The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published a strategy document setting out its contribution to investment in the country's infrastructure during the period of the 2002 Spending Review (the three financial years 2003-04 to 2005-06), in the context of its long-term programme. The document reaffirmed the commitment to raise all social housing to a decent standard by 2010, and added a new objective of increasing the number of private sector homes occupied by vulnerable households brought up to a decent standard. (An earlier departmental performance report had identified 100 councils at risk of missing the 2010 target, for which action plans would be prepared.)
Source: Departmental Investment Strategy 2002, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000) | Autumn Performance Report 2002, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Cm 5692, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Strategy document | Performance report (pdf)
Date: 2002-Dec
Research found that residents will accept high-density housing in return for associated benefits. It showed that almost all New Deal for Communities projects in London and the south-east are now opting for density increases.
Source: Rebecca Tunstall, Housing Density: What do Residents Think?, London School of Economics (020 7278 6571)
Links: Press release
Date: 2002-Dec
Following consultation, the government published regulations designed to make it easier for councils to enter into private finance initiative contracts for increased investment in housing.
Source: Press release 4.11.02, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000)
Links: Press release
Date: 2002-Nov
The Conservative Party promised to give one million housing association tenants the right to buy their homes at discounted prices; housing associations would be allowed to keep the receipts and use them to build or buy new properties for low-income tenants.
Source: Speech by David Davis MP to Conservative Party Conference 8.10.02
Links: Text of speech
Date: 2002-Oct
Campaigners argued that direct investment in council housing is the quickest and most efficient way of bringing it up to a high standard; that councils should be free to borrow for investment; and that all capital receipts should be returned to fund housing investment.
Source: Submission by Defend Council Housing in Response to the ODPM Review The Way Forward for Housing Capital Finance , Defend Council Housing (020 7987 9989)
Links: Submission (Word file)
Date: 2002-Oct
Local authorities in Wales are failing to deliver results on housing, according to an article. It criticised the 'tyranny of partnership' that exists between central and local government in Wales, and said that the 'cosiness' of this partnership has reduced the Welsh Assembly government's appetite and ability to deal with the current problems on housing issues.
Source: Peter Williams, 'Stand and deliver! Tackling the housing challenges in post-devolution Wales', in Steve Wilcox (ed.), UK Housing Review 2002-03, Chartered Institute of Housing (024 7685 1752) and Council of Mortgage Lenders, for Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Review summary | CML press release
Date: 2002-Oct
Up to 20 private companies across London are making large profits by exploiting loopholes in the right-to-buy rules for council homes, according to unpublished research by the London Housing Unit.
Source: The Guardian, 2.10.02
Links: Article
Date: 2002-Oct
The Deputy Prime Minister said that 'the right to buy undermined - and continues to undermine - social housing in designated housing crisis areas'; he promised action to deal with exploitation and abuses within the system.
Source: Speech by John Prescott MP to Labour Party Conference, 30.9.02
Links: Speech
Date: 2002-Sep
A housing charity said that the 'right to buy' policy costs billions and increases the misery of homelessness; since the policy's introduction in 1980 nearly 1.5 million homes have been lost to the social housing sector, more than 750,000 of which have not been replaced.
Source: Time for a Change - Reforming the Right to Buy, Shelter (020 7505 4699)
Links: Press release
Date: 2002-Sep
A scoping study into fiscal policy options for promoting affordable housing (such as tax incentives, and savings schemes for first-time buyers) concluded that they could supplement the social housing grant by bringing in different players, greater choice and a more market-oriented approach.
Source: Alan Holmans, Kathleen Scanlon and Christine Whitehead with Jim Shilling and John Hills, Fiscal Policy Instruments to Promote Affordable Housing, Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research, University of Cambridge (01223 337147) for Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Links: Summary
Date: 2002-Aug
The government began consultation on changes to housing law to make it easier for local authorities to enter into Private Finance Initiative contracts and delegate housing management to private sector partners.
Source: Delegation of Housing Management, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (01709 891318)
Links: Consultation Document (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2002-Aug
The government created a 'Housing Practitioner Group', made up of policy makers and experts from outside government, to take forward the key points and recommendations in relation to housing contained in the Cantle and Denham Reports (official reports on racial disturbances in Oldham, Bradford and Burnley in 2001).
Source: Press release 23.7.02, Home Office (020 7273 4000)
Links: Home Office press release | Cantle report (pdf)
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 31/3, Digest 123, paragraph 8.1
Date: 2002-Jul
The government announced a package of measures designed to allow 200,000 new homes to be built in the south east region, support housebuilding in other regions, and allow central intervention where local authorities miss development targets.
Source: Press release 18.7.02, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000)
Links: Press release | Hansard
Date: 2002-Jul
The government announced the biggest increase in spending on affordable social housing since the 1970s, from 4.8 billion in 2002-03 to 5.9 billion in 2005-06.
Source: Opportunity and Security for All: Investing in an Enterprising, Fairer Britain: New Public Spending Plans 2003-2006, White Paper Cm 5570, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: White Paper | Press release
Date: 2002-Jul
The National Assembly for Wales launched a new housing model, under which local authority housing would be transferred to tenant-centred organisations.
Sources: Community Housing Mutual Model Rule Set, National Assembly for Wales, available from Wales Co-operative Centre (029 2055 4955) | Press release 8.5.02, National Assembly for Wales (029 2082 5111)
Links: Press release
Date: 2002-May
The government established a 'sounding board' to allow council and housing association tenants to influence housing policy.
Source: Press release 8.5.02, Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (020 7944 3000)
Links: Press release
Date: 2002-May
