Staff At Social Landlords Under Pressure To Favour Cost Savings Over Quality In Procurement

Cost savings are a bigger concern to procurement professionals working for UK social landlords and other public sector organisations than quality of work as pressure on budgets intensifies. A survey carried out by procurement company Fusion 21 found that while 39% of respondents said quality was an “extremely important” consideration during procurement activity, a larger proportion (47%) identified cost savings as being the most significant. The survey results represent the views of 100 procurement professionals who work for organisations such as housing associations and stock-owning local authorities, which collectively own more than one million homes. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/staff-at-social-landlords-under-pressure-to-favour-cost-savings-over-quality-in-procurement-61955

Housing: Construction – Parliamentary Written Answer

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure proposed new permitted development rights do not adversely affect the quality of housing with respect to (a) size and (b) safety regulations.

Kit Malthouse: Our recent consultation, “Planning Reform: Supporting the high street and increasing the delivery of new homes” sought views on new permitted development rights to help deliver more homes. All homes, whether granted permission through a national permitted development right or on a planning application are required to meet Building Regulations, including fire safety. We are currently considering the responses received to the consultation. Decisions will be taken in due course on the consultation proposals to be taken forward.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-02-04/216359