Axe hangs over regional housing boards

The nine regional housing boards are in jeopardy as the government proposes to hand the responsibility for deciding regional housing strategies to regional assemblies.

The plan is part of the ODPM’s response to economist Kate Barker’s review of housing supply, and is out for consultation until 30 November.

An ODPM spokeswoman said: “This is only a consultation. But if the proposed changes go ahead, the regional housing boards as they are currently constituted will no longer exist.

“We feel regional assemblies are the best vehicles for taking on Barker’s recommendations that housing and planning strategies should work more closely together.

“However, the regional assemblies will have to show that they are consulting on strategies with the individual members currently on the boards.”

Members include the Housing Corporation, representatives of regional assemblies and regional development agencies and English Partnerships.

The boards were welcomed when they were set up in February 2002 as part of the Communities Plan. The plan to abolish them has met with disbelief in the sector.

One London Housing Board source said the consultation document had “gone much further than we had expected”.

If the proposal is carried through, the change will most immediately be felt in London as mayor Ken Livingstone will take control of housing policy in London – a power he has wanted for a number of years.

The Greater London Authority, which Livingstone heads, is at present the only fully operational elected regional assembly.

Merron Simpson, head of policy at the Chartered Institute of Housing, said: “The boards were established to provide leadership on housing in the nine regions.

“They were set a mandate to produce strategies reflecting this.

“To withdraw that is taking much-needed power from them.

“It is a fudge by the ODPM.”A northern regional housing board source added: “We have only really just got going properly on producing these strategies. So to have that responsibility taken away is a bit of a blow.

“However, as I understand it, we will remain closely involved with the process.”

The ODPM consultation also proposes that:

• regional housing boards and planning boards be merged, as recommended by Barker
• a single national advice unit is set up to oversee the integration of the separate boards – Barker wanted one for each region. The unit would be overseen by an independent committee.

The ODPM expects to have fully implemented any changes by September 2005.