Is it going to be business as usual in housing after the Grenfell Tower fire?

What is the secret of great (timing) comedy? goes the old joke. It works better live than in writing, and it was never actually that funny.

The comments of Paul Hackett, the chief executive of Optivo, who recently became the chair of the G15 – the 15 largest housing associations – said on the appointment of of Alok Sharma as the new housing minister, that he hoped Mr Sharma would continue the “politics of pragmatism” shown by his predecessor in the role, Gavin Barwell.

Alok Sharma MP

He said: “What we would say to Alok Sharma is that Mr Barwell did a really good job as housing minister by forming a really effective and pragmatic relationship with the Greater London Authority and with housing associations and house builders generally.

“I would very much welcome a continuation of that politics of pragmatism. I really believe that Mr Barwell was focused on what works, rather than on ideology and he also recognised the importance of players other than just the volume house builders.”

This is where timing comes in. A couple of days later there was the fire at Grenfell Tower. If anyone thinks that it will be ‘business as usual’ in politics or housing, then they have misjudged the public mood as much as Theresa May has.

Housing associations, and particularly the larger ones, are in danger of attracting the anger of the public who are looking for someone to blame for the housing crisis we are facing. Yes, the housing policies of successive governments, the banks and those who speculate in the housing market will rightly be blamed.

But housing associations themselves need to take a long hard look at themselves in a mirror. Who are they building for? What are the standards in their homes? How isolated have they become from their tenants?

The disaster at Grenfell Tower is the most extreme manifestation of what is wrong with the housing market. The level of rough sleeping, the number of children in bed and breakfast accommodation, the general failure of the housing market as a whole has now reached tipping point.

If the government survives, it cannot be business as usual in housing, although there is nothing about Alok Sharma that inspires any confidence. Barwellian Pragmatism won’t do it. There needs to be a fundamental change in the approach of government.

Housing must once again become where people live, not an investment opportunity, and the housing needs to be safe.

We need council housing, not housing associations whose priorities are stock market flotations. We need social housing, not housing products. We need social rents, not so-called affordable rents.

The government of Theresa May is anything but strong and stable, and looks somewhat weak and feeble. In her speech later today, I hope that she will see the light about housing which was largely absent from the election campaign. It should now dominate the political agenda.