The UK's housing market is contributing to a more unequal society and is failing millions of people. This strong message was delivered by the President of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) yesterday to new Housing Minister, John Healey, and nearly 1,400 delegates, at this year's CIH Annual Conference and Exhibition in Harrogate.

CIH President, Steve Benson, used his opening address to call on the sector to shape a new future for housing, which would require not only major changes to the housing market, but also efforts to change public attitudes on different forms of housing.

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In his speech, Mr Benson said that there are growing numbers of people who have virtually no housing options available to them, and the issue will only get worse with the current boom-bust approach to housing - characterised by periods of unaffordable price increases, followed by negative equity.

And key to all of this would be a shift away from our cultural fixation with homeownership and regarding housing as an investment, rather than a sustainable home.

(CD/JM)