Housing Minister John Healey has announced that for the first time all eight million tenants in public housing will have the right to clear standards of service from their landlord.

Mr Healey said that from 1 April next year, tenants in council or housing association homes will have these standards protected by a tough, responsive regulator, the Tenant Services Authority (TSA).

For tenants this could mean getting involved in agreeing with their landlords target response times for routine repairs, the right to choose a convenient time to have work done or priorities for neighbourhood improvements.

The government has driven up standards and services in public housing over the past twelve years and through the Decent Homes Programme, over 700,000 new kitchens, 525,000 new bathrooms and over 1 million new central heating systems have been fitted to homes.

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Mr Healey wants to see that improvement in public homes maintained and will direct the TSA to set national housing standards that all tenants can expect.

This is part of a programme of proposals across government that are protecting and guaranteeing the government's public service improvements of the last 12 years as new rights for citizens.

Mr Healey said: "We have driven up standards in public housing over the past twelve years. Thanks to the Decent Homes Programme and over £33 billion investment many tenants' homes have been made decent and I want these homes to remain that way.

"But I want to go further so I plan to legislate before Christmas to ensure that all tenants - whether they are in local authority or housing association homes - will know the service they can expect from their landlord."

TSA Chief Executive Peter Marsh said: "We welcome the government today confirming that our powers will be extended and the standards we're developing for landlords will apply to local authorities as well as housing associations from April next year - meaning that regardless of which social housing provider they rent from, all tenants will receive a similar standard of service in the future."

(CD/KMcA)