A cross-party group of MPs has criticised the 2035 deadline for the new Decent Homes Standard and has called on the government to show more urgency in delivering improvements to the country’s social housing stock.

In a new report, the Housing, Communities and Local Government select committee recommends that the government set “interim targets specifying the percentage of social homes that will be upgraded to the revised standard in each year before the final implementation date”.

The report states: “The government’s new Decent Homes Standard will not be implemented in full until 2035. We are concerned that this will mean too many tenants remain in poor quality, unsafe homes for too long.”

It adds: “The government’s long implementation date for the revised Decent Homes Standard eases the burden on providers but fails to deliver improvements with the urgency that social tenants deserve.

“Too many tenants will remain in poor quality, unsafe homes for too long under the implementation date that the government has set. There is also a risk that many homes may fail to meet the revised Decent Homes Standard by the final implementation date.

“The government must put in place interim targets to demonstrate to tenants and the public that progress is being made. We recommend that the government introduce interim targets stipulating the percentage of social homes that should be upgraded to the revised Decent Homes Standard in each year before the final implementation date.”

Florence Eshalomi MP (pictured), chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government committee, said: “Whether it is residents living in poorly insulated homes, experiencing overcrowding, or enduring housing with damp or mould, it’s vital that government measures, including Awaab’s Law and the new Decent Homes Standard, bring a meaningful improvement to social housing conditions.

“The government deserves credit for the steps taken to rebuild the sector’s financial capacity after years of underinvestment. However, we do have concerns about the resources available to social housing providers to meet the government’s new social homes target while also raising standards over the decade.

“The government’s long-term housing strategy needs to set out a credible plan to tackle the need to improve existing housing stock while encouraging social landlords to build the new social homes the country needs.”

Elsewhere in the report, MPs warn that high energy prices mean households living in homes that comply with the government’s new minimum energy efficiency standard may remain in fuel poverty, if they struggle to afford to heat their home sufficiently. The report recommends the government revise the official definition of fuel poverty to reflect this in the forthcoming Fuel Poverty Strategy.