Minister Gordon Lyons MLA: Housing ‘at the heart of government’

Minister for Communities Gordon Lyons MLA tells agendaNi that he aims to deliver “practical and innovative initiatives” that are “making a real difference” to housing supply, homelessness, and private sector regulation.

A key milestone, Lyons says, is securing housing as a priority within the Programme for Government, a longstanding demand from the sector. “For years, many have called for a standalone housing outcome, and that is what I have delivered,” he says.

“This challenges the entire Executive to get behind real solutions to our housing challenges.”

The foundation of this work, he explains, is the Housing Supply Strategy, which has now received full Executive endorsement: “This is the first strategy of its kind for Northern Ireland, and it provides a framework for how we will address long-term structural issues in the housing system.”

Social and affordable housing

Despite financial constraints, Lyons confirms that his department has prioritised investment in social housing. “I secured over £170 million to deliver new social homes, and this means we will have started over 1,400 by the end of this financial year.”

He stresses that progress is already visible. “At the end of February, we had 5,200 social houses on site across Northern Ireland. That simply wasn’t possible this time last year.”

Beyond social housing, he highlights the expansion of the intermediate rent policy, with Maple and May selected as the first operator. “They will receive loan funding to deliver 300 new affordable homes, helping those who are struggling to access quality housing at the right price.”

Further funding has also been allocated to Co-Ownership, with £153 million allocated, aiming to deliver 4,000 shared ownership homes over four years. “For every £1 of government loan funding, £4 of private and mortgage finance will be leveraged,” he asserts.

Homelessness

On homelessness, Lyons says that his vision is to “make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurrent”.

He highlights the Loan to Acquire Move-On Accommodation Scheme, a £10 million initiative which aims to enable homelessness charities to provide “well-managed, long-term private rented accommodation at an affordable rate”.

A major policy shift is the Housing Executive’s approval to purchase “up to 600 private sector properties” for use as temporary accommodation. “This will reduce reliance on costly, unsuitable accommodation while also creating significant savings for the homelessness budget,” he asserts.

“This is exactly the kind of innovative, radical thinking we need to ensure that homeless families have stability.”

Regulating the private rented sector

The Minister states that reform of private rented sector regulation is “underway”. “We have already taken steps to improve affordability by limiting rent increases to once per year,” Lyons explains. “Work has also begun on providing greater security of tenure.”

To drive compliance, he states that his decision to transfer the Landlord Registration Scheme to councils, “professionalises the sector and ensures that standards are upheld”.

Further investment has been made in tenant support services, with £3.3 million allocated to Housing Rights over the next three years. “They play a critical role in preventing homelessness and providing advice, and I am committed to ensuring that work continues.”

In a significant policy shift, Lyons confirms that intimidation points will be removed from the housing selection scheme. “This levels the playing field for all victims of violence. Going forward, everyone will be assessed using the same criteria, regardless of the cause.”

Building safety

Lyons also highlights rapid progress on building safety legislation. “In March 2024, I committed to bringing forward legislation to address defects in residential buildings. Just four months later, that bill was passed.”

He describes this as the “first stage” in a wider transformation of building safety. “We are developing further legislation to ensure that homes and tall buildings are safe and stay safe.”

Path forward

Looking ahead, Lyons stresses that reform will continue. “I told you last year [2024] that I would not be content to tinker around the edges. I hope my track record demonstrates that I am serious about delivering real change.”

He confirms his key priorities:

• increasing social housing supply through new delivery models;
• securing Housing Executive borrowing powers to enable large-scale investment;
• reforming home improvement grants, including the Disabled Facilities Grant;
• tackling tenancy fraud through new legislative proposals; and
• addressing fuel poverty, with a final strategy to be published by the end of 2025.

He also announces that a three-year action plan will be published by summer 2025. “This will set out clear, measurable targets, including ramping up our intermediate rent programme and addressing major supply barriers such as land availability and water infrastructure.”

Lyons calls on Executive colleagues to support these changes. “We need to think differently and find new ways to deliver with the resources we have. With the right policies and collaboration, I believe we can make significant progress in the year ahead.”

As he concludes, Lyons expresses confidence in the sector’s ability to drive change. “We have already achieved a great deal, but there is much more to do. I look forward to working with all of you to keep delivering solutions.”