More council homes, but where is the tenant voice? 

A good home gives people the stability to build their lives. That was a central message in Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s Labour conference speech on 29 September. For social housing tenants, the question is how that ambition will translate into a better home, a better service and a stronger say in decisions. 

From a Tpas perspective, the speech creates an opportunity to put tenant experience at the heart of housing policy. It also leaves a challenge for government, councils and housing providers: public control must come with meaningful public influence. 

More homes that stay available 

The Prime Minister promised a major council housebuilding programme, using unused public land, and proposed removing Right to Buy from newly built council homes while preserving it for people in existing homes. He also proposed making it easier for councils to bring empty properties and the worst private rented homes into public housing. 

These are commitments and proposals. The speech itself does not change tenants’ rights, and the detail of funding, delivery and any legislation will matter. 

For households waiting for social housing, expanding the supply of genuinely affordable homes could offer greater security. Keeping new council homes available for future generations could also help sustain that supply. 

But tenants should help shape what gets built. Their experience can inform the size and accessibility of homes, the design of shared spaces, transport connections and the services a neighbourhood needs. Involvement should begin while choices are still open, with a clear explanation of how residents’ contributions affect the outcome. 

Existing tenants need investment too 

For someone waiting for a repair, struggling to heat their home or repeatedly chasing a complaint, a promise of new housebuilding may feel distant. 

An ambitious building programme should be accompanied by a clear commitment to existing homes. Tenants need to understand how landlords will balance new development with repairs, safety work, energy efficiency and everyday services. 

That means honest conversations about resources and priorities. It means accessible information about investment plans and opportunities for tenants to challenge the choices being made. Where trade-offs arise, landlords should explain them openly and show how tenant evidence has informed their decisions. 

The success of housing policy should be visible inside the homes people already live in. 

Democratic control needs everyday accountability 

Burnham linked council housebuilding to stronger democratic control over housing. That creates an important opening for a discussion about how tenants exercise influence between elections. 

Council ownership brings an electoral route to accountability. Tenants also need direct routes to question housing services, scrutinise performance and influence decisions about their homes. Housing association tenants need those opportunities too. 

Tenant scrutiny should have access to useful information, support to examine it and a clear route for recommendations to reach decision-makers. Residents should be able to see what action followed, who is responsible and when improvements will happen. 

Participation must also reach beyond the people who already attend meetings. Caring responsibilities, disability, language, working hours and digital access can all affect someone’s ability to take part. A stronger tenant voice requires organisations to remove those barriers. 

Devolution must reach residents 

The speech also set out an ambition to devolve more power to places. For tenants, decisions about housing cannot be separated from transport, employment, health and local services. 

Our Tpas perspective is that residents should have influence wherever those decisions are made. If housing investment is shaped at a regional level, tenant involvement needs a route into that level as well as into individual landlords. 

That requires more than a consultation after the main decisions have been taken. Residents need opportunities to shape priorities, examine proposals and receive a public response to their recommendations. Those arrangements should be built into new structures from the outset. 

What tenants should expect next 

The next stage needs to make the housing commitments practical: clear funding, delivery milestones and an explanation of how existing tenants will benefit. 

For landlords, there is already work to do. Discuss the proposals with tenants. Ask which improvements matter most to them. Review whether involvement and scrutiny arrangements give residents enough influence over investment and services. 

For government, the challenge is to make participation part of delivery. More public housing can create lasting opportunities, but tenants must be able to shape the homes, services and communities that result. When the plans are published, they should explain exactly where that influence sits and how decision-makers will be held to account.