The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) believes the vision of an effective single housing and regeneration agency for England remains on track following the publication of Communities and Local Government’s consultation on ‘Communities England’ launched yesterday.
CIH had concerns that the new agency would not include some key roles and responsibilities and would simply end up being an investment vehicle for the new homes programme. CIH will now be inviting its 16,000 members and nine CIH Branches across England to consider and comment on the proposals in detail.
Sarah Webb, CIH Deputy Chief Executive, said: "At this stage we are pleased with the direction of travel of the new national agency and we will be seeking the views of our members over the coming months.
"One issue we will be particularly interested in is how Government will encourage joint working between local authorities and Communities England. Whilst there are now pilot protocols underway between the Housing Corporation and local authorities – with Birmingham the latest example – it is a fundamental area to get right if the new agency is to be successful at community level. The proposal to simply name Communities England as a partner local authorities need to consult with on key plans may not be enough during the first few years of the new organisation".
Sarah Webb continued: "Another important issue of debate is the location of regulator of social housing. It is important that we concentrate on who can deliver the best outcome for social housing when we consider the options. The independence of the regulator is also something we consider to be important in this debate.
"History also tells us that when creating any new Government agency, resources are often diverted to the establishment process and away from tackling current issues. It is important that organisations like CIH can continue to engage effectively with the main agencies in the interim to deliver improvements to customers", concluded Sarah.
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(Issued on behalf of the CIH by Jill Dwyer, Media Relations Officer, CIH Press Office, Octavia House, Westwood Way, Coventry CV4 8JP. Telephone: 07786 716961. Press@cih.org).
Notes to Editors:
- The CIH is the professional body for individuals working in housing. Its primary aim is to maximise the contribution that housing professionals make to the well-being of communities. CIH has over 20,000 individual members working for local authorities, housing associations, Arms Length Management Organisations, Government bodies, educational establishments and the private sector. Further information is available at:
