A discussion paper outlined key areas for strengthening investment in the social housing sector in Scotland.
Source: Investing in Affordable Housing – A Radical Rethink?, Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland
Links: Discussion paper
Date: 2009-Dec
An article examined the extent to which 'second generation' transfers of social housing since 1997 had delivered against policy objectives to reform the governance and organizational culture of social housing. The empirical evidence suggested that second generation transfers had provided a substantial stimulus to tenant involvement and to the development of more consumer-focused, inclusive, and commercially minded organizations. However, ministerial aspirations for transfer as a vehicle for community empowerment had not always been realized.
Source: Hal Pawson and Robert Smith, 'Second generation stock transfers in Britain: impacts on social housing governance and organisational culture', European Journal of Housing Policy, Volume 9 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Dec
The government published (following consultation) new statutory guidance on the management of waiting lists for local authority housing in England. It said that those people in greatest housing need needed to be given priority. But it also gave councils more freedom to allocate their homes according to needs specific to their local area – such as prioritizing families with local connexions or those seeking local employment, and tackling overcrowding and under-occupation.
Source: Fair and Flexible: Statutory guidance on social housing allocations for local authorities in England, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Guidance | Consultation responses | DCLG press release
Date: 2009-Dec
A briefing paper said that despite 40 years of recommendations for ethnic monitoring in housing services, there was little evidence that such monitoring was actually taking place in a regular, systematic, and detailed manner.
Source: Adrian Jones, Monitoring the Ethnicity of Housing Service Users: Forty years of progress?, Race Equality Foundation
Links: Briefing
Date: 2009-Dec
An article examined the spatial dimensions of social landlords' attempts to influence people's behaviour, and to map the range of technologies and measures utilized by social landlords on to particular urban spaces.
Source: John Flint and Hal Pawson, 'Social landlords and the regulation of conduct in urban spaces in the United Kingdom', Criminology and Criminal Justice, Volume 9 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Nov
A study found that social housing residents would benefit from the opportunity to move home through a national mobility scheme. Out of 4 million social housing households nationwide, nearly 680,000 expressed a strong desire to move to a different home, of which 128,000 would like to relocate to a completely different part of the country.
Source: Mobility Matters: Exploring mobility aspirations and options for social housing residents, Homes and Communities Agency (0300 1234 500)
Links: Report | HCA press release
Date: 2009-Nov
A paper examined the implications of 'personalization' for housing providers and commissioners of supported housing.
Source: Helena Taylor Knox, Personalisation and Individual Budgets: Challenge or Opportunity?, HQN Limited
Links: Paper
Date: 2009-Nov
The government announced (following consultation) that all tenants in public housing would have the right to clear standards of service from their landlord. From 1 April 2010, tenants in council or housing association homes would have these standards protected by the Tenant Services Authority. For tenants this could mean agreeing with their landlords target response times for routine repairs, the right to choose a convenient time to have work done, or priorities for neighbourhood improvements.
Source: Directions to the Tenant Services Authority: Summary of Responses and Government Response, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report | DCLG press release | TUC press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Nov
The housing watchdog in Scotland examined the contribution of registered social landlords in Scotland to helping local authorities meet their duties to homeless people, with a particular focus on meeting the 2012 target to give permanent accommodation to all homeless people. Progress towards the 2012 target was not consistent across Scotland, and councils would have to rely more on RSLs to provide temporary and permanent accommodation to homeless households. All social landlords would need to focus more on preventing homelessness and sustaining tenancies.
Source: Thematic Report: RSLs and Homelessness – The contribution of registered social landlords to preventing and alleviating homelessness in Scotland, Scottish Housing Regulator (0141 271 3810)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Nov
The Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill was given a third reading. The Bill was designed to place a duty on local councils to 'promote democracy' and monitor local economic conditions; make it a legal duty for them to respond to petitions; and provide for the setting-up of a 'National Tenant Voice' to ensure that tenants' views were central to decision-making on social housing.
Source: Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [HL], Department for Communities and Local Government, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 13 October 2009, columns 169-267, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard | HOC research brief (1) | HOC research brief (2)
Date: 2009-Oct
A new book examined the history and role of social/affordable housing, and how it was financed, developed, and managed. It considered the key tasks that housing professionals had to undertake, and some of the issues inherent in different approaches to these tasks.
Source: Stephen Harriott and Lesley Matthews, Introducing Affordable Housing, Chartered Institute of Housing (024 7685 1700)
Links: Summary
Date: 2009-Sep
An article said that the social housing stock was a precious resource that needed to be allocated as fairly and transparently as possible, but that under existing arrangements it was families who tried to find themselves alternative accommodation that often got penalized.
Source: Ed Turner, 'Reforming the social housing waiting game', Public Policy Research, Volume 16 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Sep
An audit report said that local councils in England felt pressured into focusing on building brand new housing – 94 per cent of areas had prioritized new and/or affordable housing targets in their local area agreements: but fewer than one-third prioritized targets relating to their existing housing stock, despite the financial savings, environmental improvements, and social benefits of doing so.
Source: Building Better Lives Getting the best from strategic housing, Audit Commission (0800 502030)
Links: Report | Audit Commission press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Sep
A survey found that housing association tenants in England were more satisfied with the quality of their homes, their neighbourhoods, and their landlords than 10 years previously. Only 12 per cent of social housing tenants wanted to go on to own their own home, down from 32 per cent a decade previously.
Source: Existing Tenants Survey 2008: Comparisons by landlord type and over time, Tenant Services Authority (0845 230 7000)
Links: Report | Inside Housing report | Local Government Chronicle report
Date: 2009-Sep
A think-tank report called for a fundamental overhaul of social housing policy in order to deal with overcrowding. Tackling overcrowding should be given the highest priority, and this should be reflected in decisions about spending in areas such as health and education, as well as in housing. Local authorities needed to be given the flexibility to develop means of borrowing off balance sheet. New ideas for models of private sector investment in rental housing that also generated additional social sector units should be supported and developed to allow local authorities to build more family-sized homes.
Source: Amelia Cookson and Janet Sillet, Room to Move, Local Government Information Unit (020 7554 2800)
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Sep
The government began consultation on proposals to extend the remit of the Tenant Services Authority to regulate not only housing associations but also council landlords from April 2010, and give the TSA the powers it needed to set common standards across all social housing providers.
Source: The Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 (Registration of Local Authorities) Order 2009: Consultation, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Consultation document | DCLG press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Aug
A report examined public attitudes in England to housing issues. Almost one-third (32 per cent) of respondents disagreed that the way social housing was allocated was fair. Almost one-half (48 per cent) believed that more low-income working households should be allocated social housing, rather than always allocating to the most vulnerable. Nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) thought that people with dependent children needed more housing stability, and a majority (57 per cent) agreed that social housing tenancies should be passed on to adult children living with their parents. A linked report summarized the findings from focus groups.
Source: Stephen Finlay and Richard Davis, Attitudes to Housing: Findings from Ipsos MORI Public Affairs Monitor Omnibus Survey (England), Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only) | Kirstin McClarty, Nick Allen, Sara Butler and Sarah Cheesbrough, Attitudes to Housing: Findings from focus groups, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | Focus groups report
Date: 2009-Jul
A report for the equal rights watchdog said that the vast majority of people who lived in social housing were born in the United Kingdom: fewer than 2 per cent of all social housing residents were people who had moved to the UK in the previous 5 years, and 9 out of 10 people who lived in social housing were born in the UK. There was no evidence to support the perception that new migrants were getting priority over UK-born residents; nor was there any evidence of abuse of the system, including 'queue jumping' or providing false information.
Source: Jill Rutter and Maria Latorre, Social Housing Allocation and Immigrant Communities, Research Report 4, Equality and Human Rights Commission (web publication only)
Links: Report | Telegraph report | Guardian report | Inside Housing report | BBC report | New Start report
Date: 2009-Jul
The housing watchdog in Scotland said that just under half of social housing services in Scotland were poor or only adequate.
Source: Social Landlords in Scotland: Shaping up for Improvement, Scottish Housing Regulator (0141 271 3810)
Links: Report | SHR press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Jul
A think-tank report said that tenants living on isolated, badly connected estates suffered a social 'apartheid', leaving them with reduced chances of employment, and increased chances of poor health. It called for a fundamental shift in thinking about housing, by mixing public and private provision, using holistic housing management, replacing housing benefit with a housing cost credit, and balancing the 'right to buy' with a 'right to sell'.
Source: James Gregory, In the Mix: Narrowing the gap between public and private housing, Fabian Society (020 7227 4900)
Links: Summary
Date: 2009-Jul
Researchers examined existing research evidence on the way local authorities in England allocated their housing stock.
Source: Hal Pawson, Caroline Brown and Anwen Jones, Exploring Local Authority Policy and Practice on Housing Allocations, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Jul
The government published draft guidance to local councils in England on the allocation of housing. Although first priority for housing needed to be given to those in greatest housing need, the guidance strengthened the freedoms councils had to prioritize needs specific to their local area. These could include: attracting people with particular skills into an area; giving priority to those who had been on housing waiting lists for a long time; or supporting people in work – particularly those on low incomes.
Source: Fair and Flexible: Draft statutory guidance on social housing allocations for local authorities in England, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Draft Guidance | DCLG press release | LGA press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Jul
Campaigners in Scotland said that there was a 'growing chasm' between the number of social homes for rent needed and the number available. There were fewer social homes for rent than at any time since 1959. Much of that decline had been as a result of 'Right to Buy': since 1998 alone, 135,000 social sector homes had been sold into private hands.
Source: Building Pressure: Access to housing in Scotland in 2009, Shelter Scotland (0131 473 7170)
Links: Report | Shelter press release | Scottish Government press release | BBC report
Date: 2009-Jul
A study described how housing for families had changed over time, and explored the relationship between social housing, family circumstances, and the 'adult outcomes' for children who grew up in social housing. As the social housing sector had became smaller and more 'targeted', children living in social housing had become increasingly disadvantaged compared with children in other housing: they scored lower in measures of adulthood health, well-being, education, employment, and income than those who did not grow up in social housing. There was no case for reducing the attractiveness of social renting further, or the number of homes available. Instead there was a need to help social housing catch up with the desirability of home-ownership housing, and increase its social mix. Other areas of social policy, such as childcare and education, also needed to tackle childhood tenure gaps more effectively, as these could not be addressed through housing policy initiatives.
Source: Ruth Lupton et al., Growing Up in Social Housing in Britain: A profile of four generations, 1946 to the present day, Tenant Services Authority (0845 230 7000)
Links: Report | Summary | TSA press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Jun
The Court of Appeal ruled that some registered social landlords (such as charities, companies, or co-operatives that provided social housing) should be treated as public authorities and subject to the Human Rights Act. These landlords would therefore be required to have regard to a tenant's human rights – such as the right to a private and family life, and right to a fair trial – when deciding whether to make an eviction order.
Source: London & Quadrant Housing Trust v Weaver, R (On the application of), Court of Appeal 18 June 2009
Links: Text of judgement | EHRC press release | Local Government Chronicle report
Date: 2009-Jun
A new book examined what social housing regulators and providers could learn from the ways in which tenants' views were taken into account in other countries with a social housing sector.
Source: John Perry and Mark Lupton, What Do Tenants Want? Globally, Chartered Institute of Housing (024 7685 1700)
Links: Summary
Date: 2009-Jun
The government published a plan for Britain's future, describing it as 'a radical vision for a fairer, stronger and more prosperous society'. Additional investment worth £1.5 billion over two years would deliver 20,000 new affordable homes, creating 45,000 jobs in the construction and related sectors. There would be changes to the rules for allocating social housing, giving local councils the power to give greater priority to local people and those who had spent a long time on a waiting list. Tenants and prospective tenants would be given more choice over the properties available.
Source: Building Britain's Future, Cm 7654, Prime Minister's Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Summary | Hansard | Cabinet Office press release | DCLG press release | HCA press release | NHF press release | CIH press release | PwC press release | London Councils press release | CBI press release | Conservative Party press release | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | Local Government Chronicle report | BBC report | Inside Housing report | New Start report
Date: 2009-Jun
A report examined the options available for enabling social housing tenants to exercise more choice. Greater choice had the potential to drive wider improvements in service delivery, if it led to a clearer emphasis on the quality of the overall tenant experience, and allowed the development of more individualized options for tenants.
Source: Mark Lupton, Angela Lomax and Gemma Duggan, Choosing Choice, Tenant Services Authority (0845 230 7000)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Jun
A report by an all-party group of MPs called for a mass programme of local authority housebuilding, and for a substantial increase in the grant funding available to local councils.
Source: Council Housing: Time to Invest, House of Commons Council Housing Group c/o Austin Mitchell MP (0207 219 4559)
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-May
A report said that the design quality of new-build affordable housing in England was 'mixed'. 21 per cent of the schemes completed under the Housing Corporation's 2004-2008 funding rounds were sub-standard.
Source: Affordable Housing Survey: A review of the quality of affordable housing in England, Homes and Communities Agency (0300 1234 500)
Links: Report | HCA press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Apr
A think-tank report said that there should be a 'fundamental reform' of social housing, with a focus on tackling concentrated areas of deprivation and a move away from 'bricks-and-mortar' subsidies. There should be a statutory duty on registered social landlords and local councils to 'fix' broken neighbourhoods, and a 'right to manage' their housing stock to allow them to achieve this.
Source: Stephen Greenhalgh and John Moss, Principles for Social Housing Reform, Localis (020 7340 2650)
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Apr
A report called for borrowing restrictions to be waived in order to allow arm's-length management organizations to expand and build new homes.
Source: A Future for ALMOs – Within local communities, National Federation of ALMOs (0845 4747 008)
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Apr
The Scottish Government began consultation on proposals to end the 'Right to Buy' for new-build social housing.
Source: Draft Housing (Scotland) Bill: A Consultation, Scottish Government (0131 556 8400)
Links: Consultation document | SG press release | CIH press release
Date: 2009-Apr
A report examined the work done by housing associations on the issue of financial inclusion.
Source: Winning with Money: Housing associations' contribution to financial inclusion, National Housing Federation (020 7278 6571)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Mar
The government announced that the average guideline rent increase for local authority tenants in 2009-10 would be halved from 6.2 per cent to 3.1 per cent, in the light of exceptional economic circumstances.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 6 March 2009, columns 71-72WS, TSO (0870 600 5522) Links: Hansard | DCLG press release | LGA press release | DCH press release | London Councils press release | TSA press release | Inside Housing report (1) | Inside Housing report (2)
Date: 2009-Mar
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive published a strategy setting out how residents, along with their local community associations, could get involved in developing their local services to improve their quality of life.
Source: Community Involvement Strategy 2008 to 2011, Northern Ireland Housing Executive (028 9024 0588)
Links: Strategy
Date: 2009-Mar
A report expressed doubts about the capacity of local authorities to increase their level of housebuilding.
Source: John Perry and David Hall, The Potential for House Building by Local Authorities: Can it be turned into bricks and mortar?, HouseMark (024 7646 0500) and Tribal
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Mar
A report summarized the views of tenants on issues raised by the government's review of council housing finance.
Source: Review of Council Housing Finance: Summary of Findings from Tenant Engagement Work, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Mar
An action plan highlighted the potential role of housing organizations in Scotland as catalysts for regenerating deprived communities.
Source: Acton Plan: Community Regeneration, Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland (0131 225 4544)
Links: Action plan | CIH press release
Date: 2009-Mar
A report said that housing associations in Scotland were finding it more difficult to build new homes after the Scottish Government had cut subsidy levels and private finance had became increasingly scarce. It called for the Scottish Government to give housing associations a fiscal stimulus by restoring subsidy levels to those operating before the financial crisis in 2007-08.
Source: Arrested Development: The challenges facing RSLs in building affordable housing, Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland (0131 225 4544)
Links: Report | CIH press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Mar
The Law Lords ruled that local authority housing policies that prioritized people who had been waiting longest, rather than on the basis of need, were lawful.
