Housing and Communities' Inequalities in Northern Ireland
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Housing and Communities’ Inequalities in Northern Ireland Alison Wallace June 2015 Dr Alison Wallace Centre for Housing Policy University of York Heslington York YO10 5DD 01904 321480 [email protected] 2 About the University of York The University of York was established in 1963. The University was ranked 124th out of 40,000 in the QS World University 2013 Rankings and 100th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2013-2014. The University is a member of the Russell Group of Universities, which represents 24 leading United Kingdom universities and has one of the greatest concentrations of social scientific research activity in the World. About the Centre for Housing Policy The Centre for Housing Policy (CHP) in the Department of Social Policy and Social Work at the University of York will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2015. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework ranked the Department third in the United Kingdom for social policy research, with over half of research outputs considered to be world leading. In this context, CHP has an exceptional record of academically excellent and policy-relevant research, with measurable impacts on policy and services. Researchers have internationally recognised expertise across the full range of housing issues, and skills from analysis of large-scale data sets to interviewing vulnerable people. The Centre undertakes independent, evidence based research for Government departments, charities, and private sector organisations. For further information about CHP see www.york.ac.uk/chp About the Author Alison Wallace is a Research Fellow and joined the Centre for Housing Policy at the University of York in 2001. Her expertise is in homeownership and housing markets and, prior to joining academia, she worked as a social housing practitioner in London. Acknowledgements The author would like to thank the following people for providing time, information and offering support throughout the project: Jo Wilson and Simon Hookham from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland; Tony Steed and Lee Duffin, from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive; Louise Grieve and Jennifer Doak from the Department for Social Development. In addition, the time given by a range of stakeholders to be interviewed and to attend the seminar event was much appreciated. Lastly, the author is grateful for the support of colleagues at the Centre for Housing Policy: Nicholas Pleace for feedback on early drafts of the report, and Lynne Lonsdale for administrative support. Disclaimer The views expressed in this report are not necessarily those of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland or any other agency. Responsibility for any errors rests with the author. Contents Contents ................................................................................................................................................ 4 List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................ 7 List of Figures ...................................................................................................................................... 9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................ 11 1: Introduction and Research Objectives ...................................................................................... 15 Background to the study ................................................................................................................... 15 Research Aims and Objectives ......................................................................................................... 16 Review Methods................................................................................................................................. 17 Identifying Inequalities ..................................................................................................................... 18 Equality Framework in Northern Ireland .............................................................................. 18 Housing inequalities .................................................................................................................. 19 Structure of report .............................................................................................................................. 23 2: Northern Ireland’s Housing Market ......................................................................................... 24 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 24 Economic context ............................................................................................................................... 24 Housing market context .................................................................................................................... 25 Homeownership ................................................................................................................................. 29 Private rented sector .......................................................................................................................... 31 Social rented sector ............................................................................................................................ 37 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 40 3: Gender ............................................................................................................................................. 42 Overview ............................................................................................................................................. 43 Access to housing ............................................................................................................................... 47 Adequacy of housing......................................................................................................................... 53 Sustainability of housing .................................................................................................................. 54 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 56 4: Age ................................................................................................................................................... 58 Overview ............................................................................................................................................. 58 Access to housing ............................................................................................................................... 61 Adequacy of housing......................................................................................................................... 67 Sustainability of housing .................................................................................................................. 70 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 72 5: Religion ........................................................................................................................................... 73 Overview ............................................................................................................................................. 73 Access to housing ............................................................................................................................... 80 Adequacy of housing......................................................................................................................... 95 Sustainability of housing ................................................................................................................ 101 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 103 6: Political Opinion ......................................................................................................................... 105 7: Ethnicity and ‘Race’ .................................................................................................................... 107 Overview ........................................................................................................................................... 108 Access to housing ............................................................................................................................. 110 Adequacy of housing....................................................................................................................... 123 Sustainability of housing ................................................................................................................ 129 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 130 8: Disability ...................................................................................................................................... 132 Overview ..........................................................................................................................................