Come rain or shine?

Diary

January

• Publication of the new version of Housing Corporation’s unpopular operating cost index – who will the magic formula favour this time?
• Results of the ODPM review of the future of arm’s-length management. Will arm’s-length management organisations receive the freedoms they want?
• Consultation on the Housing Corporation’s grant-to-developers pilot ends on 11 January.
• 28 January is the deadline for councils applying for next year’s stock transfer programme.

This will be closely followed by announcement of the final number of transfers taking place in 2005: the expected figure is about 40, involving 17 local authorities.

• 28 January is also the last chance for councils to bid for round four of the housing private finance initiative scheme.
• The South-west’s regional housing strategy consultation closes at the end of the month – urban, rural and coastal areas will fight for cash.
• Changes to right to buy in the Housing Act 2004 come into force on 18 January.
• Launch of Newcastle’s regeneration strategy, including the incoming Liberal Democrat council’s verdict on the controversial Going for Growth demolition programme.Publication of ODPM guidance for local authorities dealing with Gypsy and Traveller communities is expected this month.

The guidance will deal with issues including site provision and allocation.

• Consultation opens on the Yorkshire and Humber regional assembly’s regional spatial strategy.

Meanwhile, there’s an opportunity to have your say on the economic strategy in “early 2005”.

February

• The Sustainable Communities Summit runs from 31 January to 2 February and will include the launch of the ODPM’s five-year plan for housing and the proposals for the Midlands Way, the region’s version of the Northern Way regeneration plan.

• The Housing Corporation’s £200m pilot project to pay social housing grant to non-housing associations takes off this month.
• Consultation on the North-east regional spatial strategy ends on 9 February.
• A host of leasehold reforms will take effect from 28 February (see Don’t be court out, the Law section of the almanac, page 23).

March

• Yorkshire & Humber draft regional housing strategy launched – how will it tackle low demand while improving affordability in the region’s hot spots?
• The year’s largest stock transfer takes place in Wakefield, when 33,500 homes move to new registered social landlord Wakefield & District Housing.
• Publication of ODPM select committee report on homelessness is due in the spring, which will continue the debate on how to help families in temporary accommodation.

April

By April, the National Asylum Support Service will announce accommodation contracts for 2005/6. Housing providers must wait to hear whether their services will still be needed as the Home Office crackdown on numbers bites.

• Deadline for Scottish local authorities to make plans for meeting the executive’s housing quality standard by 2015.
• Proposed increases in planning fees come into force on 1 April.
• Nine more pilot councils begin paying housing benefit directly to private sector tenants. No date has yet been set for a pilot in the social rented sector, but it’s rumoured to be on the cards by 2006.
• Gateway, the housing market renewal pathfinder for Hull & East Riding, is finally due to start spending. It has bid for £70m.
• April is the earliest that there’s a real possibility of a general election. It’s likely to be left until later in the year, but who’s to say – the sector could be welcoming a new housing minister this month.
• Second set of commonhold regulations expected this month or next to make it possible to use commonhold for shared ownership developments.

May

• Successful round-four housing PFI project bidders will hear the good news this month.
• Final version of the South-west’s regional housing strategy due at the ODPM.
• Council of Mortgage Lenders announces its requirements for lending on commonholds, in amendments to its Lender’s Handbook.
• Law Commission expected to publish its final report on security of tenure, whether any landlord should have a mandatory ground for possession and other tenant rights issues, with a draft Parliamentary Bill.
• Decision is due on which councils will set up ALMOs in round five.

June

It’s that time of year again – pack your bags for a week of hardcore networking at the Chartered Institute of Housing’s annual conference in Harrogate, from 21 to 24 June.

July

• Councils in England and Wales hit the options appraisal deadline for deciding how to meet the decent homes standard by 2010.

• The International Olympic Committee reveals the host of the 2012 games – could London be in with a sporting chance?
• Housing Corporation announces who will get what under its pilot scheme to give grant to organisations other than registered social landlords.