Housing professionals need governments to create an environment which enables them to do their jobs effectively. Regardless of whether the government is interventionist or hands-off, its perceptions, policy positions, funding and tax decisions, legislation and public views all have a significant effect on what the housing sector can achieve.
This makes lobbying – seeking to influence government's positions and actions – an important activity, and the number and range of organisations which engage in it are growing.
Lobbying is not only directed at government. Momentum for a particular cause can be created by persuading other housing professionals and organisations with an interest in the sector, such consumers, the media and the opposition, to articulate the same views. Governments listen to some individuals and organisations more than others, so bringing other influential people round to your way of thinking is crucial to a successful lobby.
The activities involved in lobbying depend on the resources, experience and objectives of those involved. The attitude and views of the person or group being lobbied should also have a bearing on your approach. There are a number of different types of lobby. Here are the main four which the housing sector should engage in.
Raising awareness
This is a big one for housing. Social landlords, particularly housing associations, quite often experience hostility from MPs, which is a problem for our reputation and makes it harder to get support for appropriate policy decisions. Efforts to challenge misconceptions and highlight positive results involves making personal contact, taking politicians to areas where you work, and showcasing impact assessments.
Coming up to an election or spending review, organisations like the Chartered Institute of Housing highlight the importance of housing to help get the focus and funding required. Housing almost always plays second fiddle to health, education and policing, so illustrating the contribution it can make to these issues and the economy is almost more important than stating the intrinsic value of everyone being well housed.
Big ideas
Practitioners and think tanks regularly identify a big idea to change the world, but unfortunately there are few simple ones around so most ideas are resisted. But ongoing work to reform council housing finance is a good example of this. Having spent many years making the case for reform, people with in depth experience of the current system are now working with government to design a fundamentally different system which is sustainable and fair.
Attention to detail
Getting the detail right is a form lobbying which can feel more like partnership working, depending on how hard you have to push. Often a government knows what it wants to do but its policy or legislation is strengthened by adding the expertise of people working in the field who can see the detail of how things will work in practice. Important changes to planning aspects of the localism bill have been made because of experts working with MPs, ministers and civil servants to shape the detail.
Drawing swords
Lobbying in opposition to something is generally carried out to protect the interests of a particular group or to avoid an unforeseen consequence. The most obvious current example is the widespread opposition to housing benefit reform, where a wide range of groups have come together to illustrate and quantify those consequences. Although results have been small compared to the strength of opposition, they are visible and have reduced the negative impact of the reforms for many people.
Successful lobbying is largely about relationships, credibility and focus. It is important for the housing sector because of the fundamental impact housing has on individuals, communities and economies. It is also important now because the current government has a new approach to policy making which places less value on collaboration and practitioner experience than the last government did.
As the scale of the housing lobby grows it will be important to see cooperation between participating organisations, where messages and resources are aligned and where similarities between organisations are emphasised. The housing challenge faced by the country is great and both the government and the Labour party have committed to address it, so there is a great deal a strong housing lobby can add.
Abigail Davies is assistant director of policy and practice at the Chartered Institute of Housing.
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