Devolution must give power to residents, not just regions

We have entered a new era in British governance with devolution moving from a long-term ambition to the defining mission of a new government.

The promise is simple. Re-wire the state and move power away from Westminster and into the hands of regional leaders, bringing decision-making closer to the communities it affects.

But if power is moving closer to communities, who is it actually being devolved to?

The lessons we can't afford to forget

For more than 35 years, Tpas has championed one simple principle - that housing works better when the residents affected by decisions help shape them. That belief has guided our work with residents, landlords, regulators and government, and it has helped drive significant change across the housing sector.

Grenfell forced the industry to confront an uncomfortable reality, when residents aren't heard, the consequences can be devastating. 

The reforms that followed, including stronger Consumer Standards, Tenant Satisfaction Measures, Awaab's Law and greater transparency and accountability, recognised a simple but powerful truth. That lived experience is not an optional extra. It is fundamental to good governance.

Over the coming months and years, we can expect to see powers over housing and communities increasingly move into combined authorities and local governments. 

This is welcome news, but there is a real risk that community voices fail to keep pace. Too often, engagement stops at landlord level while the biggest decisions about investment, regeneration and place are made elsewhere. 

We cannot afford to create a new generation of institutions that are any further removed from the people they serve than the ones they replace.

The next challenge for devolution

Our new policy paper, From Devolution to Participation, argues that resident participation must become part of the foundations of England's devolved housing system, rather than an afterthought once decisions have already been made. 

The paper is not calling for more consultation for consultation’s sake. It sets out practical ways to give residents meaningful influence over the decisions being made at regional level.

That means creating resident advisory structures with a direct route into combined authority housing teams; ensuring evidence from tenant scrutiny, complaints and Tenant Satisfaction Measures shapes regional strategy and investment; supporting tenant-led organisations to participate on an equal footing; and requiring decision-makers to show residents what changed as a result of their involvement.

A once-in-a-generation opportunity

None of this requires starting from scratch. Nor will it be expensive. The foundations are already in place. The housing sector already has decades of experience, evidence and established structures to draw on. The task now is to connect that expertise to the regional bodies making increasingly significant decisions about homes, investment and place.

Every day, tenants contribute insight through panels, complaints and local forums. The challenge is not necessarily about listening, it is about acting on those voices so they influence the strategic decisions shaping housing investment. 

If this Government is serious about democratic renewal, housing has the opportunity to become the blueprint for how communities shape regional government.

The political foundations are now in place. Andy Burnham has spoken about moving power closer to people, while Angela Rayner has long championed stronger communities and greater local influence. 

As the Government begins the process of redesigning how England is governed, it has a unique opportunity to ensure community participation is built into that new system from the very beginning. 

The success of devolution won't be measured by how many powers leave Westminster. 

Instead, it will be measured by whether the people those powers are meant to serve have a genuine seat at the table.

The housing sector has already learned, through both success and tragic experience, that better decisions are made when residents are listened to. Let's not build a new system of regional government only to repeat the mistakes of the old one.

There will be plenty of people who are asking who devolution is really giving power to. The answer should be simple - the people whose lives those decisions shape every day.

If power is moving out of Westminster, resident voice must move with it.

By Jenny Osbourne, CEO, Tpas