In 1997, 32 per cent
of all repair and maintenance work in the housing sector was carried out on
public sector homes, by 2018 this had dropped to just 25 per cent of total
output.
The peak of public
sector housing delivery took place during the 1950s, when Britain saw over
200,000 homes delivered each year. These homes often fail to meet today’s
energy efficiency standards and require work to ensure they meet modern
standards of living.
Mark Robinson, Scape
Group chief executive, commented, “Everyone deserves a home that is fit for
purpose, but more than that, a home shouldn’t negatively affect your health or
hold back your opportunity to succeed in life. There is a clear connection between
the quality of housing and the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of the
people that live there. Our analysis shows a nationwide decrease in the amount
of work being carried out on public sector homes. Often the people living in
these homes have little recourse to move and face difficulty in securing
essential repair and maintenance work.
“The data shows that
repair and maintenance work hit a low of £7.1 billion in the public sector last
year, a decrease of £252 per property since 1997. This is not enough. A new
boiler, either combi, system or heat only, costs between £500 and £2,000, before
taking into consideration installation costs. New windows cost from £3,500 to
£7,000 on a typical three-bedroom semi and damp proofing internal walls is
estimated at £70 per metre or £280 per wall.”
The State of our
Estates report from Scape identified that the amount of repair and maintenance
work being carried out on all of Britain’s housing stock is falling. Over the
same time period, the
number of homes in the UK has increased by 3.8 million and a staggering 4.5
million homes now fail the Decent Homes Standard across the public and private
sector. Scape’s report identifies that in 1997, construction output was
£29.4bn, the equivalent of £1,220 per property. In the last two decades this
has decreased in real terms to £28.9bn – an average of £1,028 per property
across Britain.
Mark Robinson, Scape
Group chief executive, continues, “The number of households living in the
private rented sector is rising, as people continue to be priced out of the
housing market. In the ten years from 2007 to 2017, an additional 1.7 million
people now live in private rented accommodation. Latest data also shows us that
25 per cent of homes in the private rented sector are classified as non-decent.
We need to see better oversight and scrutiny of landlords in the private rented
sector so that consumers secure greater protection and importantly, have the
ability to hold landlords accountable.”
The regional divide
on repair and maintenance work shows that 36 per cent of all repair and
maintenance work in England over the last twenty years took place in London and
the South East. This equates to £1,440 of repair and maintenance work per
property, compared to just £530 in the North East. The south of England
consistently sees higher levels of repair and maintenance output, with a
combined £17.4bn of work delivered in 2018.
Mark Robinson, Scape
Group chief executive, continues, “The north-south divide in the repair and
maintenance of property paints a stark picture of housing stock across the
country. Last year, 60 per cent of all repair and maintenance work in Britain
took place in just four southern regions. Even taking into consideration
regional difference in the prices of materials and construction workers, more
needs to be done to redress the balance and improve our homes up and down the
country.”
