The Social Housing Green Paper may well mark a seminal
moment in the English housing sector. However, this may perhaps be more for
what it ushered out than what it ushered in. A number of notable policies introduced
during the Cameron-Osborne years have been unceremoniously dumped or reversed:
– The High-value Assets Levy that was to be paid by
councils to cover the cost of replacing homes sold by housing associations
under the voluntary Right to Buy – gone
– The Housing and Planning Act 2016 contained powers to
require councils to implement fixed-terms to new tenancies – this policy has
been scrapped
– Consumer regulation was pared back in 2010 with the
Tenant Services Authority infamously being made into ‘toast’ by then housing
minister Grant Shapps. The Green Paper explores a number of options to beef up
consumer regulation so it is on a par with economic regulation
– Performance league tables are being considered to allow
meaningful comparison between social landlords. This was last possible when the
Audit Commission and its KLOEs (key lines of enquiry) was in its pre-coalition
government pomp, before being abolished.
Read more on the See Media website.
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