Source: R (on the application of Ahmad) v Mayor and Burgesses of London Borough of Newham, UKHL 14 (Session 2008-09), House of Lords Judicial Office (020 7219 3111)
Links: Text of judgement
Date: 2009-Mar
An audit report said that all housing associations in Wales were providing housing in a way that was satisfactory or better: but one-half of associations showed 'scope for considerable improvement' in relation to maintenance, and more than one-third were either 'showing weaknesses in process and performance' or 'failing to demonstrate capability' in relation to continuous improvement.
Source: Lessons from Inspection: Housing Association Inspection 2005-2008, Wales Audit Office (029 2026 0260)
Links: Report | WAO press release | CHC press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Mar
A report examined the attitudes of social housing tenants towards involvement in housing management and decision-making. Tenants wanted more involvement: but some barriers meant that this might not happen.
Source: Understanding Tenant Involvement, Tenant Services Authority (0845 230 7000)
Links: Report | Summary | TSA press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Mar
A project group report made recommendations to the government on the role, remit, and governance of the 'National Tenant Voice' – a proposed new body designed to ensure that the views of tenants could be heard in debates about social housing on a more equal basis.
Source: Citizens of Equal Worth, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report | Summary | DCLG press release
Date: 2009-Feb
A report examined the ways in which transfers of local authority houses to housing associations in urban areas had affected social housing governance, organisational culture, and area regeneration.
Source: Hal Pawson, Emma Davidson, James Morgan, Robert Smith and Rebecca Edwards, The Impacts of Housing Stock Transfers in Urban Britain, Chartered Institute of Housing (024 7685 1700) for Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Summary | JRF press release
Date: 2009-Feb
A report highlighted inconsistencies in the level of priority that local authorities in Scotland had given to key housing issues. It also expressed concern at the lack of targets and monitoring, in particular around the preparation for the new homelessness duties in 2012. It called for a review of the resources required to ensure local authorities could deliver.
Source: Single Outcome Agreements and Housing 2008/09: A Shared Vision?, Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland (0131 225 4544)
Links: Report | CIH press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Feb
The opposition Conservative Party published proposals designed to tackle the shortage of social housing. It said that it would temporarily relax regulations on design and quality standards, making it easier for the affordable housing sector to bring some of the 1 million empty homes into use.
Source: Empty Properties: Tackling Britain's social housing crisis, Conservative Party (020 7222 9000)
Links: Plan | Conservative Party press release | NHF press release | CIH press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report | Inside Housing report | BBC report
Date: 2009-Feb
There were 1.77 million households on local authority housing waiting lists across England on 1 April 2008, an increase of nearly 6 per cent compared with 1.67 million on 1 April 2007.
Source: Local Authority Housing Statistics, England 2007/08, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report | Shelter press release | LGA press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Jan
A think-tank report said that social housing tenants should be able to ask their landlord to sell the property on the open market, and buy another one of equivalent value: the tenant would choose the second property, and the landlord would be obliged to rent it to them under the same terms as the previous home. The scheme would help social tenants by allowing them to move closer to employment and get better jobs. The 'right to move' would be open to social housing tenants once every five years.
Source: Tim Leunig, The Right to Move: A new agenda for social housing tenants, Policy Exchange (020 7340 2650)
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Jan
The government began consultation on proposals to remove some of the financial barriers stopping local councils from building new properties and increasing their housing stock. Councils would be able to keep all the rental income from any homes they built, as well as keep the receipts from any of those homes that were later sold through 'Right to Buy'.
Source: Changes to the Revenue and Capital Rules for New Council Housing: Consultation on excluding new council housing from housing revenue account subsidy and pooling, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Consultation document | DCLG press release | CIH press release | TUC press release | Guardian report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2009-Jan
An article said that social housing tenants' reasons for not getting involved in participation processes were more than simply lack of interest. Tenants articulated an instrumental approach to participation, and rejected the conflation of tenant participation with tenant management. Practical barriers also obstructed their latent motivation.
Source: Kim McKee, 'The "responsible" tenant and the problem of apathy', Social Policy and Society, Volume 8 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Jan
