People living in social housing and on council estates should be working or actively seeking employment as a condition of their tenancy, Caroline Flint, the new housing minister, has said.
In her first interview since taking on the job, Miss Flint admitted she was surprised to learn more than half the people living in social housing and of working age are unemployed, twice the national average. Nearly three-quarters of tenants under 25 are without work.
She has proposed tackling the pockets of unemployment in council house areas by opening up more job centres, some run by the private sector, on the estates themselves. Tenants would also be required to undertake a skills audit.
The commitment contracts, where the signatory will promise to seek work, would initially apply to new tenants but could be extended to existing tenants.
Miss Flint said: "If you are in a family, an estate or a neighbourhood where nobody works, that impacts on your own aspiration.
"The question we should ask of any new tenant is what commitment they will make to improve their skills, find work and take the support that is available."
The plans could affect around a million people, though Miss Flint stressed the tenancy agreements would not apply to those incapable of work.
Of the 4.6 million people living in social housing in Britain, about 2.6 million are of working age, with 1.4 million out of work.
