Tenants’ federation calls on Khan to ensure better resident involvement in net zero decisions on homes
The London Tenants Federation (LTF) has urged the mayor of London to adopt principles set out in a guidance note it has produced around involving tenants in net zero decision-making that affects their homes.
The 12-point note from the federation, which represents tenants’ organisations from across the capital, includes stipulations that net zero works must improve conditions in social homes, including by tackling fuel poverty.
Demolition – which can entail large embodied-carbon emissions – must not be turned to as an easy solution for “hard-to-retrofit” homes, it adds.
The note also says that social housing tenants should not be used as “guinea pigs” in assessing experimental technologies aimed at achieving net zero.
“Meaningful involvement of tenants and their associations and organisations is essential from the early stages of the development of plans for net-zero works to their homes,” the new guidance says. “Tenants are too often recipients of things done to them, when they should be equals in the discussions and processes of decision-making about their homes.”
The LTF said lessons must be learned from social housing residents’ mixed experience of work carried out during the Decent Homes Programme instigated 20 years ago under Labour.
A recent analysis carried carried out by London mayor Sadiq Khan’s office revealed that one in seven (15%) social properties in London fail to meet the Decent Homes Standard.
Ron Hollis, representative at the LTF, said: “Tenants across London had a wide variety of experiences around the amount of information, levels of involvement in the decision-making, quality and sustainability of Decent Homes works. With the net zero work, this must be different.”
Mr Hollis said that all social housing tenants at a regional, landlord-wide and local level deserve to know what they can expect from their landlords in carrying out net zero works.
The LTF said that formally adopting its proposed measures could help Mr Khan keep promises made earlier this year around working with social landlords to improve standards for tenants.
“If the mayor of London expects social landlords to adhere to the LTF guidance and principles, and if he monitors this, it could help ensure good-quality tenant involvement in decision-making and sustainability of the works to meet the standards social housing tenants deserve,” Mr Hollis said.
Inside Housing has approached the mayor of London’s office for comment.
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