The time is right to give serious consideration to the fundamentals of housing and communities policy and the outcomes it aims to achieve.

CIH is at the forefront of shaping discussions and generating ideas, ensuring the housing sector informs its own future.

The current turmoil in the housing market gives opportunities to think about how we want to do things differently when the economy recovers. It also poses risks – we need to consider how decisions taken today in response to the recession will impact on housing practice in the longer term.

There will be a general election by June 2010, and the coming months will see political parties developing and refining their priorities for housing and communities. Established policy positions are being questioned, and new ideas are being articulated.