The chief executive of the Generation Rent activist group has put his name to an open letter to the government calling for a new National Housing Committee.

Ben Twomey is one of 19 heads of charities and property industry organisations agreeing to the open letter, sent on behalf of a body called the Homes For All coalition.

The letter reads:

Dear Minister,

We, members of the Homes For All coalition, are delighted that your department is working across government to develop a long-term housing strategy to reform the housing market to work better for communities, build 1.5 million high-quality homes, and deliver the biggest increase in affordable housing for a generation.

To ensure the strategy’s ambitions are delivered into the long-term future and to enable the fundamental systems change needed to address today’s deep-rooted challenges, we urge you to consider establishing a Statutory National Housing Committee to create a mechanism to both inform government housing policy development and hold government to account for progress in the future.

The Climate Change Committee provides a useful model of a non-political, statutory body that provides expert advice to government on its progress towards agreed climate targets, and reports to Parliament on progress towards goals. Similarly, we believe that a National Housing Committee is needed to provide robust evidence on how any proposed future measures will assist the delivery towards the aims of the Housing Strategy, and to avoid unintended consequences in this complex, cross-cutting policy area. 

Alongside the strategy, a National Housing Committee would be an impactful historical legacy for this bold and ambitious government.

Establishing a new National Housing Strategy Committee in law would hold future governments to account and ensure work continues to deliver the housing ambitions of the upcoming strategy. It would supply vital expert advice, robust analysis and promote connections across different sectors and government departments far into the future. Our report – Homes For All: a vision for England’s Housing System – gives more background to our recommendations for a housing policy governance structure such as our proposed National Housing Committee.

We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you or your team to discuss the benefits and logistical considerations of a National Housing Committee.

Yours sincerely,

Kate Markey, Chief Executive, The Nationwide Foundation

Brian Berry, Chief Executive, Federation of Master Builders

Lord Richard Best, House of Lords

Tom Chance, Chief Executive, Community Land Trust Network

Matt Downie, Chief Executive, Crisis

Dr Carole Easton, Chief Executive, Centre for Ageing Better

Guli Francis-Dehqani, Church of England lead bishop for housing

Shelagh Grant, Chief Executive, The Housing Forum

Kate Henderson, Chief Executive, National Housing Federation

Fiona Howie, Chief Executive, Town and Country Planning Association

Melanie Leech, Chief Executive, British Property Federation

Ian McDermott, Chief Executive, Peabody

Melissa Mean, Director, WeCanMake

Jim Reed, Director, People Powered Homes and Chief Executive, Leeds Community Homes

Duncan Shrubsole, Chief Executive, St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Gavin Smart, Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Housing

Danny Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive, New Economics Foundation

Ben Twomey, Chief Executive, Generation Rent

Bonnie Williams, Chief Executive, Housing Justice