Good housing key to good health, says government minister

Subject: CIEH

Housing minister Iain Wright said that there is “no room for complacency” in efforts to improve private sector housing as he addressed today a conference organised by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH).

Stressing the link between good housing and good health the Minister praised the work of both environmental health practitioners and the CIEH in raising the profile of private sector housing.

Wright also stated the need to learn from past experiences to forge improvements. He:

• Urged the unlocking of the full potential of the HHSRS (Housing Health and Safety Rating System)
• Encouraged additional partnership building between agencies to address issues such as poor housing and climate change
• Welcomed the Rugg Review of the private rented sector and stated that the Government is considering its response

Commenting on the conference, Stephen Battersby, CIEH President, said:

“This conference has demonstrated to public health practitioners and elected members in local authorities that healthy and safe housing conditions can have a very significant impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.

“There are now 7.7 million non Decent Homes in England and 4.8 million have unacceptable hazards. [Ref to: English House Condition Survey, 2006]

“Our diverse and high profile range of speakers were able to show how effective partnerships can be formed, for example by means of Local Area Agreements (LAAs), and how the tools available in the 2004 Housing Act can be used to better effect to improve the health of communities.”

“I am particularly grateful to the Minister for attending the conference and for reassuring delegates of the Government’s commitment to improving private sector housing.”

The conference entitled Better Housing, Better Health took place at the CIEH’s London headquarters. The event aimed to illustrate how securing healthy housing conditions, proactive partnership working and better use of a range of new powers can help ease the burden on the National Health Service.

Topics that were discussed at the conference included:

• The future of private sector housing
• The health value of interventions
• How Local Housing Authorities and PCTs can work better together
• Using the CIEH toolkit Good Housing Leads to Good Health