The King's Speech - A new chapter for social housing
Thursday 14th of May 2026
The King’s Speech signals one of the most significant periods of housing reform in recent years, with major implications for tenants, landlords, councils and communities across the country.
We welcome the Government’s continued focus on protecting and renewing social housing, strengthening resident safety and addressing long-standing structural issues within the housing system. Measures aimed at preserving social housing supply, accelerating remediation work and improving protections for residents are important steps at a time when many communities continue to face rising housing pressures and concerns around trust and accountability.
The proposed reforms to Right to Buy, alongside renewed emphasis on long-term investment in affordable housing, recognise the growing need to protect existing social housing stock for future generations. Equally, continued focus on building safety and remediation reflects the importance of ensuring residents feel safe, listened to and properly informed within their homes and communities.
The wider devolution agenda and growing role of Mayoral Combined Authorities in housing strategy will also be an important area to watch. As housing decision-making becomes increasingly strategic and regional, it will be essential that resident voice and local accountability remain central to the development of future housing plans and regeneration priorities.
However, legislation alone will not rebuild trust within housing services. The success of these reforms will ultimately depend on how residents are involved in shaping, scrutinising and influencing the decisions that affect their homes and communities.
For Tpas, meaningful tenant engagement must remain at the heart of implementation. As new legislation progresses, the sector will need to focus not only on compliance and delivery, but on ensuring residents are genuine partners in improving housing services and shaping the future of social housing.
We look forward to working with members, tenants, landlords and government as further detail emerges over the coming months.