Localism Will Fail Unless Government and Housing Providers Get Joined Up

The Government's localism agenda will fail unless the current disconnection between housing associations and Westminster is overcome, a new report has warned.  Right-leaning think tank ResPublica's report - Acting on Localism: The role of housing associations in driving a community agenda - argues that government can meet local needs by harnessing the power of HAs.  HAs "already contribute an annual investment of £756 million to community and neighbourhood activities. Whilst many communities by themselves do not have the resources to take up the opportunities created by the Localism Act - such as community rights, budgetary challenge and neighbourhood planning powers - HAs can act as vital capacity-builders and vehicles for community ambition".  Download a copy of the report from the ResPublica website.

Localism Bill Receives Royal Assent

The Localism Bill received Royal Assent on 15 November, becoming the Localism Act 2011. The Act has wide implications for social landlords and includes measures on:
· local authority tenancy strategies - which will affect allocation of all social housing
· tenure reform - the introduction of flexible tenancies
· abolition of the HRA subsidy system
· abolition of the Tenant Services Authority
· a cross-sector housing ombudsman scheme
· complaints and tenant panels
There is a whole section on how housing is to be managed in London, setting out specific powers for the Greater London Authority. The Act also covers many local authority functions such as community rights, neighbourhood planning and empowering cities, as well as a 'general power of competence' giving them the legal capacity to do anything an individual can do that isn't specifically prohibited. Download a copy of the Plain English Guide to the Act from the CLG website.