So we have a housing strategy, but where is the vision?

In the end, the only surprise was that so many people were surprised by the lack of new ideas in the government's housing strategy.

Coalition ministers have said so little about housing since the general election 18 months ago that any sort of statement was bound to capture media attention. But, in truth, what few solutions the government has to the perennial problem of Britain's dysfunctional housing market had already dribbled out to little acclaim in the sector or elsewhere.

Yes we have so-called 'affordable' renting (where new tenants pay up to 80% of market rents) and the new homes bonus (which tries to induce local authorities to grant planning permission for new homes with the promise of extra council tax).

Now the government has followed its predecessor by attempting to bolster the house building industry with yet another scheme to help first-time buyers acquire mortgages. Alongside the mortgage indemnity scheme, it is providing money to kickstart stalled development schemes. Sorry, but haven't we been here before in the immediate aftermath of the credit crunch?

The strategy tries to score political points by highlighting failures of the last government. But the mortgage scheme and other support for house builders would have sat comfortably in Labour's housing strategy (in as much as it had one), along with tackling empty homes, indentifying public land for development and encouraging institutional investors to fund private rented housing.

Where the coalition government differs greatly from Labour is in its approach to social rented housing. In a nutshell, it doesn't plan to build anymore and wants to sell off some existing homes by reviving the right to buy scheme with more generous discounts.

Not only does the return of RTB threaten the plans of local authorities ahead of next April's dismantling of the housing revenue account system, but it means that, unless the homes sold are replaced, councils and housing associations will have even fewer properties to offer to households on waiting lists.

To some extent, the Tories appear to have learnt from their mistakes in the Thatcher era and, this time, are promising that any homes sold will be replaced on a one-to-one basis. But it is hard to see how the numbers stack up when councils have debts to pay off and the Treasury is demanding 75% of sales receipts.

Furthermore, any new homes built will almost certainly be for affordable, not social, renting. The strategy makes it clear that affordable renting is here to stay with private firms keen to grab a share of the spoils. What is more, landlords are being encouraged to target homes at people looking for work or already in jobs, providing they do not earn too much.

Where this leaves people in need that cannot show they are in a position to work is anyone's guess. A cash-strapped government has made it clear that what little public subsidy there is will be targeted at homeowners with the reformed welfare system left to pick up the bill when people without jobs are required to pay near-market rents because there are no social rented homes remaining.

The strategy, in as much as there is one, seems little more than a series of sticking plaster solutions. Those hoping for a long-term vision must wait a while longer.